amateur directors, directing amateur actors

As it gets closer to the day of our film shoot, I realized myself and my group members  face a huge challenge getting our recreated footage to meet the original. A major factor in the success of this project is being able to tell our actors their exact physical and emotional actions.

Since my last blog post was such a hit, I decided I would do another informational post. I found a really great article on helium.com, written by David Shakespeare, that provides tips and advice to directors when working with amateur actors. I recommend that you check out the article, but here is an overview of Shakespeare's tips. Check out the article http://www.helium.com/items/1783328-filmmaking-how-to-direct-amateur-actors.

1. Rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal- It is important that your actor is familiar with the film environment and the backstory of their character. Backstories allow actors to become apart of their character and will allow the director to capture characters that feel natural and easy for the actors to portray.

2. Know the script- Make sure that the actors know the script before you begin filming and allow some leeway in the character development to allow actors to customize the characters. Also, listen to how your actors believe a character should be portrayed, sometimes they may read the character differently. It is important to listen to how your actors read the script and don't be afraid to tell them how you want the character or story to be portrayed.

3. More takes, the better- Make sure your actors know that it is okay to make mistakes. When mistakes occur, encourage the actor to stay in character and continue with shooting. It is important that the actor responds to the error, as if they were the character and not just an actor. Do not stress over the mistakes that happen because sometimes they can make the acting seem more natural and may provide a new perspective of your script.

4.Show the performance- Show the actors the captured footage. This provides you the opportunity to comment on the actor's performance and make suggestions to enhance their performance. It is also very beneficial for the actors to seem themselves as the character so they can make appropriate changes. Constructive criticism is vital.

PRACTICE!!!!!!

This article provided me with some really great advice about communicating with amateur actors, so i encourage you all to check it out at the link listed above. Hope you learned something.

Peace,

Brie

30 Rock

A few years ago I started to watch the television show "30 Rock" and I didn't really like it that much so I gave up on it and went onto something new. During the summer someone I worked with suggested that i read Tina Fey's biography "Bossypants". Learning about her life experiences and how she got to be as successful as she is today was kind of inspirational.She worked her way all the way up the totem poll allowing her to one day produce her very own television show. Well after reading her book I decided i had to give "30 Rock" one more chance and I ended up loving it! I think that the show has just the right amount of sarcastic humor, which I love. The face that it is a 30 minute show as well makes is so much better because the show progress throughout the series but its not necessary to watch them in order. If you have not seen the show yet I would definitely suggest it as something to put on your list!

_Tori 

Everybody Loves Raymond

Everybody loves Raymond, including me. I started watching this show last month and I like it. I remember when I was growing up, this show was constantly on TV but I never watched it.  Now I watch it constantly. The thing I love about the show the most is the relationship between Marie, Raymonds mother, and Frank, Raymonds father. the constant insults between each other is one of the funniest parts of the show. Along with how weird and clueless Raymond can be. After awhile it gets annoying seeing how clueless Ray can be.


As some of you may know I am a stand-up comedian. My work takes me to places all around upstate New York and New York City. Last week I went to a conference called the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA), and at this conference I gave a presentation on ways to be successful and how APCA has helped me become a better student leader and help develop my career as a comedian. During the conference I met with many different talents and agents and made some good connections. I'm in talks at the moment with an agency called The Pearson Project who is looking to sign me and have me on board with their agency. I will keep you all updated on that.  While at the conference, I won an award for Student Programmer of the Year in the Northeast. This puts me in the running for the same award on a national level. I will be attending the APCA National conference in Atlanta, Ga in the spring. If all goes well, I will be showcasing my talents at this national conference and it can potentially lead to me performing at colleges and universities across the nation. I'm pretty excited.

Argo F***k Yourself

Argo is the first great film of the year. Yes The Dark Knight rises and the Master are close but none shined brighter than the latest from Director Ben Affleck. Who knew the man who was once Daredevil would become the best up and coming director of his day? With great films Gone Baby Gone and The Town under his belt Mr. Affleck is stacking up quiet a résumé; and he can ad his latest film to that list.

While Argo may not be perfect it comes as close as any movie this year. Affleck gets the tone of the 80’s without felling forced. What probably is his best strength in the movie Affleck gets all the humor from the Hollywood scenes and then pumps up the adrenaline for the last hour or so. While the action is not very fast paced you still get a sense of real urgency from these characters and that in the end what makes this film stand out compared to most. 

ADR? The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Recently I, for the first time, watched the classic Clint Eastwood western, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly". I thought it was a great a movie and I think Clint Eastwood is one of the best actors/directors of all time.

But something that really threw me off the entire movie was the audio. At first, I thought Netflix was giving me a problem...but then I realized this was in fact a flaw in the production. I had no idea why/how a movie could be so monumental with such horrible ADR? Then, upon further inspection, I realized that Clint Eastwood was the one character who did not have bad syncing on his audio.

I did some further research...it turns out that the film was in fact filmed in Italy, and quite a few of the actors are Italian. I also found out that the movie is, in comparison to many others, fairly low budget. But I wonder if maybe the bar for things like this was much lower back in the '60s? Anyway, this was something that really stuck out for me. Regardless, Clint delivers a great performance in this classic movie, and I thoroughly enjoyed it (despite the audio side of my brain screaming at me the whole time).

American Horror Story

The premiere of the new season of American Horror Story was on Wednesday. Basically what this series is doing is using SOME of the same actors, but mainly new ones, a new location, and a new story line. It is more or less a mini series. This new season is at an Asylum for the criminally insane. It is ran by nuns and I think 1 priest. It is creepy. I don't recommend anyone watch it alone if you get scared easily!

The lighting in this first episode really stood out to me as really unique. It does make it seem more creepy which tells the story better. The sound effects and music in this show definitely make the show more scary (just like any scary movie or show). The sound really tells the story. Sometimes the camera movements confuse me as to what is going on, but it also adds to the overall chaos of certain scenes.

"What is your name?"- The Master"

My very first blog post was about the trailer for P.T. Anderson's "The Master." The film is about Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a drifter after World War II, who falls  in with the Cause, led by Lancaster "The Master" Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman). The Cause is very similar to Scientology, references to trillion year old souls and vessels, not the mention other planets at one point. Still the Cause is rarely described in the film, although Dodd's writing is like that of L. Ron Hubbard, referenced as bad and contradictory by some. However, to understand the Cause has nothing to do with understanding the movie.

