Figuring Out the Details

This past Thursday we got several helpful tips regarding making our short film. The best advice from the workshop came from Eric. He told us to have a Producer. The producer is important in getting the cast and crew together, as well as helps make thing work smoothly when shooting or during rehearsals. I’m just now realizing what a vital role this is. It is so difficult to get a group of people together. Every person has a different schedule, so it’s hard to figure out a time and a place that works for everyone.

We also got some advice regarding shooting our film. It is important to make a list of every scene you plan to shoot and in what order you want to shoot them. This way, if you are at a location (and have the appropriate location agreements signed) you can shoot all of the scenes that take place at this location all at once. This will save time and effort because you won’t be driving back and forth from location to location. Also, you don’t have to shoot the scenes in the order they will appear in the film.

In addition, we watched a documentary on Robert Rodriguez. I thought it was interesting how he did all those different special effects on such a low budget and could think up a special effect at the drop of a hat. This would come in handy for our own short film. We don’t have a very large budget at all. I would like to spend as little as possible, being the poor college student that I am. Also, we don’t have much time to shoot this film. We must keep this in mind as we are creating our films. If we want to do special effects it is necessary for us to do them using as little time and money as we can get away with and still produce a quality film.

For the greatest portion of the class we broke up into our separate film groups. My group nailed down a lot of the details of our scenes. We figured out exactly what scenes we would need and brainstormed some ideas for locations and actors. We also, thought each scene through so we would have an idea of what little things need to be in each scene. This part really helped me because I am the sound editor for our group. Thinking about the details of the scenes gave me an idea of what types of sounds I need to think about recording. For example, rustling papers, squeaking chairs, or cars driving past. Now I know where exactly I need to start when it comes to getting the sound we need for our short film.

Blow Out

In class on Thursday we watched the film “Blow Out.”  This film was not what I was expecting. We have been watching such wholesome movies lately that I wasn’t prepared for the vulgarity associated with this film. I guess I should have taken Donna’s warning seriously. This movie was totally different that “Sunset Boulevard” and “Singing in the Rain” in that it contained more risky scenes, but it did look at aspects of the movie business just as the other films have. 

This film had good content, but I didn’t like the predictability and the cliché scenes it contained. I knew that the girl was going to die in the end from the first time we knew she was in any sort of danger. But what really got me was the slow motion scene towards the end. I wouldn’t say I hate slow motion shots but I would say that I strongly dislike them. They just really annoy me and seem overly cliché.  Another scene that really got to me was the end when the main character was holding the dead body of the girl.  Behind them are the fireworks, which are clearly fake. Things like this always turn me off from the film. 

Though there were several scenes that irked me in this film there were some that I really enjoyed. I loved the long shots. As I have said in previous blogs, this is something I want to try out in my group’s short films. A particular favorite from the movie was the one taken in the sound room and the camera is just constantly spinning around the room. This was slightly dizzying but was impressive.  I also liked the prevalence of sound in the film.  The main character was a “sound man,” which is the job in the film business that has interested me the most. I am actually the sound editor in our group so the film inspired me to go find some sounds.

Aside from the technical aspects of the film, I also noticed some of the underlying meanings found in the movie. This film really says something about America. We are always trying to cover up the ugly side of life just as Sally covers people’s faces with her make-up because, according to her, everybody’s face could use make-up.  I think the best depiction of this idea can be found when the antagonist is killing a woman behind a stone wall while everyone on the other side of the wall is completely oblivious.

Overall, I enjoyed the film. It was interesting and completely unlike the films we’ve watched previously.

Our First Film

 

In this honors film class we are splitting up into groups and each group is making a short two to five minute films. Each group has a genre and every group much have certain things incorporated into the film. There must be a mine or clown, the line “Why is this happening to me today of all days?” and "It would be better for us not to talk about that,” a guitar, a cheese grater, and a skull.

