#Film form

[roger-s-maracas]

Look what I found in the university library today 🤩🤩

[tonysfilmblog]

Final Week / Reflection

I always both love and hate reflection weeks. They’re great because I love seeing what everyone else has made, the plethora of talent that comes from every filmic aspect is so fun to watch, and it’s a great place to listen to criticism directed towards other projects which I can adapt towards my future projects. I think this screening was especially great because there was a clear improvement over the screenings from last year. As gross as it may sound to say because being emotive is gross, it was really inspiring to see how everyone has improved and grown over the past year. I think many of the people in that room have great chances of going somewhere in the industry and I’m rooting for all of them.

Alright, onto the criticism surrounding our film!

I hope I didn’t sound defensive surrounding the lecturer’s criticisms because I think everything they had to say was very constructive and so useful going forward. I actually think the lecturers were a bit too nice about my cinematography, I know everyone is their worst critic but I’m not sure if I’m too happy about my shots. I definitely don’t think I utilised the space as best as I could have and I really needed better preparation beforehand to smooth out the shot list a lot more. That’s a common aspect of my personality, lack of sufficient planning! 

Last year, I did a bit of cinematography, like in my documentary classes and for the early film narrative class when we were tasked with making a one shot film and also the film recreation. So this is the first time that I’ve done proper cinematography for a narrative project. So while I’m not too happy with the end result on my end, I actually think I’ve developed a lot of confidence in my skills just over this one project. Aside from the lack of preparation, I think I do know where I went wrong on the day of filming and I feel like next time I film something I might actually really enjoy my work.

Also I have no idea what happened with the focus. I didn’t really notice much issue on the day of filming but when we were going through the editing process, there were many good shots that just looked a bit underwhelming because I didn’t notice that they were a bit out of focus, so I’m really kicking myself over that. I think I relied too much on that feature that created green lines around subjects on the camera’s display and I think maybe it’s good to utilise both this feature and also just the regular camera display. That’s something I’m really going to look out for in the future and something I should have fixed on the day.

There was also the criticism surrounding the head space. I think I went a bit mad being like we need a THX shot in there! THX!! In THX they have this awkward shot presentation that usually cuts out the character’s upper portion of their head and in doing so cuts out their headspace. I really tried to replicate this in certain portions of the film. I think in some parts in works really well. I will forever stand by that shot where Joy listens to the tape! That’s my big THX shot! I think in other portions it doesn’t work so well. One criticism I got about it is that it seems unintentional so maybe if I moved the camera more or did something to make it seem intentional then it would have worked better and I think I completely agree. That’s the big risk with having shots like that when you’re still in the process of learning, is that they may end up having the audience think oops camera error there. I think if I had been more selective over when I used these types of shots then they might have worked a lot better.

I don’t want to be a complete negative nancy like I always am so I’m going to say it was very rewarding working with this group. I think everyone pulled out the stops and gave it their all. Aisling’s production design is so so good. It’s a shame we had to cut a lot of the shots that highlighted this but I think it was so necessary for the pacing of the film. It’s great seeing little things like the paintings and the magnets spicing up the background of the shots, helping the world feel believable and lived in. Michael’s sound design was fantastic. I feel bad because I think we put a lot of pressure on him by saying things like, “the sound design will really bring this film together” but he really pulled it off, creating this unnerving atmosphere. Sean’s writing builds this odd but interesting world. I love the way he writes dialogue, that’s definitely his strongest skill when it comes to screenwriting. The dialogue feels natural but at the same time fun and engaging. I think that’s the part of screenwriting he enjoys the most and it really shows.

Oh and I cannot forget to mention Aisling’s fantastic directing! She spent a lot of time blocking the scenes with Joy’s actress which was such an insane help getting us through the shooting days. Those days were a tad bit tense because there was just not enough time to get everything we wanted and I don’t think we would have even gotten the essentials if it weren’t for her.

Ok to end this blog post off, I’m going to try and switch it up by saying something positive about my work and something negative about the other members in my group. 

Sean was such a terrible person on set, he played a powerpoint that had a photo of me, edited to seem like a funeral service background with the song Goodbye Stranger playing in the background. I cannot believe the utter unprofessionalism on display.

Jokes aside, a real criticism I would have is I think possibly there was too much in the script. I think during the development process, we started off with a much simpler idea and then we ended up trying to make it more complex like by thinking oh we have to sort of explain why Joy is here and a bit about what’s going on but I think that just ended up leaving creating more unanswered questions about the world. Although, to be fair, I think we all wanted something a bit simpler at the beginning of pre-production, but it’s that underlying thought, will the audience understand if we don’t provide more context. That’s not a dig at Sean, I think he was also feeling the same and the script he wrote is great, I loved it! Note to self, sometimes, stick with your gut instinct….sometimes.

