It's a Small World With Big Dreams

We started class on March 18 by receiving our grades on our box-o-footage short films, and there seemed to be some issues with some of the files, because those who did not receive a grade needed to submit them via email or youtube.com instead of what they previously turned in. I was included the no-grade footage, but I had no problem putting it on youtube and sending the email that weekend. Next, we watched a short independent film called The Last Summer, by Corey Womack, and it's his Honors Thesis as well. He was our guest filmmaker for the evening, and though he had a director for his film, the script and its revisions were all possible because of his idea and his hard work on it. Afterwords we had a question-and-answer session with him and I found the most interesting aspect to be that it was autobiographical about leaving his small town to go off to college and how trapped he felt there. I actually related to the story in a way, and how routine and boring things can become in a small town if you never find something bigger and better someday. Living in a small town myself, the movie reminded me of my own experiences in my rural town before coming to Conway and UCA.

After we finished the question-and-answer we all gave Corey a big hand for his hard work and great film, and moved on to discuss with the groups who had just filmed and watch some more educational but entertaining videos. The two groups gave a few key pieces of advice, like the fact that the sound editor and editor weren't really needed on set, and that it only made scheduling and getting together even harder for everyone. Next, we watched a few "creations" that were mock-trailers or mixed-up trailers. "Scary Mary" had to be the most disturbing since it turned Mary Poppins into a scary horror trailer using its footage. They also turned The Shining into a happy film using editing in a mock trailer. We then watched another 4 Minute Film School Episode that told us more about mis-en-scene and how to achieve the right look for our films. Alfred Hitchcock also had an interesting take on building tension and gave us the hypothetical situation of people playing cards with a bomb under a table, and never allowing the bomb to go off, but instead waiting until the last minute to have someone throw it out the window. That was the best way to build tension and suspense in a film, according to Hitchcock.

Lastly, we broke into our Short Film groups and our director brought a revised script and a good-looking storyboard for us to look at and discuss. He gave me plenty of ideas about camera angles and how he expected to film all the scenes. We are the last group to film, so we have a few more weeks to polish it up beforehand. Now, all we have to do is worry about scheduling and making deadlines. Even with the extra stress that will come our way, to tell you the truth, I can't wait.

Last week on Thursday, March 11 was movie week once again, and this time we watched another "thriller", called The Player. It was directed by Robert Altman and was an eclectic mix of genres and themes. It was confusing and a bit uncomfortable in many of the scenes, and this is all explained by the fact that it was a more recent version of Film Noir. Sure, it was covered up with Hollywood sunshine and bright colors, but all the other elements were there. The offbeat music, a screwed-up main character, a "private eye investigator" vibe, the "femme fatale", and imperfect shots or lighting. There were also quite a few creepy, off-balance, and outright uncomfortable-to-watch scenes. Other than that, I liked the movie and the message it portrayed to its audience.

But first, there were a few cinematographic elements that surprised and impressed me. The stopping on movie posters in Griffin's office to portray a fitting quote for the situation was one way to get the audience to actually think something about its characters directly. There's no way for the audience to twist the quotes around and become misled (unless it was purposeful); there were probably just different interpretations of what it meant. Also, this movie is well known for it's incredibly long shots if not anything else. The opening scene was a long shift between employees of the company and their conversations, or the writers' pitches to Griffin. So, you get a realistic, but wide view of the setting and mood from the beginning. Lastly, I was very interested in the returning pattern of filming the actors through windows or in reflections. It had an even more uncomfortable mood when it seemed you were watching people through the window, and even more so when Griffin does this to June. I admired the overall feeling of reality, with good sound transition and cameras at eye-level during dialogue.

The theme was another interesting element of the film. It's another movie about movies, but this time it has much more of a mocking and satirical feel than the others. The director seems to be showing us that you as an audience are suckers who prefer light, happy endings and allow yourselves to fall for the trick every time. The fact that this movie has a "happy" ending where the villian/main character gets away scot-free with murder tinges the end with poison. I know I was a bit disappointed in it, as well as many others who watched. But he makes a good point: reality doesn't always have a sweet, happy ending, and people are completely evil at times. He makes another good point about Hollywood too. It's driven by money and success; it's an endless and brutal competition to have the best script, story, and eventually movie. The fact that Altman was an independent director explains that he obviously had a problem with this corporate system. Well, that's my review, all I can say is you're in for a smart, offbeat, and unique film.

