And CUT! That's a wrap.

Today was it: the day we finished our first short film. This week we added in the opening title and end credits, as well as background music. The end credits are by far my favourite part. We mixed credits with bloopers of each member of our group. We also made sure to include a list (in order of appearance) of the songs from which we used lyrics.

Honestly, I'm not at all satisfied with our finished video. It doesn't look very professional, there are inconsistencies with the sound, and lighting, and a lot of the angles just aren't that great. I have to think positively though, and chalk it all up as a learning experience. This first film may be crap, but the next one will be better, and the one after that even better. I can definitely appreciate all the time and effort that goes into bringing a film to the screen, that's for sure. Plus, if our first try had been perfect, then how would we ever top it? This way we've left ourselves heaps of room for improvement. Positive attitude!

Colours? Corrected!

Last week we went through our film and colour corrected each of the clips. Some of them were a little bit tricky, but we got it all done and it looks better. Overall though, the more times I watch it, the less I like it. I just notice all the things I would've done differently, and it's starting to stand out to me more and more how amateur our shots look. Oh well, I guess I can't expect perfection from my first shot at film making.

On a different topic, we still seem to be short one member... Zehn. To be fair, his grandmother is sick and having surgery, but he was the weak link in the group way before this. I even gave him a warning, and he still didn't change his behaviour. I guess he figures that his other classes can take priority because this project has six other people to cover his ass. Frustrating.

Cutting like a Pro.

On the weekend, Julian, Mel, and I booked one of the computers in the Editing Suite and started editing our video together. We got all the shots for each scene put in order, and all the scenes from start to finish. It's rough so far, but at least now it looks like a movie. We even put in transitions between scenes to make it look smoother. There's still a long way to go, though. We have to figure out where to put the title, but we do have an idea for the credits. We've got blooper footage of each one of us, so we're going to use that to show each person along with their name and the roles they played in making the film.

For me, it's hard to loosen the reins of control, especially when there are group members who have yet to prove they can be trusted and relied upon, but I'm working on it. Julian was happy to let me do most of the editing because he already has experience with the program (plus I kept asking his opinions and he was very helpful in getting me comfortable with Final Cut Pro), and when Mel wanted to try her hand at editing, I let her have a go. She was a little rough with cutting the clips, but she won't get better if I don't let her practice, and I have to let other people have a chance to learn too.

Final Cut Pro

A little behind on my blogs, but here's what we did last week:

Since all of our filming is done, we had to get our files set up on Final Cut Pro. A group of us, including myself, Julian, Gemma, Bec, and Zehn, booked a computer in one of the editing suites. We went through our film clips and decided which ones we wanted to use, then transferred them into Final Cut Pro. We got a bit confused by the process because the only person who had used the program before had done it from tapes, not digitally. We got it figured out in the end though. Personally, I would've liked to have taken more time to go through the entire length of every each clip, but the rest of the group was set on just going through the last few takes of each scene because those were the best ones. I guess my way would've taken an unnecessary amount of time, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist and it bothers me that they were all willing to rush through it.

Lights, camera, action!

Ta-dah! Filming is done. It actually went more smoothly than I was expecting and I'm fairly confident that we got all the footage we need. We all got the hang of it pretty quickly; setting up the camera and lights and audio equipment, white balancing, framing, etc, etc. I don't mean to sound boastful, but I feel I did a really good job of keeping everyone on track and organized. I kind of took over the role of director for most of the filming. However, I made sure that everyone got to have their say, each person's input was taken into account, and if people wanted to try their hand at camera or audio work, they were free to do so. To be sure that everyone was comfortable, I even asked if I was being too pushy, and told them that if I was, they should just tell me. Everyone did a good job though, and everyone took part.

We did run into a few snags. The main one being Zehn. He missed our first day of shooting. Don't get me wrong; it wasn't completely his fault. His flight from Cairns was delayed, and when he arrived on the second day, he did work hard to help out and be involved. We've had issues with him besides that though. He's missed several classes, missed numerous group meetings, didn't help at all with planning or writing the script/production schedule/shot list, and is really bad at keeping up with group correspondence. I did talk to him about it briefly after we finished shooting (separate from the group, so he wouldn't feel like everyone was ganging up on him), and it seems like he's going to step up. I think he's more interested in the post-production work anyway.