The movie starts of with Freddie at the end of his Pacific Tour with the Navy. The movie soon reveals he makes cocktails that include chemicals, mostly unknown, but among them are a liquid from a torpedo and paint thinner. After incidents involving his nervous condition and these cocktails, he finds himself running away from an accident, which leads him to the boat of Lancaster and Peggy  Dodd (Amy Adams), celebrating the marriage of his daughter with other members of the Cause. Lancaster does not find anything wrong with the obviously mentally unstable Quell, so Dodd invites him to join. In the processing scene (auditing for Scientologists), Dodd asks Quell many questions, such as "What is your name?" over and over and over. This was a very memorable, if not a fascinating and uncomfortable, scene. I know this post is very plot heavy, but that is all I am going to say on plot besides that the movie is about Quell wanting to fit in.

To expect this movie to say something about Scientology will leave you somewhat disappointed. Quell does get involved and become a devout follower of the only man who seems to like him, but the movie is really about Quell. I think that any cult, such as Jonestown or the Branch Davidians, could have been used in the movie, but the post-World War II period was an interesting time when many people were getting involved in group and I think that really helps the film's plot overall.

P.T. Anderson is a great director; so many scenes build tension and he knows how to keep you interested, although the long running time and some of the slower scenes fight against him. The shots were beautiful and the movie is wonderful to watch. The music by Johnny Greeenwood of Radiohead was phenomenal, which helped to build the tension that I previously mentioned. The three leads all gave top notch performances, but I only see Hoffman getting an Oscar nomination this January.

The story was a bit long and you might be asking your own questions, such as "what was the point?'" or "what did that mean?" I really enjoyed it, but I don't know if I would call it a must-see film. There have been many fascinating movies this year, but if any one kept me thinking about the subject matter so intently after I left the theater, it was this one.

I showed the trailer in my last blog post, so here is one of the best short previews I found.

Here is a bit of Greenwood's score.

Film Festivals

I'd like to take this post to promote some film festivals!

Here's one I've been looking in to! I'm not 100% sure on what I want to do just yet but I'll figure it out. If anyone would like to help me out on it let me know! I'd be happy to bring some other people in on this!

This is another interesting website I found over the summer when I was looking for more film festivals to submit White Lights to.

Withoutabox is cool in that it gives you all kinds of film festivals all over the world! I did try to submit my film to one festival but the process was a little confusing and I didn't get my film in on time. Anyway, if you can figure it out, it's worth a try!

It's good to go to film festivals whenever possible even if you're not entering a film. It's fun to not only watch the films and where they place, but also to try and compare them to films you have made and see if the film would belong there! You'd be surprised, some films that are entered aren't as advanced as one might think they would have to be. Your film could really fit in well!

Some people can't really handle film festivals in that they can't sit through so many movies at once. However, some people can handle it. I'm certainly someone who can handle it and I love going to them  just to see the films! I'd also recommend the Theodore Case Film Festival in Auburn NY if anyone happens to be a local or even remotely in the area. I live in Mexico, NY so it's a good hour and 15 min. drive for me to get to it's location at Auburn Public Theater! Which is one of my favorite places! However, unfortunately they didn't do the Ted Case Film Fest last year so there was no way of knowing if they will bring it back again this year or not. It was a great festival (non-competitive) to view the different films being made by various people in the NY area! I met some really great people there as well. Since it's non-competitive I can tell you I know a lot of people that work there as well as the owners! They're a great bunch of folks! So if you're ever in the Auburn area check it out they've got lots of artistic events not just in film but also in music, poetry, and other ars!

Here's  their website! Check it out!!

Speaking of timed film festivals:

This is one of the guys I met at Ted Case FF in Auburn. He actually comes from the same roots as I do in that he went to my old school (Cayuga Community College) and then came to Ithaca he then transfered to Oswego. I don't plan on doing that however! His name Is Jeffrey Newell and he's extremely talented. This was one film festival that he did for a 36 hour film festival. He said he'd never do it again, however I think he did do a 24 hour film festival just recently.

I love seeing ALL of the videos he does, he's truly an amazing person. I would love to work with him someday. I'm sure I will have the opportunity at some point in time.

I would like to try to make a 24 hour film someday just to see if I could and what would come from it.
It'd be good for my brain!
TaTa for now!

-Lucy Lynne' Hall

Persona

Last week I watched Ingmar Bergman's 1966 film Persona for the first time. Its one of those films I'd heard about over and over again, and seen lots of references to in other films, but never actually watched it myself. I didn't really have any idea about what the plot was before going in, but after watching it I was really pleased with it. I tend to enjoy twisted, strange films that provoke thought and the urge to watch it a couple more times.

Here's the premise: Well-known theatre actress Elizabeth Vogler is in the middle of performing a play and suddenly finds that she is unable to speak, crippled with what we gather is an overwhelming anxiety or depression. She is sent to a facility and is looked after by Sister Alma, a nurse. The doctor decides it would be beneficial for Elizabeth and Alma to retreat to her seaside home to help Elizabeth recuperate faster. The two bond though Elizabeth still will not speak, while Alma uses her as a confidant of sorts, constantly talking to her and eventually confessing her innermost secrets. Elizabeth is physically healthy and able to speak, but still refuses while she voyeuristically "studies" Alma's character. Alma, soon in a weakened mental state, begins to assume the identity Elizabeth has cultivated for herself over her years of rising to fame as an actress. Alma basically becomes Elizabeth, helping Elizabeth cope by separating herself from the inner turmoil caused by her own existence.

Persona is minimally shot with many close ups, allowing the viewer to "get into the minds" of the characters. Its very cerebral, and provokes a lot of thought in order to piece it together, while also being pretty creepy. After watching I was able to see the connection between this film and one of my all time favorites, David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, which is said to be heavily influenced by Persona. Both Persona and Mulholland Drive feature main characters that are actors who meld identities with other characters. The concept of fluid identities is really fascinating, and also prompted me to think about where a person's identity lies in the profession of acting. I think that it must be hard for an actor to separate himself from the identity of a character he is playing, or truly know who he is as a person.