My group’s film must be a romance. We started out imagining some kind of chase. For example, a high speed bicycle chase. We were getting excited about our idea when we discovered our film was a romance, not a comedy or action film like we had hoped. So, we had to adapt. We began thinking about how we could turn our idea into a romance film. We decided that we could have a scene of a couple saying their goodbyes as one gets on a train or in a car. The other would watch her drive away and then realize he didn’t want her to leave. The film would then consist of various scenes where the man is trying to chase down the car (or train) and get back to his love. We have yet to decide on a good ending for this idea.

We also talked about another idea involving a one sided romance. This is my personal favorite, and I believe it is our group’s favorite as a whole. In this story a man is in love with a woman and becomes obsessed with her. In our film he will stalk her, leave her various gifts, and will, overall, be very creepy. She does not return his affection. We have not decided on a good ending for this storyline either, but I am excited about the idea as a whole. This film would add a twist because it is not the typical love story.

For our film I hope to come up with a unexpected twist in the plot. I don’t want it to be cliché with a predictable ending. It has to have a “wow” factor. I believe our group has some creative people in it so coming up with this twist shouldn’t be difficult. I also want to make the film somewhat comic. I think, due to the time restraint, comedy would be the best way to create a captivating film. Comedy can grab a viewer instantly.

Singing in the Rain

This is the first time I’ve seen Singing in the Rain. I knew it was numerous people’s favorite, but I just assumed it wasn’t my type of movie. I was totally wrong…I love this film!  I expected it to bore me a little like most older films do, but I found myself laughing out loud during the whole film.  I thought the story line was great. It was predictable, but that’s what I enjoyed about it. It was the classic story of a main character that is about to lose everything but ends up having a big comeback and, of course, winning the heart of the woman he loves.

 This film depicted Hollywood’s transformation from silent to talking films. This seems to be the plot of a lot of the older movie (Sunset Boulevard, for example).  I found it humorous that people in Hollywood assumed the talking movies were just a fad. It is also kind of sad to see the silent movie stars being pushed aside to make way for the “talkies.”

 I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised that I loved the movie considering it was a musical. I’ve always had a weakness for a good musical. I love the how anything can be turned into a song and how a song can actually move the story along. The dancing was fun to watch and was the focus of much of the film. The “Singing in the Rain” number was my favorite because I’ve seen it copied in so many other shows (especially Family Guy) that it was nice to see the original.

 I also really enjoyed how the film depicted Hollywood; they actually weren’t too far off.  The characters were intriguing and each had a very distinct, strong personality.  My favorite, by far, was the main characters “sidekick.” He was the comic relief in the film. He always had a witty one liner or quick joke to throw into any conversation.  My favorite song was actually done by him in the film. It was “Make ‘Em Laugh.” In this song he was over-the- top, which made it that much better.

The one negative thing I have to say about this film is how long some of the numbers were. I enjoy a good musical number but they can only keep my attention for so long. After a while I get bored with them because most of the time it’s just the same lyrics being sung over and over again with never-ending dance numbers.  But overall the film was great. It was witty, kept my attention, and made me laugh. It may have even made it to the top of my “favorite movies” list.

Plans For My Film

Since I learned at the beginning of the semester that we would have to put together a short film, I’ve been trying to pay attention to some film techniques that I felt could be done for our films. The thing that I really want to try is making sound effects. We learned about how many sound effects were made I was very interested in. The first time I realized that people on the set physically created many of the sounds on a movie was when I watched a special on Wishbone as a child. It takes much more work than I first thought. The sound effects for a film can be found anywhere if you have the knack for making them. This will require a lot of creativity, but I feel that if the people in my group put our heads together we can come up with something worthwhile.

As far as the structure of the film is concerned, I really liked the way Sunset Boulevard was set up. It started at the end and the whole movie was like a flashback. I feel like we could do the same with our short film and it would give it an interesting spin on things. It requires that we have a good transition from the beginning scene and the rest of the film; the viewer must know that the first scene was actually how the story ends and the rest of the movie is a flashback. This structure is something that I have seen in many books I have read and I have actually tried it out when I started writing a book over the summer. It leaves the viewer (or reader) wondering how the story will lead them to the end.

