WEEK 11 – Shooting Take 2 and editing

5-10-2023

This was our second time shooting and this time it was only us with our main actor Jamie. I have never felt so at ease when shooting in my life. Because we got the big stressful chunk of filming out of the way we were able to just get the introductory scenes of the film shot with ease. I feel like I learned so much from the previous shoot, same with Joey and Phoebe. This has made me feel that if ever possible to do logistically, it might be good when shooting something more difficult to have like a day of practice shoots before hand so that on the actual day things go more smoothly. I feel like this would be specifically useful when shooting at locations with time restrictions so that there isn’t a lot of time that will be wasted. 

On this day we also filmed at multiple locations meaning that we were constantly on the move. It wasn’t that thorough (nor did it need to be) but we formulated a little plan, that mapped out our route of travel and filming. I usually film things in the order that they will be in the final cut because that’s how my brain works but also because I have never had to work with time-restricted weather and locations before. It sounds silly but I never realised how useful it is. Surprisingly working with film in unconventional ways has taught me lots of conventional film practices that make filming and directing so much easier.

12-10-2023

On every film I have ever worked on, I have been a main editor on and have seen every cut that has been made. However, this was the first film where that wasn’t the case. That was something that was very uncomfortable for me (not because of other people but rather my own need to control everything). Phoebe was the group member who edited the film and a very large portion of it was her creative decisions. Phoebe completely proved my worries wrong. I know that working like this in the future I will not always be as lucky so moving forward I would like to still be present but I was very happy with how it came out. The editing process went very smoothly because of this. Phoebe showed Joey and I a rough cut and we gave some notes of what we think worked and what we thought should have been done differently.

https://yamdu.com/en/blog/10-insider-tips-for-the-perfect-shooting-schedule/

WEEK 10 – Shooting
2-10-2023
Shooting this film almost caught me off guard as it felt like such a quick turnaround from when we pitched. I have always felt unprepared when going into a shoot but this time it was even worse due to the lack of space between our production and pre-production days. I have never directed something with more than two other people so working with a crew even though it is only a small size which was something that was new and a little daunting to me. I found myself constantly worried about whether or not everything was going smoothly, with both the filming and the crew in general. As someone who usually struggles to divide workloads and ends up as a bit of a control freak, I found it somewhat relieving as everything was going smoothly. Taking turns behind the camera to do different shots and setting up the lights differently was definitely the way to go. Although I personally still found it stressful it was nice that I was able to rely on both Joey and Phoebe who had a good understanding and knew exactly what had to be done for the filming process to be successful.

It felt like a lot of new experiences; using a camera I had never ever heard of before, using a lighting set-up, and working with a crew and a cast. It all felt like the deep end but at the same time gave what we were making a feeling of legitimacy.

I think that the fact that we were shooting a party made it a little easier, as I didn’t necessarily have to worry about whether the extras had anything to do and if they were bored or not. This was obviously because they were able to just enjoy the party. I also like the authentic feel this gave to our party by actually hosting a party scene, rather than just framing it as one and bringing props and set pieces that make it feel more like a shoot to the people on camera. We kept tripod shots to a minimum and in hindsight, I feel like it is because of this. When you think of a house party your mind doesn’t exactly sprint to the thought of intricate locked-off shots.

With this being said I did still have a fairly clear understanding of what I wanted to shoot…

WEEK 9 – Pitching

27-10-2023

Preparing a pitch for a short film is something that I have never done before. I have watched/helped friends pitch for TV shows but I never knew exactly how it worked. I didn’t realise that there is a pretty solid structure that can be followed if you are completely lost as well as certain things that should be in every pitch. I think that moving forward even when working on projects that don’t require funding, I will continue to create a pitch for whatever I am working on. Solely because I think that it is a good way to make sure that your idea actually makes sense to other people. Not that I think the pitch has to be shown to someone else but it forces you to rationalise your mind and put it in writing. As well as this I think that the whole process forces you to complete necessary preproduction steps. In the past, my preproduction process was generally lacklustre and I needed to have a rough outline and somewhat make-up as I went. However, through preparing for a pitch you are forced to have a more thorough guideline of what you want to do and where you want to go with your pitch. I also think that proof of concepts specifically can help you find the scope of your project as well as look at the practicality of making it, depending on whatever amount of time and money you have.