I really enjoyed this film, though I'm not sure I've fully grasped Persona in one viewing. I'm eager to watch it a few more times as well as check out more of Bergman's work.

When Harry Met Sally

 I know this is an older film, but I really really love it. Last weekend I watched it again for the first time in over a year and thought I would blog about it. It is my favorite movie because of it's writing. If it hasn't become clear by now, I am highly interested in screenwriting. In my opinion, it is one of the most, if not the most important aspect of production. In order to have a good film, you must have a good script. Without that, you have nothing. I understand that delivery and interpretation of these scripts are just as important, but a script isn't something you can "fix in post". When Harry Met Sally was written by one of my favorite writers/screenwriters, Nora Ephron. Ephron writes with a charming wit, a style that I myself strive to incorporate into my writing. Her characters are very strong, each having a personality that is easy to identify with. I think I love this movie so much because it runs parallel to experiences I've had in my own life. This is where Ephron exceeds, she writes about things that identify with the masses. We've all had a friend who we've had feelings for, wondering if they've felt the same. I like that Ephron examines the dynamic between men and women and the unanswered question, can men and women really be just friends? I believe this is her best screenplay, although I really enjoyed You've Got Mail as well. I've recently started to read her short essays which are as comical and witty as her screenplays. If you haven't seen this film and consider yourself a lover of romantic comedies, watch it now. It is the ultimate romantic comedy that is realistic and relatable. Below is one of the most famous and hilarious scenes in the film. The last line, "I'll have what she's having" was thought up by the hilarious Billy Crystal and was performed by the director's mother. It is listed 33rd on AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movie Quotes.

Knock, knock. Who's there? Doctor.

Doctor who to be precise. Doctor Who has been a sci-fi phenomenon for over fifty years. The show originated in 1963 and run through 1989, totaling twenty six series (in the UK series = seasons). Then the show was revived in 2005 and is currently on its seventh series. In total there have been eleven doctors, the most current doctor is played by Matthew Smith.

The protagonist, the Doctor is the last of the Time Lords, an alien race, who travels through time and space in his TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space). Along his many journeys and adventures, the Doctor meets many companions that then travel along with him throughout the universe and time. Besides companions, the Doctor also aquires many enemies. Enemy number one are the Daleks, an genetically altered (can only feel hate) alien race that fought against the Time Lords in the Last Great Time War (in which both the Dalek and Time Lord races were wiped out). The Daleks were able to repopulate and still try purging the rest of the universe of a non-Dalek race. 

  Doctor Who will have you on the edge of your seat, laughing along with the characters, and routing for the Doctor.

Rango

This week I watched the film Rango. Rango stars a CG animal cast, lead by a chameleon that loves to act. After being let loose in the desert he finds himself in an old western town facing a drought that threatens their livelihoods. Through a series of events the newcomer that calls himself "Rango" is named sheriff and given the task of solving all of the town's problems. As far as the film goes, I enjoyed it's offbeat humor and numerous references to films of the past. It's animation, although highly detailed, still maintained a "cartoony" look and I felt that the use of CG brought life to the setting in a way that a 2D image can't. I recommend this film to anyone looking for an amusing suspenseful comedy or anyone who just wants to hear Johnny Depp give his best Kermit The Frog impression.

Arrested Development

When I find a television show that I like I become completely infatuated with it and can not stop watching it. Since my parents are so generous and frankly just don't know how to use their Netflix account I have been watching as many TV shows on it as possible. Recently I have found my self spending an excessive amount of time watching the 2003 television show "Arrested Development". I'm sure many of you have heard if not seen the show but if not its about Michael Bluth the level headed son in his family. When his father is imprisoned for shifty account practice of his company Michael takes over his family affairs while the rest of his spoiled dysfunctional family members are making his job unbearable. The show only lasted 3 season but Netfilx has recently announced that they will be airing 10 more episodes and there has been rumors of a movie in the making!

-Tori

Comic-Can't

               This week I am at the New York City comic-Con and there is one thing that seems to have changed over the years. When these types of events first started it was just a bunch of comic book nerds getting together to trade and buy comics. Oh boy how times have changed, it seems as if nerd is the new jock. Everywhere you turn you’ll see a booth about the new “hot” TV show or movie. The mainstream pop culture has absorbed into the nerd realm. Today you’ll see football stars standing next to writers for Marvel and DC and it looks a little weird.

            Call me old fashion but there seems to be something missing at comic cons now. Yes everywhere you turn there is someone cosplaying as Deadpool or Batman but it’s almost like we sold out. I use “we” here as in us nerds and geeks. Before Chris Nolan made Batman cool there was no pressure in being a nerd, now that everyone and there mother is one I feel a little slighted. 

PS: This is me interviewing the creators of the Venture Brothers, a greaaaaat cartoon show on Adult swim. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This afternoon I went to see The Perks of Being a Wallflower at Cinemopolis. This film was a lot better than I expected it to be. Honestly, I am not one for "indie flicks". I consider myself the opposite of a hipster and enjoy watching the mainstream movies that play in every mall in America. There. Feels good to say it out loud. Anyways, this film kept my attention with its coming-of-age story. The audience isn't privy to the main character's secret until the end when it is revealed in the heart-wrenching climax. The film was very good at keeping a melancholy mood without getting too depressing. There were clever jokes dispersed systematically throughout the film that gave the audience a little relief from the troubled characters. The characters were all very relatable and I was surprised to see so many familiar actors in the cast, some only speaking a handful of lines. I really liked the lighting of the film. There were many shots that were lit up by little bulbs of light. There were wintery holiday scenes lit by strings of white and multi-colored lights, Emma Watson's character has white lights lining the walls of her room, and there are a few scenes where the characters are driving and their faces are lit by lights along the highway. For some reason I really liked this stylistic choice. I found it visually pleasing and it gave me a sense of warmth that coincided with times the main character was feeling warmth in his life. I would recommend this film to everyone. It was my first time watching a movie at Cinemopolis (aside from the time my Fiction Field I film was screened there last Fall) and I had a very positive experience. I am looking forward to seeing more films there over the course of the semester!

Waking Life

Last night I decided to watch "Waking Life," a film by Richard Linklater ("Dazed and Confused," "School of Rock"). It's a sort of animated film using rotoscope, meaning that it was shot with actors and then animated over.

