In this clip screened in the lecture from the Coen brothers’ ‘Blood Simple‘ describe what is happening in terms of the edits specifically in terms of the audio and video. Also name the different kinds of audio you can hear.

In the clip from ‘Blood Simple’, the director deliberately constructs a tense environment, which eventually climaxes when one of the characters shoots the other. Part of this construction is done through editing. In terms of audio and video, one of the main ways the tension is created is through the cutting of shots between characters. Instead of just having a one shot of each character as they deliver their lines, the editing sometimes has the audience see the face of the character who is NOT talking, and thus it is their reactions and facial expressions which are shown. Showing the characters react tensely to each other draws attention to the fact that not everything is straightforward in this scene. It subtly hints at the notion that there are other motives at play here other than what is being verbally conveyed, as clearly shown by Visser’s betrayal at the end of the scene.

Other sound elements present in this scene, aside from the characters’ voices, include the humming of machinery in the background, which contributes to the atmosphere and the sense that the space we are in is somewhat claustrophobic, sinister and shady. Also present are sounds coming from the bathroom. While the viewer does not actually see what goes on in the bathroom, sound effects and Visser’s visual reaction of discomfort is enough to clue them in.

Consider Sandra’s lecture “Directing Actors” and describe at least a couple of points that you took away from it (even if you’re not the director).

-Sorting out A and B scenes: Before the day of the shoot, planning out which shots are the most vital and which ones are most disposable is very important, because it allows the director, producer and A.D to really prioritise what to shoot first and what to skip if the schedule demands it. Something interesting that I found about this point was the suggestion that only a few people should have knowledge of what the A and B scenes are, so that while they are always aware of contingency plans, the rest of the crew is still going into the shoot with the intention of getting every shot that the list dictates.

-Dealing with actors and their interpretation: Actors should not be spoon fed direction about their performance. Getting them to actively interpret the script themselves can lead to more genuine and in-depth performances, as the actors will have a sense that they themselves are a part of the creative process, and not just objects for the director to move around. Even if their interpretations are completely off from what the director had in mind, this is still a useful technique, as the actors can then be coerced into thinking that their perception of the script is only slightly off. With some guidance from the director, the actors can then pull off more compelling performances because they have confidence about their knowledge of their own characters’ mindset, goals and motivations.

In this scene note the choreography of the actors, camera, frame and focus. As covered in the lecture describe the things Antonioni would have have to consider when directing the actors and the camera.

In Week 9, the lecture covered the choreography of actors, as well as working in conjunction with the camera. The elements discussed can be seen in  Michelangelo Antonioni’s ‘Blow Up’ (1966).

In the longer scene inside the upstairs studio, it’s apparent that Antonioni would have had to blocked out paths for actors David Hemming and Vanessa Redgrave in such a way that the action would complement the camera. It would have been a conscious decision to keep the pair about six feet from each other during their conversation, in order to depict their spatial relationship with each other and the studio setting. Additionally, the movement would have needed to be planned so that neither of the actors came between the other and the camera at any moment. This movement would also be choreographed to work in conjunction with the framing of the characters in the scene. Furthermore, the camera’s movements would also need to be planned out in order to capture the scene as the filmmakers intended. An example of this would be when Hemming dives to answer the phone and the camera pans to follow him. The flow of both the actors and the camera’s movements would have needed to be established beforehand in order for the take to turn out satisfactorily.

Select from one of the readings from week 5, 6 or 7 and describe two points that you have taken from it. Points that excite you, something that was completely new to you.

I have taken two points from the ‘Developing a Crew’ section of ‘Directing: film techniques and aesthetics’ by Michael Ragiber.

One that intrigued me was the description of the role of the Director of Photography, partly because it was my role in our short film project. Another reason why I wanted to learn more about this was because, before starting this course, I had always wondered what a Director of Photography’s job really was. After seeing the title in so many movie credits, I still had not been able to differentiate the doings of the DOP and the director. After doing the reading though, it’s become pretty clear. The DOP is in charge of the image: they take care of the lighting and are the authoritative voice on what the camera captures. While the director may have the final say, their focuses should more or less be geared towards the performance of the actors, leaving much of the responsibility to the DOP.

The second point, and the one I feel was the most important when it came to the shooting of our short film, was about how important it was that a film crew have a solid structure in terms of roles and chain of command. Each member should have a clearly defined role and be informed of their duties and responsibilities, as well as which person they should communicate with for each and every situation. While of course this helps since it means that everyone remembers what they have to do to contribute to the process, I feel it’s also very important because it means that everyone remembers what they don’t have to do. In a team setting, especially something like a student film, it becomes easy to want everyone to contribute a little bit to every aspect of the project. However, this isn’t as efficient as keeping the responsibilities within boundaries, and trusting each member to do their own job. Being First A.D. on the shoot (I had to switch roles) I at first found it difficult to separate myself from much of the creative practice going on, but I realised that in trusting the DOP or director or whoever to do their job well, I could stress less and focus more on doing my own job well.