Pre-production stage: For this mini project, we are required to re-shoot a scene filmed earlier in the semester.

This time I have tried to thoroughly plan out what I want to do, or rather, put it down on paper. It probably needs more refining, or maybe it doesn’t.. I feel like I have a good sense of what I’d like to film. Or maybe, I just need to articulate it more clearly. In any case, it will be interesting to see how it all turns out, whether the filming process goes as I expect/want it to.

Production:

Things went relatively smoothly today. I was able to get some pretty similar shots to what I had in mind; although it was not exactly how I envisioned it, I plan in acceptance of the fact that the real takes won’t be precisely what I want. However, I am a bit concerned about how the editing will go. I feel as though my shots won’t edit well, or I should have covered the scene more thoroughly just in case…

Post-production:

While I was generally quite satisfied with the shots and coverage, I did wish that I would have looked at the framing and composition more carefully. I found that for a lot of the shots, the frame was slightly crooked, or not as symmetrical as I would have liked it. Also, we moved around a lot that day to accommodate to the lighting of the area, but that meant my characters’ position shifted slightly between some cuts. Although it’s not that noticeable (I hope this is the case), I still would have preferred more continuity.

Today (a Saturday), we filmed our little projects, which consisted of re-shooting a scene done earlier in the course. Although I had always known I was the dependent type of person, the many setbacks we experienced today got me to register the full extent of that dependency.

It took us 15 minutes to work out how to format the memory disk, and not to mention, we struggled to just turn the camera on. I didn’t know how to operate the sound mixer, and neither did my peers that worked with me on the day, so when we encountered a problem with it – I don’t even know what the core of the problem was – we kind of just gave up on it and used the internal mic instead, and this also took us some time to work out. If these situations occurred in class, another more experienced camera/sound operator would have surely known what to do. I receive so much help from others, I think I have become too accustomed to not dealing with technical issues myself. Additionally, I found that although I was the ‘director’ of my own project, I still relied on the rest of the crew to give me feedback and suggestions as to what I should do.

To sum up, I am highly reliant on others, and will need to hone my technical skills. This is a dire need.

In our Friday class last week, we shot two scenes with ‘performance’ being the key focus. Since I had arrived late to class, I missed the introduction/explanation of what we were doing so I didn’t know we were focussing on performance until much later on – after I had already edited the scene.

This got me thinking about the relationship between production and post-production. When I was editing the scene, I was more concerned with the pacing and rhythm of the edits rather than the actors’ performance. In the final cut, some may consider it to accommodate the actors’ facial expressions, gestures, movements, and whatnot (though I don’t really know how others might interpret it, this is just a possibility). However, in the edit room, I wanted the tempo of the cuts to illustrate atmosphere and changes in tone. Of course, performance also plays a part in it, so all in all, I probably assigned a 50-50 weighting to them. In the real world, I wonder how this would play out. How would the director communicate to the editor how to edit certain material, if at all?

This week, we were also encouraged to brainstorm ideas for our presentation on what we would like to do for the rest of the semester. Coincidently (or maybe, as a result of last week’s editing) I decided to my little project on how the editing process may be intended to deliver the scene in a certain way, and how that is realised by the audience. Actually, I want to explore more than that, though right now I can’t seem to articulate it. I will need to organise my thoughts.

Today, I realise my rough-ness anew. As I mentioned in part one, the way I do things is unrefined; I go with the flow and just do whatever feels ‘right’ at that moment and I think this really contrasts with the way production is carried out in the real world. Since I didn’t have much of a role today (I mostly just helped out here and there with small tasks), I was able to observe how each role was handled.

The director interpreted and discussed the overall atmosphere of the scene and the possible relationships with each character with the actors, explained how they should perform, and ran through rehearsals with them before any shooting began. Even when time was running out, she was able to remain calm and focussed on the quality of the shots rather than quantity. The camera operator also ensured the composition of the frame was the way he intended and that the director agreed to it. He made sure the camera was level and characters were in focus properly. Members in charge of sound communicated with each other to make sure that sound levels were appropriate, working together to solve any problems there were.

