I saw this as part of the 'Midnight Mauraders' series at the Showroom.
Off the bat, I have to say I am a big fan of this film (I have watched in the region of 15-20 times) and know it like the back of my hand, so seeing back on the screen in 35mm was a treat, the rougher the film looks only adds to the film's grungy aesthetic that encapsulates the early 90s slacker feel with a soundtrack comprised of 'grunge'.
The film was hugely influenced by Richard Linklater's 'Slacker', the film that reclaimed the term 'slacker' to mean a direction less twenty-something generation Xers, after 'Clerks' came out, they both became the forebearers for the entire genre that infected 90s culture, with the protagonists' from both films becoming the archetypes for a stereotypical 'slacker'.
But back to the film.
The film follows a day in the life of two 20-something, directionless convenience clerks (Dante and Randal- played excellently by Brian O'Halloran and Jaff Anderson) as they go about their day working in a deadend job and the misadventures that they get in to, and the collection of oddballs they encounter, such as two stoner characters, who would end up being the glue for the entire 'Viewaskeniverse' series of films.
Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith (the writer and director), who provide a chaotic contrast to the protagonists; the two would continue to star in Smith's later films in small cameos ('Chasing Amy') to the stars of their own feature ('Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back').
The bulk of the film takes place in and around the convenience store, as the two protagonists discuss life, how a person's station in life affects their actions and Death Star politics, whilst harassing customers and selling kids cigarettes. The characters are what really make this film, and this is down to the writing, which is near flawless and is evident by the fact that the characters never feel less than real.
The film has a great soundtrack, likeable characters, nice black and white cinematography and a fantastic script that is endlessly quoteable.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Friday, 24 January 2014
Review of Computer Chess
I only just caught this before it finished it's limited cinema run; the film is shot documentary style in black and white (on cameras of the period), and depicts a 'computer chess' convention in the 1980s (supposedly based on true events), as teams of 'nerds' use their specially made computers to play other computers in chess matches, for the winning computer to play against a human opponent. The film follows several groups in this competition, from the group of stoners (in room '420') who are there watch the development of artificial intelligence, as they believe it will lead to the beginning of world war 3 (thereby they will get a prime view of 'ground zero'), to Martin Buescher and Peter Bishton (played by Wiley Wiggins and Patrick Riester)'s team, the returning champions whose computer decides to start committing chess suicide- it's this team that provides the film with it's main driving force, as they try desperately to fix the machine.
And this is before we get into the other teams and occupants of the hotel, especially the spiritual group focused on emotional rebirth (this leads to a few of the film's funniest scenes) and the cats that populate the hotel after hours (I haven't got a clue as to the symbolism behind them, but the images of a growing populace of cats using the hotel whilst Pappageorge is trying to find a room is funny and mesmerising in equal measures). This is one of the delights of the film, the characters are like a 'geekier' versions of 20-somethings that populate 'Slacker'; from the power drunk organiser to the team frantically trying to fix the machine, these may seem like far fetched caricatures, but to those who have been to conventions like this, you can really appreciate how spot on these characters truly are.
Considering that for most of the cast this is their first acting appearance, they do a good job of portraying their characters effectively, capturing the awkwardness of their characters, though the portrayal of Peter Bishton is a stand out, as the actor fully captures the computer-like introverted nature of the character, which adds up the the jaw-dropping final few minutes. Another stand-out was the ever sleazy Papageorge, a supposed computer whizz-kid, though he endures a weekend from hell after turning up to the competition to find his room has been taken, this leads to the running joke of him darting from room to room through the night, Myles Paige nails the character's sliminess, which made him my favourite character.
Though the lack of experience on part of the actors was probably used to create the impression of the spontaneity of real life, and it does work in the film, there were a few cracks in this, namely James Curry's performance, as his accent was a bizarre mix of English and American that I couldn't tell if it was put on or not, but it was fairly distracting, other than this it all melded together nicely.
The point that the film really needs commending on is the mise-en-scene that really recreates the era to the point that if it wasn't for the script, you would think this was a documentary; the cinematography is superb, evoking a nerdy 'Spinal Tap' feel as the film sticks rigidly to documentary style, to the point that they even use camera equipment used in that era.
Also, the theme of artificial intelligence features a lot throughout the film, and almost asks the question of if these supposed 'nerds' are in fact playing god, if the computers they make can think for them selves, and if so are they equal or superior to their creators? It's these questions that really elevate this from a simple sports farce to a sort of analysis of creator vs creation and the nature of artificial intelligence- though this is only really dissected in the final half, wherein the film hits full speed on the 'wierd-o-meter', wherein the film starts to straddle the line between humour and blood chilling visuals. It's these black and white thought provoking images that reminded me of David Lynch's debut feature 'Eraserhead'.