Another issue we had was with the weather. It rained on and off for both of our shooting days, so we had to adapt several scenes that took place outdoors. One we managed to do under cover, and the other we finished our final shot just as the water came tumbling back down. Lucky timing. Overall though, it was a successful couple of days, and we didn't end up killing each other. For the most part it was actually a lot of fun.

Schedule this!

This past week we had to submit our first hardcopy assessment: the production schedule, script, and shot list. It was a little bit difficult because most of the group didn't show up when we tried to put together a meeting. Out of our seven members, three of us were present and put together the shot list and schedule. I had already gone through the scene breakdown pages before we met up. We got everything finished, and I'm even fairly certain that we did it properly. Yay!

We've had to rearrange our schedule however, because we didn't get the shooting days we wanted. Turns out that everyone wanted to shoot on Wednesday and Thursday. We've also run into the issue that one of our actors is going to be in Byron Bay for our filming days, so we're finding someone to fill the role.

The thing I find most frustrating at this point is that not all of our group members check the group email, so then when they come to class, they ask me all kinds of questions that have already been answered and figured out through email. I guess it's hard with group assignments to find a group in which everyone is dedicated to the project. You just have to manage with what you've got and hope that the number of dedicated students outweighs the slackers. Sadly, it seems like it doesn't in our group.

Here a camera. There a camera. Everywhere a camera!

This week we got to play with the video cameras. And of course, by "play with" I mean "learn about for our academic and professional benefit." They are really cool. Kind of complicated (there are a lot of little things to remember), but very very cool. I'm definitely excited to get to the filming stage over the break.

As for our group, this week we assigned the roles of Producer (that would be me), Director (Bec), and Production Designer (Mel). We also wrote the script. This we did as a whole group, which worked out really well. We already knew what our scenes were going to be, so it was fairly easy to go through them one-by-one and put them into script form. We've continued working on the script draft by sending it back and forth through the group gmail to add things in and make revisions. Bec, being the director, is in charge of putting together a first draft shot list and then sending it out for the rest of us to go over. We've discussed what we want the film to look like, so I think we're all on the same page for that and hopefully shouldn't have to revise it too much. I'm in charge of typing up the shot breakdown pages so that we can put together the actual production schedule. We're planning on filming on either the Tuesday-Wednesday or Wednesday-Thursday of the break. I think we're all really excited to actually shoot the video now that we're really seeing it come together in the script. The script, shot list, and production schedule are due on Wednesday, so our plan is to have everything done by Monday night, have Tuesday to double check and make final revisions, so that it's all ready to go first thing Wednesday morning.

So many shots and so little time.

Last week, something that was discussed in the lecture was the use of a shot list, as well as the value in reverse engineering a film based on the shots used. After giving this a try, I can honestly say that I probably won't look at films the same way from now on. I went through the opening scene of P.S. I Love You to break down the individual shots. Within the first two minutes of the movie, there were about 20 shots. A lot of them were only two or three seconds long, switching back and forth rapidly from one character to the other. You never really think about it when you're watching a movie, but the shots are constantly changing, often so fluidly that you don't notice. It's the same effect as looking back and forth between two people in a three-way conversation. For P.S. I Love You in particular, the first scene has the couple arguing in a stairwell, placing the angry woman in a dominant position above the apologetic man. He is shot from above to make him look smaller, while she is shot from below, giving her the position of power. It's definitely a technique that caught my attention.

As far as our group work goes, last week we acquired a new team member: Peter. We also had two members absent (Bec was in Sydney, and Zehn was sick), but we managed to power through the tutorial assignment (shooting footage for a possible opening sequence) and got a sense of how we all work together when it comes to actually coming up with ideas for shots, setting them up, and executing. The dynamic of the group is a little too passive, if you ask me. No one seems to want to stand up and take charge, which makes it difficult to get things done. There are a lot of good ideas and suggestions floating around, but I feel like they have to be pried out of some members, like they're too afraid to share what they're thinking. I don't usually tend toward leadership, but I've been trying to keep everything organized and get people on track with what should be getting done, such as defining the details of our idea and starting to come up with a basis for our script. In our group meeting, we came up with a basic outline, so I typed that up and shared it on the group gmail, to make sure that everyone's on the same page.