https://filmlifestyle.com/what-is-a-proof-of-concept-film/

Monty Python and the Holy Grail plays on tropes and conventions that audiences are already familiar with but then scraps them. This is seen in the narrative itself; like when instead of having an ending with a resolution, the main character gets arrested and the film cuts quite literally with a ‘cop-out ending’, or the fact that there are no end credits. This narrative subversion keeps the film fresh for audiences regardless of it being made in the 70s. What makes it fresh exactly? Other films just don’t take these narrative risks, because it is mainly considered to be lazy/bad filmmaking. Regardless of the reasoning behind the ‘cop-out ending’, it works for serves the purpose of making audiences laugh at things that they don’t expect because even when people are aware of the satirised aspects of the film, not having a proper ending is not something that you expect any successful film to be guilty of. There are also fourth wall breaks that occur throughout the film in various ways but they all refer to the fact that it is a low-budget film. Working with the source material that the film is based on (the Arthurian story) the postmodern metacommentary downplays the usually over-the-top characters within these stories, Loescher (2020), and creates a story that almost feels wrong to watch, due to the dissimilarity between the two.

WEEK TWO

Week two began exploring some of the ideas that I wanted to in the previous week which I enjoyed. Looking at both Unedited Footage of a Bear and Monty Python and the Holy Grail, we got to see two very strong examples of how films can make people uncomfortable. I really enjoyed the two different choices of film because I think that they explore these ideas in different ways genre-wise. Footage of a Bear focuses on horror and cinematic elements and techniques while Monty Python is more focused on how narrative and writing can subvert a common story and make a successful comedy. I would like to know if the metacommentary used in Monty Python would still work today or if it is something that has been overused and does not have the same uncomfortable effect that it originally had. Overall I was very interested in how Unedited Footage of a Bear used different film techniques in; sound, camera, lighting, etc and added new meaning by not using them conventionally.

WEEK ONE

I thought that week 1 of Uncomfortable Filmmaking was a good introduction to what makes film uncomfortable. We looked at some basic codes and conventions of filmmaking and what they tell the audience. This was obviously important because it’s hard to break the rules if you don’t even know them. Something that I am hoping to explore is the different ways that these rules can be broken, and what exactly happens when we do break them. I think that following rules and making a basic film through them is the easy part, but it can be hard to think up creative ways that they can be broken and will successfully convey the message or feeling you want.

People + Places  

Going into the People + Places studio I knew that I would be learning about documentary as a film style. However, looking back at it I don’t think I knew exactly what that entailed and what exactly documentary consisted of. People + Places taught me that there are many different modes of documentary and that the only real rule is that it tells a true story. How you tell that story is up to you.

A documentary that really caught my eye was How to Dress Like Me. The beautiful cinematography combined with a compelling storyline kept me engaged throughout the whole film. The b-roll that the film included does a great job of progressing the story. It also shows the place and explains it to people who – like myself have never been. Something taught in class that I think Juanita and Aaron did really well was, making their interviewee feel comfortable. The trans experience can be a sensitive topic to discuss so I believe that they did an excellent job at making Dan feel comfortable giving tips and explaining what worked for them. Technically everything comes together very well. The soundscape was very carefully picked out/designed, with each use of music feeling intentional and necessary. They managed to find a balance so that there the soundscape wasn’t bare but it also wasn’t repetitive and watered down. The documentary flows from act to act seamlessly, without overwhelming the viewer and not giving any breathing room. The pacing is done well enough to still tell a captivating, multiple-act story in only five minutes. After seeing the film at multiple stages in its production, I think Juanita and Aaron worked really hard to tell the story of Rose Chong as a place as well as the stories of the people who move within and through it. I believe if I ever go to Rose Chong it will feel exactly like How to Dress Like Me, depicted it.

Another documentary that was interesting to me was My Local by Angus. This film was different from all the others in the People + Places studio since it was an observational documentary. The idea of going to different bars all at different times in the day – all under the collective title of My Local – gives a raw representation of the areas of Melbourne they’re in, as well as a better understanding of Angus who says that they’re local venues. I don’t think that this observational approach would have worked as well if it were done with any other film. This is due to other films focusing more on specific people and specific circumstances, while My Local has a broader approach. I think that Angus made the right decision in choosing to do an observational piece, since if their piece was only looking at one person they would not accurately capture the essence of these pubs. Overall I think that it did a good job at showing rather than telling, what these specific places are like.

