Sound is something that I still haven’t quite worked out. I toyed with the idea of making it a silent film, though I’m not sure if it truly works and it feels a bit pretentious.
Paul suggested creating some kind of ‘soundscape’. I will use my library of samples (voice memos from my phone, mainly) and try and make something out of them on Logic. Here’s my thinking:
After reviewing my footage from the first shoot (what worked and what didn’t), I had a strong urge to return to the cemetery to refine my ideas.
The first shot was a mere experiment is zooms and close-ups. I’m not really sure about the angle, but to me, it was never about whether it was right or wrong. Only on reflection through editing did I realise that I could take some of the foundations of the shot and create something more evocative.
The second shot is something that I’ve been working on for a while. We did about 5 takes, all pretty unsuccessful because of the tripod I was using. For the last shoot this wasn’t a problem; I was using Kerry’s tripod and the pan was smooth. However, this tripod was borrowed from Uni, and I had some problems with the smoothness of the pan. I also wanted to end the shot with a slow zoom out as Kerry walks towards the camera, and though I tried it, it was hard to achieve to a satisfactory level.
The framing of the beginning of the third shot is probably my favourite. The shot works quite nicely though I didn’t have an ending that worked, so it is cut prematurely.
The final shot was me shooting Kerry walking back to his mark at the beginning of the second shot without his permission. It’s okay, probably not something I would do again.
After editing, I realised the main problems overall were the panning, and the headroom. Though I began to craft a narrative and the shots began to make sense. I will be going back to the cemetery to (hopefully) refine (again) these shots, to try something different, and to make something more cohesive.
After shooting over the weekend, and becoming increasingly concerned with my cinematography ability, I decided to return to familiar territory for some practice; Darebin Parklands.
I thought about panning and zooms, and thought that shooting ducks, with their unpredictable movement and nature on the water, was the best way to develop my skillset.
I don’t like shooting in front people who are not involved in whatever I’m producing, so I arrived at 5:45AM, just as the sun began to rise, to avoid the everyday human.
The footage is presented in chronological order, and from the beginning you may see one limitation that I had to endure; my tripod, specifically the plate, was broken. It was hell but each shot was easier than the last.
This was not only a huge help in developing my cinematography, it was also a very therapeutic experience. I will likely do this again, albeit at a different location.
Paul said “why can’t production be the pre-production”, or vice-versa, and that is the approach I am taking with my project.
Too much of my time is spent trying to figure out the film; each shot, what is involved, etc, when really, taking out your camera and just shooting is the best thing to do. That’s not to say don’t come prepared, but trusting and acting upon your first instincts allows you to learn more and more crucially, have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to do.
We went to the cemetery, and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. We found a spot under a tree, surrounded by narrow rows and columns of graves, and I asked Kerry to just walk. We did a few takes, none were outstanding, but I fell in love with its potential. It looked so nice on the camcorder; looking through the viewfinder (which is black and white) made me realise that this must be just that.
The main problems with the shot were that I didn’t really think about headroom (there is far too much), and my panning ability was pretty poor. Though to be fair, camcorders are especially shaky. I knew with a few more attempts, I could get the shot how I wanted it to be. We decided we would return to cemetery in a week or so.
Over the next few days I asked myself why I wanted Kerry to just walk. It made me think of Philippe Garrel’s films, in which nearly all of them involve shots of character’s walking. I came to the realisation that Garrel had as much as an impact on me as a filmmaker than pretty much anyone else.
I could analyse one particular shot on walking from his films, but to me, the above videos all demonstrate Garrel’s ability show walking as so much more than just a simple everyday act involving movement.
I think there is a level of self clarity and inner peace that is established from walking; it’s an opportunity for the mind to wander and/or to reflect. It’s therapeutic in nature; you are alone with your thoughts and sometimes the very act of walking can help maintain a level of focus.
To me, Garrel’s use of walking is an experiment in mood and atmosphere. First and foremost, it reveals the inner conflict of the subject in a subtle way. Much can be found and understood of the character by merely taking notice of their facial expression, or the manner and shape in which their body moves. It’s pure cinema. Secondly, the black and white photography (in his more recent films), and the often narrow space in which the character wanders through enhances feeling (often isolation), which establishes this mood and atmosphere.
Following my recent obsession with long takes, walking and zooms, I crafted this scene by giving little direction to the actors, letting them follow instinct, and allowing the camera to ‘follow’ and work spontaneously.
Let me preface this by talking about two of the elements; the lighting and the sound. Firstly, the lighting for both shots is pretty poor. I’m not great when it comes to shooting outside and finding the right balance. We shot on a balcony, and while the space on the left side (with the concrete and shadows) came out okay, the right side, with the backdrop of sky and distant buildings, was too overexposed. Secondly, the sound was a disaster. It was a windy day, and to be honest, the crew members were not fully focussed on their role. It was also difficult considering the distance between the mic and actors, but it still could have been a lot better.
