In class on Thursday we were given a script and were told to plan a collection of shots that could be used when shooting and than go out to find a location and turn words into reality. Our group was given a script entitled “Courting for a Purpose” written by Stephanie McCarthy and details a scene where Jose is displaying his undying love for his love Candy. Knowing that we had film to the exact wording of the scripts, there was little room to work with in regards to putting our own touch on the script. Thus said, we opened proceedings with an establishing shot with the pair locking eyes at each form both ends of the table. This wide-angle shot ensured that the camera was concentrated on the duo and even a subtle zoom in could have enhanced the effect of the room slowly caving in on them. We followed up with two over the shoulder shots of the pair that seemed to be ineffective at certain times. At one stage Jose would partially leave the shot and quickly come back into the scene. In addition, we ensured that we did not cross the 180-degree boundary when filming these shots that could of potentially ruined the scenes continuity. However, if we utilized the time we have more productively, we could have also produced two shots of Jose’s lips when he was signing the song, and of Candy’s eyes when she hears Jose asks for her hand in marriage. These two shots would have given the sequence a more dynamic feature highlighted the two different characters and how they’re emotions instantly change.
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The Initiative Post –
In my earlier blog post, I wrote about the idea of creating a piece that intrigues the viewer and get them thinking to the extent where they want more. By using an array of writing and film techniques, I believe true stories have the capacity of leaving an audience speechless – an unbelievable account that leaves us gasping. Recently, I had read the story of Solomon Linda titled “In the Jungle by Rian Malan; a Zulu tribesman who wrote one of Africa’s and the world’s biggest songs that has stood the test of time and been apart of countless generations. He’s song “In the Jungle” is undoubtedly one of the biggest hits of the 20th century as each era has witnessed someone re-generate the song making it as one of there own. Before I read the piece, I immediately remembered the song (from The Lion King) yet like many, I never knew the backdrop to the account – the story within the story that is truly remarkable. The song, which was written in 1939 in the only recording studio in Africa, became an instant hit in Western Europe and eventually reached the shores of America “where it mutated into a truly immortal pop epiphany that soared to the top of the charts here and than everywhere, returning every decade under different names and guises”.
At this point, Malan gives a brief history of the song and how it became a success around the globe. However, just like the initial sentence at the top of the piece, Malan drops a bombshell for his audience describes the plight of Linda where “where a melody that earned untold millions for white men but died so poor that his wife couldn’t afford a stone for his grave”. This sentence leaves us stunned at the fact that a man who’s name will be sketched in the history books merely became another dead soul who died so poor leaving his family with nothing. Malan’s intro leaves us including me, wanting more from this incredible story – a trait that I wish to indulge on whilst in this class.
Part 1 of the piece dives into how the song was made and what transpired after the recording in Africa that led the tune to cross through Europe and turn towards America. All in all, around 160 recordings of three different versions, thirteen movies, six TV commercials and a hit play, number 7 on Val Pak’s semi-authoritative ranking of the most beloved golden oldies, and ceaseless radio air-play on every corner of the planet. Having said that, a net worth profit of $15 million and not a single penny was given to Linda and his family.
This story of music royalties and associated revenues was somehow deliberately or mistakenly left out for Solomon Linda where hundreds made millions off the song and the founder was left with nothing. An account like this goes to the point of incredible if not unbelievable. A story within a story within a story, Malan’s piece touched on the historical line this song endured and the life that Solomon Linda should have had as soon as the song was released in 1939. Malan leaves his audience perplexed by this thought, and to his credit, he successfully shows how one man was cheated from a life he should have had – prosperous and fulfilling for a man who gave so much yet was given very little.
Reflective Findings from the Class?