Although, the film is based on the banality of real life, like many 'mumblecore' movies, this will turn many viewers off as many of the scenes do drag and the film's wry humour is mainly formed from the awkwardness of the characters, the juxtaposition of bursts of the abnormal with the normal, in particular the cats and the computer-like nature of the 'nerds', though the mise-en-scene and the intelligent script make this a must watch for anyone willing to try something new.
And this is before we get into the other teams and occupants of the hotel, especially the spiritual group focused on emotional rebirth (this leads to a few of the film's funniest scenes) and the cats that populate the hotel after hours (I haven't got a clue as to the symbolism behind them, but the images of a growing populace of cats using the hotel whilst Pappageorge is trying to find a room is funny and mesmerising in equal measures). This is one of the delights of the film, the characters are like a 'geekier' versions of 20-somethings that populate 'Slacker'; from the power drunk organiser to the team frantically trying to fix the machine, these may seem like far fetched caricatures, but to those who have been to conventions like this, you can really appreciate how spot on these characters truly are.
Considering that for most of the cast this is their first acting appearance, they do a good job of portraying their characters effectively, capturing the awkwardness of their characters, though the portrayal of Peter Bishton is a stand out, as the actor fully captures the computer-like introverted nature of the character, which adds up the the jaw-dropping final few minutes. Another stand-out was the ever sleazy Papageorge, a supposed computer whizz-kid, though he endures a weekend from hell after turning up to the competition to find his room has been taken, this leads to the running joke of him darting from room to room through the night, Myles Paige nails the character's sliminess, which made him my favourite character.
Though the lack of experience on part of the actors was probably used to create the impression of the spontaneity of real life, and it does work in the film, there were a few cracks in this, namely James Curry's performance, as his accent was a bizarre mix of English and American that I couldn't tell if it was put on or not, but it was fairly distracting, other than this it all melded together nicely.
The point that the film really needs commending on is the mise-en-scene that really recreates the era to the point that if it wasn't for the script, you would think this was a documentary; the cinematography is superb, evoking a nerdy 'Spinal Tap' feel as the film sticks rigidly to documentary style, to the point that they even use camera equipment used in that era.
Also, the theme of artificial intelligence features a lot throughout the film, and almost asks the question of if these supposed 'nerds' are in fact playing god, if the computers they make can think for them selves, and if so are they equal or superior to their creators? It's these questions that really elevate this from a simple sports farce to a sort of analysis of creator vs creation and the nature of artificial intelligence- though this is only really dissected in the final half, wherein the film hits full speed on the 'wierd-o-meter', wherein the film starts to straddle the line between humour and blood chilling visuals. It's these black and white thought provoking images that reminded me of David Lynch's debut feature 'Eraserhead'.
Although, the film is based on the banality of real life, like many 'mumblecore' movies, this will turn many viewers off as many of the scenes do drag and the film's wry humour is mainly formed from the awkwardness of the characters, the juxtaposition of bursts of the abnormal with the normal, in particular the cats and the computer-like nature of the 'nerds', though the mise-en-scene and the intelligent script make this a must watch for anyone willing to try something new.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
18th January 2014- Industry Day
Before
I'm looking forward to getting an insight into how many of the speakers got in to the industry, and what led them in to the industry.
After
We were introduced as to how the day was going to run in the morning, whilst also telling us how the interviews were going to be conducted (on how we feel we performed our arts leadership roles), which were to take ten minutes each and be finished by dinner break.
The day featured many different speakers from different parts of the film industry, who recounted stories of how they got into the industry and a few anecdotes about their time in the industry, they then answered some questions we had about their field and they gave very concise and informative answers.
Some of the speakers even went into detail on various arts organisations such as the Showroom and Creative England, although I think the the speaker who left one of the biggest impressions was Timothy Murray, a writer-director who showed us a script excerpt from his current project with behind-the-scenes footage from the shooting of the scene, before showing the scene itself. This gave us a look at how a scene can go from a printed page a scene in a film, he also went into detail into the process of getting the project off the ground.
So, the speakers answered many of the questions I had at the start of the day, and it was all really informative.
I'm looking forward to getting an insight into how many of the speakers got in to the industry, and what led them in to the industry.
After
We were introduced as to how the day was going to run in the morning, whilst also telling us how the interviews were going to be conducted (on how we feel we performed our arts leadership roles), which were to take ten minutes each and be finished by dinner break.
The day featured many different speakers from different parts of the film industry, who recounted stories of how they got into the industry and a few anecdotes about their time in the industry, they then answered some questions we had about their field and they gave very concise and informative answers.
Some of the speakers even went into detail on various arts organisations such as the Showroom and Creative England, although I think the the speaker who left one of the biggest impressions was Timothy Murray, a writer-director who showed us a script excerpt from his current project with behind-the-scenes footage from the shooting of the scene, before showing the scene itself. This gave us a look at how a scene can go from a printed page a scene in a film, he also went into detail into the process of getting the project off the ground.