The film stars Wiley Wiggins (Mitch Kramer in "Dazed and Confused") as the Dreamer. The movie basically follows the Dreamer from one conversation to the next, making it comparable to Linklater's "Slacker" or even "Dazed and Confused." Wiggin's character is involved in some of the conversations, while the other he seems to be watching from afar, which is something common in dreams. The movie is a dream from beginning to end, featuring false awakenings and surrealistic moments. The Dreamer wants to wake up, but finds that he keeps going deeper into his lucid dream.

The overall reality is strange in this movie. For example, one character talks about the human body being mostly water while water starts to fill up his outline. Another character becomes redder and redder as he becomes angrier.

The conversations range in their topics, including lucid dreaming, existentialism, and even politics. Many of the conversations were interesting to listen to, but not all of them stick as Linklater throws each one at you, one after the other. The one that really stuck with me featured Julie Deply and Ethan Hawke playing their characters from "Before Sunrise." In this scene, they touch upon dreams and life after death, and the connection between the two topics.

 I think that the movie is well made and interesting and leaves us with some interesting concepts and ideas, which movies should do, but I feel that it goes on for too long and some scenes were boring enough that they could have been cut out entirely. "Waking Life" would have made been better as a series of shorts in my opinion.

Here's one scene that I really enjoyed (the man with the ukelele is the part I am talking about).

And here's the trailer.

Art Direction Tips

After directing my last film, I realized how important it is to focus on the art direction of a production. I never realized how important the art department is until I watched my film and realized my location lacked character presence. It is important to use art direction to increase the emotional level of your film and to emphasize the emotions, relationships, and actions of a film. The art department is responsible for visiting the location, learning to be creative with budgeting, and props. This week I decided to research some information about what art direction is exactly and I am going to share what I found with you guys. I found this really cool article, written by Shane Burley, on the website brighthub.com. The article provides beginners tips on how to improve your art direction skills. 

1. Why you need an art director:  It is a very standard position and is found on most film sets, big or small.  It is not always necessary to hire a specific crew member for art direction, it should be observed and maintained by all crew members.

2. What art directors do?: The art direction works under the production designer. The art director is responsible for designing and altering sets that meet the directors vision. They are required to attend production meetings in order to better understand what the director wants to portray in the piece.  Everything that is placed in a set is under  the supervision of the art director.

3. Visit Location: The first step to art direction is looking at the location and determining how the space can be altered to maintain the director's vision.  They also look at the available electricity in the space and the objects that are present and can not be moved.

4. Creative Money Management: Being creative will allow you to design sets without requiring lots of money and it is important to pay close attention to the location of items in a set because a little altering can completely change the look of the space. It is also important to know what objects are specifically needed to portray the director's image. 

5. Get dressings to locations: You are responsible for making sure that all props and set dressings get to the location on time. It is preferred that items arrive prefer production day to make appropriate alterations to the items. 

6. Production Stills: The art director should take still photographs throughout the production for company books and formal documents. These pictures can be used for internet marketing and future product fundings.  The photos can also be used to maintain continuity and promotions.

7. Don't Over Burden:  You must assign someone who is very creative and has a strong concept of the directorial image. Don't rely on the director for the art direction, it creates too much stress.

Well guys,  I hope you learned some stuff and this article provided a great deal of beneficial information. Check it out at http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/video/articles/62308.aspx. 

Peace, 

Brie

The Canyons

The first teaser trailer for Bret Easton Ellis and Paul Schrader’s low budget “contemporary L.A. noir” indie The Canyons was released this week.  The crowd-sourced film has an interesting cast in notoriously troubled star Lindsay Lohan, porn star James Deen, and director Gus Van Sant. Of course, the film is made up of the tried and true Ellis formula: disaffected, rich 20-somethings as they navigate their way through caustic relationships fueled by drugs and violence in the big city. In the press release, the film is described as exploring the “dangers of sexual obsession and ambition, both personally and professionally, among a group of young people in their 20s and how one chance meeting connected to the past unravels all of their lives, resulting in deceit, paranoia and ultimately violence.”  

The trailer (sans dialogue) gives off a campy '70s grindhouse vibe despite looking visually pleasing with some of the vast, paradisiacal shots reminiscent of Godard’s Contempt.

Personally, I’m intrigued by this project because I’m interested by the people involved.  You could say that Bret Easton Ellis’ schtick is a bit tired, but his writing is usually pretty thought-provoking and compelling. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go through a phase of reading a bunch of his novels a few years ago. I’m also really interested by Paul Schrader (who we discussed in class) and his involvement as a director, since he is considered one of the Hollywood greats. And who doesn’t want to watch anything Lindsay Lohan does whether it’s in hopes of a comeback or for pure schadenfreude? I’m not that impressed by the kitschy Tarantino-esque vibe of the trailer, but considering who’s involved it really has the potential to go either way in terms of quality. The Canyons: complete train wreck or sleeper hit? Either way, I’ll be watching.

Burn one bridge you burn them all

So I'm going to try and stay positive in this post since now we know, big brother is watching! By the way Hello, Big Brother! Weather's lovely here in Ithaca! Anyways, moving on.

I'd like to point out the qualities in people that I like to work with. Perhaps one day that can be useful to not only me, when it comes to hiring people but also in terms of who I am.

Adults: I love working with adults because they have things to do. They're always busy and hard to get as actors. They've always got something to do at 4pm and they can't do anything for you past then! I like this because it keeps me on track, I might have dedicated my whole week/weekend/day etc. to my shoot but they have lives too. This gets things done quickly for me and keeps me on track enough for me to also be an adult and get my own things done!

Good Friends: I love people who as soon as you call for help, they jump at the chance even if they live 2 hours away. I like working with friends as long as they're not distracting. I think it helps in their commitment if they know me more personally. I'm not just a director or a producer to them, I am Lucy, their friend.

Honest people: I like working with people who say they're going to show up at a certain time, and surprise! They do! They stay through the whole shoot, if they find themselves borred, they don't leave the shoot and go eat tocos with their friends they seek out someone on the shoot who looks like they're struggling and stressed and they ask them "Is there anything I can do."

Not emotionally attached: Never count on two people's relationship to last through your shoot. Even if they've been together for 12 years and your shoot is only three days out of their lives. I love the people who DONT bring in their emotional ties to the crew/set. When you can turn the sad face off and do what is asked of you, I'm in debt to you.

