Week 8- Post Pitch:

Following the pitch, we weaved ourselves into the practical/pragmatic half of the semester. I set out a list of things I needed to complete/achieve:

• Finish script
• Write character descriptions
• Create storyboard/shot-list
• Contact actors
• Choose location/ work on production design
• Choose/practise lighting
• Experiment; slow-motion shot
• Experiment with/practise sound
• Arrange rehearsal with actors
• Organise filming dates
• Filming
• Editing

I’ve realised now, looking back, that no matter how many lists you make, there are so many small details and ‘things’ that come about when making a film- all of which need to be considered. Even after my many lists, I overlooked certain, important details during the final filming process. Being the first film I’ve made, I’ve noted how each of these ‘steps’ are entirely pertinent and cannot be overlooked, because without completing one task, the other won’t work, and the final realisation of the film may not come to fruition. No matter how laborious or mundane some of the steps may seem, do not ignore them, or deem them as unimportant.

So, firstly, the blog I wrote following the pitch;

Blog- April 17th 2017:

Some advice following my pitch;

The one that stuck with me the most is that, perhaps, I may have too many ideas. To squeeze these all into one short-film, may be unachievable.

I listen to this advice with open ears. However, without appearing stubborn, I beg to differ. Or at least I visualise things differently; my ideas, that is. Trying to voice my ideas coherently is perhaps the hardest part…The idea itself is clear and simple in my mind; to the listener, perhaps not.

A new pair of eyes and ears, though, does pick up intricacies that I miss myself. That’s always the way.

My thoughts on the matter… it seems that my ideas can be divided into three overarching concepts.

Perhaps the various themes in my narrative prompt the film itself to become too detailed; or seem so. Yet, the point of the film itself is simply to explore the idea of unrequited love in a friendship, using a very raw/real approach. In short, this is idea number one; dialogue and narrative will explore this tension in the friendship.

Showing subtlety of human thought and action will not be depicted through a dialogue, but rather through camera movement, accompanied with character action. This will include the use of close-ups and of slow motion. To imitate the traveling of the human eye. In a Youtube analysis of Wong Kar Wai’s In The Mood For Love, it was stated; “Inner-lives are explored wordlessly- real action is reduced to glances and touches. Restricting the language echoes the restriction of action that plagues Mr Chow and Mrs Chan.” This rang-true to me, and accurately voiced how I would like to go about filming, and how I would like to depict the character’s inner-turmoil. Ultimately, this is idea number two; for the camera to speak the unsaid.

In The Mood For Love analysis; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01E5otZCpqw

Idea number three is the use of artwork to Person 1’s inner mindset. Perhaps this is where it gets too complicated. I envisioned a quick, perhaps 30 second moment within the film, where a transition occurs; Person 1 is looking at Person 2. Real-life slows down into slow motion. And when looking at Person 2, Person 1 sees a work of art (or at least something that accurately depicts their obsessive love).

Perhaps it is here where things start to get complicated; idea number one focuses on narrative, and idea number two focuses on camera work/character action. Idea three, however, may detract from the simplicity- the rawness and realness of everyday life- that I want my film to present. Instead, it depicts something departed from reality, therefore, departing from the notion of simplicity and actuality…

While I like the idea of using art, I’ve been pondering the way in which a simple slow-motion may do the trick. Slow motion accompanied with music. The camera will focus on Person 2, and the slow motion movement will imply a moment in time; thus, portraying Person 1’s point of view.

So, here, I divide my film and what I wish to explore, into two overarching ideas;

1. Narrative; unrequited love
2. Camera movement; exploring the subtlety of human though and action.

From here on, I will be working on my script, and practising camera movements/cinematography through various experiments. Perhaps in doing so, my ideas will become clearer in my mind, and appear less complicated.

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So, following this post, I began with finishing off my script. Then, accompanying the script, wrote out a shot list (see images below). Paul advised that I create a small booklet of this shot-list (an excellent idea which I will continue to make use of; the shot-list booklet can be brought around everywhere with you, including on set, which became quite handy). It also became useful later on during both the filming and editing process’.

 

 

Week 9: Scripts, Storyboard and Experiments

I brought the first draft of my script into class. With Paul, I discussed my ‘vision’ in closer detail, and I was advised of the benefits of perhaps filming inside– creating more dimension within the frame; exploring my characters walking through doors (like the scene we watched in L’Avventura) etc. This seemed, perhaps, a safer option- it being winter and the weather outside becoming improbable. So I set about re-writing my script, and rethinking/making my shot-list booklet.