The class exercises that we have participated in so far have encouraged us to quickly create a piece of material around an idea, character, time and place given to us, and be able to install a plot and character arch’s that fit suitably with the story. I love the idea of instantly creating a story with ideas off the top of your head allowing us to swiftly form a narrative that could be suitable for the screen. During our first tutorial, we were given a list of questions that we swiftly had to write about in a short period of time. Questions such as ‘what did you dream about?’ and ‘what do you fear the most?’ were brought up and this process of dissecting the little details and the minor aspects is not only helpful for us, but it allows us to describe what we see and turn it into literature – thus putting reality onto paper. In addition, the exercise where we had to pick a random character out of a hat and a back story to come with it, was a productive challenge that allowed me to develop a tale with its twists and turns and ultimately a humorous yet suitable ending to the narrative. In my piece, Boris an up and coming sculpture artist was finally in the middle of his big break where things turn horribly wrong. In less than twenty minutes, I was able to establish dialogue that suited Boris’ seductive yet deceitful personality and a revenge plot that saw his wife serve justice on him and his mistress. In effect, this task allowed me form a plot with, a challenge to the protagonist and final outcome for the story.
What do I want from this course?
Through the course of this semester, I want to be able to grow and develop as a writer and as a filmmaker, evolving my understanding of what takes to thrive and the sacrifices that must be made to be successful in this industry. This program will hopefully allow me to be given the tools to construct a piece of material that is well written, understandable and more importantly, intriguing – something that captures someone’s attention for the right reasons, something that viewers want to see more of, and something that an audience will dissect and make them constantly think. On top of this, I would like to be able to create a piece of writing that is suitable and coherent with the desires of the viewer – expressing their emotions and feelings towards things and others. Moreover, once I believe I have written material that is coherent with the needs of the viewer, I want to be able create a film or a scene that encapsulates the words on the paper to the screen. By using the array of writing and film techniques, I believe that I have the capability of creating something that an audience can relate or something that they can be blown away by – an idea or a story that can leave someone wanting more. In addition, being a realist, I understand that some of these ambitions will not be achieved so I must adopt an approach that is pragmatic yet honest with my work, dissecting the good and the bad that comes with it. If I am able to acknowledge that my work is below standard or not up to the scratch, then I have to accept it and find away to improve or alter the piece.
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/132156673@N08/
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/132156673@N08/
How Apple Makes the Watch – what intrigued you?
One of the opening statistics that was procurous was that Apple shipped a Boeing 787’s weight worth of iPhones very 24 hours making them one of the largest scale production organisations in the world.
There “Willy Wonka levels of security” is coupled with their levels of fit, finish and precision is highlighted by the production process when utilising gold as a source of material. Apple is left with a flattened ingot of gold alloy that has a controlled level of hardness and a precise thickness.
Chapter 2 – what intrigued you?
One of the questions that I asked myself whilst reading the History of Ontography was can lists be a form of poetry?
Through Latour’s works, Ontography can be described as an “aesthetic set theory, in which a particular configurations celebrated merely on the basis of its existence”.
Latour shows that a list can be comprised “not by logic or power or use but by the gentle knot of the comma”.
Chapter 4 – what intrigued you?
The past week in my Ontography class has showed me that objects or media aspects can be dissected into tiny particles that all have a history between each other. Ultimately, webs of connections are formed and a chain reaction occurs as lists can create a “poetic approach” where the experience can become an aesthetic encounter.
List-like structures can activate webs of connection between a diversity of material and subjects by, allowing new accusations to be made. Moreover, a list establishes a sense of “cohesion” whilst creating infinite possibilities in combing in and making connections across a networked filled of elements.
What will the film industry look like in 10 years time?
The cinema industry is once again at the crossroads where today they face the daunting challenge of reinvigorating an ageless pastime – bringing the word fun back to cinemas near you. Believe it or not but there was once a time where people actually enjoyed going to the movies and experiencing the glitz, the glamour, the sound, the scenes and the actors that they loved and cherished. Yet this has been almost labeled an outdated trend where a combination of different issues and the continuous rise of the technological era have spawned calls for a response from the film industry whilst raising questions of what films will look like in the not so distant future.