Talented people: This of course goes with out saying. I enjoy working with people who know what they're doing. However, it's not my first priority. I'm more intrigued by people who are honest and committed.

Reliable ones: I love the reliable ones. The one's who send you a Facebook message years after you worked with them saying, "Hey I found something you might be interested in doing, here's the information let me know if you need help with money!" and "Hey, I know you're cleaning houses on the side for money, someone came in to work the other day saying something about needing his rental home cleaned, I gave him your number, I hope that's ok!"

The brave ones: I like the people who show up to set to help and hang out with you after the shoot. You loose an actor last minute or you didn't have time to plan for back up, you ask your friend, "Would you be willing to step in as our bad guy?" and they say "Well, I'm not a very good actor but sure I'll try." It works especially well when they wind up being a genius bad guy!

Guerrilla filmmakers: I love guerrilla film makers in the sense that they're so eager to work! They love to just make films so instead of going through what we (really should) do, Pre-production, they just get up out of bed and they make a film! Even if it means they had to steal a few things from their job to make it.

Loyal people: I love the ones who drank all night long, got in a huge fight with their ex/boyfriend, got home at 4am, tried to sleep for a few hours, called you at 7am and asked you where the location is and an hour later they show up to the shoot dressed in their finest, not emotionally derailed, there on time and ready to work.

Non-credited, don't care: I try to make sure everyone that works with me is credited. However, I love the ones who you ask to be your DP and if we can use their brand new camera on set and even though they're the producer of another set that's shooting that day, they say "heck yes"! Sorry I couldn't give them class credit for the project, but they got money out of it for winning the film festival.

Cry on demand: I've worked with a couple of people who know how to cry on demand. It's truly incredible especially when everyone around them is laughing and goofing off like fools. As you're reading this tell me if you can cry on demand! It's hard right?! I give them props...sometimes literally! *Pun intended*

Make up!: I love make up artist. It may take a long time to get them to get things done but when you can give them the time, their work is phenomenal! The same can be said if they're a set decorator or many other film spots!

Sorry I can't be there: I like it when people I have assigned as extras actually call me in a timely mannor and tell me they can't be there instead of just not showing up. Then when I ask them again the next time if they would be available for another shoot, they say " I owe you one, I'll be there!"

Home owners: I love working with home owners who let you borrow their whole house, let you move all their stuff into one tiny room and sleep on the couch with their dog while you finish up production. In fact they help you move all their stuff into that tiny room. Then they go out side and smoke with your producer! People like that should win nobel prizes!


Got to work at 10 am, no problem: I like when a main actress/or finds out the shoot was not on the day they thought it was and even though they have to work 10 minutes after the shoot, they don't bail on you they get there on time and I wrap them early!

The ones who want to work with you!: I like the folks who will come up to you one day and say "Lets work together on the final project!" It may not be realistic but hey that's awesome they WANT to work with YOU! I'm flattered.

Sympathetic people: When you're a surprise stand in on set and you're going to be covered in fake puke, the make up artist makes sure you're comfortable and that your shirt doesn't get wet. It's always good to keep your people happy!

The Chillest: The assistant directors that you come up to the day before the shoot and say "Ok, so here's the news: Our set designer quit, our location house burnt down, our props master threw out all the props, we have no audio." and they say calmly "Alright! Cool! We'll figure it out. No worries, man!" Such a joy!

People with Kids: Oh boy so your writer changed his mind at the last minute, He wants the kid playing on the floor watching tv while his mom's cheating on her husband on the couch! Great where are we going to find a kid!!!!???? You're lighting intern says "I could bring my 2 year old daughter she'd love it, oh and I'll bring the toys too!"

Sound people: They're one of a kind. I can't hear what they hear and it was so hard to find a good one! Especially one who isn't taken already! Good sound is hard to find!

The rays of sunshine: So everyone's ticked cause it's 30 degrees and we ran out of hand warmers 3 hours ago. Your actress says, "Hey everyone, there's a bright side!" and all of us laugh! I'm glad those people exist.

Inventive: I love the people who can make things happen when there's no budget. The set decorator who figures out how to make police riot shields out of tote box tops, gaffers tape, mailbox letters, a saw, sand paper, and a door handle on the back!

The big ones: The producers with big intense scary looking faces with folded arms and a can-do atitude. Low and behold he's holding a rubber duckling!

The DP: Sure (s)he's always cranky and maybe his/her but crack hangs out but (s)he's the best one for the job, no one can beat him/her and (s)he's there!! Just don't stand in his light or way!

To be honest I could go on and on. I sometimes wonder what if I was in charge of hiring people? Would I be good enough? I probably wouldn't hire them based on their looks or any other physical boundary but by their experience and their personality. I'd probably hire my friends and people who I'm told by reasonable sources that they're the best! I'd give anyone a chance! But only if they know they're quite replaceable!

This is why we don't burn bridges, because when you burn one bridge you burn a lot of them. For every student, intern, kraft services person, lower ranked person on your set, that you don't keep happy, you're got an army of people behind them who wont come asking you for a job. On the oposite side of the spectrum, for every employer in the industry (even if they're just a friend or group member in film school) you've got a sea of people in front and behind them who will take their word for it, you are or you're not cut out for the job. I'll take a good lesson in the people I've worked with, and try to reflect those qualities in me as they were in them. The same can be said for the one's I fired or never worked with again. I can learn from their mistakes, not just my own.

I happen to know the consequences of my actions, and I hope that they will only make things better in my future! I'm thankful that no matter the circumstances,  I will always own up to my mistakes and never blame someone else for my problems or force people to help me. I am human and even if I lose my job because I've made a mistake, I will always find another one. This I've learned from working with so many people, especially my old school where we had a lot of people who had lost their jobs, they didn't just give up. Besides, who wants to work with a company that threatens your job for silly human errors that really wont effect the system that much. Always know your priorities. What's more important to you, your job or your career, your play time or your future, your family or your employer, your heart or your paycheck, your career or your life? Think about it!

Have a nice day, enjoy the weather while it lasts!


-Lucy Lynne' Hall

One-Shot Film Reflection

My one-shot film assignment can be watched here.