While the genre of documentary is not exactly as simple as I thought it was, it is still a medium that I am familiar with. I decided that when I was picking which other studio to see I would pick something as different to People + Places as possible. The studio I picked was Entangled Media, which depicted works of information and showcases of stories that I never really thought were suitable. 

A specific work that I enjoyed a lot was The Many Lives of The Capitol Theatre. It incorporated both physical and digital media to tell the story of one of Melbourne’s most iconic buildings. Being centred around a website, the project was accompanied by detailed and relevant tickets for viewers to take and interact with, as well as a large TV displaying immersive ambient footage of the building. The website itself was designed with the whole building in mind, mimicking its architecture as well as other common tropes of the time period it was built in. It felt both authentic and imaginative at the same time, while also containing interviews with people of significant relation to the building. Ultimately opening my eyes to how different forms of media can engage people in different ways.

Another work in the Entangled Media studio that I saw was called Confessions. I thought that this piece was especially interactive and that while it may not have taught me new information, it was an interesting way to interact with other people anonymously. It worked by being a website divided into three categories of confessions and prompting people viewing the website to submit their own confessions. Rather than just collecting the submissions and then displaying them as text on their website, they are all read out by anonymous and hidden people. I think that this is an engaging and thematic way to learn more about other people your age.

ETHICS REFLECTION

COLLABORATION REFLECTION

NON-FICTION REPRESENTATION REFLECTION

FINAL ARTEFACT REFLECTION

FILM

Intoxicated

Synopsis
Sylvie’s days playing bass in dingy venues may have been short-lived, but her feminist
legacy lives on. The only remnants of all-female punk band ‘Toxic Shock’ are their 1981
single ‘Intoxicated’, and the contents of Sylvie’s own archives. But what remains of their
impact is one of Australia’s first sexual assault support centres. Intoxicated is a 5-minute
documentary that shines a light on a microcosm of Melbourne’s iconic 80s sound and the
women who played it.

Credits

A film by Charlie Stamatogiannis and Jaden Arendtsz

Featuring Sylvie Leber

Archive Photos

Sylvie Leber’s personal collection

Other Materials

‘CWA group meeting in Emerald, 1939’ 

State Library of Queensland, Public Domain

‘COUNTRY WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION, FIRST COMMITTEE’ 

Gawler History on Flickr, (CC BY-SA 2.0)

‘Brunswick Street, from Gertrude Street’ 

State Library of Victoria, Public Domain

‘1962 – Even For Single Girls!’

clotho98 on Flickr, (CC BY-NC 2.0), changes made

‘Vintage Ad #1,477: An Ad I Never Expected to See in a Comic Book…’

jbcurio on Flickr, (CC BY 2.0), changes made

‘”Trust yourself” Tampax 1976’

 Nesster on Flickr, (CC BY 2.0), changes made

‘The Advertiser – November 1985’

 ryanthescooterguy on Flickr, (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0), changes made

‘Pilule contraceptive’

 Ceridwen~commonswiki, (CC BY-SA 2.0 FR)

‘The 1930s-1939 Marie-Claire’

april-mo on Flickr, (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0), changes made

‘Melbourne Tram 1979’

 nicksarebi on Flickr, (CC BY 2.0), changes made

‘Bishop-priest-acolytes-vimpas’

 Timothy Titus, (CC BY-SA 3.0), changes made

‘Luna park melbourne’

Adam.J.W.C., (CC BY-SA 2.5), changes made

‘Veiled female prisoner at the Surrey House of Correction John Johnson’

 Henry Mayhew, (CC BY 4.0), changes made

‘Dental Nurse fashion, 1940s’

Archives New Zealand on Flickr, (CC BY 2.0), changes made

‘… hazmat mold!’

 James Vaughan on Flickr, (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0), changes made

Music

‘Intoxicated’

Performed by Toxic Shock

Courtesy of Sylvie Leber

‘Housewives’

Performed by Toxic Shock

Courtesy of Sylvie Leber

‘Prisoner’

Performed by Toxic Shock

Courtesy of Sylvie Leber

‘Punk Drum Track’ 

Performed by John Page Contraband

Via Youtube.com

With thanks to

Josh Nelson

Technical Officers, RMIT Media and Communication

Studio Instructor

Rohan Spong

Created as part of 

PEOPLE + PLACES

School of Media and Communication

RMIT University

2023