Category Archives: film/tv 1

film/tv analysis reflection final, question 2

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Remember your answer to this from week 1?

“In 200 words or less please outline your goals, desires – what you want to get out of this semester. You will review this later in the course. Many will rethink this dramatically by the end of the course – this is a good thing.”

No? Go back and have a look.
Now we’d love you to do the same at this end.
Please reflect on how you feel about the course. What surprised you, what excited you, what disappointed you. What we could have done better. What you could have done better.
bellow is my answer back in week 1:

“Throughout this course i am primarily hoping to improve my writing abilities in relation to stories and ideas for film/tv. this includes becoming more familiar with different aspects of the story such out outlines, synopses, plots, character, events and problems and script writing, and improving on how to combine all these separate elements to create on cohesive and interesting story.

the other goal which i am trying to accomplish is to be able to effectively take these story ideas which i or or my group have created and be able to adapt that to a film that is enjoyable and coherent and in doing so to further enhance my abilities in being a part of the film production process. a major part of this is learning how to work well together collaboratively as a group to explore all possible story ideas and and overcoming intergroup difficulties to be able to produce the best possible film.”

i really enjoyed this course. looking back on my two answers from week one, i feel as though i have successfully accomplished, but, i completely left out the other. however, the part that i did not really achieve, the answer about improving my writing skills, i did try with it, back in the first few weeks when we were thinking of story ideas and synopsises. so i did give it my best effort. but, i have come to realise that writing is not my strongest ability but rather that i am far more suited to adapting a script or screenplay to film.

what i really loved about this semester was getting the chance, as the director of our film, to take the script and work with it, create a story board and a shot list, to mark up the script how i would like it done. to work with the actors and the writer to try and get the most out of the story that i could. my major goal of the semester was that i wanted to make a film that i was proud of and i am really proud of the film that we made as a group. i think we all worked well together and despite some hiccoughs along the way still pulled through and learnt how to manage issues and still produce a great film. i learned a great deal from the over all production process, especially about how much thought and planning and time goes into pre production.

what surprised me about the course was the way we were simply thrust into the project from the get go. dropped right off in the deep end and told to swim and i think that was a great way to do it. we had limited time and just had to move with it with no time for doubts and second guessings and i think that was a really great way to experience making a film.

what excited (and terrified) me was the prospect of directing. i had never done it before (except in high school) and i felt there was a lot of pressure on me to produce something great. luckily i had a great team supporting me so working together as a group to get the project done really was a brilliant learning experience.

what disappointed me was that i couldn’t help out on any other group film shoots. the shoots were all done on weekends which was when i work so i couldn’t help out on any others but my own and i feel as though this would have helped my learning of different experiences in different roles on set more.

what the staff could have done better was group formation. i don’t really know how they could change it but there needs to be a better way to sort out the groups. there was very little thought or effort put into the groups regarding peoples skills or interests in roles, suitability or friendships or who was even present in class at that time. i ended up in a completely unfeasible group that needed to be disbanded because it had been carelessly put together. luckily, this was handled very well by the staff and i ended up in a great group so not all bad 😀

what i could have done better. i think i could have tried a little harder in the concept stage of this semester. i didn’t really take the idea generating tasks seriously as i didn’t think they were going to be used for anything and i feel like i really wasted this opportunity, especially considering it was one of my goals to improve my writing i feel like i really let my self down there. i am also upset that i have come out of this and still know very little about lighting. i was interstate for the lighting week and i should have taken it upon myself to catch up but i didn’t because i was preoccupied with getting ready to direct and i feel that i have missed that opportunity.

on the whole, i really enjoyed this whole semester and have really learnt a lot from it and had some great experiences that will surely help me in the future.

film/tv analysis reflection final, question 1

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Please write constructive comments/reviews of the films you saw. It can be just just those you loved the most or intrigued you the most.

first off, i loved al the films and i thought each one of them was great. gonna be hard to find constructive comments.