Whew, that turned out to be more difficult than expected; overall though, I'm pretty happy with the final outcome of my one-shot film. I wish I had taken more time in my pan though in order to extend the entire length of the piece. I feel that the extended time would have helped in building suspense, making the final outcome of the film that much more satisfying. Timing is definitely something I will now pay closer attention to while shooting, and something I tried to keep close attention to today while shooting for assignment #2.

As I acted as my own DP for the shoot I left feeling pretty great about how smooth I was able to keep the camera pan throughout the entire shot. Shooting out of a car was pretty difficult but with how secure we kept the tripod with the sandbags, any bumps on the road where almost entirely unnoticeable. It's the first time I've tried such a technique and I now feel confident using it on shoots in the future.

On another note, today my group shot for assignment #2. I must admit that I've never gotten used to filming strangers and filming them today felt way too uncomfortable. However, we were able to get a couple good shots that could be worth recreating. I look forward to trying to make our second version identical as I think such a shot when put side-to-side to the original could look very interesting.

-nickp

One Shot Reflection

Directing has always been something that I've been somewhat interested in, but not too sure of myself in. At least in production classes, I've been used to developing an idea in a group and being the DP-essentially being able to frame my own project as I see fitting. It was a challenge for me this time to step back from this role, and tell someone else how I wanted my vision to be seen. However, I found that (even though I was only able to do one take) when you have faith in your crew and their abilities, this can end up looking really great.

The pre-production process, however, proved to be much more stressful than I had initially anticipated. My idea sort of 'came to me' in a brainstorming process, somewhat out of nowhere. I knew it was a bit ambitious, but for once I wanted to go outside of my comfort zone in a production class and really try something I'd never done before. I went through about 3 trials of making the sugar glass that essentially failed. The first one didn't harden at all. The second ended up looking alright (but ended up failing...I'll get to that). Then, the night before shooting, my talent suggested I try doing it again just in case. So I did, and it again came out decent.

At the time of the shoot, I first decided to use the last piece of sugar glass because I thought it looked the worst. The shoot went great and the photography looked amazing. As I went to remove the first piece I made from the pan, it broke right in front of me. So I had to go with what I had. It ended up looking really great and I was able to do some cool stuff in post. I think I'm gonna try my hand at directing the next opportunity that arises.

The "Last Kiss" Photo

The other day I came across an interesting article involving spontaneous inspiration and the hassle of release forms and other annoying but necessary things to get done when trying to make a film. With the conclusion of our one shot projects, I thought this article was particularly interesting. The story involves a man named Mo Gelber, an audio engineer by day and occasional photographer who happened to follow a crowd of reporters outside a courthouse, not even knowing who they were following. Amongst the commotion, Gelber saw something he found more interesting: a young couple sharing a last kiss getting escorted by police officers on each side of them. He ended up snapping this shot.

Gelber was pleased and ended up entering it into a contest called "Project Imaginat10n," a collaboration between Canon and Ron Howard. The contest called for people to send in their photographs with the potential of one being turned into a film. Gelber's shot ended up winning. However, the judges gave Gelber only a few days to get all the release forms signed, leading Gelber on a wild goose hunt, since he had no idea who any of these people were or where to find them.

Gelber called the police station and tracked down the cops pretty easily, who had no problem signing the forms. The hard part came when trying to find the couple in the photo. Gelber ended up turning to his Facebook friends, who put him in contact with a popular photography blogger who ended up putting Gelber's photograph on his blog, asking if anyone knew where to find the couple. A few hours later (pretty much up until the last minute of the deadline) the woman in the photo contacted Gelber, telling him that she and her boyfriend (who were arrested for graffiti) would be happy to sign the release and help him win the contest.

Mo Gelber faced another problem when it came to working out the details of the contract with Canon with his photo subjects. The problem was that the release states that for the rest of their lives, only Canon or the contest representatives could photograph them. Long story short, Canon and the couple's lawyers tried to negotiate the terms of the release but were unable to reach an agreement and Gelber's shot was disqualified. However, a positive to come out of this story is that now Gelber's photography has gained much more media attention.

I think this story is quite interesting because it highlights all of the legal stuff involved in making films that we often forget about. Unfortunately, it is a necessary part of the filmmaking process and could potentially force the artist to compromise the project. Of course, Gelber's situation is a bit more difficult because everything was being done through the Canon company, but these kinds of issues are still things that filmmakers commonly face.

Read the full interview with Mo Gelber here: http://good.is/posts/how-this-last-kiss-photo-sparked-a-facebook-manhunt/

One Shot Reflection

I got to do a lot this project. I did like having the 4 mini projects because I got to have many different positions. I got to experience what it is like as an actor for Maddie's film. I am never actually in any of my projects or my friends projects, so this was new. I was also in my own film, but since you couldn't see my face, it doesn't count. I got to DP for Lindsey's film, which was cool. I think that I underestimate my ability to work a camera sometimes. Besides it being a little shaky, which I feel was out of my control, it is nice to have something that you did that doesn't look like shit. (Pardon my french).  Dave made it easy on us all and had the camera on the ground, so although I did "DP" for him, I didn't have much work besides framing it, then standing back.

Directing my project was awesome. I love being director. I really didn't have too much to do with directing my actors because of the way my project was. Only feet and no real sound. It made it feel a lot more relaxed and fun. It also made shooting it really quick and simple, so we were able to do multiple takes trying different things with the flower, the hula hoop, and camera movement. I am really proud of this project. I think it is different, I got to edit it completely by myself. In the past, I have had group members that are more experienced than I am in editing, so they take full control of that aspect. But I really like to edit and to see my ideas for my final piece really come together. So it was nice to actually have full creative control and have it come out nicely!

The only issue that I had with this project was exporting it wrong. I am about to leave my apartment to go to Park and re-export it with the correct settings.

One shot- director reflection

      

      Last Saturday, I shot my one shot film in my apartment and for the most part, the shoot went really well and I was pleased by the efforts of my group members and actors. Admittedly, I planned my first shoot at the last minute and my original location fell through. Because I was not able to shoot at Hammond Health Center, I was forced to find new actors, write a script, and find a new location within a few short hours. I was very disappointed that my first location fell through, but it was my fault on behalf of bad planning and last minute decision making. My new script was not a reflection of my best work. Fortunately, my actress was great and did an excellent job of bringing an emotional aspect to my seemingly cliche script and develop Liz's character. When it came down to the actual filming, my teammates worked really hard. I think that my lighting was very blown out and could have been more subtle. After color correcting in post, darker lighting worked much better with my story and the actions of the actors. 