I also put together a rough experiment of the slow motion shot- using myself and my sister as subjects. This was really important; playing around with the footage on Premiere allowed me to rethink some of my ideas; I saw what needed improvement, and how aspects could be improved. I noted where was best to begin the slow motion, so as to create the tension. How many ‘looking’ shots between my characters I needed, in order to further develop this tension, and furthermore, on what exact angle these shots would be filmed on- I found that in the case of Lou, filming a close-up of her face on a slightly higher angle, created a more intense vibe.

As I’ve said- every part of this creative process counts for something, especially experimenting. My thoughts for week 9 were detailed in a blog post;

Blog- April 27th 2017:

Now, storyboarding my film, and creating a shot list, I decided to experiment with a few of my ideas.

I was particularly interested in testing out the slow-motion scene. I really want this part to work, and therefore had a go at filming it.

Slow-Motion- Experiment 1:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzGjVbGqm4cXQTZLdUlIRC1sQkU

The final, rough result is definitely not the ideal aesthetic/set up (Ruby is meant to be placing her hand on Lou’s lap- filmed on two separate occasions here, I did not do this, and simply filmed Ruby placing her hand on a surface… but we get the gist)- ultimately I want it to be filmed outside, for the footage to be in focus, to have better lighting, and for the actor playing Ruby to have bare arms. However, filming this, and then playing around with it on Premiere definitely made me realise a few things;

First and foremost, I was able to ‘see’ my vision, so to say, and thus, I was able to discern what angles I’d like to use, where needs improvement etc.

After the first half of the slow motion, in which the camera travels up Ruby’s arm, there is a transition onto Lou’s face, where the audience sees her staring intently at Ruby. In my experimental footage, this is filmed on a slight angle, at eye-level. Yet I feel this creates somewhat of an odd feeling (perhaps due to the fact that I had to film myself playing the part of Lou), and therefore, it may be better, I believe, to film this ever so slightly, from above- looking down onto Lou’s forehead, and also to keep this as a quick transition; around 1-2 seconds.

I edited parts of this footage so that the character action synched with the music. I really like this idea; I feel it creates more intensity; more of a realisation that what we are seeing is a vision in Lou’s mind- a ‘dreamy haze’ of how she views Ruby.

At the beginning there is a moment where the screen turns to black for around 11 seconds. At first this was an unintentional part of the editing process; I was cutting clips up and moving them around. But, I decided to keep the transition to black. Initially I thought 11 seconds too long, but, the long wait created a sense of anticipation and prompted the following shot to seem more intense (from Lou’s point of view). Furthermore, allowing the transition to black to be synched with the music, so that the following slow motion shot begins when the music hits that change in the beat, seemed entirely perfect.

For the purpose of understanding the context of this scene, below is a link to a draft of my script:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzGjVbGqm4cXQTZLdUlIRC1sQkU

While the ideal would be to film this outside, weather-wise, this may not be achievable/reliable. I’ve been considering the extent to which moving the scene inside may a) be more practical and b) may create a more intimate vibe. I will therefore draft another script, and go about setting the scene indoors.

Week 10: Rehearsals

First rehearsal with actors;

I’d outlined a plan, earlier, to stick to to during the first rehearsal;

1. Discuss characters’; the actors thoughts/understanding of them.
2. Read through entire script with actors; instruct them about tone, choreography/action, and body language/facial expressions. Make notes.
3. Go over entire script again, after notes have been made. See for improvements.
4. Go over script one more time, and practise camera angles/movements.

This process was loosely adhered to. Time is always a factor, and I didn’t make it to step 4 of the plan.  However, I was quite happy with the overall process of the rehearsal. For the most part, I was happy with the way my actors (Jana and Bridie) went about understanding their characters. This being my first short-film, I was quite nervous, particularly when it came to explaining my vision, and how I’d like the actors to approach their character roles. To help the process, I’d written character descriptions for the actors, to save time-wasted in possible confusion (see Google Drive). Both Jana and Bridie mentioned that the description was helpful. By the end of the rehearsal, I could definitely see improvements in the actors and the way they were reading the script, and was feeling a little more confident about the entire filming process.

Though, in saying so, I was still tossing up about where I’d like to film; whether I would resort to my initial desire to film outside, or choose the safe option, and opt for indoors. Due to time restraints, and not being able to get both my actors in at the same time, I thought filming indoors may be easier; I could do several shorter filming sessions (one with Bridie alone, one with Jana alone, and one with them both together when fitting). This, I thought would prove to be easier, particularly when it came to continuity in the editing process (due to me being able to control the lighting indoors etc.).