Milk: this was one of my favourite of the films screened. it was an original and funny story with a surprise ending. although it is a little short, the elongated milk spilling scene does lessen this feeling and it’s done in a comedic and enjoyable way. the music and comedic timing were great across the film. only one issue i found with it is the foley at the end where you distinctly here his footsteps as he approaches the milk bar but then no sound at all as he sits down. otherwise a really great film.

granny theft auto: i also really loved this film. its very enjoyable and you get s cruel sense of satisfaction watching the rude old lay get arrested as the boys get off free. the editing was really great, especially as the officer searches the car and we see the comparison of items from the two different cars. my only recommendation would be to in some way reveal the second car a little earlier. it comes right at the end and can be a bit confusing to people who had no idea that there was a similar car there. music works really well though out the film.

Pranking frank: this was another one of my favourites. i thought this was a brilliant script and very well executed. the editing was great, in particular the scene with frank practicing different things in front of the mirror. the locations worked well, including the establishing spot so the audience knew when we were back at franks house. on top of that, i thought the twist ending was brilliant and i really didn’t see it coming at all which i think was the only film that did that for me so i was very impressed by it.

film/tv analysis reflection 6, question 8

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Most applications reserve keyboard shortcuts for the functions that use most often. It is really good to learn all of these as it will speed up your editing and additionally alert you to functions that the software developers and other users find important. (You can learn much about the software by looking at keyboard shortcuts).

Find the keyboard shortcuts for Adobe Premiere and note two or more functions that you’ve never used before that may be invaluable to editing.

as i have never used premier before, all the shortcuts are new to me so it took some experimenting to find them

some really useful ones i have found are:

command k: this cuts thetimeline at the playhead through all the tracks so i don’t have to go use the razor tool and try to get it exactly at the play head which can often not end up in extacly the right frame.

i and o: in and out. these are used when viewing the clip in the priview window so as to select when the clip will start and end that is put into the timeline. this makes it so easy to select a time to start and end a clip when watching because you don’t need to try and hit pause and then select an in or out point, you ca press i or o while you’re watching and also change it as you are watching if you find a better out or in point.

,: comma will insert the clip from the privew window into your timeline according to your designated out and in points and is a really quick and easy way to move selected parts of clips into the timeline.

enter (in the gape between clips on the timeline): i only found this one halfway through the editing process and it has saved me so much time. by selecting the blank space between two clips on the timeline and hitting enter, all clips after the blank space will move left to join up to the previous clip. this has saved so much time from having to zoom out, select all the clips to be moved, then zoom back in and move them, every time i make a tiny edit

film/tv analysis reflection 6, question 7

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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.

there is quite a lot of editing done in this scene. there a re very few wide shots with both characters but rather consistent cutting between the two characters from different angles and distances throughout the scene which would have required a lot of editing. there is also a large number of cutaways throughout the scene which would also require tedious editing as well as carefully editing cuts between character doing a single action between shots which would have to be done very finely to ensure the movement looks smooth.

the audio would also have taken a lot of time to edit as there is not just dialogue but a distinct background sound created through atmos or other effects, such as the crickets or the hum of what is assumed to be the fan, and also the inclusion of a large number of folly sounds including opening the envelope, turning on the tap in the next room and footsteps walking across the floor. each of these sounds would have required a great deal of effort to create in time with what was occurring in the shot and then edited in to match the scene as it unfolds. the scenes utilises a lot of juts and l-cuts which are useful for showing one characters reactions to another characters dialogue or actions. it also keeps the action of the scene flowing so the audience don’t get too bored by going back and forth. by editing the audio in such a way it keeps things interesting and constantly changing.

the different kinds of audio heard in this clip are dialogue, sound effects, foley sounds, background sounds and music right at the end

all the different sounds from the clip:

dialogue

envelope rustling

breathing

footsteps

tap running

tap turning

fly buzzing

opening safe and putting stuff in

chair squeaking

sliding money across desk

gunshot and echo

crickets

fan(atmos)

foot hitting ground

kicking gun

putting money in pocket

door closing

music accent at end

 

film/tv analysis reflection 6 – question 6

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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).

as director of our film, i took a lot of really great points away from this lecture that i thought would really assist me when directing on set.