The Effects of Video Piracy –
There is no doubt that video piracy has had deep and long lasting affect on cinemas today where movie lovers have bucked the trend of watching films in theatres and swapped it with a sofa and their laptop. The fact is this that people are unwilling to pay for an overpriced movie ticket, where someone can simply go on the Internet and watch it online for nothing. Chris Anderson’s ‘The Long Tale’ highlights the dilemma that consumers are currently having when faced with the quality vs. quantity debate which resonates well with this debate. On one hand we have a quality – a product ensured to give you the ‘full movie experience’ but with a hefty price; and on the other you have quantity, providing you with an array of options with questions being raised over its effectiveness to fulfill consumers needs. Nevertheless, consumers today are not willing to spend fifty to sixty dollars on a movie ticket, popcorn and a large drink. People today want a product that is affordable and accessible – a problem that is leaving cinemas at the crossroads today.
In July this year, Australia was branded “the worst in the world” when it came to video piracy according to Attorney-General George Brandis. Brandis, who is the architect of the “three-strike crackdown”, recently stated that Australia lacks any effective protection against online piracy. Australia, I’m sorry to say, is the worst offender of any country in the world when it comes to piracy, and I’m very concerned that the legitimate rights and interests of rights holders and content creators are being compromised by that activity.
“Australia is impressive and with a population of just over 22 million people it has the highest piracy rate in the world,” wrote TorrentFreak at the time. In the U.S, the problem exceeds even further. The U.S film industry contributes approximately $80 billion each year to the American economy (Scholes, 2014). That number is according to Wayne Scholes, substantially lower than what it should be where it is estimated that 750,000 jobs have been lost to online piracy. As Scholes points out, “70% of online users don’t see illegal downloading as a form of ‘theft’”. The problem had originally stemmed from the music industry where 95% of online music downloads are illegal.
Prof. Smith and Wellesley College economist Brett Danaher published last month indicating last year’s shutdown of illegitimate-download site Megaupload by the U.S. Justice Department boosted the studios’ digital revenue by 6% to 10% (Bialik, 2013). Dr. Danaher calls the 6%-to-10% estimate a lower bound on piracy’s impact—which would mean $2 billion to $3 billion of U.S. revenue if the study’s finding for digital revenue translated to box-office and DVD sales and rentals.
The fact of the matter is that even though video piracy is providing an accessible product, film studios are feeling the effects today and in the long term, consumers may bare the brunt when confronted with an increase in job cuts, further economic heartache and potentially a decrease in the number of movies produced as studios will be unwilling to spend millions without meeting there own status quo.
Are today’s movies all the same? –
Today’s generation has been brought up with Batman, Superman, Indiana Jones, The Matrix, Die Hard and other large budget action films that ensure studios remain in the black rather than the red. Don’t get me wrong, I as much as the next person love a superhero film or an action pact movie blockbuster, yet what this has created is rather a product – a brand that producers and studios can explore whilst attempting to squeeze out as much money as they possibly can that a franchise can make. The bottom line is that studios would rather invest millions in an action pact drama that is guaranteed results, rather than a promising script with an up and coming director that has the potential to be a flop. Acclaimed film critic Matt Zoller Seitz believes that the renowned auteur theory that allows the directors to express themselves is almost lost through these types of films. “Studios don’t like personal expression— not on this level. Their goal is to minimize financial risk and avoid a scenario in which viewers buy a ticket for the latest Marvel picture and get something substantially different from what they’ve been conditioned to expect” (2014). Seitz goes on to add that studio would rather make a mediocre Iron Man 2 than underestimated and unique Watchmen. Is that a sign of the times? Is mediocrity the goal for directors today? Or is it just a strategy to ensure that studios stay afloat rather than in debt? Personally, I hope that mediocrity is not the new goal for writers and directors today, just to ensure that companies make their annual turnover. Producing films is supposed to be enjoyable, the satisfaction that you get when you have created something with all your passion and desire is indescribable – a feeling that is potentially being squashed by the film hierarchy with their enormous check-books and their influence that is ensuring that films are made in a certain way and within a certain boundary.