So, the speakers answered many of the questions I had at the start of the day, and it was all really informative.
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
11th January 2014- Film Festival Day
Before
I'm looking forward to seeing some films on the big screen and discussing them today (as you might have guessed today is about attempting to emulate the 'film festival experience for us).
After
The day kicked off in Cinema 1 in the Showroom for a screening of the newly released 'Twelve Years A Slave', an almost art-house film that tells the tale of a free-man being kidnapped and sold in to slavery; whilst I didn't like the that much, I did admire the cinematography, direction and the performances, especially considering the film is unflinching in it's depiction of slavery and the treatment of slaves, as the violence is extremely brutal and realistic.
After a short break, we returned to Cinema 1 to watch 'La Belle Et La Bete', a black and white light comedic fantasy take on 'the beauty and the beast' (that seemed to divide everyone in discussion later on). I actually enjoyed it, it had some pretty good special effects and some interesting sets (including a talking mirror that introduces itself as "Beauty, I am your mirror" along with other aspects of her bedroom and arms extending from the walls holding torches); the story concerns a French family who're in quite a bit of debt, and things get worse when the father ends up enraging 'The Beast' who demands the life of his daughter in exchange for his own. The rest of the film concerns the attempted wooing of Beauty by the Beast, as he asks her the same question every evening: Will you marry me.
Her family tries to steal the Beast's treasure and it all gets a bit silly,with plenty of overacting, however I really didn't like the ending (it seemed rushed) but it was an entertaining film and I did enjoy it.
We then regrouped in Showroom 5 to discuss the films in detail, this was led by Meabh and the programmer for the Showroom, the general feeling was that the majority loved the first film (even though it disturbed a few of them) and hated the second- some even felt that the selection felt a little jarring, after going from the serious and quite horrific to the silly and light-hearted. Although, it became apparent that this was their intention, as this is what it is like at festivals: running from screening to screening watching contrasting films; so, in that respect the day really achieved what it set out to do, and it was a good day and I enjoyed the films.
I'm looking forward to seeing some films on the big screen and discussing them today (as you might have guessed today is about attempting to emulate the 'film festival experience for us).
After
The day kicked off in Cinema 1 in the Showroom for a screening of the newly released 'Twelve Years A Slave', an almost art-house film that tells the tale of a free-man being kidnapped and sold in to slavery; whilst I didn't like the that much, I did admire the cinematography, direction and the performances, especially considering the film is unflinching in it's depiction of slavery and the treatment of slaves, as the violence is extremely brutal and realistic.
After a short break, we returned to Cinema 1 to watch 'La Belle Et La Bete', a black and white light comedic fantasy take on 'the beauty and the beast' (that seemed to divide everyone in discussion later on). I actually enjoyed it, it had some pretty good special effects and some interesting sets (including a talking mirror that introduces itself as "Beauty, I am your mirror" along with other aspects of her bedroom and arms extending from the walls holding torches); the story concerns a French family who're in quite a bit of debt, and things get worse when the father ends up enraging 'The Beast' who demands the life of his daughter in exchange for his own. The rest of the film concerns the attempted wooing of Beauty by the Beast, as he asks her the same question every evening: Will you marry me.
Her family tries to steal the Beast's treasure and it all gets a bit silly,with plenty of overacting, however I really didn't like the ending (it seemed rushed) but it was an entertaining film and I did enjoy it.
We then regrouped in Showroom 5 to discuss the films in detail, this was led by Meabh and the programmer for the Showroom, the general feeling was that the majority loved the first film (even though it disturbed a few of them) and hated the second- some even felt that the selection felt a little jarring, after going from the serious and quite horrific to the silly and light-hearted. Although, it became apparent that this was their intention, as this is what it is like at festivals: running from screening to screening watching contrasting films; so, in that respect the day really achieved what it set out to do, and it was a good day and I enjoyed the films.
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
14th December 2013- Documentary filmmaking and Networking
Before
I was looking forward to finding out about networking, how to go about it effectively and a look at how people get started in documentary film making.
After
We started back in the main room, Showroom 5, with a talk from a documentary filmmaker who gave us an insight into her work and how she got started in the industry, laced with interesting anecdotes from her time in the industry with examples from her filmography, this all added up to a really interesting talk.
After which we got into groups of twos and threes for an activity wherein we had to attempt to do what documentary filmmakers do when looking for projects, looking through the newspaper for a story before pitching it to the rest of the group. Each group got given a different newspaper, so that no group would have the same story and so each group would have different pitches; our group got a local paper, which led to our pitch of a documentary about the hype surrounding the final 'Hobbit' film and it's effect on fans of the 'Lord Of The Rings' franchise.
(Notes from this activity below)
I was looking forward to finding out about networking, how to go about it effectively and a look at how people get started in documentary film making.