You Don't Have to Travel Alone...

Class on March 4, a workshop on short film planning, was interesting to say the least. We started with our normal slide show, and discussed how to make our films flow smoothly and seamlessly. Firstly, we discussed the importance of good sets. You need variation in your sets, and especially something on the walls. You need to make your story interesting, not neutral. Next, you need fitting music for your film. It creates a certain mood, or atmosphere, that will deeply contribute to your vision. Lastly, and very importantly, it's important to have all your paperwork in order and a good producer to get all the details straight. The producer's responsibilities include getting location agreements from where you're shooting, helps configure the set, and helps the actors and actresses to be ready and well fed for their work. Additional tips we learned about were finding and screening your actors carefully and to give enough time for auditions and castings to take place.

We also learned that it's best to shoot your most challenging scene first, or the scenes that make the most sense to shoot before others. You don't need any changes to happen to the actors in one scene that affects the shooting of the next. If you shoot the hardest scene first you have the most time to work on it and ensure it gets a good amount of time dedicated to it. Another good pointer from the Youtube videos on cheap film-making we watched: lots of lists. You need a prop list, to-do list, camera position list, shot order list, and any others you might need. The more details and planning, the better. If anything happened or was forgotten, you can just consult any of your lists; you can consult what you've crossed out and what you need to do next and you won't be lost anymore. For fun, we then watched the low-budget creation of a corpse, with a wire frame, pantyhose, and paint. They show that you can make your effects realistic and amazing with the right amount of innovation and creativity, even if you're low on funds.

Our groups met to discuss our scripts and/or storyboards based on the first draft presented. I had written the rough draft of the script, which everyone read and brought good and creative ideas to the table about changing it for the better. We talked for a good hour or so, molding and sculpting the story to something with the most interesting small elements that would come together for the big picture at the end. We dove headfirst in brainstorming and planning our film and it was a very productive meeting. I believe we're definitely heading in a great direction and can't wait for us to start filming.

So Last week in class was another movie night, and we watched Blow-Out, directed by Brian De Palma. This thriller about a sound-man and his experience with a conspiracy was interesting to say the least. De Palma, as Donna put in lecture, is pretty gutsy and gritty in his decisions for filming this movie. Some of his better known works include Carrie and Scarface, both very embedded in pop culture today. His main influence for decisions in Blow-Out seems to be much of Hitchcock's work; some of the scenes have been compared to the Hitchcock ones of the past. The one I absolutely loved was a scene where Sally is walking into the station; you are given a view of the killer through the clear front of the building at several levels above, and when he comes into focus it almost takes your breath away. As well as having some breathtaking and suspenseful scenes, it also has some clever dialogue and great underlying themes in particular criticizing the movie business and America in general.

We discussed the ideas present in the movie that could be possible themes, like the corruptions and the cover-ups that exist in American society and the goal of filmmakers to achieve a sense of reality in their films. Filmmakers were starting to realize they had to have something the audience could easily relate to, and the realistic sounds, look, etc. played a big part in how good it looked on the big screen. At the same time, they had to cover up flaws in footage (sound-dubbing is only one example). In effect, it would be "perfectly" realistic. In the same way, this film shows how America also has the tendency to cover up its flaws and weaknesses, to maintain a good look on the surface when in fact it starts out rough, tainted, and unkempt. When the official asks Jack (main character) to pretend he never saw a thing, we also get an in-your-face view of how law officers as well as high-society types are so easily corruptible and also how they cover up things to save themselves. De Palma not only sets out to entertain us, he shows us a dirty but realistic criticism of U.S. society as it really exists, corruption and all.

This is where Jack comes in. He's a fighter for the truth in a world where people would rather not hear the ugly truth, but hear a pretty lie instead. When he believes there was more to the "freak accident" that ended a politician's life, and the fact that he recorded it on tape, it only fuels his quest for this "truth". Meanwhile, he is in obvious danger, and so is his friend Sally. This mix of suspense, thrill, and heavy meaning make for an interesting, if cheesy watch. But I heartily recommend seeing it if you ever get the chance.

In the beginning of film class, we were assigned a short film lasting about 5 minutes. We were to put to use the knowledge we had gained in lecture and discussion to make films within our 6 groups and finally combine them together in a film festival at the end of the semester. Last week in class, my group was assigned the genre of drama as well as some lines and props we must include in our film too. We didn't have much to go on at first, except for maybe a something like a stalker drama. We had our director take the idea and run with it, and now we have something really close to a finished product. It still includes what the audience thinks is a stalker at first, but there's a certain twist at the end that I don't want to mention quite yet. I'm sure with some reworking and molding of our initial ideas, we'll have something great to film.

