When I went to New York on a history trip with my high school (ha! the closest we got to any history on that trip was analysing the stains in the communal showers) number one on my things to buy list was "Making Movies" by Sydney Lumet. I'd been recommended it as the one book a filmmaker should read but alas, to buy in Britain cost around £100 since it's not published here. Fortunately, I persuaded the group leader to allow me half an hour in the Strand book shop and left with my bounty.
Having read it, I'd have to agree that it's the one book you should read if you're stupid enough to limit yourself to a single book: it's accessible, intelligent, firmly rooted in the practical and a very entertaining read. Anyone who hasn't looked at it ought to get it from the library, or maybe they should book a plane to New York, worked for me.
Anyway, Sydney Lumet writes very well about making films, and he makes films very well too. I'd seen a few of his, but 12 Angry Men was not one of them, though I'd heard about it (and seen the Simpsons' pastiche). It didn't disappoint.
What struck me most was how tautly it was constructed, so that spending an hour and a half in a single room with the same twelve characters felt tense and exciting - there are passages far more thrilling than some action films I've seen, certainly. I think this is down to the cleverness of the script, which releases information as coyly as a mystery, and which poses questions to us and to the characters at every turn.
The acting is also fantastic, even to those of us (ie: me) who wouldn't know that these were a collection of very big stars. What showed through was that they were very talented actors who imbued their characters with so much individuality that I didn't have any trouble following their agendas, despite the fact that none of them were referred to by name. It's the kind of thing which could very easily become hard to follow but it's handled perfectly.
Because of Andy's class specifically about it, I had an eye on the lenses too. The effect is a very subtle one, and certainly not something a layperson would notice. Or rather, they wouldn't notice its execution though they would feel the effects. The most shocking thing was the very wide close-ups, which you don't see often (what with how unflattering it is). They were used in key moments as characters struck out with their own arguments, looking very confrontational with the almost fish-eyed effect.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Filming log: Think
Now that my fingers have defrosted enough to type I'll reflect on my first real experience as a sound recordist. I'll try to go deeper than "Cold. Really cold."
It was cold. Really cold. Really, really cold.
So it seems I have to relearn the winter lessons from last year: thermal socks, big gloves, as many layers as physically possible. (Edit since I started writing this: I took myself to Marks and Spencer and bought the cuddliest, softest, warmest cashmere socks you've ever seen, I'll be ready for next time.)
Overall the shoot was very good, it was a nice small crew and Murray's mum cooked us a delicious fry up to fuel us through the cold.
But more specifically to sound, I was quite excited to try putting my theoretical knowledge to practical use. I remembered all the jazz with the cables and the what-goes-where (have you ever seen the business end of a mixer? Or should I say one of the business ends since it has four? bloody complicated) and even managed to troubleshoot when it turned out we had one wrong cable.
The sound recordist's main job is to annoy the rest of the cast and crew and I performed that task admirably. I had to pause filming at several points, despite the freezing cold and the awkward locations to allow planes to pass by overhead or for a car whose engine was ticking over to leave. I found the balance between watching the action, watching the levels and listening closely to the return tricky, certainly something which needs more practice.
I'd like to do some more sound recording, perhaps alongside someone with more experience so I can learn the tricks rather than just blundering along, it's a vital and rather interesting area (though don't take that as an excuse to pigeonhole me as sound girl, Chris).
It was cold. Really cold. Really, really cold.
So it seems I have to relearn the winter lessons from last year: thermal socks, big gloves, as many layers as physically possible. (Edit since I started writing this: I took myself to Marks and Spencer and bought the cuddliest, softest, warmest cashmere socks you've ever seen, I'll be ready for next time.)
Overall the shoot was very good, it was a nice small crew and Murray's mum cooked us a delicious fry up to fuel us through the cold.
But more specifically to sound, I was quite excited to try putting my theoretical knowledge to practical use. I remembered all the jazz with the cables and the what-goes-where (have you ever seen the business end of a mixer? Or should I say one of the business ends since it has four? bloody complicated) and even managed to troubleshoot when it turned out we had one wrong cable.
The sound recordist's main job is to annoy the rest of the cast and crew and I performed that task admirably. I had to pause filming at several points, despite the freezing cold and the awkward locations to allow planes to pass by overhead or for a car whose engine was ticking over to leave. I found the balance between watching the action, watching the levels and listening closely to the return tricky, certainly something which needs more practice.
I'd like to do some more sound recording, perhaps alongside someone with more experience so I can learn the tricks rather than just blundering along, it's a vital and rather interesting area (though don't take that as an excuse to pigeonhole me as sound girl, Chris).
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Personal reflection: what a production
I'll start off by saying quite candidly that production management is not for me. While I can, if necessary, make a budget or a schedule or what have you it makes my eyes cross and my brains dribble out of my ears. Excel documents are the kinds of things which give me stress dreams.
That said, I learned a lot. I can now use excel quite proficiently and I know more of the technical ins and outs of scheduling (to shoot in sequence or to shoot in location order? That is really the question). Knowing about castingcallpro.com is also vey useful, it let's you quickly search for whatever requirements you have and pops up with pages of potential actors.
The day of content origination was more an area if production I'm interested in. Factual programming is an interesting area - my personal favourite is the Brian Cox popular science kind of thing but I also outed myself as a bit of a Springwatch fan. IT'S HARMLESS ENTERTAINMENT, OK?
Now that my credibility is completely ruined, I wonder if anyone will take me seriously again.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch
That said, I learned a lot. I can now use excel quite proficiently and I know more of the technical ins and outs of scheduling (to shoot in sequence or to shoot in location order? That is really the question). Knowing about castingcallpro.com is also vey useful, it let's you quickly search for whatever requirements you have and pops up with pages of potential actors.
The day of content origination was more an area if production I'm interested in. Factual programming is an interesting area - my personal favourite is the Brian Cox popular science kind of thing but I also outed myself as a bit of a Springwatch fan. IT'S HARMLESS ENTERTAINMENT, OK?
Now that my credibility is completely ruined, I wonder if anyone will take me seriously again.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch
Accused (2010)
My last post was my 100th, don't you know?* I wish I'd noticed at the time, maybe I'd have put up a banner, a few balloons. As it is, this is my 101st, so I should put something I don't particularly like.
Unfortunately I want to write about Accused, the new Jimmy McGovern series on the BBC and it's fantastic.
Like The Street it consists of self-contained stories about ordinary people facing terrible circumstances. They're told with great heart and a masterful manipulation of tension. The fact that you know the protagonist is going to end up in the dock creates oodles of dramatic irony and suspense as you wait for the action which will get them "accused".
For instance, in the first episode Christopher Eccleston's character continually commits acts which could potentially see him convicted so you're constantly waiting for the boot to drop. It's absolutely tragic, then, when he is found guilty of the one crime he didn't commit, the whole thing a wages of sin deal.
The fact that Christopher Eccleston is in it gives a clue that all the acting is first rate, and familiar faces crop up everywhere. I even saw an actor I know, whose showreel I cut just before summer (it was very thrilling).
It's also shot very, very well. Flawlessly, really, aside from a slightly unpleasant piece of day-for-night in episode two but it's forgivable given the quality of the rest. (And as production class has taught us, scheduling is bloody hard, night shoots doubly so.)
So if you're not watching the new series get thee to the iPlayer and rectify the situation.
*I'm counting Blogger here, not Mahara
Unfortunately I want to write about Accused, the new Jimmy McGovern series on the BBC and it's fantastic.
Like The Street it consists of self-contained stories about ordinary people facing terrible circumstances. They're told with great heart and a masterful manipulation of tension. The fact that you know the protagonist is going to end up in the dock creates oodles of dramatic irony and suspense as you wait for the action which will get them "accused".
For instance, in the first episode Christopher Eccleston's character continually commits acts which could potentially see him convicted so you're constantly waiting for the boot to drop. It's absolutely tragic, then, when he is found guilty of the one crime he didn't commit, the whole thing a wages of sin deal.
The fact that Christopher Eccleston is in it gives a clue that all the acting is first rate, and familiar faces crop up everywhere. I even saw an actor I know, whose showreel I cut just before summer (it was very thrilling).
It's also shot very, very well. Flawlessly, really, aside from a slightly unpleasant piece of day-for-night in episode two but it's forgivable given the quality of the rest. (And as production class has taught us, scheduling is bloody hard, night shoots doubly so.)
So if you're not watching the new series get thee to the iPlayer and rectify the situation.
*I'm counting Blogger here, not Mahara
Monday, 22 November 2010
Personal reflection: avid attention, with a side order of sound
Learning a completely new programme is a painful experience. It's like the first months of learning a new language where you know what you want to say but simply lack the tools to do so.
Day 1 of Avid was a lot like that since I just didn't know how to perform the tricks I've learned in FCP but by Thursday I'd picked up quite a bit of fluidity, remembering the grammar and vocabulary of the system.
We also learned a lot of IT maintenance - as important as how to use the programme - some of it enveloped into the lesson plan, some of it incidental as the computers in the DTU freaked out and stopped working quite frequently.
What I found was that most of the difference was with how you drive - FCP is very much mouse-driven whereas Avid depends far more on either buttons or, if you have the knowledge and you're being efficient, keystrokes. Pretty much everything on FCP has an analogue on Avid, it's just a matter of finding it.
With limited (four days) experience I can say that the most noticeable benefit is that audio editing is far simpler and more in-depth but both have advantages. The real boon is that being able to use both means I can edit on whatever is to hand.
Friday sound was very interesting and I enjoyed our small class size - I only learn techy stuff efficiently when I can touch and engage the kinetic memory. As well as refreshing our memories on how to use the kit and the principles of location sound recording we (myself, Harry, Julia and Amelie) were entertained with a story from the front line of filmmaking where Cammy had ... interesting ... experiences having to stand with a boom for three hours.
I'm more confident now that I could record some sound for a film but for it to be any good I think I'll definitely need more lessons, which I look forward to.
Day 1 of Avid was a lot like that since I just didn't know how to perform the tricks I've learned in FCP but by Thursday I'd picked up quite a bit of fluidity, remembering the grammar and vocabulary of the system.
We also learned a lot of IT maintenance - as important as how to use the programme - some of it enveloped into the lesson plan, some of it incidental as the computers in the DTU freaked out and stopped working quite frequently.
What I found was that most of the difference was with how you drive - FCP is very much mouse-driven whereas Avid depends far more on either buttons or, if you have the knowledge and you're being efficient, keystrokes. Pretty much everything on FCP has an analogue on Avid, it's just a matter of finding it.
With limited (four days) experience I can say that the most noticeable benefit is that audio editing is far simpler and more in-depth but both have advantages. The real boon is that being able to use both means I can edit on whatever is to hand.
Friday sound was very interesting and I enjoyed our small class size - I only learn techy stuff efficiently when I can touch and engage the kinetic memory. As well as refreshing our memories on how to use the kit and the principles of location sound recording we (myself, Harry, Julia and Amelie) were entertained with a story from the front line of filmmaking where Cammy had ... interesting ... experiences having to stand with a boom for three hours.
I'm more confident now that I could record some sound for a film but for it to be any good I think I'll definitely need more lessons, which I look forward to.
Monday, 8 November 2010
Filming Log: "38: Urbanism in Motion" aka, what the hell is urbanism?
My sister the architect was not content with a seven year course and so she opted to do a Masters, and it seems to be a feature of post-grad study that they make you do things totally outwith your specialism. Luckily, Em and her group were asked to make a film.
Their brief was to document a strip of Glasgow's diverse urban landscape - specifically the route taken by their tutor's bus, the 38. It takes you through leafy, aflluent suburbs which don't look the slightest bit different from my arse-end-of-nowhere sort-of hometown, to leafy parks, industrial areas and business centres. What they're looking for (so far as I can understand, they have seven years on me here) is the changes between the areas and how you can tell.
So I was roped in for my technical expertise and what was surprising was that in talking to a room of architects, I realised that I do actually know more than I think about the mundane practicalities of making a film. I in turn roped in Julia, Lucy, Meg and Harry to help, since we were looking to use three cameras for most of the day. It worked out very nicely, actually, that we were able to shoot on the same day as half the class were doing the Spiers Lock event.
We were filming stealthily so we were kitted out with three A1s, very nice little cameras (I have one, I'm rather attached to it) and a box full of tapes. We split into three teams: team 1 at the front of the bus (me), team two near the back, looking out to the sides (Meg and Lucy) and team 3 roving around in a car getting external shots (Harry and Julia). We were accompanied by a couple of the architects since they knew the route and what shots they wanted.
It was an early start to catch the look of the dawn at the start of the journey, and then several hours off (which most people used to nap, fair enough) and then more filming, then more time off etc. This was to create an almost timelapse effect as we got closer to the city. Everything went very smoothly, the only slight irritant being that we sometimes had to wait ages for the right to come along (it had to be a 38 and it had to be a doubledecker) in the cold and the rain. No one on the bus challenged us (if you have a camera you look automatically official) and the girls looked after us very well (they even donated something to Chris's birthday punch, which was a bonus).
All in all it was a very relaxed shoot, and nonetheless successful for that. I've done a rough cut already and I'm amazed at how easily it's come together. I'll have to attribute that success to everyone, so well done! It still needs more work, including a session with Adobe Aftereffects for a specific look they want, which I'm looking forward to since I've never been able to use the programme before. Also, maybe at last Chris will believe that I have a sister.
Their brief was to document a strip of Glasgow's diverse urban landscape - specifically the route taken by their tutor's bus, the 38. It takes you through leafy, aflluent suburbs which don't look the slightest bit different from my arse-end-of-nowhere sort-of hometown, to leafy parks, industrial areas and business centres. What they're looking for (so far as I can understand, they have seven years on me here) is the changes between the areas and how you can tell.
So I was roped in for my technical expertise and what was surprising was that in talking to a room of architects, I realised that I do actually know more than I think about the mundane practicalities of making a film. I in turn roped in Julia, Lucy, Meg and Harry to help, since we were looking to use three cameras for most of the day. It worked out very nicely, actually, that we were able to shoot on the same day as half the class were doing the Spiers Lock event.
We were filming stealthily so we were kitted out with three A1s, very nice little cameras (I have one, I'm rather attached to it) and a box full of tapes. We split into three teams: team 1 at the front of the bus (me), team two near the back, looking out to the sides (Meg and Lucy) and team 3 roving around in a car getting external shots (Harry and Julia). We were accompanied by a couple of the architects since they knew the route and what shots they wanted.