i felt one of the most important  points Sandra made was to always keep the script on me and keep  notes about the the emotions of each scene or shot written in the script. this is imperative for shooting to edit as the scenes and shots are filmed out of order and it is highly important to ensure that the correct flow is felt between shots and scenes when editing by keeping continuity running in regards to the emotion of whats going on in each shot. if these do not match up then the film will not come together well and will not tell the desired story. as the director the most important job is directing the actors to get the right emotion to tell the story properly and emotion is how to get the story across

another really useful point was when sandra discussed the standard way of shooting vs the not so standard way. she brought up some really great points that i would not have considered when shooting the film. first off… how to make it interesting. i had created a shot list for the film but Sandra’s point was to go beyond just the general shots that you can do to show the scene but to also take different kinds of shots that would tell the scene. make the audience see it in a different way and create a real emotion or feel to the scene. to do this, Sandra suggested to simply experiment. put the camera at odd angles or weird nights and interesting locations. create different blocking or framing or set ups. don’t just make it normal. also to think about cutaways. this is something that i think is really important that again i would never have considered. of course, cutaways require time which can often be a stretch on shoots, but they are still important and can add an extra layer to the film that just your basic wide shots can’t do.

lastly, a really grew point was about directing the actors. as this is my first time directing, this is a really important part for me as i have never directed actors before. a really good point was to rehearse with them before hand with a  camera, especially to cover non-dialgoue sections of the scenes. this is because o the day a lot of time will be taken up with working with the DOP so it is important to get a good relationship with the actors and let them know what i want before the shoot. another really great point was about how to talk to the actors on the shoot. these guys are volunteer and it may be there first jobs. i want them to be feeling as comfortable and happy as possible as they re doing this for us. Sandra said it is really important to be honest with the actors. however, she also mentioned we need to be delicate. if something looks wrong or isn’t working, don’t just tell them that, rather give a way to change it r a different outlook approach to it so that everyone can be working on the same page and can all try to get as much out of the scene as possible. i big issue for me will be correcting them as i am not one to tell people what to do or what not to do so the idea of telling them instead what can be changed rather than just saying they’re wrong was really helpful so that i can maintain a good communication with the actors on set.

film/tv analysis reflection 5 – question 3

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although it seemed like a relatviely simple scene, that scene from “Blow up” was very technically complicated. there was almost always movement, either of the actors within the fraem or the frame itself. as a director, Anotioni would have had to have done extensive rehersals with both the actors and the camero operators to ensure that the scene goes smoothly. every action would have been choreographed specifaclly to suit a particular framing or a specific camera movement. thus, while directing the film, Antonioni would have had to have worked very closely with his actors to ensure they were getting each action and movement exactly right. this does not only require rehersals beforehand but a close communicative relationship with actors on the day of shooting will be vital to get the necessary movements.

similarly with the camera, there were a large variety of different camera set ups, positions and movements. these movements involved not just tilting or panning the camera but physical camera movement including dollying and tracking. these too would have required lots of rehersals to perfect the movements so they could deliver the correct aesthic. Anotioni would have been working very closely with his DOP and camera operators to get the right pacing of the scene through the movements of the camera and frame.

film/tv analysis reflection 5 – question 2

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the week 6 reading was about developing a crew. while the primary idea of the article, picking and choosing your own crew, was not entirely relevant because for this project we have been placed into groups without being able to choose people, there were many other parts of the reading that had really interesting points.

while this point was about picking the crew, it is also important to consider when dealing with your crew on set; having the right people. mood is very important on set. the mood of the crew will influence the mood of the cast which will in turn influence how the film itself turns out. when ever i have made films in the past, i had really only considered the cast that i was picking, but never considered the importance of picking a good crew. without a good, well working crew, a film won’t happen. the reading said we need to make sure everyone knows what they want to get out of the film, that they all have the same idea and a positive outlook. we don’t want people who will be late or unenthusiastic or dismissive or rude or act as if they’re doing you a favour by being there. and especially don’t want people with negative energy. because that won’t just bring the other crew down. it will bring the cast down and the whole quality of the film.