After
We started back in the main room, Showroom 5, with a talk from a documentary filmmaker who gave us an insight into her work and how she got started in the industry, laced with interesting anecdotes from her time in the industry with examples from her filmography, this all added up to a really interesting talk.
After which we got into groups of twos and threes for an activity wherein we had to attempt to do what documentary filmmakers do when looking for projects, looking through the newspaper for a story before pitching it to the rest of the group. Each group got given a different newspaper, so that no group would have the same story and so each group would have different pitches; our group got a local paper, which led to our pitch of a documentary about the hype surrounding the final 'Hobbit' film and it's effect on fans of the 'Lord Of The Rings' franchise.
(Notes from this activity below)
In the afternoon, we had a talk on 'networking', by an American producer who gave us tips how to network with people at film festivals and how to make contacts with others, as this is vital to making a career in the film industry. He then proceeded to tell us about some useful websites and organisations to look at (including the 'South Yorkshire Film Network'). A very informative talk that has given me a lot to work on (it also answered the questions that I had at the beginning of the session).
(Notes from the session can be found below)
Thus ending the final session of 2013, it was an informative day that answered all my questions regarding the subjects on discussion.
7th December 2013-Animation
Before
I'm looking forward to getting a look at different ways of animating and trying out some new techniques (as I have bit of experience with stop-motion animation).
After
We were in a different room this morning (the Workstation- further down the street from the Showroom and Sheffield Live), this was probably because it was larger inside; but the day started by watching the edited films from last week, this offered each group a chance to see the fruit of the other groups labour, and they're pretty good, although one groups' film wouldn't load (but we did get a chance to see it later while we were editing in Sheffield Live)
After this we got ourselves into groups, before we had a workshop, by an actual animator, who went through the sort of animation we would be doing and the various ways that we could approach it, as we were using animation to try to create an ident for the films. Each group decided to do there's a different way, one decided to create a sort of shadow puppet homage to 50s sci-fi, we decided to do a selection of skits using ourselves.
The filming took most of the morning, after this we went to the Sheffield Live building to edit it all together and find some music for it, along with adding sound effects; this took up the rest of the day and only barely got finished by the end, but on the whole it was a pretty good, and we did look a few different ways of approaching stop-motion.
I'm looking forward to getting a look at different ways of animating and trying out some new techniques (as I have bit of experience with stop-motion animation).
After
We were in a different room this morning (the Workstation- further down the street from the Showroom and Sheffield Live), this was probably because it was larger inside; but the day started by watching the edited films from last week, this offered each group a chance to see the fruit of the other groups labour, and they're pretty good, although one groups' film wouldn't load (but we did get a chance to see it later while we were editing in Sheffield Live)
After this we got ourselves into groups, before we had a workshop, by an actual animator, who went through the sort of animation we would be doing and the various ways that we could approach it, as we were using animation to try to create an ident for the films. Each group decided to do there's a different way, one decided to create a sort of shadow puppet homage to 50s sci-fi, we decided to do a selection of skits using ourselves.
The filming took most of the morning, after this we went to the Sheffield Live building to edit it all together and find some music for it, along with adding sound effects; this took up the rest of the day and only barely got finished by the end, but on the whole it was a pretty good, and we did look a few different ways of approaching stop-motion.
Monday, 20 January 2014
1st December 2013- Editing day
Before
I'm looking forward to seeing the footage from yesterday assembled into a film, and seeing the completed film.
After
The day took place in the Sheffield Live building, as they have computers and editing software (the same used on the editing workshop), the editor and the director spent most of the day editing the footage whilst the rest of us used the computers to find suitable music and sound effects for the film (using sites like: freesound.org and the free music archive), this was mainly low bass, white noise and heart beats .
The editing took all day, and was only just finished at the by the end of the day, as it took them a while to get the sound off the memory stick and on to the computer for editing; although I did manage to see the film in it's completion in the end, and they did a really good job on the editing as it feels very "Lynchian" and some of the editing is quite "trippy" (and actually reminded me of the trip sequence in "A Field In England"). So all-in-all a good day.
I'm looking forward to seeing the footage from yesterday assembled into a film, and seeing the completed film.
After
The day took place in the Sheffield Live building, as they have computers and editing software (the same used on the editing workshop), the editor and the director spent most of the day editing the footage whilst the rest of us used the computers to find suitable music and sound effects for the film (using sites like: freesound.org and the free music archive), this was mainly low bass, white noise and heart beats .
The editing took all day, and was only just finished at the by the end of the day, as it took them a while to get the sound off the memory stick and on to the computer for editing; although I did manage to see the film in it's completion in the end, and they did a really good job on the editing as it feels very "Lynchian" and some of the editing is quite "trippy" (and actually reminded me of the trip sequence in "A Field In England"). So all-in-all a good day.