It was an early start to catch the look of the dawn at the start of the journey, and then several hours off (which most people used to nap, fair enough) and then more filming, then more time off etc. This was to create an almost timelapse effect as we got closer to the city. Everything went very smoothly, the only slight irritant being that we sometimes had to wait ages for the right to come along (it had to be a 38 and it had to be a doubledecker) in the cold and the rain. No one on the bus challenged us (if you have a camera you look automatically official) and the girls looked after us very well (they even donated something to Chris's birthday punch, which was a bonus).
All in all it was a very relaxed shoot, and nonetheless successful for that. I've done a rough cut already and I'm amazed at how easily it's come together. I'll have to attribute that success to everyone, so well done! It still needs more work, including a session with Adobe Aftereffects for a specific look they want, which I'm looking forward to since I've never been able to use the programme before. Also, maybe at last Chris will believe that I have a sister.
Personal reflection: shiny new kit!
Last week I was laid off ill and I'm not too keen to reflect too much on that experience so instead let's look further back to our technical week.
First of all, I really enjoyed the different format. Learning in an intense session helps me remember things so much better and I'm sure it's more efficient since you cut down on the need to revise last week's lesson before you can continue.
I also enjoyed the fact we were using new kit; there's something childishly exciting about new toys to play with. And very fun toys they are: bigger better tripods (ie - more complex), a whole seperate matte box (which allows you to use filters and all that jazz) and a nifty little thing called a follow-focus, which lets you do smart focus pulls.
I think I picked up their care and feeding pretty quickly and the kind of things you can achieve with them is impressive. For instance, we did a little practice shoot racking focus between two subjects and it looked very smart, and we tried using polarising filters on a shot of the sky and the results were impressive.
As well as laying on more technical knowledge we got a lesson on framing. I liked that we got to go out and give it a try, excruciating as it was when your shot was analysed and found lacking. My framing wasn't bad, mostly, but my weakness was a reluctance to really operate the camera, to move with events as they happened. That's definitely something I can fix with practice and a bit of thought.
I'll just tack on that it's rather strange being a second year. The academy is full of tiny young things which I've never seen before and which look barely old enough to hold their heads up. Right now I'm in the library and I'm not sure whether there's a field trip from the local primary school in.
First of all, I really enjoyed the different format. Learning in an intense session helps me remember things so much better and I'm sure it's more efficient since you cut down on the need to revise last week's lesson before you can continue.
I also enjoyed the fact we were using new kit; there's something childishly exciting about new toys to play with. And very fun toys they are: bigger better tripods (ie - more complex), a whole seperate matte box (which allows you to use filters and all that jazz) and a nifty little thing called a follow-focus, which lets you do smart focus pulls.
I think I picked up their care and feeding pretty quickly and the kind of things you can achieve with them is impressive. For instance, we did a little practice shoot racking focus between two subjects and it looked very smart, and we tried using polarising filters on a shot of the sky and the results were impressive.
As well as laying on more technical knowledge we got a lesson on framing. I liked that we got to go out and give it a try, excruciating as it was when your shot was analysed and found lacking. My framing wasn't bad, mostly, but my weakness was a reluctance to really operate the camera, to move with events as they happened. That's definitely something I can fix with practice and a bit of thought.
I'll just tack on that it's rather strange being a second year. The academy is full of tiny young things which I've never seen before and which look barely old enough to hold their heads up. Right now I'm in the library and I'm not sure whether there's a field trip from the local primary school in.
Friday, 22 October 2010
Doof doof, doof-doof-doof-doof
I'm not a regular East Enders audience member but I follow enough to enjoy the odd episode when I'm round at my sister's and last night's was particularly enjoyable.
The storyline which made it so was about the aftermath of Bobby's death. I liked how they showed his mother's grief in a visual way -throwing away his possessions steely faced but breaking down over his hoody- and the ending was very strong. It wasn't implausibly huge or bathetically small, it was human, domestic and sad. The "doof doof"s didn't feel like a "badum ching", they felt like they deserved to be there.
An excellent piece of writing!
The storyline which made it so was about the aftermath of Bobby's death. I liked how they showed his mother's grief in a visual way -throwing away his possessions steely faced but breaking down over his hoody- and the ending was very strong. It wasn't implausibly huge or bathetically small, it was human, domestic and sad. The "doof doof"s didn't feel like a "badum ching", they felt like they deserved to be there.
An excellent piece of writing!
Sunday, 17 October 2010
New Delhi, the main event: 96 hours of Absolut insanity
How do I begin to describe being at the Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony? It was like one of those dreams where everything makes sense inside your head but when you think about it you realise that there's no way you could be playing poker with the ghost of Oscar Wilde in a spaceship.
We travelled for 24 hours straight, catching fitful bouts of sleep wherever we could, and once we arrived went straight out to see the stadium (no small undertaking). We woke up at 5am the next day to rehearse in the midday sun then wait around in the "holding room", a name which makes me reflexively sweat. We were leered at, waved at and cheered at. People wanted to take photos with us then add us on facebook. I don't actually remember performing but judging by the video I did. We watched the hugest fireworks display I have ever seen surrounded by antsy policemen armed with AK-47s. That night we partied hard and drank nothing but the finest Swedish vodka, falling asleep at 6am to rise at 6.30. I packed in a flurry and managed to remember everything except my toothpaste. The journey back was a blur of still more airports, planes and buses. I think I watched a film. Eventually we were bundled into taxis home and I slept for a day and a half.
Now I'm freaking out slightly at the fact I'm set to be even busier if anything and missing the constant presence of Sam, Harry, Meg, Ada and Chris. We've become so used to seeing each other every minute of the day and now I'm bereft! I've been forced to text Ada for bad jokes.
It's difficult to reflect on something so huge that happened so recently. I read a book once which had a nifty way of explaining how we perceive such momentous events in our own lives so here goes my slightly cack-handed version:
In the line of my life delhi has bubbled off as something too separate from the everyday; with time it will merge back into the line until I can look back and it'll just be one continuous story.
I'll have to try though, this being a reflective blog and all:
We all got a fleeting glimpse of a culture very different to our own. Lavish temples and luxurious hotels co-exist alongside slums and shelters built out of what people could find by the road; policemen look like soldiers and soldiers play the bagpipes; everyone is friendly, the men are openly leery; men and women don't mix and me being friends with Sam and Chris is very odd. It wasn't nearly enough to understand India but I can see it would be an exhilarating and heartbreaking place to live.
We had to learn a whole new set of rules: cover your legs if you don't want to look like a prostitute, brush your teeth with bottled water and don't touch any food which hasn't been thoroughly cooked, no matter how appetising that tomato looks. I couldn't even have ice with the aforementioned fine Swedish vodka.
We experienced the kind of working conditions we've never encountered before - working long hours on little sleep, strange food and in temperatures you're more used to seeing on an oven. We ran with injuries and conquered heatstroke with bottles of electrolyte water and icepacks on the neck.
When it comes to 2014 I definitely want to be at the closing ceremony, as an audience member if not as a performer, because nothing compares to the party atmosphere. Positive audiences always have a peculiar energy to them and one tens of thousands strong fills the air with an infectious, short-fused feeling.
It was hard, hard work. Parts were seriously unpleasant, even painful. It was utterly insane and completely unlike anything I've ever done before. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
We travelled for 24 hours straight, catching fitful bouts of sleep wherever we could, and once we arrived went straight out to see the stadium (no small undertaking). We woke up at 5am the next day to rehearse in the midday sun then wait around in the "holding room", a name which makes me reflexively sweat. We were leered at, waved at and cheered at. People wanted to take photos with us then add us on facebook. I don't actually remember performing but judging by the video I did. We watched the hugest fireworks display I have ever seen surrounded by antsy policemen armed with AK-47s. That night we partied hard and drank nothing but the finest Swedish vodka, falling asleep at 6am to rise at 6.30. I packed in a flurry and managed to remember everything except my toothpaste. The journey back was a blur of still more airports, planes and buses. I think I watched a film. Eventually we were bundled into taxis home and I slept for a day and a half.
Now I'm freaking out slightly at the fact I'm set to be even busier if anything and missing the constant presence of Sam, Harry, Meg, Ada and Chris. We've become so used to seeing each other every minute of the day and now I'm bereft! I've been forced to text Ada for bad jokes.
It's difficult to reflect on something so huge that happened so recently. I read a book once which had a nifty way of explaining how we perceive such momentous events in our own lives so here goes my slightly cack-handed version:
In the line of my life delhi has bubbled off as something too separate from the everyday; with time it will merge back into the line until I can look back and it'll just be one continuous story.
I'll have to try though, this being a reflective blog and all:
We all got a fleeting glimpse of a culture very different to our own. Lavish temples and luxurious hotels co-exist alongside slums and shelters built out of what people could find by the road; policemen look like soldiers and soldiers play the bagpipes; everyone is friendly, the men are openly leery; men and women don't mix and me being friends with Sam and Chris is very odd. It wasn't nearly enough to understand India but I can see it would be an exhilarating and heartbreaking place to live.
We had to learn a whole new set of rules: cover your legs if you don't want to look like a prostitute, brush your teeth with bottled water and don't touch any food which hasn't been thoroughly cooked, no matter how appetising that tomato looks. I couldn't even have ice with the aforementioned fine Swedish vodka.
We experienced the kind of working conditions we've never encountered before - working long hours on little sleep, strange food and in temperatures you're more used to seeing on an oven. We ran with injuries and conquered heatstroke with bottles of electrolyte water and icepacks on the neck.
When it comes to 2014 I definitely want to be at the closing ceremony, as an audience member if not as a performer, because nothing compares to the party atmosphere. Positive audiences always have a peculiar energy to them and one tens of thousands strong fills the air with an infectious, short-fused feeling.
It was hard, hard work. Parts were seriously unpleasant, even painful. It was utterly insane and completely unlike anything I've ever done before. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Handover Bootcamp: "It's a cross between a kidnapping and a sleepover"
Prologue: structure training (confused)
We lucky few on the inflatables (the great big silver armadillo) had three days before everyone else to get used to our roles. We were in from 10-4 and felt exhausted by the end of it; looking back I can only laugh at that.
As well as the silver beasts we trained on proportional metal frames which, at that point, seemed to weigh an impossible amount. A session with one of those and I was in serious pain - by the end they felt light as a feather. That was largely due to the work of our trainer, Mauritz. This guy is amazing: a German acrobat/circus performer, his muscles have muscles. He improved our strength and flexibility to the point where we could have backflipped through the performance. Or near enough, I'll be able to carry camera bags more easily at least.
Feeling like we'd done quite enough already we had a day off and then began bootcamp proper:
Week 1: basic training (high)
Everything in mass choreography is arranged by numbers. The groundcloth is covered in co-ordinate marks so you remember your position relative to those (for instance, my "homebase position" was D-4) and you're assigned a unique number based on your group and your height. As you can imagine, I was at the lower end of the scale. I wasn't even judged tall enough to carry one of the planks (the Michael Jackson-esque light-up boards the pipers walked on), instead going into a group called "utilities" where my responsibility was initially as a spotter and then to help get the inflatables ready. Structures (utilities and the plank carriers) had to stay late several days to get in extra practice; that meant a few 12 hour days which really put a strain on.
The choreographers kept a track of us by the bibs we wore - colour coded and with our numbers printed on back and front. The first time I was called out by my number was a shock; I loathe being called by a number but I had to get used to it as well as to being called by my official name (Felicity) a lot of the time since that was the one the staff had.
We had another fitting for our costumes in a horrible sequence which involved far more public changing of clothes than I like (uptight? moi?) and a thrilling adventure arguing over the pointlessness of trying on a bra several sizes too small.
This week we worked on improving our fitness and conditioning and learning the basic moves, such as marching. It was tough physically but by Friday I was riding an incredible endorphin high from all the exertion; my brain switched off completely and I was just sickeningly happy.
Unfortunately, biology's irritating habit of getting used to things meant that by week two that wore off:
Week 2: putting it together (tired)
This week we moved to Toryglen football centre, a brilliant place on the south side I never knew about with a massive indoor football pitch which enabled us to rehearse with the inflatables without having to worry about wind and rain (a big consideration - those things go crazy in the wind since they are basically sail-shaped). Instead, we just had to worry about noxious carbon monoxide fumes from the leafblowers used to inflate them and the strange rubber chips in the astroturf which, it turns out, I'm mildly allergic to.
We were all getting tired by this point and the natural drugs had worn off. Midweek I strained my left knee when we ran without warming up (producers were in and they wanted to show off as much as possible so they skipped it; big mistake - lots of people were hurt) and since I have no kind of sporting background I was stupid enough to ignore it and keep going, making it much worse. I only really recovered enough to do the run in India and even then I felt the consequences the next day.
Our props made the journey to India at the end of this week so we had a dress rehearsal on Saturday so we got to try on our kilts. Turns out kneeling in one of those things is more revealing than you would have thought.
Without our props the next week was mainly for the fabric cast, we were just there to fill in the gaps:
Week 3: flower arranging (injured)
Since I wasn't running I had even less to do. I carried the steel frames (child's play by then) into position and then back out. I tried to rest my legs as much as possible since I really, really wanted to be able to do the run and the injury had spread to both because of my limping to compensate.
It was a short week since we had a few early finishes and Friday off. From there, we just had to worry about getting to Delhi...
We lucky few on the inflatables (the great big silver armadillo) had three days before everyone else to get used to our roles. We were in from 10-4 and felt exhausted by the end of it; looking back I can only laugh at that.
As well as the silver beasts we trained on proportional metal frames which, at that point, seemed to weigh an impossible amount. A session with one of those and I was in serious pain - by the end they felt light as a feather. That was largely due to the work of our trainer, Mauritz. This guy is amazing: a German acrobat/circus performer, his muscles have muscles. He improved our strength and flexibility to the point where we could have backflipped through the performance. Or near enough, I'll be able to carry camera bags more easily at least.
Feeling like we'd done quite enough already we had a day off and then began bootcamp proper:
Week 1: basic training (high)
Everything in mass choreography is arranged by numbers. The groundcloth is covered in co-ordinate marks so you remember your position relative to those (for instance, my "homebase position" was D-4) and you're assigned a unique number based on your group and your height. As you can imagine, I was at the lower end of the scale. I wasn't even judged tall enough to carry one of the planks (the Michael Jackson-esque light-up boards the pipers walked on), instead going into a group called "utilities" where my responsibility was initially as a spotter and then to help get the inflatables ready. Structures (utilities and the plank carriers) had to stay late several days to get in extra practice; that meant a few 12 hour days which really put a strain on.
