Here’s the gist of the presentation I put together for today’s class.

PRESENTATION

Musing on Tarkovsky’s wisdom and thinking about my ambition to grow as a director, or ‘artistic director’ as I suggested in my last post, I have developed more thoroughly a plan for my research in the coming weeks. I intend to produce and examine a collection of long takes, treating them as their own entities removed from their usual position within a film.

In order for my experiment to progress my research I will need to establish consistency, which will prompt me to write a number of scenes or sequences to film, each with a different degree of choreography. That is, some scenes will demand strict movement and participation of the actors, whereas others will be quite loose in their activity. I will then shoot these sequences multiple times and treat each take as a different incarnation of the concept. Comparing the takes, I will note the nuances and the unintended elements they introduce to these takes. In this sense, I shall invite any unintended activity and possibly even follow its lead should it arise and tempt me accordingly.

As a result of conducting this experiment, I hope to increase my ability to notice the elusiveness of the world and, as I mentioned earlier, my proficiency as an artist within the cinematic world.

Finally, I would like to draw attention to another piece that inspired me and prodded me in this direction. The film is Michael Snow’s Wavelength (1967), which if anything is an experimentation and investigation of long takes as an aspect of cinema. The film is simultaneously a realistic and absurd piece; it merges space, time, sound and reality in such a way that not many films are capable of. The title of the film proposes a central concept to its being as a ‘structural film’ (concerned with form), as the sound and image interplay to extend and somewhat reimagine the notion of a wavelength.

To elaborate, the film’s soundtrack primarily consists of a pitch that gradually inclines as the film goes on – in other words, the wavelength is extended. At the same time, the zoom, angle and focus constantly change, interpreting the static space we are exposed to in different ways. It could be said that the changing frequency is an auditory representation of these fluctuating readings of the space.

I feel that this piece relates to my own research as it treats the long take as something removed from the traditional structure of film. It is, in this instance, a fragment of existence, a thought, a concept, a question, among many other things. Perhaps above all, it celebrates the oneness of everything. At least to me anyway.

See below a link to the entire film.

Just extending on from my last post, I thought I’d share this great long take from the likes of Tarkovsky. It is quite existential and elusive, a shot that inherently opposes the formula of the montage. It echoes the perspective of a dream in its surreal sequence of images and sound design. I am also amazed by the multiple brilliantly composed frames within this long take (in particular the final frame, which is essentially a moving painting).

So without further ado, here it is:

http://www.ce-review.org/00/39/kinoeye39_halligan.html

• “Eisenstein makes thought into a despot: it leaves no “air,” nothing of that unspoken elusiveness which is perhaps the most captivating quality of all art…”
  – Tarkovsky on Sergei Eisenstein’s pioneering theory and practise of montage editing
• “Art can never have the interplay of concepts as its ultimate goal. The image is tied to the concrete and the material, yet reaches out along mysterious paths to regions beyond the spirit…”
  – Tarkovsky regarding the notion of the ‘third image’ that one conceptualises when consuming a sequence of shots and ordering them to conceive meaning
• “The speed of the tracking is of the utmost importance here; its slowness strips the camera movement of a narrative function, since the camera movement does not advance the narrative progression of the film in this long take … Having removed it from the context of the film’s narrative, it reworks it as a meditative, perhaps hallucinatory, swell of mobile imagery … It is an existential moment in the film and an equivalent existential gesture on Tarkovsky’s part, the speed of this tracking shot.”
  – Benjamin Halligan, the author of the article, analysing Tarkovsky’s use of slow camera movement as ‘existential’ rather than a device to construct meaning
• “Bazin compared [the long take] to a suspect under police interrogation: eventually the suspect will crack and reveal the truth if questioned long enough. Likewise, if the camera is left running long enough, eventually reality will crack and surrender itself to the camera, and the camera can capture this reality accordingly.”
  – Halligan on André Bazin, a French film theorist who considered long takes to be “segment[s] of life”

I find Tarkovsky’s rejection of Eisenstein’s methods and his insight into the potential of cinema as an art from truly exciting. While I understand the power of the edit and the unique attribute of cinema in being able to convey meaning through a succession of shots and cuts, I also believe that cinema is unique as a medium of movement. I feel as though this is fundamentally what makes it so interesting, and what gives it most of its potential.