As far as filming is concerned, I think it would be a challenge to produce a scene that is made of one continuous take.  We talked about this in class; it seemed like something that can seldom be pulled off. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t try.  I don’t know that I’ve ever noticed in the films I’ve seen but the fact that it will be difficult makes me want to try.  I’m not sure what type of scene this would work best with so it may be a little of trial and error, but I feel like it could be pulled off with enough effort.

Overall, learning about the various techniques and structures that can be used in filmmaking has made me very excited to try them out in my own film.

 

 

"We Didn't Need Dialogue. We Had Faces!"

Sunset Blvd. It is a slightly depressing story of a delusional silent movie star who has fallen from the top.  The “talkies” had taken over Hollywood and Hollywood left her behind. But to Norma Desmond she was still big “it’s the pictures that got small”.  

She refuses to recognize the state of her career.  In class we were discussing the themes the movie represented.  There was a lot of talk about the film showing how tough the movie business is, but to me the main theme was about disregarding reality and living in the past.  Norma was so lost in her own world that she had no sense of what was real.  She was the star of her own private show.  This film revealed the dangers of denying reality.  If you do, you’ll be crazy like Norma. 

In addition, the people who supported Norma’s delusions were living in a false reality themselves.  They went to great lengths to protect a woman from the truth when the truth is exactly what she needed.  For example, Joe and Max played along with her charade and, in turn, became a part of it.  In a house with no locks, they were trapped, feeding her sickness. Norma made sure of this because “no-one leaves a star.” There leaving would be proof of how far she had fallen.  As Joe puts it, she was a sleepwalker, and you can’t wake a sleepwalker because they may hurt themselves.  The people in her life walked on eggshells so that she wouldn’t have to face reality.  The few times she was forced to see reality, Norma tried to kill herself. The saddest part of this is that if she were to commit suicide she would have few mourners. Her fans had left her. 

In the end, Norma truly lost it.  She was trapped just as Joe and Max were. But she finally got her moment in front of the camera, even if it was for the news and she was heading to the psych-ward.  Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It was the first film noir movie I had seen. I am not one to like older films, but this one surprised me. I think it was the eccentric characters (Norma especially).  This film had opened my mind to older films.  I see the quality in these movies and am now inspired to watch some other older, classic films. 

Behind the Scenes

The featurettes on Star Wars and The Lord of the Ring exhibited some captivating aspects of film.  The Pre-Viz part of production was something I knew nothing about.  It was strange to see the movie portrayed in that manner.  I was amazed at the graphic designer’s ability to turn a storyboard into something so complex.  Many of the scenes from the pre-viz were actually copied for the film. Though learning about the pre-viz process was fascinating, the thing that was truly impressive was how those who worked with the films sounds found the accurate sounds for the movie.  If I were to work on a set this is the job I would want.  It seems to be the most enjoyable job in the process.  It was amazing some of the things they came up with to make the sounds they needed.  I had no idea it was necessary to hand make the sounds in movies; in all honesty, I never gave much thought to the sounds at all. I guess I took it for granted. And while I’m commenting on sound, who knew that a horse could sound so ferocious? That was perhaps one of the most surprising sounds they collected.  All in all, I enjoyed seeing the ins and outs of film production and value film even more. Now the credits rolling across the screen aren’t just random titles and names; I actually understand what they mean.

I’m just now realizing how much goes into producing a film. From writing the screenplays, creating storyboards, and filming to hours of editing, and making soundscapes.  I must say that I appreciate filmmakers much more now; it’s impressive.  But learning all the technicalities regarding producing a film has made me more apprehensive about generating my own short film. It will surely prove to be a feat. One of the most time-intensive elements of filmmaking appears to be editing. At least, I know this will be the part that will prove to be a challenge for me.  I seldom open the edition software on my computer, much less try to operate it.  It’s will be interesting to see how quickly I can learn to use it. Hopefully the upcoming project will force me to study my program inside and out.  I’m looking forward to learning a new skill that is sure to challenge me, which is something I was expecting from the class.