However, Jana and Bridie, both with experience and having acted in many short films, instructed me otherwise (I think, in this rehearsal, I gained a lot of film-production knowledge/understanding from my actors alone). From a technical perspective, filming on multiple occasions may indeed prove to be more efficient. However, from the perspective of an actor, it would be much harder. Jana pointed out; filming her and Bridie separately may- ultimately in the editing process- prompt the footage and acting to appear jagged, and detached. The actor always needs a subject to speak to, and a subject to look at. There is a lot of importance placed on a) a talking face, and b) a listening face, and the only way to garner good footage/acting, would be to film the actors side-by-side, in the same precinct. Getting the filming done in one entire day would ultimately bring about better footage, and stronger acting.

Thus, after much discussion, we finally found a day where both Jana and Bridie could come in and act- this also meant that I could revert to my initial script, and desire to shoot outdoors, and not have to worry about continuity (in terms of different lighting, weather etc.)

This rehearsal marked the first part of the actual production phase. Even at this point in the production process, I was still learning new things. Though, the first-hand knowledge and experience was worth it. The way in which I could see the film through someones else’s eye, and also, understand the actual filmmaking process from people with experience, proved both beneficial, and crucial.

Week 11: Filming and Editing

It was only after the actual filming, that I realised multiple, important things should have been considered, but weren’t. Again though, I think that’s all part of the process and my understanding of how a film is put together.

To begin with though, the afternoon of filming went really well. I had about 4 hours of good, afternoon sunlight, to shoot my film. Before hand, I wrote out a rough schedule, which I would hope to stick to in order to capture as much good light as possible. For the most part, this was adhered to:

 

 

Post Filming;

First and foremost, to ensure editing ran smoothly, I watched all the footage, named each clip accordingly, and then created an editing list. This list was divided up by the minutes of each take/clip. Here minute by minute, I highlighted certain moments, facial expressions, or well-read lines, that would be good to use in the film, and ignored any unwanted moments. Ultimately, sorting through the clips earlier made the editing process much easier.

 

 

The thing I noticed most when it came to gathering the footage, and playing around with it on Premiere, was the sound. I’d decided earlier on to use a Rodes microphone and attach it to my Canon DSLR. While there were benefits in using a Boom mic, as opposed to a Rodes, it would ultimately require a sound person, and due to the fact that my filming dates were never definite (and organised very last-minute)- this would be too stressful to organise/work around. So eventually, I decided to use the Rodes. The voices came out alright. However, the microphone being very touchy, meant that a slight hum ran in the background of all the clips. Additionally, moments of silence were often interrupted by background noises, all of which the Rodes mic picked up. I did wait out some noisy moments when filming (e.g. trains, airplanes etc.), however, they were inevitable, and despite being able to de-noise some of this sound on Audition, it still deemed some, if not most, footage unusable due to smoothness and continuity between clips. I now know the importance of good sound, and to perhaps more efficiently organise this next time.

The lighting proved to be quite good in the post-filming footage. Using a DSLR, I think, meant that digitally, some of the light was fixed itself, or could be fixed itself. There were some moments of differentiation in the footage i.e. when Jana would be in the shade, and Bridie in the light (and vice versa), however, most of this could be corrected in colour grading. The colour grading would also add a warmer, saturated filter over my footage. Saturating the footage also meant that the already vibrant colours, stuck out even more- this was something I really liked, and something I really wanted to emphasise in the final cut.

A point of correction in my filming process, though, was the over the shoulder shots. I needed to ensure that the person’s shoulder (or face) I was filming from, was out of focus. In all my footage, you can see the opposing actor in the corner of the frame. I think that this disrupts the arrangement of the frame, and the point of focus. Also, continuity (in terms of the icy-pole melting) was something I really should have considered. The size of the icy pole in some of the over the shoulder shots, and the size in some of the medium/ close-up shots, were not the same. Whilst being a small detail, it was still very important- ultimately, I could not jump from an over the shoulder shot, to a medium, due to such details. The only way around this would be to zoom in on the footage and cut the icy pole out. This, however, would result in more grain.

In my Making Media class last year, I was given the following acronym to remember whilst filming: ‘ST SOOI’, or, ‘shoot the shit out of it.’ I tried to keep this in mind when filming, because ultimately, the more footage, the better. However, I realised , looking back on my footage whilst editing, that I still didn’t have enough. More footage accounts for all the small moments that may ruin particular scenes; for example, resorting to the use of mainly close-ups for Bridie, due to the fact that the sound is better, and her acting is better. Not being able to use too many medium shots of Jana because the difference in lighting would disrupt the flow of the clips (in terms of continuity). The particular angles of each medium shot, and each close-up; when placed side-by-side, the medium of Jana, for example, did not mesh well with the medium of Bridie, resulting in a very jagged cut between clips. All these things I did not consider, however, if I had filmed more than simply one close-up, and one medium of both Jana and Bridie, then perhaps these problems/difficulties may have been lessened. Furthermore, a point to be made, I should have spent more time considering the framing of each shot, so that the transition between clips would/could be smoother.