The choreographers kept a track of us by the bibs we wore - colour coded and with our numbers printed on back and front. The first time I was called out by my number was a shock; I loathe being called by a number but I had to get used to it as well as to being called by my official name (Felicity) a lot of the time since that was the one the staff had.
We had another fitting for our costumes in a horrible sequence which involved far more public changing of clothes than I like (uptight? moi?) and a thrilling adventure arguing over the pointlessness of trying on a bra several sizes too small.
This week we worked on improving our fitness and conditioning and learning the basic moves, such as marching. It was tough physically but by Friday I was riding an incredible endorphin high from all the exertion; my brain switched off completely and I was just sickeningly happy.
Unfortunately, biology's irritating habit of getting used to things meant that by week two that wore off:
Week 2: putting it together (tired)
This week we moved to Toryglen football centre, a brilliant place on the south side I never knew about with a massive indoor football pitch which enabled us to rehearse with the inflatables without having to worry about wind and rain (a big consideration - those things go crazy in the wind since they are basically sail-shaped). Instead, we just had to worry about noxious carbon monoxide fumes from the leafblowers used to inflate them and the strange rubber chips in the astroturf which, it turns out, I'm mildly allergic to.
We were all getting tired by this point and the natural drugs had worn off. Midweek I strained my left knee when we ran without warming up (producers were in and they wanted to show off as much as possible so they skipped it; big mistake - lots of people were hurt) and since I have no kind of sporting background I was stupid enough to ignore it and keep going, making it much worse. I only really recovered enough to do the run in India and even then I felt the consequences the next day.
Our props made the journey to India at the end of this week so we had a dress rehearsal on Saturday so we got to try on our kilts. Turns out kneeling in one of those things is more revealing than you would have thought.
Without our props the next week was mainly for the fabric cast, we were just there to fill in the gaps:
Week 3: flower arranging (injured)
Since I wasn't running I had even less to do. I carried the steel frames (child's play by then) into position and then back out. I tried to rest my legs as much as possible since I really, really wanted to be able to do the run and the injury had spread to both because of my limping to compensate.
It was a short week since we had a few early finishes and Friday off. From there, we just had to worry about getting to Delhi...
Saturday, 9 October 2010
"I've never gotten to home base so many times in a month before"
"Stop making bad puns, Flick."
The reason we Delhi crew have been a bit lax in blogging lately is that Bootcamp has been utterly exhausting, and even if we had the energy there's very little we could say without breaching our confidentiality agreements. I haven't even been able to fit in much cinema/tv time what with the 9 hour rehearsals.
I can tell you that it will be a fantastic show and that it was absolutely worth doing, even if I have jiggered my knee in the process (things I have learned: when you hurt yourself, you shouldn't just carry on and hope it gets better, stop while you're ahead so that it heals quickly). We've had a lot of fun and it's going to be surreal to go back into the real world... we may start doing intense circus-inspired warm ups before class.
Once we're back and my brain has recovered (it's gone into temporary hibernation for the duration) I'll write something more detailed, since it has been a very interesting experience for everyone involved. In the meantime, tune in on Thursday and watch out for the very short one limping around pathetically.
The reason we Delhi crew have been a bit lax in blogging lately is that Bootcamp has been utterly exhausting, and even if we had the energy there's very little we could say without breaching our confidentiality agreements. I haven't even been able to fit in much cinema/tv time what with the 9 hour rehearsals.
I can tell you that it will be a fantastic show and that it was absolutely worth doing, even if I have jiggered my knee in the process (things I have learned: when you hurt yourself, you shouldn't just carry on and hope it gets better, stop while you're ahead so that it heals quickly). We've had a lot of fun and it's going to be surreal to go back into the real world... we may start doing intense circus-inspired warm ups before class.
Once we're back and my brain has recovered (it's gone into temporary hibernation for the duration) I'll write something more detailed, since it has been a very interesting experience for everyone involved. In the meantime, tune in on Thursday and watch out for the very short one limping around pathetically.
Monday, 16 August 2010
Sherlock (Holmes)
Perhaps when you saw the trailer for the BBC's new series Sherlock you thought, ah, Flick likes Sherlock Holmes, she'll like this. Or maybe you thought, Robert Downey Jr isn't in it, she'll hate this. Or maybe you didn't care. Well, if you'd seen that it was created by Steven Moffat, you'd know that I would love it.
The modern setting is done nicely, with lots of smart updates and even a rationalisation as to how someone could possibly afford to live on Baker St. So John Watson is still back injured from Afghanistan but his alcoholic sibling is a sister, not a brother. Sherlock Holmes doesn't smoke a pipe but he uses nicotine patches. We've yet to see whether he'll wear a deerstalker because all the stories so far have taken place in the city and no gentleman wears a deerstalker anywhere except the country.
There are even lots of entertaining quotes to entertain the canon fans.("Three patch problem"? I see what you did there.)
The cast is very good, and I love Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes (doesn't Moffat have a habit of casting strange, alien-faced dudes?), chaotic under a calm exterior. I grew to like Martin Freeman more and more over the three weeks, and I even think I may be over the H2G2 film now. The Lestrade is very nice, and Mark Gatiss as Mycroft is fantastic, I'm so very glad they included him. I admit I was completely taken in by the ruse in the first episode where you're supposed to think he's a villain. I don't mind, it makes it more fun.
Overall, the mysteries are not the best. Even if you're unfamiliar with the sources, I defy you not to get the clues.
"Who could be the killer??"
"I don't know but let's linger on this shot of a taxi."
I can live with slightly lacklustre mysteries though, because I don't watch detective shows for the plot. Oh, it makes a stimulating background, but I'm really interested in the characters, which is why cop shows - or twists on the genre like House - live and die by their characterisation. So as long as Sherlock and John (which, by the way, feels very informal to write) banter and clash and are mistaken for a couple it's all good.
One of the very best things about the series, though, is the mise en scene. What a pretty, pretty show. The lighting! The camera moves! The editing! The editing is very showy, and I love it. They use wipes! And blurs! And it works! The graphics are impressive too, whether it's showing what people are looking at on their phones or how Sherlock analyses a situation. I even love the font they use.
The cliffhanger ending of episode three is delightfully evil and I'm very glad they'll be commissioning more.
In slightly less up to date news, it's as good a time as any to write about a slightly older version of Sherlock Holmes, Granada's 1980s series starring Jeremy Brett and David Burke then Edward Hardwicke.
Granada in the 80s seemed to have an uncanny knack for casting literary characters. Their adaptation of the Jeeves and Wooster books was perfectly cast with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, and as for Holmes… I have a workable theory that Jeremy Brett was grown in a lab for specifically this purpose, his looks and mannerisms are so startlingly exact.
They're faithful adaptations but there are still occasional jokes worked in which you'd only spot with very esoteric knowledge. Meg told me she had to watch an episode in class with the kind of expression which indicated that this was a bad memory, but I'm enjoying them immensely.
The modern setting is done nicely, with lots of smart updates and even a rationalisation as to how someone could possibly afford to live on Baker St. So John Watson is still back injured from Afghanistan but his alcoholic sibling is a sister, not a brother. Sherlock Holmes doesn't smoke a pipe but he uses nicotine patches. We've yet to see whether he'll wear a deerstalker because all the stories so far have taken place in the city and no gentleman wears a deerstalker anywhere except the country.
There are even lots of entertaining quotes to entertain the canon fans.("Three patch problem"? I see what you did there.)
The cast is very good, and I love Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes (doesn't Moffat have a habit of casting strange, alien-faced dudes?), chaotic under a calm exterior. I grew to like Martin Freeman more and more over the three weeks, and I even think I may be over the H2G2 film now. The Lestrade is very nice, and Mark Gatiss as Mycroft is fantastic, I'm so very glad they included him. I admit I was completely taken in by the ruse in the first episode where you're supposed to think he's a villain. I don't mind, it makes it more fun.
Overall, the mysteries are not the best. Even if you're unfamiliar with the sources, I defy you not to get the clues.
"Who could be the killer??"
"I don't know but let's linger on this shot of a taxi."
I can live with slightly lacklustre mysteries though, because I don't watch detective shows for the plot. Oh, it makes a stimulating background, but I'm really interested in the characters, which is why cop shows - or twists on the genre like House - live and die by their characterisation. So as long as Sherlock and John (which, by the way, feels very informal to write) banter and clash and are mistaken for a couple it's all good.
One of the very best things about the series, though, is the mise en scene. What a pretty, pretty show. The lighting! The camera moves! The editing! The editing is very showy, and I love it. They use wipes! And blurs! And it works! The graphics are impressive too, whether it's showing what people are looking at on their phones or how Sherlock analyses a situation. I even love the font they use.
The cliffhanger ending of episode three is delightfully evil and I'm very glad they'll be commissioning more.
In slightly less up to date news, it's as good a time as any to write about a slightly older version of Sherlock Holmes, Granada's 1980s series starring Jeremy Brett and David Burke then Edward Hardwicke.
Granada in the 80s seemed to have an uncanny knack for casting literary characters. Their adaptation of the Jeeves and Wooster books was perfectly cast with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, and as for Holmes… I have a workable theory that Jeremy Brett was grown in a lab for specifically this purpose, his looks and mannerisms are so startlingly exact.
They're faithful adaptations but there are still occasional jokes worked in which you'd only spot with very esoteric knowledge. Meg told me she had to watch an episode in class with the kind of expression which indicated that this was a bad memory, but I'm enjoying them immensely.
Inception (2010)
A warning from the get go: I cannot talk about this film without spoiling it to bits, so if you haven't seen it, look away now. Yes, even if you don't plan on seeing it, I will force you to because you need to see this film.
I've loved Christopher Nolan for years now, since I first saw Memento, his second film. I've lost count of the number of times I've watched it and his others since. He is a genius and I have a massive platonic love for him. I don't need to wait to see a trailer or even for an announcement of any kind to be excited for a film of his, I'm automatically looking forward to his next film, the one after that and so on until he's raptured back from where he came from. (Or until the mothership comes back for him, whichever theory proves correct.) Going to see his films is as close to church as I'll get.
Why this devotion? Plainly, he's my role model. He makes intelligent, meaningful films which are simultaneously exciting as hell and which make millions.
Inception is no exception. It features a very attractive cast (Leonardo diCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon Lovett, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cottiard, Cillian Murphy), brain melting special effects (screw you Avatar) and as many car chases/crashes/explosions as you could possibly want. It even has a fight sequence in a rotoscope, which is pretty much the most amazing thing ever.
But as well as that, there's the cleverness. It creates a world, and fills it with interesting characters and philosophical questions. Not only the main character develops. While Dom Cobb is the protagonist, and his decision to accept reality is the arc of the story, the supporting characters have their own trajectories. Arthur learns to use his imagination, Ariadne grows up, and Robert Fischer becomes his own man.
I know the plot isn't perfect, because I've seen this film four times now and that's sufficient to spot a couple of plot niggles, but I absolutely don't care because compared to the magnificence of the whole, it's immaterial. Why did they need a week on the first level? Better safe than sorry, right?
The ending is my favourite part. On first viewing, by that point I felt wrung out already (I was crying, big surprise, it was the paper fan which did me in), and then, the last shot-! My heart skipped a beat. Several, in fact. Thinking about it now, my stomach has decided to take up residence in feet. It's the perfect ending, and pretentious as it is, I can only liken it to the piece of Mozart which ends on an imperfect cadence (and which I have been wracking my brain trying to remember the name of, no luck yet). It ratchets you up to the most extreme point and then leaves you there. I had to sit through the titles just to get my breath back and even then I was wobbly on my legs, and things felt artificial for a while.
It's worth mentioning that Hans Zimmer is brilliant, and I want him to write the soundtrack to my life. I am, in fact, listening to the Inception soundtrack right now even though it's deeply unhealthy. Foghorn blares will never be the same again.
Lastly:
I've loved Christopher Nolan for years now, since I first saw Memento, his second film. I've lost count of the number of times I've watched it and his others since. He is a genius and I have a massive platonic love for him. I don't need to wait to see a trailer or even for an announcement of any kind to be excited for a film of his, I'm automatically looking forward to his next film, the one after that and so on until he's raptured back from where he came from. (Or until the mothership comes back for him, whichever theory proves correct.) Going to see his films is as close to church as I'll get.
Why this devotion? Plainly, he's my role model. He makes intelligent, meaningful films which are simultaneously exciting as hell and which make millions.
Inception is no exception. It features a very attractive cast (Leonardo diCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon Lovett, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cottiard, Cillian Murphy), brain melting special effects (screw you Avatar) and as many car chases/crashes/explosions as you could possibly want. It even has a fight sequence in a rotoscope, which is pretty much the most amazing thing ever.
But as well as that, there's the cleverness. It creates a world, and fills it with interesting characters and philosophical questions. Not only the main character develops. While Dom Cobb is the protagonist, and his decision to accept reality is the arc of the story, the supporting characters have their own trajectories. Arthur learns to use his imagination, Ariadne grows up, and Robert Fischer becomes his own man.
I know the plot isn't perfect, because I've seen this film four times now and that's sufficient to spot a couple of plot niggles, but I absolutely don't care because compared to the magnificence of the whole, it's immaterial. Why did they need a week on the first level? Better safe than sorry, right?
The ending is my favourite part. On first viewing, by that point I felt wrung out already (I was crying, big surprise, it was the paper fan which did me in), and then, the last shot-! My heart skipped a beat. Several, in fact. Thinking about it now, my stomach has decided to take up residence in feet. It's the perfect ending, and pretentious as it is, I can only liken it to the piece of Mozart which ends on an imperfect cadence (and which I have been wracking my brain trying to remember the name of, no luck yet). It ratchets you up to the most extreme point and then leaves you there. I had to sit through the titles just to get my breath back and even then I was wobbly on my legs, and things felt artificial for a while.
It's worth mentioning that Hans Zimmer is brilliant, and I want him to write the soundtrack to my life. I am, in fact, listening to the Inception soundtrack right now even though it's deeply unhealthy. Foghorn blares will never be the same again.
Lastly:
Fringe
When I was in Edinburgh for the Fringe, I saw more people from the RSAMD than I saw actual Edinburgh natives. I also bumped into people from various youth theatres I've been in, who were there to perform/tech/spectate depending on their age and inclinations.
Aside from the street performers, who get a little repetitious after a few years, we (myself, Maisie-from-TPA and an old highschool friend of the both of us) went to see a comedian called Bo Burnham, who started out as a Youtube phenomenon, writing funny songs and performing them on his Yamaha keyboard. I first heard of him in 2008, and when we (highschool friends and I) heard he was coming to Scotland we booked our tickets.
