Last Thoughts

I actually touched on a few things about the semester in my artist statement, but I wanted to elaborate a little more.  This has been a great learning and growing experience.  I just wish I had been able to take this class sooner so I could've been using what I know now for the past year.  Two things definitely stand out when I think about this class.  The first is what Cordell said earlier today and I have to agree completely.  Cheesy it maybe, but it's true that the relationships I've made this semester have been awesome and I'm glad that I'm able to interact with people who love to do what I want to do.  It's nice not feeling like a stranger anymore when I walk into my Tcf classes.  I definitely remember the first day and thinking "Damn, I don't really know anyone".  Now, it's great to be able to have people to turn to and film with whenever I want.  The second aspect I think about are the technical skills I've learned.  Even though my skills are still pretty amateur, they are greatly enhanced from when I started the class.  Like I mentioned earlier today, the PD-150 was the only camera I had used (besides the little panasonics from CMF).  I definitely want to have more hands on work with cameras and hopefully that will be soon to come.  I just hope this all doesn't go away once I graduate soon.  Thanks for a great semester and Farewell 312ers.

My REEL

Artist Statement

This semester has expanded my vision as a filmmaker.  I didn’t realize I was capable of all the things that I’ve been able to do the past few months.   I said in the beginning that I was anxious to learn about all the new things we were going to cover, and in the end they have definitely paid off.  I’m glad that I’ve been able to come into my own with filmmaking.   Before this semester, I had never really thought much about what my visual style would be.  I didn’t even know what all went into the process of making a film such as true cinematography.   Now, I have a better understanding for what storytelling is all about and how I can go about portraying that through my work.

When I think of my favorite films, they all seem to have similar qualities.   As for now I have been taking inspiration from Quentin Tarantino’s style of films.  Granted, my favorite film is The Boondock Saints, written and directed by Troy Duffy, but even this film is a lot like Tarantino’s.  These films are definitely a lot of action and sort of a “gangster” type of feel, but I believe they’re a little more than that.

These films are really built around the characters within them.  When I make my films, I like to get in touch with my characters’ point of view.   Keeping things personal is a must for me, and I believe it makes the audience more willing to watch. Characters are something Tarantino is well known for.  His seemingly pointless, yet relatable dialogue is key.  I tend to be a perfectionist with many things, but I also like to keep things simple.  If I can frame a shot with little variations then I’ll go for it.  

These two production courses have really opened up a lot for me.  I really enjoy filmmaking and I hope to continue with it. The crazy thing is that I have a lot more to learn and experience as I go forth with my filmmaking journey.

#11 - Teachings of the Scene Assignment

This scene assignment was great for me. Not only did it give me a chance to once again get hands on experience, but it also helped me realize what it takes to configure an idea onto the screen. Granted, my screen is that of a youtube page, but it will one day get bigger. I enjoyed being able to take something that I think is hilarious and great and turn it into my own project. Until this assignment, I didn't realize how many little details go into pre-producing and planning out just one little scene. Being able to rewrite a script, arrange the actors the way I wanted them, draw up floor plans and make a shooting script definitely gave me great practice for the Senior class. Now that I know more about what is going on, I am looking forward to pulling off a 15-minute short film.
I also liked getting to work with Cordell again. I think we make a pretty good team, and we've gotten more comfortable with each others opinions. I did realize though, just like for the portrait assingment, it isn't easy having a flawless Director/D.P relationship. You definitely have to work at it and respect each others ideas as to what makes a shot look best or how should an actor act, etc. For me, I realized the most challenging part about directing was taking complete control. Not that my actors were difficult, or my D.P wouldn't listen, but I realized that I should stick to my gut feelings and instincts about how I want it to work rather than being influenced too much by others. I came to realize that everyone is there to help you, the director, get your vision across and they're willing to do what it takes to make that happen.
I think it works the same way on the D.P side of things. I was willing to do what it took to help Cordell get what he wanted in each shot. If something isn't just right then we can always shoot it again.
I think have a clear sense of what you want and how you want it to look going into a project is the best way for things to run smoothly. I can definitely work on the pre-visualtion aspects even more for the next go round.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall Remix

Camera Movement

I love camera movement.  To me, it's just as important in achieving aesthetics as color pallete and lighting.  I'm excited to learn how to use the dolly.  I've never see one, and definitely haven't used it yet, but some of my favorite shots are smooth moving dollies. I've come to realize that I like messing with some handheld stuff too, especially after doing Scott's portrait completely handheld.  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of effective movement is the opening scene to Quentin Tarantino's "Resevoir Dogs".  It appears to be a 360 degree dolly around the table of characters.  It has medium close ups and close ups of each character which helps you relate to them.  Take a look.

