Tag Archives: analysis

film tv 2 analysis reflection 3, question 1

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Paste the link here from your version of the abstract editing exercise.

Then reflect on the whole process – Consider: the quality and usability of your recordings; the effect of layering and juxtaposition of both the audio and the video and; the things you learnt from working with this kind of audio and video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF0KRKPVZvM&feature=em-upload_owner

i was not such a huge fan of this process. maybe it was just me but i did not know when we first went out to record the audio that it would then be used to create these abstracts so i may have recorded some things differently. on the other hand, however, i think it is a good thing that i did not know because it makes the footage have a more raw, real feel to them. i find abstract difficult, i like to have a neat plan and know before i set out where i am going and what i am making so jumping head first into the edit suites with no real vision was difficult for me. i do think though it was a really good excerise in combining the different elements to make a film from footage that wasn’t necessarily taken to go together. i tried to layer the sounds on top of another to create a more interesting soundscape rather than just one sound following another. however, the sounds were all very different and of varying qualities so i don’t think it had the best effect. similarly, wight he video, i was trying to make/form a pattern out of nothing so i think creatively it’s definitely not my best work, even if it was a great thing to do and learn from.

film/tv 2 analysis reflection 3, question 2

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

the reading i have chosen is the chapter “approach” from Bernard Curran’s “Documentary storytelling for film and video makers”.

the most interesting point i took from the reading was the overall contention of the chapter, that any approach to documentary is different to any other approach. Curran discusses how drastically approach can differ between filmmakers, even those who may potentially be working with the same concept, equipment or even footage. this is such an important notion because it makes you realise that it’s not as important what you film but how you film it and how you then put it together to create the film itself. this was evident with the first lenny excerise last semester where the entire course was given the same footage to cut. you can garuntee that no two lennys looked exactly the same. approach is the all important element to creating your film and getting across the meaning or story that you want to communicate to the audience.

the second point i liked was when he discussed the different methods of approach. Curran discussed all the little choices and decisions the filmmaker must make when constructing the film that will make the film unique to them. going into making films, i always kinda assumed that they just ‘happened’. reading this article has made me realise that ever step along the way has been a decision, a choice between two or more options with a specific intent in mind. whether to make the film observational or interview based. whether to have narration or not, whether or not the interviewer will be in frame or if their questions will be heard by the audience. all are conscious decisions to be made by the filmmaker which will influence the outcome of the film itself and are things we must consider in the preparation of making our film.

film/tv 2 analysis reflection 2, question 2

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

the reading i chose is “Imagining reality” by Pawel Pawlikowski.

my favourite point from this reading was the following quote: “for me the point of making films is not to convey objective information about the world, but to show it as i see it and to find a form that is relevant”. i think this is extremely important when considering making a documentary. the filmmaker is making their own film which is a representation of reality and so it must be relevant to the filmmaker themselves. the authro talks about his most meaningful films as being thsoe where the subjects strucka  chord with him, those which took time to make because his heart was invested in it. this is something i really hope to take into account when making our documentaries this semester, to make something which is important to us or means something to us, it will give it so muhc more heart and be more interesting and hopefully better quality than anything that we may make but are not fully invested in.

the second point i got was rather new to me where that author discusses the impact which television has had on documentaries. it was interesting to read how the commercialisation of tv, the need to just make money and sell merchandise has even bled into documentary making where filmmakers can no longer experiment or take risks with what they are making because the productions studios are breathing down their necks. he also discussed about the rise of voyeurism in tv docos where people are content to simply set up a camera in an intersting location and film the people there. but there is little thought or heart put into these and thus, while they may sell money immediatly, are worth nothing in the long run and are diminishing the overall standard and expecations aroudn documentaries.

film/tv 2 analysis reflection 2, question 1

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In the lecture we screened a short film called ‘End of the Line’ – the film shot in Broken Hill.