Live, he was slightly disappointing. The new material was good, but we wanted some of the classics too (where was "3.14 apple pie"??) and his stage demeanor was lacking. He seemed unhappy to be there. If that's true then he should get out of it and if it's an act then he should change it, because a paying audience doesn't like to feel that a performance is a massive trial for the object of their entertainment.
By contrast, the show we went to the next day (after an exciting trip into Edinburgh nightlife) featured a charismatic performer who, despite doing four shows a day, seemed to love it. His name is Baba Brinkman and I can't recommend his shows too highly. I've been a fan since I saw him in the secular Christmas show on the BBC in December doing The Rap Guide To Evolution. This year his new act is The Rap Guide To Human Nature, an exploration of the theory of evolutionary psychology through the medium of hiphop.
If that sounds grotesquely "down with the kids" then fear not. It's excellent hiphop in it's own right, with good beats and fantastic verbal inventiveness, and funny to boot. He makes fun of himself, his audience, liberals, conservatives, fundamentalists, anything not nailed down. And with all of this, he also discusses complex theories. He can also boast that his is the only peer reviewed comedy show at the Fringe, since he had a panel of scientists analyse and comment upon the script.
Anyway, Maisie and Ieft the show so thrilled we agreed to stay a little longer and go to the first of his evening shows, Rapconteur in Cabaret Voltaire, the seediest looking bar I think I've ever been in. Just, who designed that? Who thought one way glass for bathroom stalls was a cool idea?
Nevermind though, because the show was great. This one adapted some historic epics into rap form, including Gilgamesh, Beowulf and the Merchant's Tale from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
It was utterly engaging. Quick, funny, clever. The hour flew by.
So, if you want to go see something at the Fringe, it would be a very wise move to go for Baba Brinkman.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch
Aside from the street performers, who get a little repetitious after a few years, we (myself, Maisie-from-TPA and an old highschool friend of the both of us) went to see a comedian called Bo Burnham, who started out as a Youtube phenomenon, writing funny songs and performing them on his Yamaha keyboard. I first heard of him in 2008, and when we (highschool friends and I) heard he was coming to Scotland we booked our tickets.
Live, he was slightly disappointing. The new material was good, but we wanted some of the classics too (where was "3.14 apple pie"??) and his stage demeanor was lacking. He seemed unhappy to be there. If that's true then he should get out of it and if it's an act then he should change it, because a paying audience doesn't like to feel that a performance is a massive trial for the object of their entertainment.
By contrast, the show we went to the next day (after an exciting trip into Edinburgh nightlife) featured a charismatic performer who, despite doing four shows a day, seemed to love it. His name is Baba Brinkman and I can't recommend his shows too highly. I've been a fan since I saw him in the secular Christmas show on the BBC in December doing The Rap Guide To Evolution. This year his new act is The Rap Guide To Human Nature, an exploration of the theory of evolutionary psychology through the medium of hiphop.
If that sounds grotesquely "down with the kids" then fear not. It's excellent hiphop in it's own right, with good beats and fantastic verbal inventiveness, and funny to boot. He makes fun of himself, his audience, liberals, conservatives, fundamentalists, anything not nailed down. And with all of this, he also discusses complex theories. He can also boast that his is the only peer reviewed comedy show at the Fringe, since he had a panel of scientists analyse and comment upon the script.
Anyway, Maisie and Ieft the show so thrilled we agreed to stay a little longer and go to the first of his evening shows, Rapconteur in Cabaret Voltaire, the seediest looking bar I think I've ever been in. Just, who designed that? Who thought one way glass for bathroom stalls was a cool idea?
Nevermind though, because the show was great. This one adapted some historic epics into rap form, including Gilgamesh, Beowulf and the Merchant's Tale from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
It was utterly engaging. Quick, funny, clever. The hour flew by.
So, if you want to go see something at the Fringe, it would be a very wise move to go for Baba Brinkman.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch
Big Bang Big Boom
Since I'm holiday blogging, have a cool video:
Be sure to watch til the end, it's worth it for the beautiful narrative structure even if the awesome graphics don't make you want more. And, as fantastic as the painting is, I think the making of this video is the soundtrack. It creates so much atmosphere and meaning.
Be sure to watch til the end, it's worth it for the beautiful narrative structure even if the awesome graphics don't make you want more. And, as fantastic as the painting is, I think the making of this video is the soundtrack. It creates so much atmosphere and meaning.
Friday, 13 August 2010
Summer filming
If you've been in the academy in the last few weeks you've probably seen me haunting the place, often camera in hand, plus a rather… eccentrically coloured mic. I've been filming the dramaworks courses, and very interesting it's been.
Like with most filming, AV is a mixture of long lull periods interspersed with periods of intense activity. I found a good way of filling my long breaks, when I couldn't really go anywhere: I made use of the RSAMD's many pianos and got to learning a very dificult new piece. Bad Romance will have to wait til I've cracked Gymnopedies II, sorry Murray. No. 1 one took six months and I had a teacher, let's see how this goes.
For one thing, I've learnt that while a camera is a distracting force at any time, with children you can multiply that a hundred-fold. With the younger groups I had to field many questions a day about just what I was doing, and what that furry thing on top of my camera was. I also got the unfortunate nickname "camera lady" and it seems to have stuck. Fifteen year olds called me it! I'm only three years older than you! I'm no lady! Next people will call me madam in bars.
I've also put some of the advice David Liddle gave us to good use. Rather than just keeping the camera on all the time, only capture something if it's worthwhile. Makes life in the edit suite (aka: my bedroom) a lot easier.
My lurking skills, too, have come on a lot. I got a compliment from one of the members of the Devising class on my ability to blend in. Not the best thing for a narcissist to hear but I was very happy, since the problem with filming something which isn't a performance is that you can't help but affect the process. The quantum theory of documentaries if you like. In fact, I used some of the skills I learnt back when I acted to not disturb the discussion/rehearsal/whatever.
One final thing: never, ever buy your tapes from Currys. Three for fifteen pounds. Not three packs, three tapes. Ordinary tapes, too, not gold plated and packaged in carbon fibre. It was an emergency and I needed them, but that is extortion, plain and simple.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch
Like with most filming, AV is a mixture of long lull periods interspersed with periods of intense activity. I found a good way of filling my long breaks, when I couldn't really go anywhere: I made use of the RSAMD's many pianos and got to learning a very dificult new piece. Bad Romance will have to wait til I've cracked Gymnopedies II, sorry Murray. No. 1 one took six months and I had a teacher, let's see how this goes.
For one thing, I've learnt that while a camera is a distracting force at any time, with children you can multiply that a hundred-fold. With the younger groups I had to field many questions a day about just what I was doing, and what that furry thing on top of my camera was. I also got the unfortunate nickname "camera lady" and it seems to have stuck. Fifteen year olds called me it! I'm only three years older than you! I'm no lady! Next people will call me madam in bars.
I've also put some of the advice David Liddle gave us to good use. Rather than just keeping the camera on all the time, only capture something if it's worthwhile. Makes life in the edit suite (aka: my bedroom) a lot easier.
My lurking skills, too, have come on a lot. I got a compliment from one of the members of the Devising class on my ability to blend in. Not the best thing for a narcissist to hear but I was very happy, since the problem with filming something which isn't a performance is that you can't help but affect the process. The quantum theory of documentaries if you like. In fact, I used some of the skills I learnt back when I acted to not disturb the discussion/rehearsal/whatever.
One final thing: never, ever buy your tapes from Currys. Three for fifteen pounds. Not three packs, three tapes. Ordinary tapes, too, not gold plated and packaged in carbon fibre. It was an emergency and I needed them, but that is extortion, plain and simple.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch
Monday, 28 June 2010
Filming log: The Root of Love
Let's start by saying what we all definitely, scarringly, learned:
My role was to take note of the timecode, and I'm glad I did because it made capturing so much easier. Day 2, when I wasn't there, is a different story.
I wanted to be as efficient as possible with my duties as editor, because I think that if I leave it for three months, the enthusiasm and the energy just won't be there. Besides, it's not too much to ask that I put in the hours now, when the pre-production team have been working so hard before.
Therefore, I didn't go on set on day 2, but came into the academy to capture and then organise everything to appease my OCD tendencies. It was all very straightforward, though it did give me the chance to try out the trick I learned from Murray, using an excel document to log the clips. Saved a lot of time, allowing me to put together a very rough edit of the rushes, enough to advise Meg on whether we needed more coverage.
And so, I've just been editing away, and I'm really happy with how it looks. There's one small problem of coverage, which I haven't been able to find a way to fix aside from cutting around it, but all in all that's not a bad result. The process has given me a horror of filming in shopping centres, because dear god they're noisy. I don't know any way to fix that unless we actually dubbed the whole thing.
- don't go out filming for ten hours in the scorching heat without factor 50 sun cream
- no seriously, don't
My role was to take note of the timecode, and I'm glad I did because it made capturing so much easier. Day 2, when I wasn't there, is a different story.
I wanted to be as efficient as possible with my duties as editor, because I think that if I leave it for three months, the enthusiasm and the energy just won't be there. Besides, it's not too much to ask that I put in the hours now, when the pre-production team have been working so hard before.
Therefore, I didn't go on set on day 2, but came into the academy to capture and then organise everything to appease my OCD tendencies. It was all very straightforward, though it did give me the chance to try out the trick I learned from Murray, using an excel document to log the clips. Saved a lot of time, allowing me to put together a very rough edit of the rushes, enough to advise Meg on whether we needed more coverage.
And so, I've just been editing away, and I'm really happy with how it looks. There's one small problem of coverage, which I haven't been able to find a way to fix aside from cutting around it, but all in all that's not a bad result. The process has given me a horror of filming in shopping centres, because dear god they're noisy. I don't know any way to fix that unless we actually dubbed the whole thing.
Personal reflection: long case clocks and subway stops
While half the class has been busy polishing their producing teeth on our own films, I was doing the same on the second year film, Broken Bubbles, trying to avoid breaking the budget.
As assistant, my main job was getting stuff, and I'm not half bad at it: I sorted out a green screen which was cheaper, closer and more convenient than the one they had. Score: one to Flurry. I also got to help setting it up, which was a learning experience. For instance, I found out that after staring at a green screen for half an hour, everything takes on a magenta tinge.
I was also sent out to get props, which you'll know if you've read he script are many and very specific. The TPA people Murdo and Phil are working with are crazily talented and could build some amazing things, but me and Amélie had to pick up some of the slack.
By far my biggest job was trying to find a grandfather clock. My quest took me across Glasgow, into some of the rudest antique shops imaginable. Eventually, in a funny little enclave off Byers Road, a helpful gent gave me some obscure directions to a warehouse down at the riverside and off I went. Luckily no one was there to risk assess. Through sheer luck, I found the warehouse and it was a treasure trove of antique goodness, from Victoriana to 60s retro, with a dozen suitable clocks. None quite as suitable as the one in the props store, though, which while it was short cased, had the distinct advantage of being freely available and portable.
Amélie and I set out together to get a convincing chemistry kit from St Aloyius school, and they were astonishingly helpful. The receptionist was a little taken aback by our initial request but the staff couldn't have been more accommodating, lending us heaps of kit, the kind of which my old highschool didn't even have.
The main thing I learned from the experience was that to produce, you need perseverence and the balls to ask perfect strangers to give you stuff. Luckily, I've been doing that for years and student life has only honed my skills.
As assistant, my main job was getting stuff, and I'm not half bad at it: I sorted out a green screen which was cheaper, closer and more convenient than the one they had. Score: one to Flurry. I also got to help setting it up, which was a learning experience. For instance, I found out that after staring at a green screen for half an hour, everything takes on a magenta tinge.
I was also sent out to get props, which you'll know if you've read he script are many and very specific. The TPA people Murdo and Phil are working with are crazily talented and could build some amazing things, but me and Amélie had to pick up some of the slack.
By far my biggest job was trying to find a grandfather clock. My quest took me across Glasgow, into some of the rudest antique shops imaginable. Eventually, in a funny little enclave off Byers Road, a helpful gent gave me some obscure directions to a warehouse down at the riverside and off I went. Luckily no one was there to risk assess. Through sheer luck, I found the warehouse and it was a treasure trove of antique goodness, from Victoriana to 60s retro, with a dozen suitable clocks. None quite as suitable as the one in the props store, though, which while it was short cased, had the distinct advantage of being freely available and portable.
Amélie and I set out together to get a convincing chemistry kit from St Aloyius school, and they were astonishingly helpful. The receptionist was a little taken aback by our initial request but the staff couldn't have been more accommodating, lending us heaps of kit, the kind of which my old highschool didn't even have.
The main thing I learned from the experience was that to produce, you need perseverence and the balls to ask perfect strangers to give you stuff. Luckily, I've been doing that for years and student life has only honed my skills.
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Audition and Valentine's Day (no, not those ones)
I've just finished the final touches on Audition, and it's uploading to Youtube as I type. It would already be up, but my internet connection faltered two minutes before completion and I had to start all over again. Woe.
I'm very pleased with this little film, it was a lovely concept and everyone really pulled together to make it as good as possible. Bay is a tremendous performer (the dance he does was improvised on the day, and he put up very well with our requirements for repetition. I especially like some of the lighting effects we got in the Ath with just a single redhead as a backlight - it isn't great as illumination, but you just get this outline of a dancer in a dark auditorium.
Cutting was a fairly straightforward process for most of it, choose the best shots for performance and framing, match on action etc. It's testament to Sam's direction that scenes like Bay leaping out of bed cut together so well. My biggest challenge was the dance sequence, which was shot from many angles, with the added excitement of slight variations in the routine. Very tricky. I ended up using six different video tracks before honing them down to a single one, trying to balance between using the best shots and cutting according to the music. I'm pleased with how it turned out, I think it looks very good.
The rest of it was fiddling with the sound (never underestimate the importance of good sound), colour balancing an exterior shot which was rather rushed and over exposed and adding titles. There was also the issue of the time, which had to be under 2 minutes and 20 seconds for the Virgin Shorts competition. Sam and I sat together at my monitor debating whether or not a shot could stand to lose two frames, or just a single frame. Several things were cut in the interests of timing (including one of our actors completely) but I think what we have now is a very sharp story. I used a bit of a tv trick with the titles, layering them over the final shot in a way which intrusive, but which does keep out time down. The finished article came in at exactly 2 minutes, 19 seconds and 24 frames.