Even though I didn’t have much of a role in production today, it was still insightful just to observe how other people worked and learn from them. Comparing and contrasting their work ethic to mine, I realise how I can learn from their constant meticulousness even in situations where time in scarce. For me, this is a major thing for me to work on because whenever I am aware time is running out, I will most definitely stress myself out. I would forget planning or rehearsing and just film whatever is convenient. I’m sure if I was in the directors position today, I would have had a mini-breakdown and told the crew members ‘in any case, just film’. But as a result, the editing process would be a real struggle and I would hate myself.

Apart from my sloppy style of working, I would also have to work on keeping calm when it comes to deadlines and not letting them interfere with me.

Following on from last week’s filming, people’s individuals edits were presented to the class and discussion ensued. Robin argued that whilst filming the cameraman/DOP/director should frame and shoot scenes with more precision. Everything in (and out of) frame should be purposeful and informed. We’re now at a stage where we should think about whether that should really be there or if something has been framed ‘properly’.

I also got to view the edits of the other members of my group. I found that there were only slight differences to mine. Everyone’s edits of ‘A’ were very similar, and this is because we shot it in a way that only allowed for one ‘line’ or ‘pattern’ of editing. In one way, this could be a positive thing. If it’s how the director envisioned the final product should look like, then each edit would play out similarly. However, even edits of ‘B’, which was directed and shot by other members in the group, were similar to edits of ‘A’. I think it is because we were working in the same space and with the same script, that creating a scene which was different to the first one was so difficult.

Generally, I would say the way I work is informal. I tend to plan things roughly, mostly in my head. If I do put it down on paper, it would most probably be done in the form of a list because my drawings are beyond comprehension. It’s actually quite weird that I’m so rough when it comes to pre-production stuff since I’m usually a pretty meticulous person when it comes to planning. Sometimes, I find it is better not to set in concrete what should happen on a day since issues with the weather or technology are bound to arise. Before the production stage, having a good feel for what the location is like is also helpful. At this stage, I’m also forming a image in my head as to what the final product may look like – how the scenes that will be shot, and how they might be edited in post-production.

When it comes time to film, I follow the rough plan that I’ve got but I’m flexible. In regards to cinematography, I would say the way I film things is simple. The camera will usually be on the tripod, there may be some panning, but hand-held shots are unlikely. This is because I’m not confident with handling the camera with my shaky hands – I should probably practice this more in our exercises. I do enjoy creative ways of production, though I do believe that the mis en scene should accommodate the narrative rather than distract from it.

Recently while I was editing one of our class exercises, I noticed that even though I try to honour continuity as much as possible, at times I favour expression, action, or dialogue. I had two shots to choose from, one which guaranteed continuity, and another one which didn’t. In the end, I still opted for the second shot because the characters’ expressions were much more pronounced.

In conclusion, I am an unrefined worker. I probably need to change that.

The Wizard of Oz (1939) – Ruby Slippers

The chosen scene involves an outburst of chaos as the Wicked Witch of the West arrives in Munchkinland. This occurs towards the beginning of the film following the Munchkins’ welcoming parade for Dorothy who mysteriously ended up in Munchkinland after a tornado swept through Kansas city.

The scene begins with a birds eye view or high angle shot which shows all the munchkins scrambling to safety as the Witch makes her grand appearance through an explosion of red powder. The vibrant costumes accentuates the characters’ movement and the dramatic background music and screaming accommodate the chaos ensuing onscreen. The witch is positioned left of centre while Dorothy and Glinda are positioned to the right on a platform which places them slightly higher than ground level.

A mid close up of the witch gives the audience better look at her facial features and colour. A mid close up of Dorothy emphasizes her shocked expression. This shot-reverse-shot pattern with the medium close ups of each party will continue to be used throughout their exchange. The characters are filmed only at a slight angle, almost front on and don’t show the other party – unlike in over-the-shoulder shots. This may have been to establish a greater sense of distance and hostility since the exchange is more like a battle rather than conversation.

As the witch approaches the left side of the screen, the camera follows her while zooming out to a mid long shot to show where she is headed. A medium shot shows Dorothy’s worried expression, however this time Glinda appears on screen supporting her from behind. As the Witch accuses Dorothy of killing her sister, Dorothy is frantic to appeal to her innocence. Her frightened behaviour is contrasted against Glinda who is visibly at ease.