Eghh, ok a positive about my input. I do actually really like some of my shots. I actually quite like how the breakfast and stamping scenes turned out, the simple and monotonous effect that the cinematography has. 

I think overall, I’m actually kind of happy with the end result. I think it’s far from perfect, specifically talking about my input har har. But I’m so proud of the other people I worked with and how hard they worked to get the project completed. 

[filmsrus]

FILM FORM

SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP WITH CHRISTOPHER NEILAN (10.02.23)

INTENTION AND OBSTACLE

Our class with Chris was super informative and fun. We first watched an Aaron Sorkin lecture on Intention and Obstacle - the two elements that he sees as essential to a good storyline. We used the analogy of a road trip to discuss what we learned.

You went on a cool road trip and want to make it into a film - it can’t be a leisurely drive - someone in the car needs to need to be at the destination urgently and there have to be obstacles like flat tires or arguments along the way. Once you have intentions and obstacles, you can add all those fun things from your experience of the road trip. Ensure your obstacles are formidable - a flat tire costs $20? What’s the obstacle in paying? No money? Need to trade your watch in at the petrol station?

Focus on character wants and needs. Press on the intentions, press on the obstacles - ensure there’s no loopholes, make sure their needs and wants are believable. 

The intention can be minimal - having to get home on time for example - it is the obstacles that make it interesting.

You may figure out the intention along the way - you don’t know why you’re going on this road trip but throughout it you realise.

BASIC STORY STRUCTURE

Act 1 - disturbance -> inciting incident -> establishment of goal ->

Act 2.1 - turning point 1: ‘into the woods.�� -> goals and obstacles ->

MIDPOINT (death and rebirth in some cases) ->

Act 2.2 - goal and obstacles -> turning point 2: crisis ->

Act 3 - dramatic climax -> goal resolved

This 3 part structure applies to each film but it also applies to each act and each scene.

A well designed scene has a protagonist, and incident occurs that initiates a goal for them. Obstacles create an antagonistic force. Some kind of unexpected reversal, plot twist or reveal of previously unknown info at midpoint, leading us to a resolution in which the protagonist achieves or fails their goal. 

We did two exercises to test this story structure. First we watched a scene from Fargo and applied the structure to it and then got given a script from a scene of Game of Thrones and did the same with it.

Below is the Fargo exercise:

Inciting incident: policewoman coming into car salesman office 

Goal for her: get salesman to check if a car was stollen

Obstacle: his refusal to cooperate 

Boiling point: 'ma’am…' he gets nervous

Midpoint: she asks to speak to his higher up im assuming

Dramatic climax: he pretends to check inventory then drives away

Resolution: She fails to achieve her goal though has solid ground to suspect him now

[langernameohnebedeutung]

ngl, I'm beginning to take issue with how in conversations about anti-intellectualism almost automatically, the face of girls and women will be slapped on the problem.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

MDZS x Brazil (1985)

(Yes. Real movie dialogue)

[gorillaspictures]

Film form - critical reflection

Overall, I am happy with how our film turned out. When showing it at the crit, some people watching were genuinely scared which means we at least succeeded on that front. I was also surprised at the amount of things that the lecturers liked about the film, and that they thought our film had some very strong moments.

In terms of directing, I received some useful feedback, particularly regarding the ending scene, in which the creature approaches Eric from behind without him knowing. In the scene, Eric can’t sense the creature despite the fact that it is talking to him. However, in the previous scene, it had been established that Eric can interact with the creature and hear its voice. Alternatively, if we’re supposed to believe that Eric CAN hear the creature, but is simply paralysed by fear, this was not reflected in Frederik’s performance. This is something I did not consider when directing my actors. So, I’d say the most important thing I took away directing-wise was to think about the characters’ point of view in the scene - what they can and can’t interact with - and make sure it remains consistent throughout the film.

Another thing I should have considered more was how to better communicate the tone of the film. Our film’s intended tone was a dramatic horror with a few slightly comedic elements. The comedy wouldn’t be laugh-out-loud, but more dry and uncomfortable, with the humour lying in the absurdity and misery Eric has to experience. Paul praised the timing of the mother coughing, and the long pause where you think she might be dead. I was pleased with this, as it was an intentional choice on my part. However, Leo wasn’t quite sure if certain moments later on were funny on purpose or not. This is something that could have been made clearer by tightening up the edit, or keeping the tone in mind while giving directions to Frederik.