And here it is:
Also, long long overdue, here is the film Chris, Meg and I made back in February. Meg wrote, she and Chris also starred, I edited and we shared the camera responsibilities:
I'm very pleased with this little film, it was a lovely concept and everyone really pulled together to make it as good as possible. Bay is a tremendous performer (the dance he does was improvised on the day, and he put up very well with our requirements for repetition. I especially like some of the lighting effects we got in the Ath with just a single redhead as a backlight - it isn't great as illumination, but you just get this outline of a dancer in a dark auditorium.
Cutting was a fairly straightforward process for most of it, choose the best shots for performance and framing, match on action etc. It's testament to Sam's direction that scenes like Bay leaping out of bed cut together so well. My biggest challenge was the dance sequence, which was shot from many angles, with the added excitement of slight variations in the routine. Very tricky. I ended up using six different video tracks before honing them down to a single one, trying to balance between using the best shots and cutting according to the music. I'm pleased with how it turned out, I think it looks very good.
The rest of it was fiddling with the sound (never underestimate the importance of good sound), colour balancing an exterior shot which was rather rushed and over exposed and adding titles. There was also the issue of the time, which had to be under 2 minutes and 20 seconds for the Virgin Shorts competition. Sam and I sat together at my monitor debating whether or not a shot could stand to lose two frames, or just a single frame. Several things were cut in the interests of timing (including one of our actors completely) but I think what we have now is a very sharp story. I used a bit of a tv trick with the titles, layering them over the final shot in a way which intrusive, but which does keep out time down. The finished article came in at exactly 2 minutes, 19 seconds and 24 frames.
And here it is:
Also, long long overdue, here is the film Chris, Meg and I made back in February. Meg wrote, she and Chris also starred, I edited and we shared the camera responsibilities:
Inspiration
Over the year as a whole, but especially these past couple of weeks, we've been bombarded with what I think is supposed to inspire us, to make us want to be better filmmakers. Martin Scorcesse is talking about how his generation would just go out onto the street and make films (the whole world may be a sound stage, but you can definitely tell when the sound has been recorded away from one) and the stalwarts of British political drama are bemoaning the standard of modern television, where real people are never shown.
I'm glad the course covers this kind of thing, it's as close as you can get to teaching art and if it produces thirteen people who make a better kind of film then fantastic.
It's also good that we're taught something about the moral responsibility of programme-makers; I'm not a believer in the everything-must-be-suitable-for-children's-consumption doctrine, and I do think that people have a responsibility to take care of themselves, but there is a line to be drawn. The film we were shown yesterday made me hate reality tv with even more of a vengeance, and it opened all kinds of questions - put bluntly, some people shouldn't be trusted to say anything. The internet has allowed anyone and everyone to have their voices heard and what results is page upon page of drivel, much of it untrue.
Putting together the two strands, it seems that what you get is reality tv being the only respresentation of "real" people, while drama descends into more and more fantasy. I loved Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes but it ended up being a bizarre representation of some belief system I've never heard of, casting Gene Hunt in the role of Charon. Where is the BBC's The Wire? There needs to be reality outside of reality television, and I'm painfully aware that I'm writing this when my script submission deals with the question of dieting through the medium of sci-fi.
So, I have been inspired - to write and contribute to things which do have something to say. And, by the filmmakers of the 70s - to just go out and do it. They produced a lot of indulgent nonsense movies, but they also produced some of my favourite American films. I suspect that what they can't see is that the current democratisation of filmmaking, where anyone with a mobile phone can make a movie, will have a similar effect. There will be (and is) plenty of people falling down stairs, of pretentious hat wearers plonking together "meaningful" and "symbolic" images which you're just too sober to understand, but then one day someone will make All the President's Men, and it'll all be worth it.
I'm glad the course covers this kind of thing, it's as close as you can get to teaching art and if it produces thirteen people who make a better kind of film then fantastic.
It's also good that we're taught something about the moral responsibility of programme-makers; I'm not a believer in the everything-must-be-suitable-for-children's-consumption doctrine, and I do think that people have a responsibility to take care of themselves, but there is a line to be drawn. The film we were shown yesterday made me hate reality tv with even more of a vengeance, and it opened all kinds of questions - put bluntly, some people shouldn't be trusted to say anything. The internet has allowed anyone and everyone to have their voices heard and what results is page upon page of drivel, much of it untrue.
Putting together the two strands, it seems that what you get is reality tv being the only respresentation of "real" people, while drama descends into more and more fantasy. I loved Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes but it ended up being a bizarre representation of some belief system I've never heard of, casting Gene Hunt in the role of Charon. Where is the BBC's The Wire? There needs to be reality outside of reality television, and I'm painfully aware that I'm writing this when my script submission deals with the question of dieting through the medium of sci-fi.
So, I have been inspired - to write and contribute to things which do have something to say. And, by the filmmakers of the 70s - to just go out and do it. They produced a lot of indulgent nonsense movies, but they also produced some of my favourite American films. I suspect that what they can't see is that the current democratisation of filmmaking, where anyone with a mobile phone can make a movie, will have a similar effect. There will be (and is) plenty of people falling down stairs, of pretentious hat wearers plonking together "meaningful" and "symbolic" images which you're just too sober to understand, but then one day someone will make All the President's Men, and it'll all be worth it.
Monday, 31 May 2010
Easy Rider (1969)
I've heard of Easy Rider, always in reference to its landmark status, its position as a game-changer in Hollywood. It's emblematic of America's counter culture and the film industry's flourishing in the 70s. So, I was very glad to be asked to watch it, though it came at a tragically apt time as Dennis Hopper, director and star, died just the other day.
Along with my other group members, I don't feel it's aged too well. Some of the stylistic tics (the flashing back and forth between scenes) got on my nerves, and as a whole it celebrates a lifestyle which I don't respect. Some of the more improvisational scenes were really dull - it's a top tip not to give your actors marijuana and then let them say what they want.
Still, I felt it had a much stronger drive than M*A*S*H and better photography too. Some of the images were truly beautiful, and I didn't mind the long scenes which were just Steppenwolf music videos. And it gave a window onto American counter culture: from the communes to the way you could be hustled out of a diner because of your long hair. I don't know whether it's true that looking a bit hippy-ish could earn a beating or a bullet to the gut, but it bears more research.
The ending does seem to be a bit of a cop out: everybody dies. But how else do you end it? Either they die young, still riding their awesome bikes and looking cool, or they live for another 40 years, settling down, voting Republican and tutting at teenagers drinking beer until they die from cocaine related cardiac problems. Characters like Captain America and Billy either die young or live long enough to become the villains. (How did that Dark Knight quote sneak in?)
It did, however, give me a powerful need to get onto my own two-wheeler, possibly to go on a road-trip across Scotland, popping blue smarties and snorting sherbet.
Along with my other group members, I don't feel it's aged too well. Some of the stylistic tics (the flashing back and forth between scenes) got on my nerves, and as a whole it celebrates a lifestyle which I don't respect. Some of the more improvisational scenes were really dull - it's a top tip not to give your actors marijuana and then let them say what they want.
Still, I felt it had a much stronger drive than M*A*S*H and better photography too. Some of the images were truly beautiful, and I didn't mind the long scenes which were just Steppenwolf music videos. And it gave a window onto American counter culture: from the communes to the way you could be hustled out of a diner because of your long hair. I don't know whether it's true that looking a bit hippy-ish could earn a beating or a bullet to the gut, but it bears more research.
The ending does seem to be a bit of a cop out: everybody dies. But how else do you end it? Either they die young, still riding their awesome bikes and looking cool, or they live for another 40 years, settling down, voting Republican and tutting at teenagers drinking beer until they die from cocaine related cardiac problems. Characters like Captain America and Billy either die young or live long enough to become the villains. (How did that Dark Knight quote sneak in?)
It did, however, give me a powerful need to get onto my own two-wheeler, possibly to go on a road-trip across Scotland, popping blue smarties and snorting sherbet.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Filming log: Audition
This past weekend we finally got to shoot Sam's excellent little script, Audition. (Genius title, right?) I think it's an excellent example of how to make a film short and sweet and still contain all the dramatic beats you need: Noah wakes up on the morning of his dancing audition but takes the wrong music.
My role was (well actually, still is) editor but I went along to the shoot too as a general goffer - pouring glasses of water (which we really, really, needed), set dressing, heavy lifting, CD cueing and since Murray wasn't there on Saturday I stepped in briefly as a kind of Line Producer. Producing isn't really for me I think but I can, at a pinch, ask someone if we can use their path and gate. I also composed the music since we were trying not to include any copyrighted material, and after the shoot we digitised everything so I could get to work. I also did some setting up of lights, camera and sound, and it's rather shocking to realise that I can do all of that automatically now while carrying on a conversation about which shots to get.
It was good to see Sam working, and how he covered shots - very thoroughly. As editor I'll have plenty of choices and I think it'll cut together very well. My aim is to be finished by the time we start work on our end of year films, so watch this space.
My role was (well actually, still is) editor but I went along to the shoot too as a general goffer - pouring glasses of water (which we really, really, needed), set dressing, heavy lifting, CD cueing and since Murray wasn't there on Saturday I stepped in briefly as a kind of Line Producer. Producing isn't really for me I think but I can, at a pinch, ask someone if we can use their path and gate. I also composed the music since we were trying not to include any copyrighted material, and after the shoot we digitised everything so I could get to work. I also did some setting up of lights, camera and sound, and it's rather shocking to realise that I can do all of that automatically now while carrying on a conversation about which shots to get.
It was good to see Sam working, and how he covered shots - very thoroughly. As editor I'll have plenty of choices and I think it'll cut together very well. My aim is to be finished by the time we start work on our end of year films, so watch this space.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Personal reflection, all the small things
We're supposed to blog about our little eureka moments, right? This is a small one, but still: I can now coil BNCs and XLRs, in a way not likely to break them, and so they look all neat. You just have to... twist... as you coil. Which is what I've been told for several months, but which means nothing until you actually get it.
Anyway, woo!
Anyway, woo!
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
The Cat Piano
Here's an absolutely lovely short film, which uses voice-over, in the form of a poem no less, very effectively. I love the noir aesthetic even though it's an animation.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Filming Log: Candid Cabaret
First of all, how awesome are the MA Musical Theatre students? Wow. I knew they were good but their performances over the two days I filmed blew me away; occaisionally I had to lock the camera off I was laughing so hard. They're funny, engaging performers who can also smash the glassware with their belting music. I'd struggle to choose a favourite act, but special mention must go to the rendition of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" complete with crazy-eyed gyration.
But onto the filming bit. On Sunday my role was to get shots of the audience using the PD150, a cute little camera which I'm rather fond of since it's one of the first I ever used. My main job was to not disturb the audience while filming them and I think I did alright; I also used one of the tips David Liddle gave us while he was here, keeping on eye on the viewfinder and the other on the audience so I could spot when people were having interesting reactions. It's a tricky image to process but I think I got used to it by the end of the night.
As for the taxi nonsense afterwards and the exciting tale of how I got home, there's a short film in there.
The next day we had to do everything ourselves, without guidance from Ray. To be honest, I quite enjoyed it, as I got to use the bit of my head which obsessively makes lists schedules things. We all worked together well and managed to set up and do some tricksy cable hanging all in good time. We learnt some of the rules about that (for instance, I knew that cables which could be a tripping hazard need to taped down but I didn't know that the tape had to be white). The shoot itself went well, and I got to practice more on the 570, which I do need.
The taxis even worked!
But onto the filming bit. On Sunday my role was to get shots of the audience using the PD150, a cute little camera which I'm rather fond of since it's one of the first I ever used. My main job was to not disturb the audience while filming them and I think I did alright; I also used one of the tips David Liddle gave us while he was here, keeping on eye on the viewfinder and the other on the audience so I could spot when people were having interesting reactions. It's a tricky image to process but I think I got used to it by the end of the night.
As for the taxi nonsense afterwards and the exciting tale of how I got home, there's a short film in there.
The next day we had to do everything ourselves, without guidance from Ray. To be honest, I quite enjoyed it, as I got to use the bit of my head which obsessively makes lists schedules things. We all worked together well and managed to set up and do some tricksy cable hanging all in good time. We learnt some of the rules about that (for instance, I knew that cables which could be a tripping hazard need to taped down but I didn't know that the tape had to be white). The shoot itself went well, and I got to practice more on the 570, which I do need.
The taxis even worked!
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Stagecoach (1939)
Westerns aren't generally my thing; say "space westerns" and I'm there but I associate the genre far too much with the same old story: good guy vs bad guy, innocent dame looks on. Visions of Calamity Jane flash before my eyes. But then it's the same as when I say I don't like musicals, the reality is that I just don't like bad musicals, because there's a good few westerns which I've watched and enjoyed.
Stagecoach, happily, falls into that category. That must partly because Ringo, played by "it must be a Western" John Wayne, is no clean cut hero - he's a wanted criminal, but no less of a hero for it. The others are equally well developed, and I especially admired that the alcoholic Doc Boone, while he stepped up and delivered the baby, didn't undergo a radical Hollywood-schmaltz-induced character shift. It feels truer to reality - bad people can do good things.
The look is fantastic too, with the scenery and wide open spaces. You can really feel the danger the landscape posed to the pioneers, even if the cavalry did tend to arrive at a convenient point.
John Ford, one of the three masters (we all know that the other two are Ford, John and the elusive "JF") is truly a master of the camera, and he builds scenes shot by shot, and then builds the scenes up into a seamless narrative. I thought it flowed very well, from action scenes to more introspective ones.
So, I found Stagecoach to be a pleasant surprise and well worth a watch.
Stagecoach, happily, falls into that category. That must partly because Ringo, played by "it must be a Western" John Wayne, is no clean cut hero - he's a wanted criminal, but no less of a hero for it. The others are equally well developed, and I especially admired that the alcoholic Doc Boone, while he stepped up and delivered the baby, didn't undergo a radical Hollywood-schmaltz-induced character shift. It feels truer to reality - bad people can do good things.
The look is fantastic too, with the scenery and wide open spaces. You can really feel the danger the landscape posed to the pioneers, even if the cavalry did tend to arrive at a convenient point.
John Ford, one of the three masters (we all know that the other two are Ford, John and the elusive "JF") is truly a master of the camera, and he builds scenes shot by shot, and then builds the scenes up into a seamless narrative. I thought it flowed very well, from action scenes to more introspective ones.
So, I found Stagecoach to be a pleasant surprise and well worth a watch.
I agree with Nick
My main feelings about the election and the way it has been conducted are despair, nausea and apathy.
The BBC is shackled by its requirement for balance, meaning that it can't express any actual opinion on what happens, theoretically so we can make up our own mind, but really just making them bend over backwards not to truly probe anyone. The other networks are plagued by quite the opposite problem, especially Sky News, the official channel of Rupert Murdoch and his best friend Dave. The introduction of televised debates invites squabbling among the smaller parties and allows Nick Clegg to be named most popular man in Britain simply by not having a face that has either melted or is in the process of melting.