30th November 2013- Shooting
Before
Today I'm mainly looking forward to getting the short film shot, although I'm a bit uneasy about wearing a costume for the film, but it's not like I'm going to recognisable in it.
After
In the morning we had a quick production meeting, where we went over the risk assessment (written by Ewan, the producer), which was vital for keeping every one safe during the shoot, the story board (drawn up by Tom- the director), which detailed all the shots that we needed to get, the new and improved script, which was considerably shorter than the last version (all the film dialogue and the voice-over was scrapped), and the schedule (written by Emma- the editor); other than the paperwork every one managed to bring the items designated to them for the shoot. (Below: final script, schedule, storyboard, risk assessment).
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| Storyboard 1 |
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| Storyboard 2 |
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| Schedule |
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| Risk Assessment |
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| Final Script |
Also, Tom (the director) brought in a friend who was willing to play the character of #5058, although he had to leave at 2 pm, meaning we had to get all the shots with him in before then; the filming started at 9:30 am after the production meeting, it was decided that we should get all the shots in the cinema done first as they are crucial to the film, it's also because the building is a functioning cinema, meaning that screenings started at 12:00.
After the cinema, we moved out into the hall to get some shots of both #5058 and the "Faceless Figure" walking before moving back into Showroom 5 to film the "cold white room" sequence, this was created using a white bedsheet and a hospital gown (both supplied by Abi - the cinematographer); the bedsheet was used to give the impression that the floor was white along with the walls, and the gown was a costume change for #5058. This was followed with "the window" shot, taken from across the road by Abi and Tom (after they had found the right window), this shot had to show #5058 looking out of the window with the "Faceless Figure" looking over his shoulder, however this was tricky to do considering the actor (Sam) was taller than me, so I had to crouch on a chair to get the shot. Another interesting point is that from the window we actually got a good view of the one of the other groups filming in an amphitheatre across from us.
So, over all a very productive day of filming that ran very smoothly, bar a few unforeseeable mishaps with the costume, mainly that in the darkness of the cinema, I couldn't see; although we managed to find a way around this (when I was needed for scenes I was led by others in the group and when needed I unzipped the the suit so I could see). We all worked well as a team and it shows by the fact that we got all the filming done before lunch, meaning that we spent the remainder of our time reviewing the footage and deciding which were the best takes and how it would be edited during the editing session tomorrow.
(Below: Images from the shoot)
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| Production meeting |
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| Filming in the cinema |
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| Filming in the "white room" |
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| Attempting the "window" shot |
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| Setting up the camera for the cinema scene |
Sunday, 19 January 2014
23rd November 2013- Editing and last minute alterations before filming
Before
To day I hope to learn a few helpful tips for editing, as I can't edit well at all; also, it's going to be interesting to see if everything's ready for filming next week.
After
We had a in depth look at editing led by a actual editor, she gave us a look at all the techniques for editing, both on the film shoot and after, with visual examples and hand-outs. This took place in the Sheffield Live building , further down the street from where we normally meet for the course (this is mainly due to the fact that the Sheffield Live building has a set of computers with editing software (pretty crucial equipment for an editing workshop); after the power-point, we were given the task to edit a sequence of footage using the software to get to grips with it, this was especially helpful for those who are editors for each group, giving them a bit of experience with the software since this is the software that they'll have to use to assemble the film next week.
Also, she brought in an old 35mm trailer print and editing equipment for us to have a go at, a sort of juxtaposion of old techniques that were used for mlst of the 20th century and modern digital editing on computers.
(Notes below also featuring a few schedule notes)
After this the producer (who gave us the script workshop) gave us feedback on the scripts; this was great as it gave many of us a chance to see what the other groups are doing for their shorts, and we (me and the other writers) were given some good constructive criticism for the way we formatted the script to the way it is actually done in the industry (we were given hand-outs in the previous weeks for this) and the content, and how it was altered to conform to the feedback on the outline. So, for my script, she thought the format was spot on but it was over complicated for a 2:20 minute short film (so the group went back to the original outline).
This led into a production meeting with the group, where we made notes as to what will need to be done for the shoot next week, like the storyboard, amended script, skate board for one of the shots,etc. We also allocated roles to some of the others in the group to do a schedule for the shoot so we could fit in all the shots we needed; also, one of the actors (a friend of the director) dropped out, a role which I filled for the group (as I wasn't doing anything during the shoot), meaning that next week I had to bring a trench coat and be the "faceless figure".
So, overall it's been a good day, got every thing ready for the shoot next week, and I can't wait.
To day I hope to learn a few helpful tips for editing, as I can't edit well at all; also, it's going to be interesting to see if everything's ready for filming next week.