        As i watched my film in class, I realized that I could have used more camera movement and that my shot was very static. I think that the strongest part of my piece was the acting. i was really pleased with Talia's delivery and think she did a great job of portraying Liz's character. The weakest part of my film was definitely the lighting. It was very weak and did a poor job of representing the high emotion involved in my production. I aslo think I could have chose a better location. My apartment is very bare and does not seem lived. I should have concentrated more on art direction to make a stronger character presence in the home. By using an off campus house, my location would have had more character and would have seemed more natural for the script. 

        As far as my role as a director, this is actually the first project I have worked on as a student that allowed me to fully direct my actors. I think that I did a really good job directing my actors. I realized it is extremely important to know your script and the types of emotions you would like your actors to portray. I also learned that blocking is important when directing. I found it difficult to make the actions of my actors appear natural and struggled to emphasize the importance of the actors physical interactions with the location and set. As a director, you need to know your script, how you would like your production to be portrayed, and the physical and emotional actions you want from your actors. I really enjoyed directing. 

    Overall, I am really pleased with how my production turned out and learned a great deal about production value, directing, and location scouting. I really enjoyed this project and look forward to using these skills for later projects. I learned that post production can greatly increase production value and that is extremely important to maintain the same settings you shot with while exporting. The production of Palmer, was the first time I have felt fully involved in each aspect of a production.

-Brie

Hammet in High School

When I was in high school I really loved mystery movies and noir films. Although it's been a while since I have watched any, I wanted to see if the genre had anything new to offer. I went on Netflix and saw that "Brick" was on, and although i had seen it before five years ago, I wanted to check it out again to see why it did not really stick with me the first time.

The movie was directed by Rian Johnson, who has recently received attention because of his sci-fi thriller "Looper." "Brick" stars Joseph Gordon Levitt, in one of his first break out indie roles, as Brendan Frye,  a high school outcast who discovers that his ex-girlfriend, Emily (Emile DeRavin), has gone missing. Although it is a high school movie, the characters talk as if they are in a 1940s detective movie. With the help of his friend Brain (Matt O'Leary), Brendan gets involved with the drug underworld of his high school, while also dealing with jocks, stoners, the Vice Principal who acts like the chief of police to Brendan's Philip Marlowe.

The movie has beautiful cinematography and the music helps create tension in the most pivotal, tense scenes. The script, although sometimes hard to follow, creates a great mystery thriller from beginning to end. Seeing it a second time, I think I understood the characters' motivations more and how everything fit together. I really think its one of the more underrated movies to come out in the last decade and should not be overlooked by film lovers just because of the high school setting.

 I highly recommend this movie if you like noir, off beat high school movies, or Joseph Gordon Levitt.

Product Placement

There's a lot to say about product placement. There are a lot of reasons to try and avoid it as much as possible, aside from the fact that that company can sue you for not asking for their permission to use their product name. One would think that they would consider the fact that it's free "advertising" for them. However, I think company's get paranoid about their product being associated with a bad persona or bad "representation".

Just that fact alone takes me out of a film when I watch it. Which is the oposite of what you want. A film is meant to capture it's audience and give them an escape of some sort and to evoke an emotion at the same time. Things like product placement interrupt that process. As soon as your viewer thinks "Oh, yeah I'm watching a film!" then your message has nearly failed. Often, when I see product placement in a film I automatically think "wow, I wonder if they got permission to use that, and if they did how much they had to pay those companies to use their product name in their film. Granted, it is VERY difficult to remove me from the "film" mentality in that I'm always analyzing the behind the scenes magic of the film it self. I'm always trying to de-code films. This makes it somewhat difficult to enjoy certain things in films. For instance, I watched the film "Ted" in theaters. I absolutely HATED it. I refuse to do a review of it in my vlog but since this blog is not as broad and more detailed I will do a mini-review of why I don't like it.

I know that probably most people don't agree with me in hating this film. However, this changes nothing for me. The reason I don't like this film is because, I'm more of a "Film" than a "TV" person. I literally can't remove myself far enough from this film to enjoy it at all. I was also never a fan of family guy. (Yes I have three heads, feel free to keep staring). Anyways, If you love family guy then you'd love this film. I've always found most of the humor of family guy to be rude, crude and similar to laughing at the handi-capped kid at school. It's usually a very "bully-infused" type of humor. The idea of a talking bear to me is a gimmick and I knew the idea of it would not work for as long as it was attempting to. There was also a story behind it which I feel was completely disconnected to the humor. The story of a man who can't seem to grow up and give up his teddy bear is realistically a sad story and pretty lame at that. Then to attempt to make that funny with a gimmick is to me a recipe for disaster. Granted there were some things in the film that were funny, and I laughed at some things. But over all I was not thrilled by it. It was like sitting and listening to someone spew jokes about things that aren't meant to be funny at all for more than an hour. It was like that one friend we all have that doesn't think there's a moral boundary to what's funny, the guy who starts telling Michael Jackson jokes at his funeral, makes jokes about the holocaust while in a synagogue, or jokes about the bat mat shooting while waiting in line to see it in theaters just days after it happened. These are the kind of people I don't like to encourage. Sure some of these types of jokes seem harmless and sometimes even I can't help but laugh at them. However, these types of joke in my eyes shouldn't be given my money. They shouldn't be something we encourage. That's just my opinion and I'm sure there are people out there who would riot against my argument, and if we were in the appropriate time and place I could be beheaded! Not really, but at least I'm sure that there are a lot of people who disagree with me and I respect them for it. In any case, I think it's a good idea to keep it in mind that there is a demographic out there that won't pay to see a film filled with that type of humor. I wouldn't have gone and seen it myself if my boyfriend hadn't dragged me there by saying "we always watch what you want to watch". I'm glad I gave it a chance just so I could prove how much I wouldn't and don't like it. However, if you love family guy and that kind of humor and talking gimmicks, then you'll probably like the film. It's certainly no the film for me however. If you find you like a lot of the same films I do and also don't have much of a taste for family guy humor, you'll probably agree with me. By the way they even had the audacity to mention "family guy" in the film's dialogue. Which also brings me out of the film and makes me think "oh, yeah I'm watching a film...and they just referenced their own material." I can only hope I would never do that to my audience. I felt violated almost. The other thing is that it was very much a kid-type gimmick in that it was a talking teddy bear. I would never take my kids (let alone anyone) to see that film.