It's an American conceit, and it transfers poorly to Britain in my opinion. In America they talk about lofty abstracts, while here we discuss the minutae of OAP's bus passes. Both are important, but majestic oration looks a lot better onscreen.
My least favourite things of all are the rampant visual metaphors: explaining politics in terms of three piglets named Gordon, Dave and Nick doesn't make you accessible, it makes you stupid. The graphics are an improvement on the last election, where we were treated to hideous computer modellings of the three leaders sprinting down a virtual Downing St, but are still overly complicated and flashy.
I think what people really want to know is what each party stands for, and their previous records. I'd also love to see some more passion in the way politics is covered - is no one else angry and disillusioned? When Gordon talks about his excellent record as Chancellor, why does no one challenge him and point out that he's lying through his teeth and has been for over a decade?
The media is as part of the dance of politics as the MPs in Westminster, and while they talk about the desire for change in Britain, they do nothing to help it.
I'm looking forward to Channel 4's "Alternative Election Night" which promises to at least be a laugh.
I'll be voting tomorrow, but I don't hope that any party who wins will be any good. Tragic to see such cynicism in one so young.
The BBC is shackled by its requirement for balance, meaning that it can't express any actual opinion on what happens, theoretically so we can make up our own mind, but really just making them bend over backwards not to truly probe anyone. The other networks are plagued by quite the opposite problem, especially Sky News, the official channel of Rupert Murdoch and his best friend Dave. The introduction of televised debates invites squabbling among the smaller parties and allows Nick Clegg to be named most popular man in Britain simply by not having a face that has either melted or is in the process of melting.
It's an American conceit, and it transfers poorly to Britain in my opinion. In America they talk about lofty abstracts, while here we discuss the minutae of OAP's bus passes. Both are important, but majestic oration looks a lot better onscreen.
My least favourite things of all are the rampant visual metaphors: explaining politics in terms of three piglets named Gordon, Dave and Nick doesn't make you accessible, it makes you stupid. The graphics are an improvement on the last election, where we were treated to hideous computer modellings of the three leaders sprinting down a virtual Downing St, but are still overly complicated and flashy.
I think what people really want to know is what each party stands for, and their previous records. I'd also love to see some more passion in the way politics is covered - is no one else angry and disillusioned? When Gordon talks about his excellent record as Chancellor, why does no one challenge him and point out that he's lying through his teeth and has been for over a decade?
The media is as part of the dance of politics as the MPs in Westminster, and while they talk about the desire for change in Britain, they do nothing to help it.
I'm looking forward to Channel 4's "Alternative Election Night" which promises to at least be a laugh.
I'll be voting tomorrow, but I don't hope that any party who wins will be any good. Tragic to see such cynicism in one so young.
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Reflection on content origination
I've decided to switch up how I do my reflective blogging, since I'm sure we can agree that "On Monday I did this, and on Tuesday I did this (except you already know, you were there)" got old fast. So now, I'll reflect when I actually have something to reflect upon, such as after a shoot, or, as now, when a class particularly gives me pause for thought.
Adam's classes on content origination are great, and we all leave enthusiastically thinking about how the next thing we write will surely be genius. Lately we've been talking about mobile content, and it's a field which appeals to me especially since I've been on the consuming end for a long time.
As is usually the case, Doctor Who was my first real experience of web content. When it was rebooted it came with a shiny new website and all manner of tie-ins and what-nots. A quick raid on my bookmarks throws up the dalek game, the bad wolf website and UNIT's own website. More recently they have a make-your-own-trailer application and a make-your-own-comic section. Very cool. Makes me wish I was thirteen again. (Except really not, no amount of cool internet stuff is worth that.)
Battlestar Galactica did the webisode thing very well but then it would, wouldn't it?
The big new thing being talked about now is Project Canvas and it's very exciting. I'll be waking up on Friday praying that the Tories haven't won simply so that we'll still get it, although I think a far better name would be "Project Sandpit" because I believe that is what it gives television the potential to be.
Thinking of a show as a sandpit of ideas is hardly new, it's just not usually done in any official capacity. What it does is opens up all those avenues of storylines you can't pursue in a standard drama; the interesting secondary characters, the non-essential but enjoyable backstories, that bit of character interaction you cut from the script because it went over 60 minutes.
This is absolutely the least structured bit of reflection I've done, but it's more a sort of percolation of ideas about the class and what I think can be done with mobile content.
Adam's classes on content origination are great, and we all leave enthusiastically thinking about how the next thing we write will surely be genius. Lately we've been talking about mobile content, and it's a field which appeals to me especially since I've been on the consuming end for a long time.
As is usually the case, Doctor Who was my first real experience of web content. When it was rebooted it came with a shiny new website and all manner of tie-ins and what-nots. A quick raid on my bookmarks throws up the dalek game, the bad wolf website and UNIT's own website. More recently they have a make-your-own-trailer application and a make-your-own-comic section. Very cool. Makes me wish I was thirteen again. (Except really not, no amount of cool internet stuff is worth that.)
Battlestar Galactica did the webisode thing very well but then it would, wouldn't it?
The big new thing being talked about now is Project Canvas and it's very exciting. I'll be waking up on Friday praying that the Tories haven't won simply so that we'll still get it, although I think a far better name would be "Project Sandpit" because I believe that is what it gives television the potential to be.
Thinking of a show as a sandpit of ideas is hardly new, it's just not usually done in any official capacity. What it does is opens up all those avenues of storylines you can't pursue in a standard drama; the interesting secondary characters, the non-essential but enjoyable backstories, that bit of character interaction you cut from the script because it went over 60 minutes.
This is absolutely the least structured bit of reflection I've done, but it's more a sort of percolation of ideas about the class and what I think can be done with mobile content.
Agora (2009)
I had an uncanny feeling that I had made this film myself and then forgotten all about it. You couldn't actually find anything closer to what I care about.
The story concerns the city of Alexandria shortly after the legalisation of Christianity, following three characters fortunes in the societal upheaval that brings: a slave, a member of the elite, and Hepatia, a brilliant physicist and philosopher.
I want to talk about Hepatia, played by Rachel Weisz, because she really is an example of a strong female character in a modern film, and after what we've been discussing in class it bears discussion. She's intelligent, self-motivated and the bravest character in the film. They don't even end up copping out by saying that while all that cleverness etc is all very well, what she really needs is a husband and children. She does wind up punished - brutally, too - but since this is historical fiction you can chalk that up to reality rather than the writers, since Hepatia the Philosopher was indeed stoned to death and then carried through the streets naked.
The encompassing argument of the film is about the role of religion in the state (ie: it's a very bad idea, and tends to get people stoned to death) and the danger of dogmatic religion full stop (ie: if you can't tolerate heathens, then you end up destroying their libraries and all the brilliant things they do). Equal weight is given to both the outgoing pagans' brutalities and the identical brutalities committed by the even more self-righteous new christians. It lampoons hypocritical, political religion when the elite converts en masse to maintain their power in the new order, and quotes some of the less fun bits of the new testament, namely the bit about women being second class citizens (that's what gets Hepatia stoned to death - her intelligence makes her a witch, apparently).
It's a brilliant film - well written, well acted, and surprisingly well CGI'd. I expected it to look a little bit more low budget but the sets and the CGI accompaniments are very well done. Oh, and Rachel Weisz's costumes are beautiful.
It's such a pity then that it was buried in the graveyard screen, only screen twice a day and given virtually no publicity. If it's still on, then I encourage you go and see it. If not, I know I'm going to get the DVD.
The story concerns the city of Alexandria shortly after the legalisation of Christianity, following three characters fortunes in the societal upheaval that brings: a slave, a member of the elite, and Hepatia, a brilliant physicist and philosopher.
I want to talk about Hepatia, played by Rachel Weisz, because she really is an example of a strong female character in a modern film, and after what we've been discussing in class it bears discussion. She's intelligent, self-motivated and the bravest character in the film. They don't even end up copping out by saying that while all that cleverness etc is all very well, what she really needs is a husband and children. She does wind up punished - brutally, too - but since this is historical fiction you can chalk that up to reality rather than the writers, since Hepatia the Philosopher was indeed stoned to death and then carried through the streets naked.
The encompassing argument of the film is about the role of religion in the state (ie: it's a very bad idea, and tends to get people stoned to death) and the danger of dogmatic religion full stop (ie: if you can't tolerate heathens, then you end up destroying their libraries and all the brilliant things they do). Equal weight is given to both the outgoing pagans' brutalities and the identical brutalities committed by the even more self-righteous new christians. It lampoons hypocritical, political religion when the elite converts en masse to maintain their power in the new order, and quotes some of the less fun bits of the new testament, namely the bit about women being second class citizens (that's what gets Hepatia stoned to death - her intelligence makes her a witch, apparently).
It's a brilliant film - well written, well acted, and surprisingly well CGI'd. I expected it to look a little bit more low budget but the sets and the CGI accompaniments are very well done. Oh, and Rachel Weisz's costumes are beautiful.
It's such a pity then that it was buried in the graveyard screen, only screen twice a day and given virtually no publicity. If it's still on, then I encourage you go and see it. If not, I know I'm going to get the DVD.
Iron Man 2
And, because I know not everyone leapt to see this at the first possible opportunity, this is a spoiler free zone.
I really did see Iron Man 2 at the first opportunity: I woke up early on Thursday morning when we didn't have class to see the first preview at 10am. Flick? Voluntarily giving up morning sleep? It must be serious. I was surprised to find a queue outside the cinema, and so was an ordinary member of the public who just wanted to see The Blind Side and found themselves surrounded by disreputable geeky types.
The problem with any film you're looking forward to is that it can let you down painfully, so I'm very glad to report that I enjoyed it. Very much. In fact, I had a fixed grin throughout the whole, only excepting the sad bit which I won't elaborate on but which is heartbreaking, mainly because of what a genius performer Robert Downey Jr is. Yet again he balances the inherent arrogant bastardness of Tony Stark with his heroism. The action scenes were very good, there was sufficient Tony-inventing-stuff and I continue to hope that someone will invent a computer like the one he has because wow, that is cool. Almost as cool as the suitcase armour.
On thing which irritated me was that Jon Favreau gave himself a bigger role in 2 than in the first, because while I adore him as a director (Iron Man and Elf? What's not to love?) as an actor he gets on my nerves for some indefinable reason. Still, it's a very little thing.
It made me very happy that every single person in the cinema stayed during the credits expecting a bonus scene and that there was a cheer when you saw the SPOILER GOES HERE.
On Saturday me and Harry went to see it in the imax and while I still enjoyed the film, I wasn't particularly blown away by the cinema experience. It was big, yeah, but not all that much bigger than cineworld's screen 3 (where it's screening anyway) and it's a whole lot more inconvenient. So, not really sold on imax.
I really did see Iron Man 2 at the first opportunity: I woke up early on Thursday morning when we didn't have class to see the first preview at 10am. Flick? Voluntarily giving up morning sleep? It must be serious. I was surprised to find a queue outside the cinema, and so was an ordinary member of the public who just wanted to see The Blind Side and found themselves surrounded by disreputable geeky types.
The problem with any film you're looking forward to is that it can let you down painfully, so I'm very glad to report that I enjoyed it. Very much. In fact, I had a fixed grin throughout the whole, only excepting the sad bit which I won't elaborate on but which is heartbreaking, mainly because of what a genius performer Robert Downey Jr is. Yet again he balances the inherent arrogant bastardness of Tony Stark with his heroism. The action scenes were very good, there was sufficient Tony-inventing-stuff and I continue to hope that someone will invent a computer like the one he has because wow, that is cool. Almost as cool as the suitcase armour.
On thing which irritated me was that Jon Favreau gave himself a bigger role in 2 than in the first, because while I adore him as a director (Iron Man and Elf? What's not to love?) as an actor he gets on my nerves for some indefinable reason. Still, it's a very little thing.
It made me very happy that every single person in the cinema stayed during the credits expecting a bonus scene and that there was a cheer when you saw the SPOILER GOES HERE.
On Saturday me and Harry went to see it in the imax and while I still enjoyed the film, I wasn't particularly blown away by the cinema experience. It was big, yeah, but not all that much bigger than cineworld's screen 3 (where it's screening anyway) and it's a whole lot more inconvenient. So, not really sold on imax.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Hot or cold?
A cold open (also called a teaser) in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening ...
The best example of this is Star Wars, where you get no titles or credits, launching straight into the backstory and then into Leia's ship, confronting Darth Vader. It couldn't be done any other way. Another would be Resevoir Dogs, where it begins with the team discussing Madonna songs in a diner (among other things) and then walking iconically down a road.
Personally, I like this kind of opening - it gets you directly involved with the action and there's no messing about beforehand. Beginning with credits feels rather too close to the old films (such as The Best Days Of Our Lives).
But there are still films which start with listing all the who-did-whats with a meaningful graphic behind it. Dr Strangelove did it, and so did Centurion more recently (this was what sparked my thoughts).
So people, what do you think? Do you prefer a hot or a cold opening? (And yes, this is a blatant attempt to encourage you to comment.)
Oh, and if I got my details on films wrong, do correct me - I'm doing this entirely from memory.
The best example of this is Star Wars, where you get no titles or credits, launching straight into the backstory and then into Leia's ship, confronting Darth Vader. It couldn't be done any other way. Another would be Resevoir Dogs, where it begins with the team discussing Madonna songs in a diner (among other things) and then walking iconically down a road.
Personally, I like this kind of opening - it gets you directly involved with the action and there's no messing about beforehand. Beginning with credits feels rather too close to the old films (such as The Best Days Of Our Lives).
But there are still films which start with listing all the who-did-whats with a meaningful graphic behind it. Dr Strangelove did it, and so did Centurion more recently (this was what sparked my thoughts).
So people, what do you think? Do you prefer a hot or a cold opening? (And yes, this is a blatant attempt to encourage you to comment.)
Oh, and if I got my details on films wrong, do correct me - I'm doing this entirely from memory.
Friday, 16 April 2010
Doctor Who
I love Doctor Who. Love it, and know far more than any one person ought to about it. In fact, my study of all things Who went a long way to teaching me about television, the way it's written and made, and got me thinking about the possibility for expansion in television. I'm glad I was dropped into the serious business end of the fandom, more interested in analysing the themes of Paul Cornell's writing than the finer aspects of how hawt David Tenant is.