Week 12: More Editing

I was getting a bit stuck in the editing process- I knew my film wasn’t finished, but at the same time, didn’t know how to finish it. After consults with Paul, I was advised to play around with it all some more; to insert atmospheric sounds, to insert more listening shots, to insert more shots of ants, and finally, to untie the slow motion scene, and focus on this moment, being the moment before the climax.

I decided to bring my thoughts back to my original ‘exploration sentence’; what exactly was it that I had decided to explore in week 7, and seemingly forgot about- or at least had stored in the back of my mind;

“To explore the dynamics between two friends, and the subtlety of human thought and action using a raw/realistic approach. “

My aim was focused on the narrative, rather than a technical exploration. So I thought, in a narrative sense, I would be exploring the idea of unrequited love. Technically, I need to depict this; sonically and visually, I thought- like a Godard film- filled with voids of silence.

I realised how much the music in the slow motion scene disrupted that silence, and turned my raw, organic emotions, into something much more cliché.

While layering each scene with atmospheric sounds of cicadas, I decided to remove the music in the slow motion scene altogether. I watched the clip in silence, just with the cicadas, and thought how much this reminded me of a scene from Les Amours Imaginaires; my original ‘inspiration’. I have mentioned this scene before, in a previous post. The scene- towards the end of Dolan’s film- sees Marie and Francis, walking in the rain. Their walk is in slow motion, but the sound of the rain and the cars in the background seemed to have been extracted from elsewhere- they didn’t belong to the clip, but at the same time they did. They belonged to the clip then and there in the film, in order to create this very visceral and emotionally fuelled shot. A shot that said a lot, while also being quite simple.

After thinking about this idea for some time, I was becoming more inclined to use this silence. It made sense, I thought; here I was trying to depict this small moment between two girls. The silence elucidated a sense of importance- a pause in time- an understanding of Lou’s perspective.*

And in this moment, everything is broken up, into little pieces. Because, these are the things you remember; the touch of a hand, the sun in your eyes, and then the sun as it falls softly on your skin to warm you. The sound of the cicadas, the scent of the person next to you, your thoughts running at miles per second, but at the same time, yourself remaining fully in the present, because only there, you know and feel, that the present moment exists. All the small things that make up the moment- that you hold onto- but never the actual moment in its entirety, form a memory- form this memory. Because it was in that moment that you were busy grasping onto things to remember.

I think this sums up what I am trying to achieve in the slow motion shot, and also in my final days of editing. Putting my thoughts into words really helps- it helps to visualise and to understand what is going on in my mind.

Despite feeling like my film is broken up – because all I see it as is a series of clips melded together- despite that, I feel like from an outsider’s perspective, these moments could perhaps mean something more, could convey something more- they could uproot a memory, or a series of memories. And that would be the greatest achievement, I think.

*Later on, I removed the slow-motion scene all together. The quick transition between Lou and Ruby’s faces’ seemed to create more tension than the slow motion did, and additionally, it prompted the film to become more fluid, and balanced. However, at this point in time, I am still deciding which way I will go in the final cut.

Week 13: Final Thoughts

In any art-form, and in my experience with ballet, there’s this idea that one will never achieve perfection, because there’s always room for improvement; there’s always something to work on, it being, in ballet, the slight positioning of the head, as it whips around, sustaining its spot on the wall. And then, the lift of the hip on the supporting leg, which will all lend itself to the achievement of a double or triple pirouette, rather than just one.

I think, while film not exactly being a physical form of art, works the same way. You have a vision, a ‘world’- as David Lynch would say- implanted in your mind. And this world is the ideal, where everything comes together perfectly; where everything is formed. But ultimately, the actual creation of this world, is the difficult part. Like with ballet, where every class, every inch of improvement in technique- of mental and physical technique- lends itself to the attempted perfection of that one particular move- film is the same. As mentioned in week 8; every step, and every, tiny detail of the creation, is necessary in order for the final vision to come to fruition, and be as close to the ideal as possible.

Perhaps then, the greatest thing I’ve learnt from this entire filmmaking process, is the necessity to complete each individual task along the way. Often there were times when I felt overwhelmed, and didn’t know where to begin, how to begin, or what I should be doing. I guess with experience and all, you slowly learn and understand how it all works.

I’m pretty chuffed with having developed this short-film, and while it is not the ideal- not exactly what I envisioned- I’m still glad with the overall process- for having learnt everything along the way, just for the experience, even if it be informal- just to know how it all works. How it all comes together in the end. Now, knowing where I need to improve next time, or how I could improve next time, makes me eager to start all over again. And each time, with this development, as in with the day-by-day learning of technique in ballet- each time, I hope my final outcome is that much better.