After
We had a in depth look at editing led by a actual editor, she gave us a look at all the techniques for editing, both on the film shoot and after, with visual examples and hand-outs. This took place in the Sheffield Live building , further down the street from where we normally meet for the course (this is mainly due to the fact that the Sheffield Live building has a set of computers with editing software (pretty crucial equipment for an editing workshop); after the power-point, we were given the task to edit a sequence of footage using the software to get to grips with it, this was especially helpful for those who are editors for each group, giving them a bit of experience with the software since this is the software that they'll have to use to assemble the film next week.
Also, she brought in an old 35mm trailer print and editing equipment for us to have a go at, a sort of juxtaposion of old techniques that were used for mlst of the 20th century and modern digital editing on computers.
(Notes below also featuring a few schedule notes)
After this the producer (who gave us the script workshop) gave us feedback on the scripts; this was great as it gave many of us a chance to see what the other groups are doing for their shorts, and we (me and the other writers) were given some good constructive criticism for the way we formatted the script to the way it is actually done in the industry (we were given hand-outs in the previous weeks for this) and the content, and how it was altered to conform to the feedback on the outline. So, for my script, she thought the format was spot on but it was over complicated for a 2:20 minute short film (so the group went back to the original outline).
This led into a production meeting with the group, where we made notes as to what will need to be done for the shoot next week, like the storyboard, amended script, skate board for one of the shots,etc. We also allocated roles to some of the others in the group to do a schedule for the shoot so we could fit in all the shots we needed; also, one of the actors (a friend of the director) dropped out, a role which I filled for the group (as I wasn't doing anything during the shoot), meaning that next week I had to bring a trench coat and be the "faceless figure".
So, overall it's been a good day, got every thing ready for the shoot next week, and I can't wait.
Feedback
On the following monday (from the 3rd session), we recieved feedback regarding the outline that was submitted, so we could make alterations to the script (that was due in that thursday). (Feedback is displayed below)
So in an attempt to add clarity to the script and address the points brought up by the feedback, I set off the try to write the script (only to be hit by writer's block); although I was also conscious that the script had to be two and a bit pages long (one page equals one minute), so by attempting to add clarity I ended up making it more convoluted with additional dialogue and a voice-over. (Below is a copy of the script)
As you can see, most of these additions do not work (like the voice over) and were mainly put in to try to address the feedback (and to fill it out a bit), but it will be discussed at the next session.
As you can see, most of these additions do not work (like the voice over) and were mainly put in to try to address the feedback (and to fill it out a bit), but it will be discussed at the next session.
Friday, 17 January 2014
16th November 2013 -Cinematography and sound
Before
For to day I'm looking forward to having a look at the cameras we will be using to film the short, learning about the role of a cinematographer and seeing what the others in the group thought to the outline.
After
The cinematography workshop started in the morning and was led by industry professional; who gave us a run-down of the "10 points of control" with examples as well useful tips. We then got a chance to test out the camera to get used to it and to get to grips with the white balance and the crank zoom, we also used this as an opportunity to try and get a rough grip on how some of the shots will look.
(Below the notes taken during this workshop)
After this, we had a workshop on sound, delivered by an industry professional, who gave us the basics on recording sound with some of the tricks of operating a boom effectively, how to avoid letting your arms getting tired affect the audio you record and how to keep the boom in position for hours on end. He also gave us a look at foley, with a video showing the behind the scenes of the process of creating sounds for films (i.e. crunches during fight scenes, etc) and the grander scale of sound on a film production, with extracts from films and television programmes (examples include "Breaking Bad", "The Godfather" and "Drive"). So overall it was a very interesting talk.
It was after this finished that we had a production meeting, wherein we discussed the outline I had written in the week and submitted to the group's producer, the responses were that it was pretty good, so we moved on to who was going to do what for the film (i.e.who was going to get the costumes, etc), so we divided it up the jobs, before moving on to discussing what on a more detailed level the sequences of events for the film, so I could write the script during the week. (Notes for the allocation of jobs below, along with sequence notes.)
For to day I'm looking forward to having a look at the cameras we will be using to film the short, learning about the role of a cinematographer and seeing what the others in the group thought to the outline.
After
The cinematography workshop started in the morning and was led by industry professional; who gave us a run-down of the "10 points of control" with examples as well useful tips. We then got a chance to test out the camera to get used to it and to get to grips with the white balance and the crank zoom, we also used this as an opportunity to try and get a rough grip on how some of the shots will look.
(Below the notes taken during this workshop)
It was after this finished that we had a production meeting, wherein we discussed the outline I had written in the week and submitted to the group's producer, the responses were that it was pretty good, so we moved on to who was going to do what for the film (i.e.who was going to get the costumes, etc), so we divided it up the jobs, before moving on to discussing what on a more detailed level the sequences of events for the film, so I could write the script during the week. (Notes for the allocation of jobs below, along with sequence notes.)