Shot by Shot

So it took me a while to find something that I felt would work well for this post.  I didn't want to use a completely random scene because I was looking for something that I thought had meaning.  I ended up going with the opening scene from The Departed directed by Martin Scorsese.  One reason that made me watch this film again was the fact that I wanted to decide for myself what made Scorsese such a master of his work.  I know his earlier works are in leagues of their own, but I realized from watching this film that he uses camera movement so effectively to bring about mood and tone.  Almost all of his shots have some sort of movement to them.  The opening scene sums this up pretty nicely.  Another reason I chose this scene was that it goes along nicely with what we're talking about in class; lighting.  On a side note, besides the long list of A-list cast in the film like Dicaprio and Nicholson, I thought it was interesting to see that Brad Pitt was credited as a producer.

The very first shot is a long smooth dolly that lasts about 30 seconds.  It introduces one of the main characters, Frank Costello (Nicholson), with a voiceover to setup what the movie is basically about.  It is set in a dark warehouse that comes back into play toward the end of the scene.

When I mentioned lighting being a key factor, here is the start of it.  The character is completely dark the entire time to make him appear mysterious and mischievous.  The shot starts as a wide angle full body and slowly zooms into the characters profile in a close-up.  Something to take note of in the opening voiceover are Costellos last words in this profile shot.  He says you have to take from people to get what you want.

This is an establishing shot of a middle class Boston grocery store that Costello owns and runs illegally.  This is another long 23 second continuous shot.  I don't think this could be done by a dolly, it has the feel of a crane shot and by the time the camera makes it into the store it seems as if it's hand held.  It sets up the little boy in the green in the frames because he is an important character too.  Notice again how the main character is completely facing away from the camera.  We're still clueless to what he looks like.

Next shot is a quick cut to a close-up of the cashier handing over money.  Symbolizes that Costello takes all that he can even if it's only a few dollars.

Then followed by a medium shot of the main character and a 3/4 of the cashier.  The only light in the shot is coming through the window in the back left sweet spot.  It draws your attention away from Nicholson but you still try to look at him because he's still dark.

3/4 panning shot of the young girl walking over to Costello.

A quick cut to a medium close-up of the boy watching Costello.

All of these shots flow together quickly into sharp cuts.  Notice how the little boy watches Costello closely.  It ends with this dark, MCU of Costello.

Then it cuts into this Close-up of the boy.  This establishes a relationship between the two characters because it becomes more personal.  He is also framed up nicely using the Rule of Thirds.

Here the relationship is established with a wide shot.  Costello proceeds to buy groceries for the kid as he talks about how the boys dad is dead.

Several quick coverage shots.  Into an ECU of the little boy.

Now we can relate to the boy.  Notice the difference once again in contrast of light between the two.

 Here is a significant CU shot after establishing the relationship between the characters.  Costello is now giving away money to help the boy instead of taking it like earlier from the cashier.  This symbolizes a Father-Son relationship that begins to form.

 A nice OTS MCU of the boy getting a few last words of encouragement from Costello.

 P.O.V of the boy leaving then Costello steps into frame.  Right next to the sweet spot.

 This sequence is how the first 4 minutes of the film start out, but I would like to point out a few more that I like and think are important.

Several minutes later we're placed back into the warehouse from the very beginning.  The lighting scheme is basically the same except now the little boy is present and being "coached" by Costello.  I like this because Costello is so dark he appears to be just a shadow.

 A couple of minutes later, a nice OTS dolly shot of Costello talking to the boy again.

Then finally, the main character finally steps into the light.  He starts off to the side from the left then walks straight into the middle of the frame, all attention on him.  This is a nice way to end the mysterious feel of who the guy may be.  Of course, Nicholoson leaves us with a sly grin.
I enjoyed this assignment because it makes me think about all the things we're learning.  It's a nice feeling to actually understand a lot of the thoughts and processes that go into filmmaking.