In terms of editing, the glitching effects were praised, as was the text on screen. The main piece of feedback related to the text was that there should have been more context. In the film, Eric’s friend Tommy sends him a message out of nowhere, and Eric clicks on it without questioning it. If we had included an extra line of dialogue or even directed Frederik differently, we could have hinted towards more of a relationship between Tommy and Eric. For example, Eric points out that Tommy always sends him weird things, or even smiles/laughs upon seeing the message. That way, the audience would be less confused and Eric would have a more solid motivation for setting the conflict of the film in motion.

As I was helping with sound, it was important to take in the feedback on the sound design.

One thing we should have added was a limiter on the mix. There is a part in the film in which the music is (intentionally) really loud compared to the rest of the sound - however, the difference in volume was way greater on the big speakers than it was when we were sound designing. Had we added a limiter, the difference wouldn’t have been as much of an issue, and poor Leo wouldn’t have had to turn the sound down halfway through the film.

Another issue with sound was the dialogue towards the very end. While again, it wasn’t quite noticeable while sound designing. This was down to mic placement, as, due to the shot being very wide, the boom microphone was quite far away from the subject. Zoe suggested to raise the levels of the dialogue, and remove. If all else fails, we could use a wild track and ADR where necessary. In future, we should use two microphone placements - a lav and a boom - instead of just the boom.

One small thing was the audio of the speaker. Looking back, it is quite clear that we recorded it separate from everything else. Zoe suggested we improve the speaker audio by recording it in the same space as the dialogue. As in, we use the same recording of the voice actress, but we play it in the bedroom, and record it playing using the boom mic.

Overall, despite the issues identified while on set and at the crit, I am very proud of our film. I thought we worked together very well as a team, were always there for each other, and I would love to work with my crew again. While the feedback given at the crit was very helpful, I thought the praise we got outshone our weaknesses, and that we achieved what we were going for.

[analogmartt]

Cassiano drying himself after a swim at a lake in Berlin, shot on medium format Ilford Ortho Plus 80. September 2023

Instagram

[sadmages]

Gale stabilizing all 3 party members from death after not getting hit himself at all and then dropping this bomb while everyone's on the verge of death. So funny of him

[ianitegal56]

I saw Godzilla Minus One and he is quite literally one of god's silliest showa scientists

[anyataylorjoys]

POCAHONTAS (1995) dir. Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg 

[reunitedinterlude]

the 2019-2020 (dan and) phil secret project

april 2019 | july 2019 | august 2019 | january 2020 (1, 2) | february 2020 (1, 2) | april 2021

[foxspit]

like bathers in a painting

Foxspit.com

[tonysfilmblog]

Easter Holidays - The Editing Weeks But Also The Weeks Where I Mess Up Big Time

Ok, I messed up…big time. So it was about halfway through the second shoot day when I notice Oh We’ve been filming in slow motion the entire time. Great job me. Unfortunately that meant that we ended up being slightly behind on the editing. Which wouldn’t have been the biggest deal in the world but Sean had pre booked a trip to Manchester months prior so that meant that we’d be losing Sean for a few days. The rest of us all decided we’d chip in and try and get some more of the editing done, and to be honest, I was glad to do it, it made me feel a bit better about my horrible mishap. Michael sorted out scene 3 which was the stamping scene and he did an absolutely great job. Whilst me and Aisling sorted through the remaining scenes.

This part of the edit was really difficult just because this is the part where the shoot started to get a bit manic. Because of that, we have had to make due with many shots that I'm not too too happy about but what can you do? Specifically, I really regret not being able to get those cctv shots, I think those would have been really effective in the film and would have been great for Sean to use during editing. 

I think the main problem would be the lack of communication on my side when it came to the structure of the cinematography. I don’t think I communicated enough with Aisling beforehand on what exactly we needed for the shoot. I came up with a shot list and then Aisling combined that with some shot ideas of her own. However, I never really reached out to her to develop a more precise plan. I also didn’t communicate enough with Sean, our editor, to double check that we would have everything prepared for the edit.

I think I struggle to communicate my ideas to other people because I’m scared of revealing my hidden talent of having no talent. However, I do think this is a selfish line of reasoning and this time, it really negatively affected our film. I’m mostly just disappointed in myself because if I had just reached out to people more then the whole thing would have turned out better for everyone. I’m sorry for being all doom and gloom and but it ain’t all doom and gloom. I’m going to use this opportunity to annoy my pals. I am going to be making something, I don’t know what but I’m going to be making something with the specific intent to include cinematography that I can be proud of. I’m not going to care too much about the script which will mean that it probably won’t end up being a good film but I need something to boost my confidence so I’m not so self pitying! So yeah I’m going to make something and I’m going to be harassing my pals for constant feedback and it’s going to be awesome!

I’ve just realised I’m making the shoot sound like a disaster or something but it was great and it was a great learning experience and I’m relatively happy overall with what we ended up with.

