Reflective Post 1

Reflective Post 2

Reflective Post 3

As discussed in my previous post, I worked with a fellow studio member to create our interpretation on the Barney and Rachel script. Having produced many performative variations of this text and having played the role of both Barney and Rachel, I felt confident to recreate this scene once more, but now on my own. Though having the option to produce work from a script designed for a solo production, I was far more interested in seeing how well I could produce work intended for two performers by myself. Coming into this exercise I knew what It would require to make a solo interpretation of this text visually believable. The things I needed to consider were, the 180 degree rule, costume, distinguishable performances for both characters and eye-line. I took on this exercise to challenge myself and see how well I could exhibit this piece. 

Having planned out my shots, set-ups and coverage, bringing my footage into the editing suite and producing a solid and precise cut wasn’t too difficult. Watching back, my initial thoughts saw a well crafted film that made sense. However, after watching the finished product more times, I found that the finished product lacked in it’s framing. This was detrimental to the believability of the two characters being in the same space. Inconsistency in framing saw Barney’s character have a much tighter frame and Rachel having a much looser one. This made both characters look different in size. Being done solo I wasn’t able to see framing as action played out, so this mistake was likely to happen. As this was something I didn’t consider beforehand, It was a mistake that I will use as a lesson for further development in this craft. 

As a further critique of my work, next time I would have more shot diversity by having closer shots opposed to having the scene shot entirely in mid-shots. I feel by having closer shots on particular sections, it would assist in highlighting tension on some of Barney’s lines. This critique comes after looking back at some of the other students and examples shown by Robin.

As a conclusive opinion of my work and this exercise, I realise that being behind the camera while a scene is being played out, I’d be able to have far more control and framing mistakes would be far less apparent. This exercise allowed me to think more critically about the way I construct shots and inspired me to think more creatively about my own shot selection.

In our initial attempts of exercise 1, myself and Callum put a heavy focus on script interpretation and performance. Though a very short bit of text, we decided to record many different variations and interpretations of the Barney and Rachel scene. The different versions of this piece consisted of Callum and I taking turns performing both the roles of Barney and Rachel and changing the meaning of the text through different styles of character performance. An example of the variation we produced saw us perform the script as it was intended with Rachel seemingly happy and excited, with Barney appearing mellow and disappointed, and then in an attempt to change the meaning of the script through performance, we had Rachel appear apprehensive has she spoke her line of going to South America. We hoped this alternate version gave the impression that Rachel was worried about leaving or maybe going against their will. 

It was fun being able to experiment with this text and see how many variations we could produce without changing the script. After completing this we decided to stick with the original performance intended for the script, with myself playing Barney and Callum performing the role of Rachel. We came to this decision because our performance was much better in this version. After class we sat down and looked at how we could improve on the work. As we were largely happy with the performance, we decided change needed to be seen in the aesthetic component of the recording. Noticing that we both had heavy back light, causing the picture to be very washed out, we decided to reshoot with a much more suitable lighting set up. In our reshoot we made sure that more light was coming from the front, adding more light to our faces opposed to coming from behind.

As a technical and artistic analysis of some other student’s work, I was particularly impressed with the work of Charlotte and Irene’s pieces and how the addition of props and more movement in their second version made for an even more interesting display. Though both versions were great, I can see more thought was put into the execution of their second take. With the addition of props and movement, the performance appeared to be much more natural. As a critique of this piece from a directorial stand point, I would have focussed on the believability of the piece. As this script was set on a zoom call, I would have focussed on how particular elements would add to the credibility of the work. For example, not have Rachel coming in to the call as if she was already logged on.

Though this exercise was done under many constraints, it was still good to see how far we could push the piece under the limitations. Having such a simple body of text, it allowed us to play around with other elements such as performance. Due to the nature of the medium we used to capture the scene, we didn’t have the luxury of multiple camera setups and shots, which meant we only had one static shot at our disposal. This meant that casting and performance were very much the focal point. I feel this highlighted performative imperfections, as they were much more pronounced under the circumstances.

Based on my own perspective gathered over three weeks of participation in this studio, I am able to have a better understanding of what Designing Drama is about. I have really enjoyed the key components explored in this studio so far. The dissection of narrative and performative texts have me further inspect the many variables when it comes to the display and performance of particular texts. Not only have we focussed on performative aspects of on screen drama, we have also been immersed in the ideas of camera coverage and how coverage can aid in the conveyance of story. Being able to view and discuss the way other work has been shot and how camera coverage plays a role in showing on screen drama, I’m always left inspired to try new things when it comes to the production of my own work. In the second class of week 2, I was very intrigued by the way the bar scene in ‘The Fire Within’ was filmed. Though not following conventional 180 degree rules, I still found it a brilliant display of film. I particularly enjoyed seeing how Robin broke the scene down into a set up and shot list with a birds-eye-view of the scene.

Further understanding of camera coverage and all the technical components required for capturing theatrical pieces is something that I really desire to acquire. Already having more experience in the performative and editing side of narrative film production, I’d now like to further develop in other areas, such as camera work. Due to an absence from campus for my entire uni tenure, I have been stuck within the constraints of what technical equipment and personnel was available to me. Hoping we will be able to step foot on campus this semester, I really look forward to being able to have access to equipment and other personnel. This will allow me to really focus on specific technical aspects of capturing moving images. I especially look forward to being present behind the camera, while action is in play and have the freedom of seeing a scene play out in real time.

I have really enjoyed viewing the work of other students and the discussion around our findings. This is something I find rather engaging. Often after viewing the work of other people, I am inspired to try things that I didn’t do in my work. Having conversations around each individual’s perspective is something I really value.