Insta-what?

In this week's tutorial, our assignment was to go out and take photos using an iPhone or iPod Touch and then upload them using an App called Instagram. Each photo had to contain a specific item from the list, and had to demonstrate a method of framing. For our basic story idea, we decided to go with a melancholy, though semi-comedic look at the life of a super-stressed uni student. Julian Lamprecht was our actor. This is what my group came up with:

This one was for the list item "people" and is shot as an extreme close up (ECU). This framing method captures the emotion or sadness or defeat, which is what we were going for. It's very intimate and personal.

The subject of this photo was the mobile phone. It's a close up (CU) because we wanted the phone to be the main focus, but still include a clear view of Julian's face. It's a little bit too centred though. Given another chance, I would probably frame it so that he's a little more to the left in the shot.

One of our items was a computer. We did this one as a big close up (BCU) so that we're looking at the screen from behind Julian's head. It turned out a bit darker than we would've liked, but the placement of the elements, I think, looks good.

It's hard to tell in this photo, but the item is actually headphones (they're wrapped around his neck in a mock hanging). Personally, I think we were a bit off with the framing on this one. He should've been a little more to the left again. I would say it's borderline CU or medium close up (MCU).

Coffee cups. I actually really like this photo. I like the plethora of cups already in the bin... it gives us an almost humorous impression of how much coffee students drink, even though the tone of the photo is darker and more serious. Again, I'd say either a CU or MCU.

For this photo, the subject was the door. It's a mid shot (MS) showing how trapped Julian feels in his university life. I like the way we framed this one because it shows both him through the door and the video surveillance sign.

This one's a medium long shot (MLS) showing a bin. The framing of this one could've been better balanced (again, with the subjects slightly shifted to the left), but I think the angle is good.

Sadly, the only animals we could find were insects, and the iPhone didn't seem to want to focus on them, so we had to make due with what we could find. It's another MS, and the blue and white thing is supposed to represent a bird. I'm not quite happy with the angle on this one, to be honest. I wish we (with the camera) would've taken a step or two to the left before taking it. I feel like it's too straight-on.

The subject was textbooks, and, being in a library chalk-full of books, we went a little crazy with it. I like this one though. It's as if the books are out to get him. We did it as a long shot (LS) to capture Julian's body language and also have a clear view of, not only the attacking books, but the vast shelves of books overwhelming him as well.

Our final photo was actually supposed to be of a skateboard, but we couldn't find anyone who had one since it was so rainy. We had to opt for bikes instead. I love this picture. The angle is great. The framing is great. Love it. It's a very long shot (VLS), also known as a wide shot (WS). It shows Julian from a distance, setting the tone for his feelings of isolation and sadness. You can also see what a depressing rainy day it is too because of how open the frame is.

That was in class. After class, our "how to" group got together to hash out what ideas we'd come up with and what we want to set as our topic for our video. We managed to get our idea picked and our goals for next week set within about 10 or 15 minutes. So far, we're all working really well together and are collaborating on ideas in a really constructive way.

BMW and some Puffy Mountain Sheep

In last week's class, we watched a series of BMW short films, all starring Clive Owen, and all written and directed by different people. As varied as they were, however, they all followed the same three act structure, with a clear set up, second act, and resolution. It was interesting to see how each director used the subject matter (being new model BMWs) in such different ways. Some were humorous, while others were serious, and they all used different camera angles and shooting techniques. Definitely a good way to study the short film.