(Below is the written first draft of the outline, the typed up version and the uploading to Facebook)
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
9th November 2013-The history of film, script and what it is to be a producer
Before
I am looking forward to the workshop on script, as I do have an interest in this aspect of filmmaking, and the history of film; also the section on producing will be interesting as I don't really know what exactly they do other than help financing a film.
I'm also curious as to what group and role I'll be given.
After
In the morning we had a lecture on the history of film from one of the professors from the University of Sheffield, this covered the early days of film (the Lumiere brothers and their "actualites") up to the the relatively modern implementation of home video and the rise of video on demand. But most of the talk was centred on the early days of film, moving from the birth of film and the rise of the "talkies" and film's battles with TV in the 50s; below is an image of the notes taken during this talk.
It was after this that we had another workshop delivered by professional producer, Mike Knowles, who gave us a look at what exactly a producer does. Below is a copy of the notes:
Overall the day has been really informative and it gave me a closer look at the job of a producer, as I was fairly ignorant to the role that they play in the filmmaking industry and on films; also the script workshop has given new way of approaching writing a script. Also, for my role I have been given my first deadlines, the outline has to be submitted to the producer in the group by the 14th of November, ready for revisions on the 16th and the script has to be submitted by the 23rd (we are shooting on the 30th).
I am looking forward to the workshop on script, as I do have an interest in this aspect of filmmaking, and the history of film; also the section on producing will be interesting as I don't really know what exactly they do other than help financing a film.
I'm also curious as to what group and role I'll be given.
After
In the morning we had a lecture on the history of film from one of the professors from the University of Sheffield, this covered the early days of film (the Lumiere brothers and their "actualites") up to the the relatively modern implementation of home video and the rise of video on demand. But most of the talk was centred on the early days of film, moving from the birth of film and the rise of the "talkies" and film's battles with TV in the 50s; below is an image of the notes taken during this talk.
After this we were put into our groups and given our roles, I was given the role of script-writer, meaning I have to write the outline and screenplay for the film; it was at this point the script writing workshop started, led by an professional producer, who gave us the run-down on what to do and what not to do when writing scripts. Also this was also the point at which the constraints were set, mainly that the film must be two minutes twenty seconds long and be filmed in or around the Showroom (as this allows the mentors to easily travel to each shoot to check every thing is on track).
After the workshop, we returned to our group to discuss what to do for the film, it was at this point we decided to use the cinema itself as a location (a logical move considering we were in a cinema), and came up with this idea of a faceless figure slowly stalking the unknowing protagonist row-by-row in the cinema, until the protagonist is confronted with this figure and wakes up in a mental institute. Below is a copy of the notes from firstly the script workshop and secondly the group discussion:
Overall the day has been really informative and it gave me a closer look at the job of a producer, as I was fairly ignorant to the role that they play in the filmmaking industry and on films; also the script workshop has given new way of approaching writing a script. Also, for my role I have been given my first deadlines, the outline has to be submitted to the producer in the group by the 14th of November, ready for revisions on the 16th and the script has to be submitted by the 23rd (we are shooting on the 30th).
Saturday, 4 January 2014
6th November 2013-Introduction
Before
As this is the introductory session, I imagine that the session will cover what the course will entail, and it will be a good chance to meet some of the other people on the course.
After
They gave us a lot of hand outs detailing what we were going to do on each week, along with a programme for the cinema that was hosting the course and a card for free cinema tickets (which they expect us to use).
We also had to fill in a sheet showing what you are interested (which will go towards what role you're given in the groups), what you're like and a small box to represent yourself in. Also, I did get to talk to a few other people on the course.
Above is the a week-by-week break down of the course, given to us on the introduction session.
As this is the introductory session, I imagine that the session will cover what the course will entail, and it will be a good chance to meet some of the other people on the course.
After
They gave us a lot of hand outs detailing what we were going to do on each week, along with a programme for the cinema that was hosting the course and a card for free cinema tickets (which they expect us to use).
We also had to fill in a sheet showing what you are interested (which will go towards what role you're given in the groups), what you're like and a small box to represent yourself in. Also, I did get to talk to a few other people on the course.
Friday, 3 January 2014
Supervised Arts Leadership- Project Plan
The project is to help deliver a two minute twenty second short film as part of the BFI film Academy at the Showroom in Sheffield, the main constraints that have been put on what can be filmed is that it has to be of a PG standard (i.e. no excessive or gratuitous violence/gore) and (other than being two minutes twenty seconds longs) that it has to be filmed in or around the Showroom, as this will make it easier for the mentors to get to each group's shoot.
We were put into groups of five by Meabh (the course leader) and given roles to perform in the group for the the project, based on what we had expressed an interest on in the first session. These five roles are: cinematographer, director, writer, producer and editor. My role for the project is the writer, so I'll have to write the outline and the screenplay taking into account the ideas discussed in the production meetings.