So much for a mini-review. I actually could go through in much more detail of why I don't like it. In any case I am a very difficult person to please when it comes to certain things in film. Since I know the ins and outs I don't tend to like things that seem childish or cheap, at least not enough to give it a majority of my money or time. So perhaps I'm a pretty bias person to judge a film in that I am not the typical audience or demographic. However, I am a consumer in film and it's important to appeal to the widest demographic as you can. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. It's important to know that demographic if you want to make money. If you don't really care about making money in the media (anything that requires a demographic to make money) don't worry about your appeal. By all means don't be afraid to do something new and different, but if you are, don't be opposed to criticism. It can only make you better and more appealing.

Back to the subject, product placement is something that pulls me out of a film. It's ok if it's relevant to the story or the character (and as long as you have the money to support that product placement). But when it's a prop of your character's that has something on it that represents a product, it automatically represents a piece of the character. If your character wears a brand name sweater, then maybe that means they belong to a certain "type" or "group". Maybe they're preppy, maybe they're gothic, maybe they're something that represents that company. But when it's completely irrelevant to the story, it becomes distracting to your character establishment. It may even begin to create a future stigma of other characters that may not even be true. Maybe people who buy "said product" are more likely to "do what the character is doing". Honestly that's a stretch. However, you might want to try to keep products out of it. If your character is using a named product, they are automatically branded to that name. Also, some of my favorite films do use product placement. It sometimes doesn't seem to bother me, but when it's very prominent or clear in the film, it begins to bug me a little. It's one of the smallest things to think about on set but if it's the difference between being sued and possibly making your film demographic more narrow or even distracting your audience, it's important to remember it.

Also, these are fun. Beware of a gratuitous amount of swearing!!! This maybe contradicting what I said
earlier about bully humor, but If an insult is what your character needs to say or hear, these are very creative! I can appreciate them, especially when they're done tastefully, creatively, and given appropriately to characters who really deserve it.

Dorm Life

I came across this web series my freshman year when a friend sent me the link. This mocumentary web series was produced by former UCLA students and so I found it very interesting to watch, knowing it was made by communication students like myself. It is very well done and I was very impressed with the production value. Each episode is only about 5 minutes long. It is very well written and I found myself addicted, watching episode after episode, laughing at the quick, witty dialogue and the awkward yet interesting characters. This show is the most watched web series on Hulu and it is a 2008 Webby Honoree for Best Writing and Comedy: Individual Short or Episode.

After finishing both seasons, I decided to look up the students who worked on this film. I found several of them on Facebook, and ended up friend requesting Brian Singleton (pictured above) who plays Marshall Adams, one of the RA in the series. He accepted my request and it is so interesting to see the things he posts. For example, it says on his Facebook that he is currently employed as a writer on Arrested Development. Although I'm not sure he'd respond if I messaged him, I think that it is very cool that through the internet, I can connect with so many people already working in the business. (I once found and messaged Seth Meyers on Facebook... but that is another story). Check out the first episode of Dorm Life below!!

Score One For the Home Team

Go On is one of NBC's new shows for the current fall season. This is also Matthew Perry's opportunity to break back into the TV industry. His last stint in TV was the underrated Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I feel this time around, Perry has picked the right horse to back. According to the Hollywood Reporter, last week it had a steady rating of 3.3, better then The New Normal.

I'm not really into the whole sports scene, but this show has acquired a perfect balance between sports jargon and character development to have a wide audience. Besides following the life of sports radio personality Ryan King, the show follows his development and growth trying to recover from the loss of his wife. In order to cope with this, Ryan is sent to a loss support group, where he encounters and becomes a part of a misfit group of "losers". From what I've seen of the current season, Overall, I'd say that it might not be a home run, but it certainly scores one for the home team (see what I did there, sports).

One Shot Reflection

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After discussing with the class about my one shot film I realized that there were many things that I could have done differently. I will definitely take this assignment as a learning experience.

 In order to make my short film better I should have worked with the timing a little more. I had Four actions in the film, Harrison found a penny, received a high five, Lucy caught him when he tripped and then he saw an attractive girl sitting on the bench that he wanted to talk to. In class we discussed the idea that we all rush our film shoots to get the project done. I spent a decent amount of time talking with the attractive girl and Harrison to get their timing down for when he is talking to her on the bench but completely spaced on what Harrison should have done before he interacts with the girl. When it comes to editing it is easier to get better pace because you can cut between shots. In my one shot film it was important for to have all the actions happen at the correct time due to the fact that it had more of a music video feel to it. There was a lot going on and it was hard for me to keep my focus on everything that was occurring. In our group of five I was the first to go and I feel that every shoot after that we became a better team.

During class we were taught how to explain to our actors what we want them to do in each take. I learned the importance of mechanics when speaking to an actor as we went through each project. Having knowledge of this prior to the last four shoots I feel that it tremendously helped us when producing the projects. 

-Tori Sturniolo

Raising Some Questions

We have grown up in an era where the norm is “paying” for a campaign. This past summer the movie The Campaign was exactly about this topic. Yes this is a movie mainly allowing Will Ferrell and Zack Galfaasomethingorother to be funny, but at it’s core brings forth a great social problem this country has.

The plot summary is taken from IMDB.com; In order to gain influence over their North Carolina district, two CEOs seize an opportunity to oust long-term congressman Cam Brady by putting up a rival candidate. Their man: naive Marty Huggins, director of the local Tourism Center. Will Ferrell plays Cam Brady Zack Galifianakis plays Marty. In the movie the CEO’s want to get control of someone who will put forth a new bill for them so they can make a huge profit. Yes most of this movie is over dramatized, but at it’s core it tells the audience about a real life situation going on here. At it’s core it let’s the people wonder who does control our own government officials?

I know most people look at this movie and shrug it off as a raunchy Will Ferrell comedy. But I look at it in a good way; it at the very least gets the message out there. That’s a lot more than other media outlets out there.