I do think it’s shaping up fairly well. Aisling tried doing some colour grading and genuinely the whole thing immediately looks so much better. I think having Aisling there with me was really helpful as it was great to hear a bit more about what she was looking for from each scene.

We are a little worried at how the pacing seems for the entire film. At the moment it’s very slow which honestly I think works well for the film, but unfortunately, we’re a bit over our time limit so most of those editing days were figuring out ways of cutting the film down without making it seem too jarring. One issue we faced towards the end was trying to find a way of speeding up the part where Joy takes the cassette player out of the book because in every take we had, Joy does it a bit too slowly and we wanted this scene to have a tad bit more urgency. 

So yeah, that’s the bare bones of an edit completed. Sean’s back now so we’ll be able to help him clean everything up.

[filmsrus]

FILM FORM

CRITICAL REFLECTION

I am so incredibly proud of this film and I’m really appreciative for all the feedback we got.

‘A suggestion may not give an answer but it addresses a question.’

We were complimented on our opening shot - an opening shot is so important in a short film - it must be engaging enough for the viewer to not skip onto the next one, so I was very happy to hear that. Leo also enjoyed the nuance of our film, which was something very important to us as films about gay experiences often follow the same tropes in order to appeal to straight audiences which we wanted to avoid doing - we wanted to tell an authentic story, so I’m glad that Leo saw that.

Zoe, Paul and Leo loved the production design, which I’m glad they recognised as Nikola really did do an amazing job on it. They said that the party felt believable and that the costume was great.

The tone in the first scene however did get lost at times which I think we could fix with a tighter edit to keep up the comedy. 

Our main mistake was not giving Ethan the attention he needed - this is his story and yet he is obscured throughout the film. In the first scene, we put tights over the lens which looked amazing in the wides but it did not work for the shot reverse shot as well as Ethan was on the side of the screen, meaning the focus on him was very soft and the drunk girl instead looked like the main character.

Then in the bus stop scene, we do not see Ethan enough - we should be with him much more to watch his emotional progression. We have a great shot of him crying but the build up to it falls flat. The 2 shot we have is not utilised either, we never pull focus from the stranger to Ethan. We hold on the stranger for too much instead of Ethan.

There are some amazing lines such as ‘Where is the pride parade?’ and ‘What do I do now?’ Which we dont linger on for long enough to let them have the impact intended. We don’t understand enough what Ethan is thinking when he says them - whether he feels guilty or not for example.

There are also issues with blocking, in two scenes in particular. The first is when Ethan walks away from Sean- we don’t tilt up to catch Sean’s reaction. I think we did tilt in the last few takes but decided to not use them. Also, in the scene in which the stranger walks away from Ethan then stops to say something, he ends up awkwardly in the bottom left corner, half of him cut out of the frame.

A suggestion was made for a transition between the 2 scenes which we did have but decided to remove which is interesting. The argument for it was that the two scenes have such different tones that it's a bit jarring, however, even though I really liked the transition, I also like the sudden change of tone.

One of the best bits of feedback we got was on the sound. We did have an issue with the export as the sound was exported in stereo in Protools then ended up in a mono track on davinci, so we need to fix that, but in general, Zoe said that the sound was not cinematic enough. It didn’t have that immersive dynamism. For example, at the bus stop, we are saying that Ethan left the party early and yet there are no sounds of nearby parties or drunk people in the streets even though its meant to be Halloween. That is something that we can easily fix too. 

An annoying mistake we made which we noticed in the edit was that we did not linger on Ethan’s face enough at the very end, we should had stayed with him for much longer and captured his emotion before panning up. It feels as though we did a disservice to Ewan, our actor who played Ethan, as he has such a presence on screen and we did not give him the time he deserved. 

I really loved directing this project and I was so lucky to work with such an incredible crew. I would love to fix the sound and grade to re upload it because I am so proud of this film and I really think that it has potential.

My standard of work has increased so much even from the last semester and I can't wait to take what I learned from this into my next project.

[trek-tracks]

RIP Teri Garr (December 11, 1944-October 29, 2024)

Known for Young Frankenstein, Tootsie, and Friends, she was also the brightest spot in Star Trek's otherwise lackluster backdoor pilot of a Season Two finale, Assignment: Earth, as Roberta Lincoln. (After all, we know Kirk has a fondness for Lincolns.)

[basketcase1982]

i think sometimes when ppl riff on low budget movies especially horror & horror comedy they forget that they’re self aware fairly often 😭 like half of the time that they’re mocking the line delivery they’re literally laughing at a Joke. that is funny on Purpose. u can’t compare every “bad” movie to the full dramatic sincerity of The Room (in fact just stop comparing everything to the room)