The Avengers box office success eclipsed a record $1.5b
Hollywood’s troubles returns –
This is not the first time Hollywood is experiencing such a problem of this proportion where job losses, financial woes and stagnant filmmaking has been somewhat of a recurring theme. The late 60s and early 70s provided Hollywood with a transitional phase that threatened to derail the industry. Following the Paramount Case, which ended block booking and ownership of theatre chains by film studios and the advent of television, Hollywood were investing in “big money productions that were almost taking the studios down with them” (Schrader). Coupled with the loss of key figures such as Harry Warner, Louis Mayer and Darryl Zanuck, and with audience numbers continuing to dwindle, Hollywood was in a state of “general panic”. ‘Old Hollywood’ was rapidly losing money whilst the major studios were unsure how to react to the much changed audience demographics. Politicized by the Vietnam War and Watergate debacle, young Americans demanded to be heard rather than being placed in the corner. Subsequently, audiences were sick and tired of seeing the outdated style of films as musicals and westerns were replaced by radical, revolutionary and original styles of filmmaking. Julie Christ, one of the most influential actresses throughout this period stated that Hollywood had stumbled across a “different audience, an audience that studios didn’t know existed”. This so called “counter culture” (Coppola) illustrated how “every single consensus, the way [they] lived their lives was ultimately questioned” (Pollack).
“The film business was a decayed whore house and it had to be assaulted, and so you had that student film mentality – lets pick up the banner and walk in their and take it over” – Paul Schrader.
Soon enough, the Baby Boomer generation that consisted of directors such Martin Scorsese, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg would take the country by storm, as foreign filmmakers of the caliber of Godard, Bergman, Visconti, Rossellini, Kurosawa and Bertolucci became a shinning light for aspiring directors whilst paving the way for avant-garde filmmaking. Suddenly, viewers were witnessing a new wave of actors entering their screens, as Eastwood, Beatty, Di Niro and Hoffman became icons of a new generation and a new era of storytelling.
The Graduate (1967) became a shining example of the American New Wave
Amazingly, this is almost a mirror image to the problems being exacerbated today where currently Hollywood is struggling to adapt to the so-called ‘new scenery’ that we are providing as an audience. The American New Wave wanted “to deal with difficult films and different films rather than the same old stuff like nowadays where the same old stuff is just repeated and repeated” (Christ). This ageless time of cinema should provide today’s generation with a precedent of how to attract viewers once again to something that they can recognise, “something of them that they can relate too” (Pollack).
So what will the film industry look like in 10 years time? Can it bounce back from the rise of video piracy? Is it able to create a more appealing brand of cinema rather than the same old stories? These questions have not yet been answered and it is up to the next generation of aspiring writers, editors and directors to bring about change, to ensure that going to the cinema remains an endless pastime, and to ultimately act upon these problems in the near future.
By Julian Di Nezza.
References –
I. Hopwell, Luke; June 2 2014; Australia Worst In the World For Piracy, According to Attorney General
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/06/australia-is-the-worst-in-the-world-for-piracy-according-to-attorney-general/
II. Zoller Seitz, Matt; October 8 2014; Things Crashing Into Other Things: Or, my Superhero Movie Problem
http://www.rogerebert.com/mzs/things-crashing-into-other-things-or-my-superhero-movie-problem
III. Scholes, Wayne; January 2014; Piracy’s Ripple Effect on the Global Economy
http://www.diplomaticourier.com/news/sponsored/2011-piracy-s-ripple-effect-on-the-global-economy
IV. Bialik, Carl; April 5 2013; Putting a Price Tag on Film Piracy
http://blogs.wsj.com/numbers/putting-a-price-tag-on-film-piracy-1228/
V. Demme, Ted; LaGravense, Richard; 2003; A Decade Under the Influence – documentary
VI. Bialik, Carl; April 5 2013; Studios Struggle for Focus on Film Pirates’ Booty
http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324600704578402850894445768