In the first four series of the relaunch, a few things became very clear, and the clearest was that Steven Moffat is a brilliant writer. He wrote the best two episodes of season 1 (The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances), one of the best of season 2 (The Girl in the Fireplace), the best of season 3 and one of the scariest of all time (Blink) and while his contribution to season 4 didn't wow me especially (The Library) that is only in comparison to his other work, as a part of the whole season it was very strong.
He writes brilliant, lovable characters: Captain Jack, Sally Sparrow, Madame de Pompadour, River Song.
He uses the inherent premise of the show - timetravel - in interesting ways, and incorporates imaginative technology: microscopic robots which create clones of one person, a ship trying repair itself using organic components cannibalised from the crew, meeting someone at various points in their life while for you it's only been minutes, creatures which can only ever move when you don't look at them, leaving messages in the past for people in the future.
And most of all, his stories are scary as hell. Who can forget the armies of gas-masked clones, or the smell of "barbecue" in the Madame de Pompadour? I know that for weeks after Blink all my sister had to do was freeze making a grimace and I would be sent into a panic.
So imagine my glee when I heard that the replacement for Russel T Davies would be none other than Steven Moffat. Whole seasons guided by his brilliance. Oh my.
From here on in, it's gets SPOILERY, so beware ye who enter.
I was actually rather anxious to watch The Eleventh Hour because I had such high hopes for it. What if it didn't live up to my expectations? What if I hated Matt Smith, what if Amy Pond turned out to be a cold kipper? Added to which, I couldn't watch it during broadcast, being too busy driving tractors and fending off feral ponies with nothing more than a sharpened stick.
My fears were in vain, however, since it was magnificent. This is perhaps not the level a film student should be speaking in, but I loved it, every bit of it: I love Matt Smith, I love the Eleventh Doctor, I love Amy Pond, I love the plot, the timetravel cleverness, I loved the fish custard, the giant toothy eel thing, the stop motion effect they used, the new costume, the new TARDIS, the long term arc they seem to be on, the dialogue. Everything then. Especially the bit with all the Doctors, yay geek moment!
Its success rested a lot on Matt Smith and I'm very glad I got to see his episode of The Street, because it showed that he is a very good actor. I like his character: sometimes unpleasant, sometimes charming, and usually oblivious to wordly conventions. Thank goodness, he manages to appear older than he looks - I was rather put off by how young he is.
The second episode, The Beast Below, while it was still doing some introduction had more freedom to go do something plotty and it did not disappoint. The idea is the kind of thing which I adore: it's dark, relevant and manages to be depressing and still have an uplifting message. SPOILERS, again, you have been warned! The people of Britain, all bundled into a starship to escape Earth, are secretly powering their vessel by exploiting and torturing a giant alien creature. They live in something akin to a police state, with so called worthless citizens going missing. Every five years they have a choice: to vote to object to this state of affairs, or to have their memory wiped. Almost everyone chooses to forget and live happily, and those who don't are killed.
This is a kid's show. And it's saying that democracy is a joke, we live off the backs of others' suffering, humans are self-interested jerks, and most of them are fascists.
Absolutely fantastic.
And tomorrow, it's Daleks. I can't wait.
In the first four series of the relaunch, a few things became very clear, and the clearest was that Steven Moffat is a brilliant writer. He wrote the best two episodes of season 1 (The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances), one of the best of season 2 (The Girl in the Fireplace), the best of season 3 and one of the scariest of all time (Blink) and while his contribution to season 4 didn't wow me especially (The Library) that is only in comparison to his other work, as a part of the whole season it was very strong.
He writes brilliant, lovable characters: Captain Jack, Sally Sparrow, Madame de Pompadour, River Song.
He uses the inherent premise of the show - timetravel - in interesting ways, and incorporates imaginative technology: microscopic robots which create clones of one person, a ship trying repair itself using organic components cannibalised from the crew, meeting someone at various points in their life while for you it's only been minutes, creatures which can only ever move when you don't look at them, leaving messages in the past for people in the future.
And most of all, his stories are scary as hell. Who can forget the armies of gas-masked clones, or the smell of "barbecue" in the Madame de Pompadour? I know that for weeks after Blink all my sister had to do was freeze making a grimace and I would be sent into a panic.
So imagine my glee when I heard that the replacement for Russel T Davies would be none other than Steven Moffat. Whole seasons guided by his brilliance. Oh my.
From here on in, it's gets SPOILERY, so beware ye who enter.
I was actually rather anxious to watch The Eleventh Hour because I had such high hopes for it. What if it didn't live up to my expectations? What if I hated Matt Smith, what if Amy Pond turned out to be a cold kipper? Added to which, I couldn't watch it during broadcast, being too busy driving tractors and fending off feral ponies with nothing more than a sharpened stick.
My fears were in vain, however, since it was magnificent. This is perhaps not the level a film student should be speaking in, but I loved it, every bit of it: I love Matt Smith, I love the Eleventh Doctor, I love Amy Pond, I love the plot, the timetravel cleverness, I loved the fish custard, the giant toothy eel thing, the stop motion effect they used, the new costume, the new TARDIS, the long term arc they seem to be on, the dialogue. Everything then. Especially the bit with all the Doctors, yay geek moment!
Its success rested a lot on Matt Smith and I'm very glad I got to see his episode of The Street, because it showed that he is a very good actor. I like his character: sometimes unpleasant, sometimes charming, and usually oblivious to wordly conventions. Thank goodness, he manages to appear older than he looks - I was rather put off by how young he is.
The second episode, The Beast Below, while it was still doing some introduction had more freedom to go do something plotty and it did not disappoint. The idea is the kind of thing which I adore: it's dark, relevant and manages to be depressing and still have an uplifting message. SPOILERS, again, you have been warned! The people of Britain, all bundled into a starship to escape Earth, are secretly powering their vessel by exploiting and torturing a giant alien creature. They live in something akin to a police state, with so called worthless citizens going missing. Every five years they have a choice: to vote to object to this state of affairs, or to have their memory wiped. Almost everyone chooses to forget and live happily, and those who don't are killed.
This is a kid's show. And it's saying that democracy is a joke, we live off the backs of others' suffering, humans are self-interested jerks, and most of them are fascists.
Absolutely fantastic.
And tomorrow, it's Daleks. I can't wait.
Easter Hols
Another term, another big catch-up write-up to cover what I've been doing these past couple of weeks. Well, for part of it, I was far out in the depths of Dartmoor and thus couldn't get to a cinema without hikacking the tractor and making a daring getaway; I only got as far as the next field, unfortunately, as the feral ponies foiled my plan. However, I do have a few things I can talk about:
American Gods
It's hardly surprising that a geek like me is a Neil Gaiman fan, but I've actually only dipped my toes in his writings, a few library copies of Sandman here and there, the odd book, most notably Good Omens which I swear I will adapt one day. However, I picked up a copy of American Gods during the tragic Borders closing down sale and finally got time to rip into it as I enjoyed the solitude of the Devon countryside.
It's an engaging mixture of the mundane and the supernatural, incorporating mythology into modern-day America. The premise is this: when people came to America, they brought their gods, but quickly forgot them, leaving them to live ordinary lives as best they can. The story is about the conflict between the old gods and the new, with plenty of twists and turns and a whole array of characters, taking mainly from the minor European pantheons (is it possible to have a plural of "pantheon"? Is it by definition singular? Hmm) and from Africa.
Anyway, s'a good book and worth a read if you have some disposable time.
Clash of the Titans
Apparently no one on earth - no one I know anyway - has even heard of the original. This makes me sad, because I love the original with its stop motion animation and its craziness. At least it got a nod whenJake Sully Perseus finds a clockwork owl in the weapons room.
The trailer for this film had me pretty excited, and it didn't really prove a let down. The trailer does, by the way, give away most of set pieces, but that's how you sell a film!
The story is classically structured, but then what would you expect? It was nice to see the narrative unfold neatly with its mid-points and crisis-points, its protagonist and its themes. It didn't go in the direction I hoped it would, and which the tag line almost-but-not-quite hinted - Damn The Gods. It's a shame because they set up a strong line throughout the film that the Greek pantheon (yet again with the pantheon business) were a bunch of bastards 90% of the time; Zeus and Poseidon are both explicitly stated to be rapists, in addition to which they quite merrily go around killing people and stabbing each other in the back. It was all going so well, but then, at the end, Zeus is let off and they all share a laugh. Shame.
Also on the negative side is that Gemma Arterton's flat as Kansas voice insisted on being there. She's very pretty, I'll grant, and not a bad actress, but her vocal expression is nil and sounds always looks as if it were dubbed with expert attention the lip sync but with no concern given to the performance. Good to see she'll be rocking the toga again in Prince of Persia.
The rest of the cast were very strong, with plenty of recognisable names and faces: Pete Poslethwaite, Sam Worthington*, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes*, Hans Matheson, Polly Walker*,Tony Nicolas Hoult and Effy Kaya Scodelario. Oh, and there were flying ponies. Gotta love that.
My last word on the film is this though - I could not get over a small giggle every time they said "Argos". Curse you, retail outlet, for spoiling the name of an ancient civilisation!
*all of them thoroughly typecast as, respectively: a hero, a deformed villain and an amoral woman.
I was going to write about Doctor Who here, but I think I need a post of its own to contain the outpouring of love I have for Steven Moffat et al.
American Gods
It's hardly surprising that a geek like me is a Neil Gaiman fan, but I've actually only dipped my toes in his writings, a few library copies of Sandman here and there, the odd book, most notably Good Omens which I swear I will adapt one day. However, I picked up a copy of American Gods during the tragic Borders closing down sale and finally got time to rip into it as I enjoyed the solitude of the Devon countryside.
It's an engaging mixture of the mundane and the supernatural, incorporating mythology into modern-day America. The premise is this: when people came to America, they brought their gods, but quickly forgot them, leaving them to live ordinary lives as best they can. The story is about the conflict between the old gods and the new, with plenty of twists and turns and a whole array of characters, taking mainly from the minor European pantheons (is it possible to have a plural of "pantheon"? Is it by definition singular? Hmm) and from Africa.
Anyway, s'a good book and worth a read if you have some disposable time.
Clash of the Titans
Apparently no one on earth - no one I know anyway - has even heard of the original. This makes me sad, because I love the original with its stop motion animation and its craziness. At least it got a nod when
The trailer for this film had me pretty excited, and it didn't really prove a let down. The trailer does, by the way, give away most of set pieces, but that's how you sell a film!
The story is classically structured, but then what would you expect? It was nice to see the narrative unfold neatly with its mid-points and crisis-points, its protagonist and its themes. It didn't go in the direction I hoped it would, and which the tag line almost-but-not-quite hinted - Damn The Gods. It's a shame because they set up a strong line throughout the film that the Greek pantheon (yet again with the pantheon business) were a bunch of bastards 90% of the time; Zeus and Poseidon are both explicitly stated to be rapists, in addition to which they quite merrily go around killing people and stabbing each other in the back. It was all going so well, but then, at the end, Zeus is let off and they all share a laugh. Shame.
Also on the negative side is that Gemma Arterton's flat as Kansas voice insisted on being there. She's very pretty, I'll grant, and not a bad actress, but her vocal expression is nil and sounds always looks as if it were dubbed with expert attention the lip sync but with no concern given to the performance. Good to see she'll be rocking the toga again in Prince of Persia.
The rest of the cast were very strong, with plenty of recognisable names and faces: Pete Poslethwaite, Sam Worthington*, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes*, Hans Matheson, Polly Walker*,
My last word on the film is this though - I could not get over a small giggle every time they said "Argos". Curse you, retail outlet, for spoiling the name of an ancient civilisation!
*all of them thoroughly typecast as, respectively: a hero, a deformed villain and an amoral woman.
I was going to write about Doctor Who here, but I think I need a post of its own to contain the outpouring of love I have for Steven Moffat et al.
Monday, 29 March 2010
Oh dear
Just saw the news that Uma Thurman's latest film, Motherhood, which was made for $3m and which also featured Minnie Driver, closed after only taking £88 on its opening weekend. No, that's not a typo - only eleven people went to see it. Ouch.
Goes to show that big names mean nothing in getting a film seen, and that filmmaking is incredibly financially dangerous, but then I think we all knew that.
Goes to show that big names mean nothing in getting a film seen, and that filmmaking is incredibly financially dangerous, but then I think we all knew that.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Filming log: Home
I remember from my theatre days the exhausted thrill of production week: working from 9am til midnight, stumbling around school like a zombie*, normal eating habits obliterated and replaced with what could be found in Tescos. The level of obsession where you can recite not only your lines, but everyone else's as well. At double speed.
Were it not for the generous intervention of my sister, I would have just eaten a meal of noodles and digestive biscuits several times.
Our first location was the Necropolis, and as a whole it went smoothly although there was conflict, and there was extreme cold, and there was a breeze which made our balloon behave exactly the opposite to what we wanted. Fiona, our actress, was perfectly lovely and up for all the crazy things we asked her to do. Also, her hair is amazing.
The less said about our seedy alleyway location the better. Suffice to say, it lived up to the adjective "seedy" and beyond.
We also filmed a little at mine, where we saw for ourselves that bringing lights into the equation makes everything take twice as long. Upon reflection, the Dedo kit we took out was insufficient to light my living room, which is very large. It's a shame, because we couldn't get the wide shot we wanted without it looking unbearably stagey so we did what we could and adjusted the framing.
Out in the park things went surprisingly smoothly! We had our obligatory run-ins with methadone spitting jaekies and the weather constantly threatened us with a downpour but it held out just long enough for us to get our shots. The wind frustrated us in our balloon-wrangling attempts and also threatened to send some throw cushions into orbit. Everyone in a high-vis jacket wanted to talk to us but Murray just flourished his email from Brian Scott and doors were miraculously opened.
In fact, Murray has quite a talent for opening doors. I thought for a while we was a magician of some kind, but it became clear that he must be a Jedi; he waves his hand and officials fall over themselves to give him free parking or access to remote locations. He says "jump" and they say "how high?".
Matt, our other actor, was a right laugh and he and Fiona hit it off well enough that getting them to kiss wasn't quite as excruciating as I was expecting it to be. I wasn't really looking forward to it, but it really wasn't so bad.
The only thing left to mention is the tragedy of the Dog Who Stole Lunch: for the sustenance of the cast and crew I cooked three pizzas the night before and brought them along for delicious cold pizza snacking; a pack of dogs decided to join in and after circling us and howling (probably auditioning for when we make a western) it dived in and swallowed a slice whole, slobbering all over what was left. Tragic.
Well, Home has had a rather similar effect.