Again, the camera dollies with the Witch to the pair of ruby slippers, though soon they disappear. There seems to be a moment of discontinuity as the lighting becomes darker when the Witch looks over her shoulder and exclaims “They’re gone!”. This may or may not have been intentional, however it does make her exclamation more dramatic. We see the ruby slippers are now on Dorothy through a medium close up of them. A cut back to Dorothy reveals her surprised expression which is juxtaposed against the Glinda’s knowing smile. The Witch attempts to probe Dorothy into returning the slippers, however Glinda is quick to defend her. A mid long shot displays the jabbing exchange between the two while Dorothy is helpless in the middle.

In the end, Dorothy and Glinda win the battle as the Witch eventually decides to flee the scene, but not before making a final jab at the two. A long shot displays the Witch running back to her initial position, disappearing into the red smoke.

All in all, there were approximately 5-6 camera set ups. The coverage and blocking was quite simple – Dorothy and Glinda remained on the platform while the Witch walked and back and forth between the house and the platform. The camera was still for the most part, and only moved when the Witch did. In this scene, the focus was on the dialogue and characters’ expression, though the set design, costumes, and vibrant colours were also quite prominent.

So last week everyone got to play director and basically become boss for the production of one shot.

We discussed the experience in our tute today and I think my group was pretty unanimous with our thoughts. We found it was difficult to delegate roles and really stick to them. Being a director, we still had a habit of asking others for their opinions and physically moving the camera or acting out how a performer should behave. We were still concerned with how we were doing time-wise, and I think we did rush our shots slightly because at the back of our mind we calculated, “There are x number of people who have to do their shots after me; I have to leave enough time for everyone else”. That’s how I personally thought anyway.

Also, I found it hard to articulate what I was seeing in my head since the one shot we had to do was so singular. I felt that there was not enough time to go through the backstory, the movements, dialogue, rehearse, and shoot so I just decided to skip the synopsis. In hindsight, I’m not sure if that was such a good idea. It probably wouldn’t have taken that long either, though when I became director I just became pressured not to use up so much time I guess. An interesting exercise would be to work from the same scenario, and become director of one shot from that same scenario. That way, the whole crew at least have an overall idea of the ‘feel’ of a particular scene. However that might restrict the types of shots people can experiment with..

Ultimately, even though we were instructed to be a director, and be only concerned with directing, I found it was easy to be distracted by other things. If this is so for such a small production, I can only imagine how it is for directors of larger productions.

For this week’s studio we worked individually editing the footage that was shot last Friday. I found that my editing skills had rusted over the long break, though eventually I got into the groove of things and was able to complete the edit relatively easily.

I appreciate in this course the practical work that we do every week because although filming and editing aren’t necessarily difficult tasks; the more practice we get, the better we become at using technology. Similar to playing an instrument – it’s not hard to play an instrument, but it is to play it “well”. (On a side note, the greatness of something is always iffy for me. How do you do something well? What is a good edit? When does someone become a ‘pro’ at filmmaking? When they are recognised for it? But I digress…)

Prior to this course, I had never used one of those chunky cameras before (I don’t even know what they’re called), but after having a go and reviewing the footage I filmed I realised what mistakes I made and am able to make a mental note of it. Actually, it may be for the best that I make the most mistakes I possibly can in this course and learn from them. I’d like to leave this unit with a head full of notes and tips about anything to do with cinematography.

In the chosen scene, the two protagonists are engaged in conversation. The scene starts with a long shot of the two characters and forms into a medium close up as they approach the camera. Lee is positioned closer to the camera while Carter follows along, attempting to convince him. The camera follows the two until Carter turns to face Lee, stopping his tracks.

In the next shot, an over-the-shoulder shot is used to frame Carter as he begins his reasoning. Mid-way, a medium close up of Lee shows us his reaction to Carters speech. Another cut brings us back to Carter as he finishes. Lee’s speech, however, is filmed in one length, and is also an over-the-shoulder shot. These shots continue back and forth until Carter turns and exits to the right.

The simplicity of the camera coverage reinforces the dialogue in this scene. The hand held camera movement at the beginning puts us in Carter’s perspective, as if we’re chasing after Lee. Halting the camera movement, enables Carter Lee’s full attention and likewise, the audience. Using medium close up shots throughout highlights the actors’ facial expression.