With this in mind, I agree with Tarkovsky’s statements. Particularly I am drawn to the ‘unspoken elusiveness’ that he speaks of, which I feel is the key commonality that surges through all art. This, and the ‘air’ that he feels that Eisenstein lacks in his methods, I think directly relates to the capturing of unanticipated occurrences during a long take. A long take inflates itself with this air over time, until eventually it pushes through the screen and the barrier between the viewer and the substance of the image is greatly diminished.

It is this nature of the long take that I am most deeply intrigued by. It has helped me realise that my clearest objective this semester in Ways of Making is to improve my capability as an artistic director. I feel that a productive way to practise this and bring myself closer to it is to coordinate a series of long takes, often repeating the same sequence, noting particularly the idiosyncratic separation that is inherent in these repeated sequences.

I shall leave you with the piece of wisdom that drew me to Tarkovsky’s visions and film philosophy in the first place:

http://io9.gizmodo.com/this-iconic-scene-from-children-of-men-was-actually-an-840211730

• A long take “heightens the tension for the viewer”
• “the blood splash was the miracle [in that scene]” – Cuaron discussing an accidental moment during a long take where fake blood splashed against the lens, which subsequently became a defining feature of the shot
• “The whole film was a mistake” – Cuaron regarding Gravity, a film recognised for its hugely ambitious long takes and spectacular shots

‘Mistakes’, or unanticipated occurrences during long takes, could be considered side-effects of the ambition it takes to pursue a long take. The coordination traditionally required to execute a successful long take is intricate, creating significant opportunity for error. This is one factor that distinguishes the long take from other shot types: it is often praised for the sense of virtuosity associated with its making and unfolding, in similar fashion to how one might appreciate a deeply choreographed dance routine or stage show successfully performed before their eyes.

A different angle might be that these ‘mistakes’ are another distinguishing factor of long takes. They are partly what draw us, as humans riddled with error, to long takes. In this way, a long take is a glimpse into a different perspective – a certain way of viewing the world that may not occur to us otherwise. The longer the take, the more opportunity there is for unpredictable activity, which may be as significant as blood spattering upon the lens à la Children of Men, or as insignificant as an actor’s misplaced step. The captured moments that we don’t anticipate when shooting a long take could be considered the moments that we share with our audience for the first time. These are thus moments of nature, of life as it occurs around and before us. In this sense, cinema has a very unique role as an artistic medium with the potential to offer alternative shoes of perspective for the viewer to step into.

When the blood hit the lens in Children of Men, Cuaron called for the shot to be cut. He was not heard, so the shot carried on to its completion, ultimately becoming one of the most awe-inspiring and loaded long takes in history. Cuaron could have been heard, however, and this is where my interest lies.

Below I have included an excerpt of this famous long take – note the effect of the blood against the lens and the impact it has on the scene’s intensity.

In the Chinatown example that Paul presented to the class, I became more aware of the importance of lighting and how to direct actors for best usage of space. The way that Jack Nicholson stood at the bottom of the hill to momentarily stand where shafts of light were coming through the bridge was a good example of taking advantage of the time of day to achieve particular effect with the scenery. The importance of casting and costuming was also emphasised, proving that meaning could be established by matching the environment with the look of the actors and their costumes, which by extension enhances the space itself.

Paul also gave us some preliminary tips on colour correction. The crux of which was to do your colour correcting or at least the necessary experimentation in a separate sequence entitled “Colour” so you’re not afraid to try what you wouldn’t otherwise in your main edit. This is a tip that I will definitely apply to my use of Premiere perhaps beyond specifically colour correction.

After this we jumped straight into a multi-camera shoot, using three cameras in attempt to emulate a scene from Mad Men. We had on-set monitors that could be used to emulate as accurately as possible. This was probably the best explanation I’ve had of how to avoid crossing the line and why it is generally important to do so, as it was clear with the monitors how strange it looks if you actually do cross the line.

With a clear idea of how better to approach Premiere project organisation, I’m feeling more confident about my future edits and the overall presentation of them. I feel that I will be able to amend any production errors that I may have made in post and more appropriately “shoot to edit” from here on out.

Watch footage here >> Angles, Lines, Shadows and Rice Bran Oil

A compilation of most of my footage so far. While all rough, some of my ideas are present in this footage. Especially in the first thirty seconds or so – note the way I’ve framed the wall that Gabe walks along, this is the sort of application of the environment I intend to pursue.

I recently watched Alfonso Cuaron’s film Children of Men after having not watched it for a number of years. I found it to be very moving and outstanding in its execution. After thinking about it for a few days, I realised that it has a lot of relevance to this course so naturally I thought I’d have a good ol yarn about it.

