The past two weeks have been difficult to keep myself focused and constantly revisiting research, ideas and investigation. In our first class for the week we reviewed our group exercises from week 4. The harsh reality was revealed – we weren’t doing enough for this class. I was the Director for one scene and an Actor for the other. So far it has been difficult trusting one another’s working ability. Everyone is at different stages and has varied knowledge with how to use equipment, most importantly, the camera. As the Director you can’t be loitering over the DOP’s shoulder making sure everything’s in focus. Your priority is the performance of the actors and in this scenario, how it was going to cut together.

Over the past two weeks I have been glued to my camera (Canon 5D Mark III). I have been using it in my Internship, taking photos of flat displays and products for marketing. I have also used it to photograph a wedding on the weekend. Although, this is photography and not video, I feel as though it is helping to improve my ‘eye’ with framing, composition, colour and depth-of-field variances. I have also been studying scenes whilst watching movies. Editing is every important to your preparation of a scene. Coverage and Editing go hand-in-hand to ensure that you ‘cover’ the scene entirely. My external experience and investigation will be implemented into my class exercises this week and throughout the rest of the semester.

I was unavailable to attend class on Friday, therefore I can not comment on the class exercise. I will catch up this week and next weeks blog will be an extensive reflection on class exercises, as well as my ongoing investigation. This week I am going to research Mise-en-scene, Montage and Decoupage. I am also going to investigate a filmmaker who inspires me and study their writing and theories in terms of their interpretation of their craft. I will consider the relationship between their writing and their filmmaking and reflect on my own interpretation of this relationship.

April 8th

Over the last week I have focused on ‘how’ I am going to test these productions and ‘what’ I am hoping to gain from completing this task. I am beginning to format the documents that I will need to investigate the two productions. One document will focus on the details of the shoot. For example, the f-stop,  focal length, shot description, white balance and notes. I will complete test shoots, perhaps even taking photos in the location, to roughly pre plan these detailed settings. I will fill out these documents on set of both shoots. I will use both of these documents as a guide to compare the construction of the two scenes.

Other documents I will complete prior to production will be floor plans and shot lists. These will become a visual reference to how I will shoot both of the productions. They will help cue my memory when it comes to analysing, comparing and contrasting the final products. I want to shoot both productions completely different. The shot list and floor plans will reflect this. They will also be a visual cue for whoever comes to help me out on the day.

I will write two reports to summarise this task. One report will be written before I begin production, after I have prepared all of the documentation. The second report will be written after the final edits have been produced. The second report will reflect on the first report by comparing my anticipation of the results. I will discuss my expectations and intentions. I will compare the final edits in terms of the overall reception, focusing on pace, composition and style.

1st April, 2015

Approaching this task has caused me to think deeper into what I want to achieve by the end of this semester and how it will shape me as a filmmaker. I have brainstormed various concepts and ideas that are of interest to me. I have been posing questions as I watch films that I love; how could they have done this differently and to what effect would this have on the story and the reception of the overall film? I wanted to investigate this further.

My first initial idea is to produce a script and shoot it in two different ways, at two different times. One way will be covering the scene using static shots on a tripod, the other way will be using multiple tracking shots to reveal the drama. Each time I shoot the scene I will record the colour balance and depth-of-field. I will change these elements when I shoot the scene for the second time. The purpose of doing this, is to form new perspectives and ways of thinking. I will compare each scene in terms of colour, coverage, depth-of-field and over all professionalism.

Another idea I have had is to shoot them in two different locations. These ideas will evolve over time as I produce the script and begin to investigate location possibilities that are both aesthetically pleasing and provide breadth that will allow for a very organic approach to camera coverage.

I intend on producing two very different, yet professional scenes that evoke mystery and allude the audience to the bigger picture. I want the audience to be asking questions and wanting to see more. It will be interesting to determine which scene achieves this overall goal.

My next move is to brainstorm script ideas that will aid in this process. I want the script to be action based, not dialogue driven. Once the script has been polished I will move on to potential locations. This will take bit of time. I believe that this idea will evolve and shape over time. I am looking forward to working with it.