The timescale is for the film is ten weeks (the duration of the course), although the actual shooting will take place on week 5 (30th November), meaning we will have 3 weeks (taking out the introductory session) to plan the film before filming it. Then on the final week it will be played for family and friends ( 25th January), which effectively makes them the main audience for the film, so by keeping it PG it will hopefully satisfy that audience.
For the project to work everyone must take part in doing everything expected from their role, I've already stated what I have to do for my role, but for others like the director this involves compiling a storyboard and shot list; for a producer they have to organise the equipment, locations, etc.
The equipment is being supplied to the course by the Sheffield independent film company, we will be show how to use the cameras in week 3 (the 16th November), as for the costumes and props we (the group) will have to supply them ourselves. Also, for the course we will have mentors from the industry coming in to give us masterclasses on the various aspects of filmmaking, which will give us an idea as to what will need to be done at each stage of the filmmaking process.
We will know the film will be a success if everyone pulls their weight and does their job the project should be a success, but should anything go wrong on the shoot we'll have to find a solution during the editing stage.
In terms of reviewing the project, I will do this once I have seen the finished piece, and also take into account the production, this will be recorded on this blog.
We were put into groups of five by Meabh (the course leader) and given roles to perform in the group for the the project, based on what we had expressed an interest on in the first session. These five roles are: cinematographer, director, writer, producer and editor. My role for the project is the writer, so I'll have to write the outline and the screenplay taking into account the ideas discussed in the production meetings.
The timescale is for the film is ten weeks (the duration of the course), although the actual shooting will take place on week 5 (30th November), meaning we will have 3 weeks (taking out the introductory session) to plan the film before filming it. Then on the final week it will be played for family and friends ( 25th January), which effectively makes them the main audience for the film, so by keeping it PG it will hopefully satisfy that audience.
For the project to work everyone must take part in doing everything expected from their role, I've already stated what I have to do for my role, but for others like the director this involves compiling a storyboard and shot list; for a producer they have to organise the equipment, locations, etc.
The equipment is being supplied to the course by the Sheffield independent film company, we will be show how to use the cameras in week 3 (the 16th November), as for the costumes and props we (the group) will have to supply them ourselves. Also, for the course we will have mentors from the industry coming in to give us masterclasses on the various aspects of filmmaking, which will give us an idea as to what will need to be done at each stage of the filmmaking process.
We will know the film will be a success if everyone pulls their weight and does their job the project should be a success, but should anything go wrong on the shoot we'll have to find a solution during the editing stage.
In terms of reviewing the project, I will do this once I have seen the finished piece, and also take into account the production, this will be recorded on this blog.
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Arts Challenge-action plan
Arts Challenge
The arts challenge was worked out by looking at firstly what I would like to look at in more detail and the weaknesses I have encountered whilst taking part in the project, and since I was the writer the main problem both prior and before the project was dialogue, as I cannot write any decent/realistic dialogue. Becci, the Arts Award Adviser, advised me that this would be a good topic for the arts challenge, as it would both improve my skills and provide an interesting subject to research.
So for this challenge I will find out about two writing techniques and two writers, so to do this challenge I will start to do research online and start to read some screenplays of some famous (and good) writers, I will then post about what I have found (featuring links and quotes) and how I could integrate some of the techniques into my own writing.
The challenge will be a success if I can find some techniques that do help to create realistic dialogue; in terms of reviewing the challenge afterwards I will find an independent viewer to review what I have posted and I will personally review my work and state if it sufficiently meets the brief .
Also, I will be doing this over the course of a few weeks (3 to be exact), this will give me a reasonable amount of time to compile a fair amount of time to compile quite a bit of research for the challenge .
Target
The target is to find two writing techniques that can be used to make more realistic dialogue (that I would be able to use in future) and to find out about two famous writers.
The arts challenge was worked out by looking at firstly what I would like to look at in more detail and the weaknesses I have encountered whilst taking part in the project, and since I was the writer the main problem both prior and before the project was dialogue, as I cannot write any decent/realistic dialogue. Becci, the Arts Award Adviser, advised me that this would be a good topic for the arts challenge, as it would both improve my skills and provide an interesting subject to research.
So for this challenge I will find out about two writing techniques and two writers, so to do this challenge I will start to do research online and start to read some screenplays of some famous (and good) writers, I will then post about what I have found (featuring links and quotes) and how I could integrate some of the techniques into my own writing.
The challenge will be a success if I can find some techniques that do help to create realistic dialogue; in terms of reviewing the challenge afterwards I will find an independent viewer to review what I have posted and I will personally review my work and state if it sufficiently meets the brief .
Also, I will be doing this over the course of a few weeks (3 to be exact), this will give me a reasonable amount of time to compile a fair amount of time to compile quite a bit of research for the challenge .
Target
The target is to find two writing techniques that can be used to make more realistic dialogue (that I would be able to use in future) and to find out about two famous writers.
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