This rather sums up the level my brain has been operating on:
Were it not for the generous intervention of my sister, I would have just eaten a meal of noodles and digestive biscuits several times.
Our first location was the Necropolis, and as a whole it went smoothly although there was conflict, and there was extreme cold, and there was a breeze which made our balloon behave exactly the opposite to what we wanted. Fiona, our actress, was perfectly lovely and up for all the crazy things we asked her to do. Also, her hair is amazing.
The less said about our seedy alleyway location the better. Suffice to say, it lived up to the adjective "seedy" and beyond.
We also filmed a little at mine, where we saw for ourselves that bringing lights into the equation makes everything take twice as long. Upon reflection, the Dedo kit we took out was insufficient to light my living room, which is very large. It's a shame, because we couldn't get the wide shot we wanted without it looking unbearably stagey so we did what we could and adjusted the framing.
Out in the park things went surprisingly smoothly! We had our obligatory run-ins with methadone spitting jaekies and the weather constantly threatened us with a downpour but it held out just long enough for us to get our shots. The wind frustrated us in our balloon-wrangling attempts and also threatened to send some throw cushions into orbit. Everyone in a high-vis jacket wanted to talk to us but Murray just flourished his email from Brian Scott and doors were miraculously opened.
In fact, Murray has quite a talent for opening doors. I thought for a while we was a magician of some kind, but it became clear that he must be a Jedi; he waves his hand and officials fall over themselves to give him free parking or access to remote locations. He says "jump" and they say "how high?".
Matt, our other actor, was a right laugh and he and Fiona hit it off well enough that getting them to kiss wasn't quite as excruciating as I was expecting it to be. I wasn't really looking forward to it, but it really wasn't so bad.
The only thing left to mention is the tragedy of the Dog Who Stole Lunch: for the sustenance of the cast and crew I cooked three pizzas the night before and brought them along for delicious cold pizza snacking; a pack of dogs decided to join in and after circling us and howling (probably auditioning for when we make a western) it dived in and swallowed a slice whole, slobbering all over what was left. Tragic.
Things I have learnt:
- the importance of everyone sitting down and thrashing out the details
- spending all of one's time wandering the west end of glasgow is tiring
- Murray's phone has some brilliant 90s tunes on it, and Ada and I will dance to them in the back seat of his car
- the Necropolis is surprisingly lovely
- if you choose to use a location beside the river, be prepared to turn up and find the police already there
- I can survive on fried eggs and toast for a long time but it's a bad idea
- charm is essential
- never work with children, animals, or balloons
- tea and biscuits are always welcome
- you can make a lily open with a hair drier with a diffuser attached (thanks Ada's boyfriend's mum!) but that won't stop it from becoming so battered it's unusable
- thermal socks are a godsend
- nattily, you can import a spreadsheet of your timecodes into Final Cut making batch capture a whole tonne easier
Now I just want to see the footage and get on with the editing - it's going to be exciting!
So here's a goal: let's try and keep my life on track at the same time as making a film next time! That means: housework, cooking actual meals and seeing people not directly involved in the film. This may be the least achievable goal I've ever set.
*I have looked back on notes made during production weeks and had no memory of a topic ever being taught
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Filming log: Into The New, aka: the emperor's new clothes
So. Into The New.
I have to ask why we were there - most of the performances we filmed are untranslatable, powerful only when live. Even if not, they were so dark that they hardly registered. Any experience is good experience, but there's nothing overly creative about standing and following someone onstage (I know, that accounts for 90% of what I did at high school). We were more often than not treated like scum by the performers and the technical staff.
I will say that I have never de-rigged with such alacrity as after the symposium, nor had greater need for the free bar afterwards. And now I'll have wonderful stories to tell the next first years, of naked people interacting with sand/flowers/glitter/twigs, of people throwing up or cutting themselves, and of our provocative dress.
Things I have learnt:
I have to ask why we were there - most of the performances we filmed are untranslatable, powerful only when live. Even if not, they were so dark that they hardly registered. Any experience is good experience, but there's nothing overly creative about standing and following someone onstage (I know, that accounts for 90% of what I did at high school). We were more often than not treated like scum by the performers and the technical staff.
I will say that I have never de-rigged with such alacrity as after the symposium, nor had greater need for the free bar afterwards. And now I'll have wonderful stories to tell the next first years, of naked people interacting with sand/flowers/glitter/twigs, of people throwing up or cutting themselves, and of our provocative dress.
Things I have learnt:
- never respond to those emails asking to borrow something to be used in a performance
- symposium doesn't mean what it once did
- often, the sanest person in the room is the one with the facial tattoos
- don't take the tutors' word when they say everyone is "excited" for us to be there
- Scrummy Yummy pizza does what it says on the box
- it is an invaluable skill to be able to find out when there will be a journal launch where there will be free champagne and a buffet
The White African (2009)
The question this film asks is, "can you be white and African?" The answer is evidently yes, since how else would you describe Mike Campbell and Ben Freeth, the indefatigable farmers fighting for their land as Mugabe's men attempt to seize it.
Their bravery in the face of regular invasions, abductions and beatings is astounding, as is that of the filmmakers who risked their lives to film illegally. Mike barely blinks when he is told seven armed men are in the orchard and goes out to deal with them after he's finished his drink.
For me, it was one of the most affecting films I've seen - I haven't cried that much in a cinema since Up - not that there were many people there to witness it, since a total of four people went to see it, and that's not hyperbole. It will be shown on More4 in the near future though, so perhaps it could double it's audience!
Their bravery in the face of regular invasions, abductions and beatings is astounding, as is that of the filmmakers who risked their lives to film illegally. Mike barely blinks when he is told seven armed men are in the orchard and goes out to deal with them after he's finished his drink.
For me, it was one of the most affecting films I've seen - I haven't cried that much in a cinema since Up - not that there were many people there to witness it, since a total of four people went to see it, and that's not hyperbole. It will be shown on More4 in the near future though, so perhaps it could double it's audience!
This week, I've mostly been reading...
Voltaire!
Could I be more pretentious? Probably not.
However, he is one of my favourite writers, and while my French is woefully inadequate I have a very good translation by the Oxford World Classics people and they know their stuff.
All of Voltaire's stories follow the same basic principle: an innocent character goes out into the world and reveals various truths about it to the reader through their naitvety. The most famous example is Candide, whose motto was that this was "the best of all possible worlds" despite what happened to him. the same pattern is followed by Micromegas, The Ingenue and my favourite, Zadig. They're not high literature, but rather beautifully written parables on philosophical subjects.
Zadig is in part a spoof of the fashion for oriental literature, in part a celebration of empiricism and partly a mourning of the injustice of the world. He's also the prototype for every detective ever since - before there were your Dupins, your Sherlock Holmeses or your Horatio Canes, there was Zadig.
I also felt like I wanted to mention this because it's acceptable, or even fashionable, these adays to declare yourself "the enemy of the enlightenment". Well, you can hand back your antibiotics and your iPhones in that case.
Could I be more pretentious? Probably not.
However, he is one of my favourite writers, and while my French is woefully inadequate I have a very good translation by the Oxford World Classics people and they know their stuff.
All of Voltaire's stories follow the same basic principle: an innocent character goes out into the world and reveals various truths about it to the reader through their naitvety. The most famous example is Candide, whose motto was that this was "the best of all possible worlds" despite what happened to him. the same pattern is followed by Micromegas, The Ingenue and my favourite, Zadig. They're not high literature, but rather beautifully written parables on philosophical subjects.
Zadig is in part a spoof of the fashion for oriental literature, in part a celebration of empiricism and partly a mourning of the injustice of the world. He's also the prototype for every detective ever since - before there were your Dupins, your Sherlock Holmeses or your Horatio Canes, there was Zadig.
I also felt like I wanted to mention this because it's acceptable, or even fashionable, these adays to declare yourself "the enemy of the enlightenment". Well, you can hand back your antibiotics and your iPhones in that case.
The Bubble
This new Friday night comedy quiz show is a few weeks in, and I already think it's a good format. The premise is that you send three celebrities into complete isolation from all sources of news for a couple of days and then you bring them into a studio and quiz them about what might have been in the news. There's plenty of opportunity for jokes and outrageous headlines and all in all it's very entertaining, if not a laugh a minute.
One slight problem is that when the makers choose very obscure stories, the viewer is just as out of the loop as the contestants, and they no longer feel in on the joke, and by the nature of the programme you actually have to be reading the red tops to get them.
Also, they seem to be missing out on an opportunity for online content (see how I tied that in with our mobile content class?). Why not have a camera crew drop into the house where the quarantined celebs are living to get some no-doubt hilarious footage (or at the very least voyeuristic)? I had chat with Murray about this and he said that they didn't want it to be like Big Brother, which is fair enough, but then he also suggested that they could, each day, guess a news story which had occurred (playing it for laughs of course). Hire us now BBC!
One slight problem is that when the makers choose very obscure stories, the viewer is just as out of the loop as the contestants, and they no longer feel in on the joke, and by the nature of the programme you actually have to be reading the red tops to get them.
Also, they seem to be missing out on an opportunity for online content (see how I tied that in with our mobile content class?). Why not have a camera crew drop into the house where the quarantined celebs are living to get some no-doubt hilarious footage (or at the very least voyeuristic)? I had chat with Murray about this and he said that they didn't want it to be like Big Brother, which is fair enough, but then he also suggested that they could, each day, guess a news story which had occurred (playing it for laughs of course). Hire us now BBC!
Monday, 8 March 2010
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Solomon Kane (2010)
Three figures loom large in Solomon Kane: Lucifer, Cain (with a 'C'), and Jesus.
The main antagonist is Satan, who wants to claim Solomon's soul for hell because of his debauchery and murder. But Solomon himself is a mirror image of the story of Lucifer, his first sin being that of disobeying and leaving his father; in the very first scene he says "I'm the only devil here".
Solomon's second sin is that of Cain, when he kills his brother. And no, I don't think the name is a coincidence.
And finally, well, he gets crucified.*
So of course, the fourth act is very clear: he has to reconcile with his father (he does), redeem his brother (he does, after a fashion), and, of course, be resurrected.
The fact that I was sat thinking about these parallels probably means I was engaged with the film to the utmost, and there was far too much ostentatious cloak swirling for me to take it seriously, but I like that the filmmakers made an effort to include some subtext and some metatext in what is essentially a story about a Puritan mercenary who loves to kill people.
They fluffed the ending, going for a show down with a CGI monster which they didn't have the budget to do really well, which was an especially strange decision given that there was a CGI monster with character from the beginning which they could have used. At least they decided it would be creepy to have him marry the 19 year old damsel in distress, and instead sent her off packing to America.
I enjoyed Solomon Kane very much, it's a jaffa cake on the food-as-a-metaphor-for-films scale: pleasurable, but not a full meal.
*Although would crucification really work in rainy, rainy Devon? After all, it's the dehydration which kills... ok, I should not be worrying about this.
Monday, 1 March 2010
Caprica (2010)
I love when you get a series which you absolutely adore, which compels you to watch it as soon as you can and which leaves you wishing there was more at the end of the episode. Caprica is just one of those series.
I know, it's such a me cliche, but it is brilliant.
You don't need to have watched the precursor, Battlestar Galactica, although it helps since it gives every event that extra ring of doom.
Caprica is a mixture of Corinth's excesses, modern-day Kabul and 1950s New York. The designers have created a complete universe with its own aesthetic and even musical styles to suit the cultures it invented (have you ever wanted to hear a Greek prayer fo the dead sung as a rap? Well now you can!).
It covers big themes like racism and technology, and even bigger ones like loss and family. It also offers a radical view of a society where same sex marriage is utterly normal, even if you're a badass gangster, as are group marriages. And this is on American TV?
Speaking of badass gangsters, one of the main character groups followed is the Adams family, aka the Adamas. This is all back story to the BSG series, which largely concerned the Adamas, but now there's whole other generations to love and despair of.
I could say more about how awesome Caprica is but you should just go off and watch it. It's not sci-fi, not really: it's just a superb drama which happens to have a robot who's also a teenage girl as a protagonist.
I know, it's such a me cliche, but it is brilliant.
You don't need to have watched the precursor, Battlestar Galactica, although it helps since it gives every event that extra ring of doom.
Caprica is a mixture of Corinth's excesses, modern-day Kabul and 1950s New York. The designers have created a complete universe with its own aesthetic and even musical styles to suit the cultures it invented (have you ever wanted to hear a Greek prayer fo the dead sung as a rap? Well now you can!).
It covers big themes like racism and technology, and even bigger ones like loss and family. It also offers a radical view of a society where same sex marriage is utterly normal, even if you're a badass gangster, as are group marriages. And this is on American TV?
Speaking of badass gangsters, one of the main character groups followed is the Adams family, aka the Adamas. This is all back story to the BSG series, which largely concerned the Adamas, but now there's whole other generations to love and despair of.
I could say more about how awesome Caprica is but you should just go off and watch it. It's not sci-fi, not really: it's just a superb drama which happens to have a robot who's also a teenage girl as a protagonist.
I'm Here (2010)
It's not in me to turn down the offer of a free film with free cocktails, so this weekend I found myself sipping Absolut vodka and espresso (it's dynamite by the way - a depressant and a stimulant all at once) in a basement and bearing witness to the most theatrical film screening I've ever seen.
The route in was paved with bubblewrap and the walls were decorated with a mixture of books, car doors and old fashioned office furniture. In front of a back-projected screen there was a carpet of AstroTurf with cardboard boxes dotting it; five minutes before the show they bloomed, revealing electric blow up mattresses to sit on while you enjoyed your drink.
All this was very impressive, and it made the experience that bit much more special.
The film itself was very Jonzey: earnest and occaisionally silly. The story concerns a robot in an American city where robots are second-class citizens. He meets and falls in love with a rebellious but accident prone girl robot and she brings excitement to his life, introducing him to all the fun a robot can have and bringing him out of his shell. Gradually, however, he loses more and more of himself to her.
I'm not sure what to make of that message, and that ambiguity could be because the short running time doesn't allow the theme to fully mature. But it's pretty bleak if what it means is that women will cut away at you until there's nothing left and give nothing back.
The whole was a very interesting look for me at alternative marketing. There is no traditional market for a thirty minute film, but this partnership with Absolut has brought it to a fairly large audience already, and the marketing it will be able to provide outstrips what an ordinary indie film could achieve by far. You could see it as selling one's artist soul, but there was no product placement in the film, just an association with a cool film, making them look cooler, and the opportunity to reach a market which may not normally buy their brand (because of it being so expensive!).
Everyone wins. Especially me.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