To me, the first shot is okay. The first six seconds is fine, but there is probably a bit too much headroom. As the shot goes on I improvised with the zoom, and I probably went more ‘out’ than I should have. I really like the blocking (not my doing) when they first interact; I just wish there wasn’t so much space is the background.
The second shot is far worse. The exposure level is more distracting, the zoom is too long and ends too far away, and it overall, it doesn’t have the same sense of urgency as the first shot.
Overall, this was a pretty fun exercise. I like making these mistakes as I honestly believe they make me a better filmmaker. I wish we did it again, but it was ultimately a pretty fulfilling experience.
Yesterday Kate, Kerry and I went to Melbourne General Cemetery. It was our first meeting, and a very successful day.
I went into the day with no real idea of what I wanted to shoot, other than some shots of walking. Our approach to this project is really about getting a sense of location, and trying to work with the space.
I brought my Camcorder, and after 20 or so minutes of walking around, understanding the space, and keeping an eye out for any potential staff/mourners (this was guerrilla filmmaking after all), whipped it out and placed it on a tripod.
I instructed Kerry to walk along an aisle of graves; slowly, meticulously, and I (the camera) would follow him. We did about 2-3 shots and each one was better than the last. The footage looked fantastic on the camcorder. Kerry was wearing a white t-shirt and a hat, and it made the shot(s) so much more powerful by the sheer simplicity of it all. Unfortunately my camcorder died after this.
I shot another scene, this time directing Kate to pick up some flowers, walk and throw them one-by-one as she passed graves. I had to shoot on her DSLR and it didn’t work; the pan isn’t very nice, it’s not an interesting picture, and I had to use a manual zoom as opposed to an auto which was good for practice but not what I wanted.
Since leaving yesterday, all I can think about is the incredible nature of the space. I am desperate to go back there and re-shoot my shots.
Typically the way I approach filmmaking is that I have an idea, a piece of content, whether that be a scene, a piece of dialogue, an action, and with that content, I try and think of ways to present that content. This is something that recently I have found more frustrating as I’ve come to the realisation that it should be the other way around; the form, or my own formal ideas, should be the mechanism that informs the content.
Recently I have been thinking about the formal possibilities of cinema. In particular I am keen to experiment with split screen and slow zooms.
Split screen is something that has been on my mind since watching the films of Brian De Palma. It is a tool that if done correctly, can further explore space and its information. I am wrestling with the ‘right’ way to use split screen; I don’t want to use it for the sake of it, and I don’t want to do something boring like show a phone call in each screen. I have been thinking about the idea of cause and effect and think split screen is a way in which this idea can be explored.
Slow zooms have been on my mind since toying with a camcorder. I find the zoom in a camcorder to be particularly smooth; it’s almost like the frame itself breathes in and out. I have some ideas of using slow zooms, like filming walking or a simple action, but again, do not want to use it for the hell of it.
Our group has come up with the constraint of meeting and working in a designated location. I like the idea of having formal ideas and working with them around a location. I see this as a way that will inform my ideas for content.
I don’t know what my work will look like or end up being. At the moment, I am approaching this project as creating a series of experiments, though this could change as my work and ideas become more refined.
Recently, two things have been occupying my mind; slow zooms, whether that be in or out, and the act of walking.
Slow zooms have always been something I’ve enjoyed observing, though only recently have I realised how much I respond to them.
This is a shot from Blaise Pascal, a film by Roberto Rossellini, which is full of slow zooms. This shot in particular has been in my head for weeks, and I’m not totally sure why. I am leaning towards shooting a series of shots that involve slow zooms as a way of answering this question, but more broadly, figuring out what can slow zooms do to a shot, a character, a location, and so on, and what information it reveals. As for what the content of these shots are, I am still undecided.
This is another shot from Blaise Pascal, this time of two characters walking. It starts as a long shot of the two walking. The characters stop and continue to talk, meanwhile the camera shuffles towards them to become a mid shot before they resume their walking. I found this shot very intriguing, and couldn’t help but compare it to other ways of shooting walking in film.
These are shots of characters walking in films by Philippe Garrel. In all of Garrel’s films, there are shots of characters walking. I like how film can make an everyday action so much more, and would like to use this idea as the basis of an investigation. The question I’m trying to answer is, how do you shoot walking? There is obviously not one way, but some ways are better than others. Also, I don’t necessarily want to re-create the shots I’ve shown, but I am using them as a starting point to inform my process.
I’m not totally sure these two things are something I want to dedicate the rest of the semester towards, but it is certainly something that I want to investigate for now, and perhaps these experiments will lead me towards focussing on something else.
