#I flow so smooth call me the Steadicam

[tr-p-antoninvs-pivs]

OK, so I’m a sucker for smarty-pants guys proving just how smarty-pants they are, and also for Camper Van Beethoven samples.

"ooooh I don't listen to rap but it's not because I'm racist it's because [unironic statement painting the entire genre of rap as a monolith]" shut the fuck up. @ my fellow whites you have 24 hours to find a rapper you fuck with or I'm hunting you for sport.

[s0021069a2film-blog]

Post I. Short Film Research

Mercenaire (Sebastein Casico, 2016)

Textual Analysis:

Links to Creative Investigation / What I Could Use in my Film:

The narrative of this film wasn’t the most interesting but even with the film being in french knew what was going on most of the time. It is important that I consider the audience when making my film and make sure they always know what’s happening. Scorsese often uses voiceovers and monologues in order to keep the audience on track. There wasn't really much of a message to be taken from this film other than the main character is a cool tough guy. I find it’s important to have an overlying message in a film rather than just making a character look impressive. There could have been an aspect of consequence or guilt, two messages Scorsese often implements. ‘Mean Streets’ being the best example Johnny Boy is portrayed as a cool guy that commits crimes without a care but at the end of the films he pay for it with his life.

There are some interesting shots in the film, mentioned in my textual analysis, that had the subject dead centre. They were satisfying to look at and directed the audience’s attention, doing two of most important things a shot should do. Scorsese often strung together these two aspects of a shot  to convey particular messages.  I really like the look of these shots and I’m going to consider getting one in my shot film. The warping of the frame when using the wide angle lens looked tacky I will make sure that I’m far enough away from my subject if I’m using a similar lens. The fluid camera movement in the film was great and it made for some really interesting shots that looked great and made the filming feel more professional. Scorsese was one of the early adopters of the Steadicam and this shot reminds me of the club entrance in ‘Goodfellas’ (Martin Scorsese, 1980). I’m going to make sure I involve these moving tracking shots, therefore I need to start thinking about how I’m gonna keep the camera steady. The more stagnant close-ups in the film weren’t all that interesting. Sometimes a well-timed close up on an object can be effective but the object needs have purpose unlike poker cards and a laptop. The shallow depth of field is often used by filmmakers and we associate this with professional film. It’s used just the right amount in this film and it also knows when not to use it. I will have to consider what I need to be in focus when filming.

The costume in this film was in key with the setting most of the time although, the times the clothes didn't match the setting were obvious and looked silly in places. The director had clearly thought about how to portray the characters in the clothes they wear and there was a way to distinguish between the good and bad characters through their clothes. The settings in the casino and hotel were perfect for the tone of the film and are often used in the genre, Scorsese uses these types of locations all the time, they we’re popular hangouts for the gangs where he grew up. I like the idea of filming in a hotel. The airport scene didn’t really make sense to me and didn't feel it was explained enough if a location is used it needs to have context otherwise the audience is confused. In some places the lighting is exactly what I’m likely to include in my film, the ‘whisky tone’ is what I call its a warm, golden lighting.

I thought the score as a whole was shocking, it only added character to a scene once the rest of time it didn’t suit the scene or it wasn’t noticeable. The soundtrack is half of the film, Scorsese knew the importance of a good score he found a great way to showcase the songs he grew up around. This gives his films an authentic atmosphere and in ‘Mercenair’ there is no attempt to hit achieve anything special with the score and it makes the film a lot less stylistic. This is something I’m going to work very hard on in my short film the score will be used to create dramatic tension and give the film a sense of style.

The continuity editing in this film is good in the transition of some scenes but not so good in others. There always need to be an explanation as to how characters get where they are and sometimes there just wasn’t. I need to keep in mind when filming my characters that it’s clear where they are and how they got there. The film has an action scene and the cuts in this part are very quick and frantic and this scene is hard to keep track of. I find longer takes give a clearer picture of what's going on rather than a mumbled assortment of angles flicking by within seconds. I will likely not include any really fast paced scenes as I find them to be a cheap way to create dramatic tension. The editing was all chronological and liner I like the idea of cutting back and forth in time to keep the viewer alert and I think I’ll do what this film didn’t in my own short film.