As camera operator (which can almost double as director of photography), I'm already thinking of how the shots should go along with what happens in the story. I find myself wondering what shot looks best with the situation, like a pan or a point of view following or showing something in particular. I also think of what the audience will see and how this will affect the way they feel and experience when watching the film. Right now, we have a rough draft of our script and I'm pondering what kind of actors we'll need and where to shoot our scenes. We have begun to collaborate and even started a Facebook group to keep our discussion going.

I think we could definitely do some good editing and a few special effects with the software available to our editors. I want our film to have a clean, polished look, and that's a big responsibility of mine as the camera operator with the high-tech camera we are provided with. We won't be needing an elaborate set, as we are filming mostly on a college campus, but we will need some way to set up the scenes that we have in mind and that will require some organization and troubleshooting. I'm confident that we have the creativity and innovation to make all this possible, but getting some help with the acting and the scenes wouldn't hurt either. We have a few more weeks to figure things out, but that's where we are for now.

Looks Like It's Raining Fantasy...

Last week in class we watched and discussed Singin' in the Rain, a film following the introduction of sound in movies and the transition that occurred. The female actor's obnoxious, high-pitched voice and strange accent made it quite funny and ironic that her voice shattered the illusion she had on screen in silent films as opposed to the ones now featuring her voice. The acting, singing, and performances were all clean and dazzling, but a little "too clean". We found out this is because of sound dubbing, for the taps during the dancing and even dubbing for Kathy's singing for Lena in the film. Additionally, the over-the-top performances of the actors seems to be due to the fact that the setting was in the 20's when everything was bigger and more exaggerated. I also enjoyed the abundance of slapstick and good, witty characters to go along with it.

A few important themes discussed in the film were celebrity culture, movies as fantasy and the fantastical preconceptions of love. The celebrity culture of the time portrayed was a bit out of control. The actors/actresses could not control their publicity or what was said about them in any magazine. This resulted in rampant "rumors" about their life that weren't true (for example, saying Don and Lena were together). Also, the fact that movies portray unrealistic ideals about life and love is something we see even today. It all goes back to whether an audience wants to watch a movie in order to escape the harsh realities of life, and the majority of them like to do so. But, when watching things repeatedly that give us these unreachable goals for our lives, it can become disappointing when our life or love life don't amount to what we see on screen.

Well, as camera operator I get to play with the camera and get my test footage soon. It will prove to be a difficult, but educational and beneficial task. I should be a camera expert by the time we're through, but we will have to see how it all turns out, I guess.

A Few Forks in the Path

From the recent workshops, there have been a few things that stood out to me when thinking about the future of our Short Film assignment due at the end of the semester. I have seen that good sound (which is given 50 to 90% of the credit in a film), good editing (so the story flows) and adequate lighting in all scenes is very important. It surprised me to know that in horror films, the light often comes from the bottom of the shot instead of the top, to create an ominous feel. I know now that when editing, you must have a story that can be followed, but it helps you to cut down on time spent explaining if you could just use a flashback or other tool to skip forward/backward and then return to the original story. Camera angles are also very important to the feel of each scene. Like, when two people are shot talking face-to-face and another where the conversation is filmed over one's shoulder, that there is a huge difference.

Some of the more detailed techniques, like those of stop motion, cross-cutting, zoom, fade-in and fade-out, and many more impressed me as something to use in the filming and editing of our film. With the editing software and cameras available, I believe all of these techniques are possible in one way or another, but the real determining factor is the creativity and hard work our group is willing to put into it. We'll need someone in each area that knows what they're doing or is at least willing to do their research in the camera shooting, lighting, sound, and editing to make it a masterpiece. I was extremely interested in some sort of montage, with the limited time we have, to tell a larger story. With good writing and editing this is definitely possible. Also, I'd like to use a few good transitions to go from one scene to the other, such as cross-cutting or fade-ins and outs, just to make it flow a little easier.

Well, I guess it's time to put our heads together to make something not only entertaining, but good too. I believe we can accomplish almost every technique we choose with the right amount of work, except for the extremely high-tech stuff that is out of our reach. It's a movie, we can make it whatever we want it to be.