It was also a week for finding and organizing our groups for our own short film project. Mine is a group of six, including myself, Zehn Laliwala, Gemma Franklin, Melanie Cartledge, Julian Lamprecht, and Bec Cornell. After an amusing stint of looking up names on a name generator, we landed on the group title "Puffy Mountain Sheep of the Lost Temple." A little wordy, you might say, but we were all in agreement, so it kind of stuck. We've taken the week to each come up with a few ideas for the subject of our "how to" video (which we decided should be a comedy), and we plan on regrouping tomorrow to narrow down the choices and hopefully land on a winning topic. Since we've all got a one hour break between the tutorial and lecture, that will be our weekly meeting time, at least to start. Once we get more into things, we'll decide on supplementary times as well. So far, I'm feeling good about the group. We've got a mix of guys and girls, and we've all got assorted interests, so we should be able to get some good ideas flowing.

Good as gold.

3 Kings. Written by John Ridley and David O. Russell, directed by David O. Russell, and starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube.

Now this one I liked. I found it believable (and rather eye-opening, at that), the characters were relatable, and the structure and story were easy to follow. As discussed in class, by 12 minutes in, we had learned who the characters were, where and when it was taking place, and what the story was going to be about. The first plot point then came when the woman, the mother, was shot in the head, changing the direction of the story.

Through the middle of the film, we see the characters face the obstacles of losing half the gold, being taken prisoner, and becoming responsible for a group of rebels/refugees. There's a lot of traveling, shooting, torturing, and so on, and then we reach the second plot point. Now, we didn't really discuss this one in class, so I'm just to explain the way I saw it. For me, it seemed that the second plot point (leading into Act 3 and the resolution of the film) was when Conrad, the dumb best friend soldier, was killed. At this point, they've got the gold, they've found their missing man (Wahlberg's character, Troy), and they know what they have to do with the rebels. From here, the rest of the movie is really just wrapping up what we already know is going to happen: the refugees make it across the border, the gold is returned, and the three remaining soldiers go on to live their lives outside the army. This truly was a Syd Field Triple Act film.

Russell, D. (Director). (1999). Three Kings [video]. Arizona, USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Brick by Brick

Brick. Written and directed by Rian Johnson, and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

I can't say that I enjoyed the movie at all. In all honesty, I didn't even finish watching it. I had trouble understanding what was going on, and I just didn't feel engaged in the story or connected to the characters. I actually didn't the like characters at all. And I didn't find them believable. Maybe if they hadn't been high school kids then I would've been able to get more into it. I also didn't understand why there were no cops whatsoever, even after Emily turned up dead (maybe that was explained in the end that I didn't watch).

As far the the theme of "Protection" goes, I could see how Brendan's character felt the need to protect Emily. He loved her and, even though they had broken up, he wanted to save her from this dangerous situation. I'm not sure that Johnson really presented this theme in a new or unique way though. Guy loves girl; guy wants to save girl; girl dies; guy goes on quest for truth and revenge. Maybe I'm thinking too two-dimensionally, but there wasn't anything about this particular film that stood out to me.

Bergman, R., Mathis, M., & Dynner, S. (Producers), & Johnson, R. (Director). (2005). Brick [video]. California, USA: Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Let's start with a character.

We'll call her Libby. She's Canadian, but a traveler. Make that recent traveler. She's moved to Australia for university, left her whole life behind, and started from scratch. She's made new friends, seen new places, and grown as a person. She's become more confident and independent. She's not completely sure what she wants to do with her life, but she's creative and determined to succeed with whatever she chooses to do. She's the protagonist of this particular movie. She's me.

It's easy to identify bits and pieces of yourself in the movies you watch. For example, when I, Libby the Canadian, moved to Australia, I left behind a guy I was crazy about. We'd only been dating for six weeks, and had never planned on letting it become anything serious. Of course, a few months later I watched the trailer for Going the Distance. I still feel like I should've received a cut of the profits from that one.

It doesn't have to be that blatant though. Sometimes it's a simple and subtle as watching a character's mannerisms and recognizing yourself or a loved one in them. It might be the setting... being able to say, "Hey! I've been there!"  These little things are what I love about movies. I love them because they make every movie different for every person who watches them. They're the minor details that people only notice when it touches them on a personal level. I want to be able to do that for someone.