the second point that i found really interesting and useful was the classification of the different roles, what they include and what kind of traits they need to be. most eye opening for me that i never knew before was the role of the assistant director as more of a producer/business role than  a creative one. the reading said that assistant directors almost never become directors but are more prone to becoming production managers or producers. i had never thought about it like that because i had always considered the role of the AD to assist the director (which they still do). but this job is more of an organisational role, managing time and budgets and locations and the crew in order to allow the director to have creative flexibility on set.

hopefully when we get on set everyone can work cohesively together and keep up a great work environment to get our film done well!

film/tv analysis reflection 5 – question 1

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week 7 was all about lighting. many different things about lighting were covered including:

-different lighting techniques (three point lighting, hard vs. soft lighting, natural vs. artificial lighting),

-ways of utilising lighting to communicate themes,

-moods or character’s emotions or personalities,

-how important lighting is for cinematography,

-in terms of setting up and framing a scene,

-what equipment is needed to light a scene and what the different types of equipment can add

-exposure levels and the importance of maintaing them.

these points covered were all very important, useful and relevant to our own projects. lighting is a major part of any film as without light, you can’t see anything. as director, i hope to be working very closely with our DOP to create the right lighting not only in every scene of our film but in ever shot. one very crucial part that was mentioned in the lecture was about practice shoots. making sure that we have our story board and shot list ready so that we can get the gear and practice using it and learn how to set up the lighting which will give us an idea not only of what lights we want to be using for our shoot to get the right mood and feel but also of how we want our lighting set up on the day of the shoot. this is vital because on the day of the shoot, timing will be crucial so if we know exactly how we want our lighting set up for every shot we will not waste any unnecessary time moving lighting around the room. as the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

film/tv analysis reflection 4, question 7

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Please outline some points that you took away from the Lighting Lecture. Points that excite you, something that was completely new to you, perplexes you or even one you take issue with.

the one key point i took from the lighting lecture was 3 point lighting. its so interesting thinking how any scene in any film or show has been set up using three point lighting, that it’s all specifically done. even more then that, that every shot, even the shortest, two second shots, requires its own specific lighting set up. so that filming every single shot involves deconstructing and reconstructing all the lights to create the right look and feel. this is really important when making a film and is something i will need to take into consideration when we are filming our own film as lighting plays a big part in one of our scenes.

the other point about three point lighting that is interesting is it’s actually set up, with the key light, fill light and back light. each of these plays a really important role in setting up the characters, location and most importantly the mood. the different amounts of key and fill light can be used to create harsh lighting or soft lighting which all give different feels to the situation and the characters. all these things need to be considered when setting up even the simplest of shots.

one thing i did not like is that we did not get the chance to actually practice and experiment with the lights in class. yes we got to see them but i have never done anything with lighting before so it would have been really beneficial to have been able to try a 3 point lighting set up to create a scene and then try shifting it for a new angle or new shot to actually give us experience in setting up and using lighting before the day of shooting.

film/tv reflection test 4, question 8

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HJXolkZK5k

List the things that you learnt from this experience – this could be things that went well or not so well

making the lenny was a really good and useful experience, especially to help prepare us for filming our major project in a few weeks.

the most important thing i found was the impact of being unprepared. we had nothing prepared prior and so a lot of time was wasted just trying to decide what to do. this will be especially helpful because now i know that going into our filming day we need to have absolutely everything prepared and mapped out so that we know exactly what to do. we lost so much time trying to work out where to film, what angles and shot sizes to use, who would play the character and how to do each shot when instead we could have just been filming. because of this issue, we did not have enough time to film a number of shots that we wanted to so we need to make sure that we are completely planned and prepared when we shoot our film so that we don’t lose any important shots.

the other thing i learnt was about making decisions. because i am directing our film, i was director of the lenny so this made going in unprepared even more difficult and stressful. standing there with 4 people looking to you and ask what to do is pretty stressful and made me a little anxious. but once we actually got started i realised that rather than worry about what i was doing or what the others would think, i just had to make decisions and go with them. i learnt that there is no point sitting, worrying and deliberating over something, but rather i just need to decide and agree with my choice and use that to move forward. i think this was the greatest thing i got out of the lenny excerise because it really trained me for directing my crew and how to trust myself.