Author Archives: dominicbui

About dominicbui

bui.v.do@gmail.com | Twinstagram: @domvbui Youtube: DomiiFX | Soundcloud: DomiiMusic

Reading: Bordwell/Ballet Mecanique

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Experimental films, abstract and associational form are definitely things with which I am not familiar. However, this week’s reading on these helped prepare me to better interpret the films and documentaries of an experimental nature. When watching the abstract film, ‘Ballet mécanique’, which was deconstructed and explained in the reading, I was able to register associations between objects that Fernand Léger and Dudley Murphy were presenting. For example, after going through the reading, I noticed how the first ‘segments’ of the film established the patterns that would be used throughout the rest of it, and could also see how Léger and Murphy played with variations of these patterns to further intrigue the viewer. An instance of this is during the segment with the text about the necklace and the 0s. Associations were presented between the digit ‘0’, the letter ‘O’, the necklace in question, and the horse collar.

Patterns could also be recognised in films like Martin Arnold’s ‘Alone: Life Wastes Andy Hardy’, which involved heavy repetition of certain scenes from an Andy Hardy film. One of the rhythmic movements that Arnold’s film quickly established involved short sections of the Andy Hardy film being played before being reversed, and then being played forward again. Much of the film’s duration was spent repeating scenes in this fashion, thus training me as a viewer to anticipate the pattern and rhythm. Furthermore, variations such as altering the duration of the clips being reversed or having other sections of the film rapidly alternating with the current one were introduced, which could act to amuse or disturb the viewer.ue

Film TV 01- Analysis and Reflection 03

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One of the readings for week 2, Slogans for the Screenwriter’s Wall, I found a few very interesting and effective points to discuss:

“Movies SHOW…and then TELL. A true movie is likely to be 60 to 80% comprehensible if the dialogue is in a foreign language.”

This slogan, the first in the collection, stood out to me a lot because it reminded me of those times when, as a child, I would watch along with my parents’ Vietnamese or Filipino language films. I wouldn’t be able to understand a single word that was being said, but I’d still become engrossed in the film and be constantly wanting to find out what happened next. I guess that’s a key to take from screenwriting: audiences are more interested in what HAPPENS, than what is SAID.

“If you’ve got a Beginning, but you don’t yet have an end, then you’re mistaken. You don’t have the right Beginning.”

A powerful point, as it explains one of the reasons I struggle with finishing scripts. Sometimes I’ll be so proud of my beginning, so sure it’s the right one, that I’ll do everything I can to avoid altering it. Then, later, I’ll wonder why I can’t find an ending with which I’m happy, and because I’m so reluctant to touch the beginning, the writing of the story just grinds to a halt, and it’s never finished. I’m reminded that nothing in writing is untouchable, no matter how perfect you think it is. Which brings me to the next statement…

“Screenplays are not written, they are REWRITTEN and REWRITTEN and REWRITTEN.”

If I want to start writing properly, I do need to get accustomed to the concept of cutting. Getting to attached to parts of a script can bog everything down, since a story with less does more. Hoarding all the ‘good’ ideas and protecting them can end up to the whole thing sinking from being to cluttered and crowded, and even if one part is extremely, amazingly well-written, if its removal leads to the strengthening of the rest of the story, then it should be cut.

Film TV 01 – Analysis and Reflection 02

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One point that really stood out for me in Jasmine’s lecture about screenwriting was the need to externalize everything. This may seem very obvious now, but I had taken for granted the fact that as an audience, we can’t really see what a character is feeling. As a writer, you need to show how they are feeling through action, instead of having to tell it with words. This point struck me mostly because it is something so simple and fundamental, yet was the reason a lot of my early and naive attempts at writing for the screen did not yield the results I wanted. I assumed that if my character was sad, I could simply convey that to the audience through having the character have a sorrowful face and say some melancholic things. Now I know that I should’ve made that character’s emotions more explicit and clear to be more effective. For example, the character can go on a drunken bender, or deviate from his usual morning routine. Cliched examples, I know, but I’m still learning.

Film TV 1 – Analysis and Reflection 01

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I aim to build on the collaborative and creative skills that I had been developing last year in Broadcast media. That is, my goal is to learn how to and practice working well in a team of people to create a product with which we’re happy. Of course, I also want to learn how to write short films well and create interesting and genuine characters.

Reading: Authenticity

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An instance of Zukin’s consumption of ‘authenticity’ can be seen in my experience with the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. In the past, when I was young, I remembered the market as a place to trade fresh farm produce. Now, with the change of inner city Melbourne’s culture and lifestyle, the market has undergone a lot of renovation or change, otherwise known as ‘gentrification’, to employ one of the terms Zukin uses. The market has become a place for inner city dwellers of the upper or middle classes to browse for ‘authentic’ products in order to keep up with the shift towards a more urban and cosmopolitan society.

An instance of Zukin’s consumption of ‘authenticity’ can be seen in my experience with the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. In the past, when I was young, I remembered the market as a place to trade fresh farm produce. Now, with the change of inner city Melbourne’s culture and lifestyle, the market has undergone a lot of renovation or change, otherwise known as ‘gentrification’, to employ one of the terms Zukin uses. The market has become a place for inner city dwellers of the upper or middle classes to browse for ‘authentic’ products in order to keep up with the shift towards a more urban and cosmopolitan society.

Week 1: Sketch 6/6

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Week 1 Sketch 6/6: Circles
https://vimeo.com/88647632

So for anyone who cares to notice, it’s during the middle of the night that I’m posting these sketches up and to save myself from the tediousness of devoting an individual Vimeo upload and corresponding blog post to each SIX SECOND video by dabbling in some Miles-esque typing.

That is,

Typing whatever comes to mind at this very moment

Rebelling against the tyranny of long sentences

Making sense but not really making sense

Am I doing it right?

Probably not.

Week 1: Sketch 5/6

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Week 1 Sketch 5/6: Circles
https://vimeo.com/88647631

In this world we have a circle of life.

Wait, hold on, I screwed that up. Let me start again.

Life has many circles.

There is a circle going on right here right now.

I am typing stuff into a post for you, Mr. Blog, and you make me realise that I screwed something up in my post which leads me to pressing the ‘Edit’ button, which in turn results in more typing stuff into a post for you. The cycle continues.

And now I’m typing stuff into a post about the circle of typing stuff into posts.

I think I’ll stop there.