Verset Criminel  (Ange Basterga, 2015)

Textual Analysis:

Links to Creative Investigation / What I Could Use in my Film:

The narrative of the film was quite interesting but the quality of the execution was  poor and this sometimes made infringements to how the narrative was perceived. However, there is definitely an interesting script here and the ending is reminiscent of ‘Fight Club’  (David Fincher, 1999). The idea of mental health overruling an individuals morality is a message to be taken from this film and this message is very similar to that of ‘Taxi Driver’ (Martin Scorsese, 1976). The way this director portrays this message is too abrupt and doesn't leave much to interpretation. Scorsese does this in a way that truly delves into the understanding of what morality is by leaving subtle references to Catholicism and giving the film an underlying message of weather a mental person is responsible for their actions. I like the idea of having philosophical arguments like the meaning of right and wrong and what makes someone responsible for their actions it gives a greater meaning to the films.

The camera techniques showed no particular creativity. Almost every frame was a mid-shot and there was no  finesse at all when it came to framework. The only interesting shot was play on the from-the-trunk shot used often in this genre however the director didn’t seem to do this ironically or but any personal twist on it the shot just seemed like a carbon copy of the originals used in ‘Pulp Fiction’ (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) and ‘Goodfellas’ (Martin Scorsese, 1980). I need to be mindful of weather my shots are moving. I’d like to keep the shot in motion as much as possible as I find this creates an atmosphere whilst making still shots stand out more.

The classical aspects of the soundtrack were typical of the genre but the rest of the film didn’t air the same class that films like the Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972), therefore didn’t suit the tone of the film. I feel sound works in conjunction with lighting and white glow this film had didn’t match the sound which I associate with warm golden colors.

The editing between shots was well time but the situational aspects of the editing between scenes was sometimes confusing and there wasn’t always a great sense of location in the film. The locations seemed to be a result of what was on the same block as the directors house and it seems not much thought really went into the planning. The SFX had purpose but their execution was poor and didn’t work with the fast cuts during the flashback sequences.

Contracts ( Cameron Ward, 2013)

Links to Creative Investigation / What I Could Use in my Film:

The narrative was pretty ambiguous, although I don’t think this was intentional it does leave lots to interpretation. I like it when films leave some open-ended questions to ponder on once the movie’s done. I don’t think this film achieved this but it tried. The actual flow of the narrative was typical of the genre, with a crime operation going wrong and the criminals paying for their crimes. I like the idea of things coming back around to bite you. Scorsese being Roman Catholic strongly believed the guilt of one’s sins would be carried with them for the rest of their life and after death.

The camera movement was possibly the best thing about the movie some of the shots we’re actually very dynamic and I was very impressed with the stability of the camera. As previously mentioned I think the camera should try and move as much as possible, even if it’s just a small movement it gives a greater sense of position than just a still frame. The depth of field wasn’t taken into account and this is important if going for a film look.

The costume didn’t match the setting and this looked very silly during the film. Having certain costume and props just because they’re cool and they appear to be what ‘should’ be there when actually they shouldn’t is unprofessional. Some actors simply weren't in any sort of costume which is just bad planning. All my actors must have set clothing with hopes to not break immersion. Costume is one of the simplest ways to define a character as we associate many things with the way people dress. The use of prop was excessive and it just seemed like the director wanted to film guns as much as possible. I will likely feature a gun but more drama has to be executed around the weapons they can’t just be there for being there’s sake.

The soundtrack was fitting for the tone of the film and it was really the only dramatic thing about the film. Some off the sound effects we’re okay but weren’t mixed too well and were therefore unconvincing. The use of contemprary music ws something Scorsese would often do however this use was far to sterotypical and wasn’t very creative.

The editing between shots was okay, as said a well timed cut is very important to encourage a smooth flow of the scenes. However, in the fast paced shots like in mercenair the camera cut far too quickly therefore the viewer is confused. A large portion of the film falied to be a film with only title cards and a voice over and no actual shots. The scene wasn’t even attpted to be shown witch was just lazy. I must learn from this films mistakes and if a scene can’t be shot then to riteit out and adapt the script because this was ey cheap and weird.