Please describe in 300 words or less if you think they achieved what they set out to do. You may not remember much detail, if so, it could be helpful to talk about your first impressions, after all this is what most of us are left with after one viewing. The treatment which we showed in the lecture is avalaible here. Feel free to write to any categories you wish. eg. story, choice of participants, sound, camera, editing etc.

although i don’t remember all too much from the first viewing of “end of the line”, i remember enjoying it, even though i was a bit disturbed/surprised by it. the main visual concepts adn stimuli that i took away from the film was the incredible landscape shots and i think these worked really well in serving the group’s treatment of demonstrating the emptiness and vastness of towns like this in the outback. contrasting these shots with the lives of Kevin and Beth told throughout the film does really make the audience wonder how people can live out in places like that. again i feel like the treatment worked because the audience is left wondering whether or not they could actually live out there in such seclusion. the visuals of the vast land gives a disturbing feeling of being all alone in the empty outback of Australia, almost like being stuck in a horror film, yet can also present the idea of serenity and peace in living so far away frmo the bustle of the inner cities.

film tv 2 analysis reflection 1, question 5

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Listen to the audio you recorded in Tute #1.  Here. Write a paragraph or two about your recording from a technical and/or “poetic” perspective.

Consider:

What these sounds evoke for you.  What associations they have.

Do any of your recordings suggest images?  What might they be?

Do any of your recordings suggest the possibility of other recordings?

it’s difficult for me to judge these sounds on an emotional/associational level because i know what each of them are and where their sound originates. technically of course there could be better recordings. we were just experimenting not just with using the device itself but with gain, volume, movement and the location of the microphone compare to the origin of the sound which we were trying to record.

some of our sounds are a lot more obvious than others, for example, the opening of the microwave, beeping while the buttons are pressed and finished and the sound as it cooks. another obvious sound was the tram going past, although with this one we tried to experiment as well with other vehicles on the street and to see what types of sounds we could generate by either keeping the mic static or moving it to follow the source of the sound to produce different ideas and noises.

from a more poetic perspective, two of my favourites are the waterfall and the treadmill. the waterfall was a steady stream of unchanging noise yet because it was a waterfall it was also constantly changing. it is not immediately obvious to the listener what it was but is also somewhat soothing, as running water generally is. the one i really like is the treadmill. it is not obvious at all what it is and the sound is consistently changing throughout as the treadmill sped up then slowed down and this makes the track interesting because it doesn’t feel static. but what makes it even more complete is the faint beat of a music track you can in the background because the sound was recorded in a gym. not really sure why but i really do enjoy listening to this track and i feel like it has the potential to become part of a series involving the sounds of other equipment in the gym.

film tv 2 analysis reflection 1, question 4

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Listen to the first 10 minutes of Glenn Gould’s radio documentary, “The Idea of North”. Record your impressions in a paragraph or two.

i found this doco very difficult to listen to. for one, it kept crashing so i got it in a very disjointed manner. however, i felt as the the program itself was rather disjointed. the beginning made me almost entirely lose interest as all the voices began speaking over one another. it was impossible to listen to one over another so in the end it just became an indistinguishable babble.

the program became easier to listen to once a definitive narrator took over and some actual ideas were discussed whereas originally i had no idea what was going on. there was the introduction of some background noises to accompany the dialogue which made it seem more natural even if the noises could be a bit loud at points.

unfortunately, the whole thing dropped out completely at the 7 minute mark and nothing i could do would fix it, it just kept crashing, so thats all i could get out of this.

 

 

film tv 2 analysis reflection 1, question 3

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In this week’s lecture, scenes from Scott Ruo’s ‘Four Images’, Brian Hill’s ‘Drinking for England’ and Chantal Akerman’s ‘D’Est’ were screened.  Choose one of these, and consider, in a single paragraph, what might have intrigued, interested, displeased or repelled you.

in the lecture we were shown scenes from Chantal Akerman’s ‘D’Est’. i can’t say i was a huge fan of it. although i guess it would be classified as a documentary, it just didn’t really feel like anything. it was a little unsettling to just watch those people sit with no dialogue or music or anything. what i did like was the first shot of the people walking around the camera. i thought that was interesting because you keep waiting for people to look at the camera or imagine yourself walking by the camera and trying to think of how you would act. this does bring up the question of how real are documentaries because people will always act differently in front of a camera than they would in real life.

Film tv 2 analysis 1, question 2

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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.

most importantly for me this semester i want to make a film i am proud of, something i will want to show people. i want to learn a lot more about documentaries and the different forms. it’s never particularly been something that has interested me at all so i think this will give me an opportunity to make something i normally wouldn’t and it will be a really good experience.

i also think making a dock is an excellent opportunity to learn and discover a different way of filming. not everything can be planned, not everything can be perfect and often the idea can evolve and change along the way which i think is really important and something i’m looking forward to this semester.

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.