The scene in cinema 2021:  

 Due to being a late comer to the studio I had to catch up to speed through a meeting I had with Robin, we spoke about the studio prompt and what sort of content the studio would consist of being titled ‘The scene in cinema 2021’. It was good to gain insight on the sorts of things I’ll discover from being a member of this studio, how things like coverage, decoupage and scene construction can be analysed and critiqued through watching film. I was very happy to know we’d be delving into the specifics of how a point of action in a scene can be fragmented in relation the choice of how the camera is positioned, how it moves, what size the image etc… which are elements of the filming process that must be thought through. It was also good to learn about how crucial it is for directors and films makers to use accurate descriptions and floor plans or areal perspectives to do a sketch of the frames they may have in mind, for it makes the process of capturing the scene effortless and smooth- and then appear that way too. 

In the second week it was helpful to gather an understanding on the foundations of the studio, how it will focus on the way scenes are constructed, particularly that of pre-meditated drama films. Initially we were asked what we thought a director does, this allowed us to think about the true roles and responsibilities of the person who makes most of the decisions when it comes to the production of a film- it was helpful to gather a clear understanding of a director’s purpose before analysing what we see within a scene. Initially I was unable to gather the correct words to describe what I was seeing in a scene with relation to how the camera was moving and what the shot type was, it was What I found most interesting about the reading by Tom Reilly was how it spoke on the difference between scenes that are cut in the editing room and scenes that are developed and executed so that all is covered and ‘photographed’ within the shot and how those sorts of shots are constructed by good camera moves and exciting acting as opposed to relying on the post production process to deliver something great, it’s good to know that it can be done on set through focused decoupage and planning.  

 Another useful exercise we tried involved watching a scene from a film and then trying to figure out where we thought the camera man and camera would be positioned. found myself trying to decipher scenes from films that either relied on the editor or on the live nature of camera positioning and I came to realise that a less edited scene within a shot seems more attractive cinematically, to me at least. It’s helpful to realise this as it gives me an idea of how I would prefer to direct a scene in a film, based on what can be covered most effortlessly and appealingly in a scene. We watched clips from a clockwork orange, most were single shots/wide shots where we had a wide fielded view from a short focal length lens which added a dream like quality to the film.  

 I really enjoyed watching the clip from Kenneth Lonergan’s “Margaret” (2011). We did an activity that required us to think about the coverage of quite a complex scene with various fragments, a fragment of the scene which caught my attention the most displayed the use of varying focal lengths within the scene. Particularly when we had a close up shot of the bus drivers’ profile, yet in the foreground could see Margaret looking into the shop window as other passengers boarded the bus- it gave depth to the shot.  

 It was quite difficult to describe the coverage of the scene as a lot happened within in, however the specific fragment I found the most enticing was the fragment where the camera was fixed on the bus drivers’ profile, people entering the bus and paying – his cowboy hat being the focal point of the shot, must use a short focal lens which gives depth to the shot as we have a close up of the driver while being able to see Margaret in the distance looking into the shop window, as well as people entering the bus.