Writing for Films, Filming for Writing: Reflections & Meanderings

In my feedback for our last blog assessment, I was rightfully picked up on the weakness of my reflection. It’s a fair point, I’ve probably been caught up in a description of our work, rather than actually evaluating my approaches and learning. If I’m going to be honest, I’m fairly disappointed in how I’ve approached this studio. It’s taken me a while to gauge that I’m the one responsible for my learning in this unit, that I can’t just expect to show up, do a bit of filmmaking, and head home again, free and clear for the next week.

While I believe that my group, Bottle Rocket, has a sound idea for our final presentation, it was clear during the class pitches that ours was under-developed. Illnesses and missed communication (really, no communication) have limited our work during the semester break, and while I can’t speak for any other group members, I know that I could have done a lot more to engage in the work. However, those same pitches were the kick up the backside that we needed – this week, we formed a Facebook group to share and develop our ideas, while we’ve begun to break into smaller groups to prepare for Monday’s consult. A few of us will work on characters/scripting, while others will begin to storyboard and plan our title sequence, which was a fantastic idea from Ashton. It’s clear that the only way we can produce work that we’re proud of is to just create, and to do our own research and exploration.

With that in mind, I’ve looked at a couple of quality examples of the mockumentary genre, with the aim of unpacking them and examining what we can apply to our own project. I’ve also written a small speculative scene for our pilot, using the analysis from the aforementioned post. If I’ve learnt something from others in the class, it’s that there’s no substitute for doing. I was impressed by Angus’s group, who had created minute-long vignettes showcasing their characters, and by Laura’s, who had substantial location stills and a collection of trailers that inspired them. They, in turn, have inspired me to refocus my attention and begin to collect clips and moments from documentary television that engage me, and to script and film whatever I can.

Now, going back a bit, and actually dabbling in a spot of class reflection, it was interesting to see how our 2A script was turned into a short scene. While I missed the actual production process, I was able to both watch the raw footage be edited, and then view the finished product a couple of weeks ago. The first thing that jumped out at me were the liberties that the production group made to the script. A recurring tapping sound (of ‘Ted’ tapping his fingers on the desk) was cut, while dialogue was edited down and the layout changed. Reflecting on this, I think it speaks to how I wrote the script. We’ve discussed the concept of ‘writing for filming’ in this studio (and as I write this, I become aware it’s the name of the bloody course) and that’s not something I did. I tried to keep simplicity in mind while writing, but I didn’t think about things like how the camera could cover the set as written, or how a constant tapping could play havoc in an editing scenario. Also of interest was how tone translated from page to screen. I intended the piece to be an over-the-top melodrama, to be funny. However, I didn’t provide any description of tone, so in retrospect, it must have just appeared to be something from a daytime soap. I’ve written multiple blog posts covering how tone can and cannot translate from screenplays to film, so it’s something I really should have paid more attention to.

The way the group approached filming the scene impressed me. It was a simple set-up, not much room for experimentation, but they played with the dialogue and allowed improvisation, and it really loosened it up. Watching someone edit the footage, it was clear that they preferred these improvised moments to the set script, and although it breaks my heart, I really have to agree. If I were to write a short scene like that again, my number one focus this time would be to think about how it will make the transition to film. Where will the cameras be positioned? How can we set this up? Will this tone work in reality? Is there room to play around with the dialogue? These are all questions I need to consider when writing, rather than just posing as a little auteur and demanding my work be filmed exactly as I depict it in my head!

So, some things to work on, but I also think some positives there. Hopefully my act is well and truly together, and my group and I can begin to deliver exceptional creations!