What stands out above all in Children of Men is its unique take on the future (or at least when compared to other dystopian sci-fis) and the way in which this is presented. The desolate, bleak representation of a world brought undone by a global infertility crisis is created with a very dull palette and lighting scheme (the film is conveniently set and shot primarily in London) and a horrifying realism in the production design.

What most strikingly communicates this crisis, however, is the cinematography. This is where I find that the connection to Ways of Making is made clearest, as the camera work in this film beautifully bridges the codes and aesthetics of drama and documentary filmmaking in order to most effectively deliver the content. The camera is generally handheld, and most of the film is delivered in deeply choreographed yet simultaneously raw long takes, the longest of which sits around the 13 minute mark. As with a film of the cinema vérité movement, the camerawork gives an almost amateur, intimate insight to the activity being captured. The camera could even be considered a character of its own: a conduit through which we can experience the events ourselves.

While this film is at heart a dramatic film, this documentary-style execution gives extra weight to the subject matter at hand. It’s as if Cuaron is giving us a documentary from a potential future, a dark insight into what lies ahead. The presentation of the film and use of the camera sheds light on serious current political, racial and environmental issues and prompts us to think.

The music in the film also plays a big role and often works with the aforementioned elements to direct attention and provide emotional impact. The sweeping strings often make us empathetic of Theo, and feature songs such as ‘In The Court of the Crimson King’ indicate brief moments of grandeur in a world which is otherwise entirely hopeless.

These are all elements I hope to take into my further footage and experimentation. I hope to use the camera in such a way that even the use of it has meaning. I intend to execute long takes that could replicate the perspective of a person and to focus on the patterns, angle and intricacies of parts of the world that our own perspectives may skim over. I will use different elements of construction to draw attention to these things, such as the music and lighting. In this sense I hope to make a series of video essays rather than a narrative based film, which will be drawn together by a common objective to elicit an awareness and noticing in the viewer.

ACTIONS

• Flight of birds (or bird movement in general)
• Drumming, grace and elegance of jazz drummers
• Ferryman + movement of oars
• Cleaning
• Different directions of motion (eg: circular window cleaning, zig-zag sweeping)
• Mechanical movements of mundane things (curtains, pool cleaners, etc)

PLACES

• Rooftops (Out of bounds areas)
• Rivers, lakes (Tranquil, often an inherently quiet place)
• Staircases (Covering multiple levels, creating interesting angles)
• Supermarkets (Aisles, meaning attached to different products, colours of aisles)
• Train stations
• Alleyways
• Fountains in public areas
• Library
• Studios (music, art, editing suites) / Workspaces
• Tennis Court

PEOPLE

• Nick
  – His stubbornness / gaze that implies he’s waiting for his turn to speak
• Max
  – His walk / wander
• Lara
  – Her singing stare

I definitely want to work with locations and the meanings we attach to them / angles and movements they inherently create.

With a focus on lighting and camera movement, we set out to capture some footage. For a start, we set up a dolly rig, which I’d never actually worked with before. We focused on using movement within the shot and how this can be used to effect. We practised having the camera and movement of the subject align as if they were mirroring each other’s movement, having the camera lead and having the camera follow. Each produces a different effect, and we discovered which is most appropriate based on the actions captured in the shot.

The first shot we produced followed the movement of the subject (Gabe) almost precisely as he moved. As he was centred in the frame, we found that the most appropriate movement would involve keeping him in the middle of the frame to continue the aesthetic. I found that this shot, even though it was a continuous single shot with similar framing throughout, gave three very distinct frames which could have existed as separate shots but were made more comedic and effective by remaining in a single shot. We later tried the same sequence of shots to test whether having Gabe follow the movement of the camera would be as effective but it didn’t communicate the framing as well.

After this we tested more elaborate movements with the camera, combining pans, tracks and tilts to shift focus from different subjects within the shot. We found that these sorts of movements need to be thoroughly calculated, and that you need to mark essentially every point at which the camera needs to end up. This resulted in 3 or so people being behind the camera – one to primarily drive it, one to ensure that the focus was pulled to the right setting and one to check that the camera was stopping at the right points.

I enjoyed using the dolly rig and now realise the creative potential you have with really fluid movement. I’m not sure whether I’ll make use of this with what I choose to produce further down the track as I feel that a handheld feel might compliment the style of footage a little better.