Yesterday, Oli, Tom and myself went into the studio and filmed me messing around with a pack of cards on 2500th of a second shutter speed. I wanted to just see what it looked like. I think some of it looks pretty good, i'm currently thinking about what to do for the ident shots on the actual shoot.
No effort was made to hire lights or no thought was put into what i was doing. This was merely an experiment done in a spare hour.
The bit where i've cut when i hit the lens is QUALITY........ if i do say so myself.
Now if i could only stop pulling that David Brent face......
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Proposal and Shoot......
So my proposal was handed in today..... This can be found here. Today i shot the test footage as well. The location looks awful but it was only pissin' around with the camera on 2500th of a second shutter speed. I'm just about to have a look at the footage now and see where i go from there......
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Radiohead
I recently watched Scotch Mist by Radiohead (amazing ! i suggest everyone watches it) and saw this video at the end of it.....
this has inspired me to get a HD camera tomorrow and mess about with slowing footage rrrright down for my ident shots in the client project. Simple idea but i think it looks really good...... We'll see. Hopefully, i should be doing it tomorrow and have the results on here tomorrow night.
this has inspired me to get a HD camera tomorrow and mess about with slowing footage rrrright down for my ident shots in the client project. Simple idea but i think it looks really good...... We'll see. Hopefully, i should be doing it tomorrow and have the results on here tomorrow night.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Documentary Proposal
I am planning my client project proposal following the guide set out by Michael Rabiger in his book 'Directing the Documentary'.
He sets the following guide lines for a documentary proposal.
1. Film statement
Formally declares that the producer is making a proposal and suggests a working title. It briefly indicates the length, defines the subject matter and audience. (Short paragraph of two to three lines).
2. Background and need
Briefly reviews information necessary to acquaint the proposal audience to the subject, lets the reader see why the topic is interesting and why such a film is needed. (This could be two to six paragraphs).
3. Approach, form and style
This explains how the producer will carry out the idea. Where is the drama? Where is the conflict? Where are the emotions and character development? This is the section for the producer to indicate structure. This is potentially risky without full-blown research or “casting”. Nonetheless, it is the most important element in explaining how the producer works. This is not the place to indicate huge amounts of research. Research is needed, in fact extensive research might be needed but research is not a film. The producer at this stage is helping the reader visualize the film. (Two to six paragraphs).
4. Shooting schedule
Basically a time-line. This is actually an optional item that may be included when a specific event is impending; however, most funders want to know when production will start and when the film will be completed. (One to two line paragraph).
5. Budget
Budgets at the proposal stage are simple and in outline form. The producer should be familiar with the funding source in order to assure the budget is appropriate for the source.
6. Audience, distribution and marketing
A filmmaker must know her audience before a film can find distribution. This part of the proposal is a little tricky, particularly for personal documentaries and for those filmmakers who primarily make films for themselves. The proposal reader wants to know how the film will get to your defined audience. If the project is commercial, the reader will want to know how funding will be recouped. In some proposals this element is optional. (two to eight paragraphs).
7. Filmmaker’s bio and letters of support
This can and should include key players. Bios should be brief. These can be included as attachments.
8. Additional elements
Attachments that would be helpful in explaining or illustrating any of the above elements.
He sets the following guide lines for a documentary proposal.
1. Film statement
Formally declares that the producer is making a proposal and suggests a working title. It briefly indicates the length, defines the subject matter and audience. (Short paragraph of two to three lines).
2. Background and need
Briefly reviews information necessary to acquaint the proposal audience to the subject, lets the reader see why the topic is interesting and why such a film is needed. (This could be two to six paragraphs).
3. Approach, form and style
This explains how the producer will carry out the idea. Where is the drama? Where is the conflict? Where are the emotions and character development? This is the section for the producer to indicate structure. This is potentially risky without full-blown research or “casting”. Nonetheless, it is the most important element in explaining how the producer works. This is not the place to indicate huge amounts of research. Research is needed, in fact extensive research might be needed but research is not a film. The producer at this stage is helping the reader visualize the film. (Two to six paragraphs).
4. Shooting schedule
Basically a time-line. This is actually an optional item that may be included when a specific event is impending; however, most funders want to know when production will start and when the film will be completed. (One to two line paragraph).
5. Budget
Budgets at the proposal stage are simple and in outline form. The producer should be familiar with the funding source in order to assure the budget is appropriate for the source.
6. Audience, distribution and marketing
A filmmaker must know her audience before a film can find distribution. This part of the proposal is a little tricky, particularly for personal documentaries and for those filmmakers who primarily make films for themselves. The proposal reader wants to know how the film will get to your defined audience. If the project is commercial, the reader will want to know how funding will be recouped. In some proposals this element is optional. (two to eight paragraphs).
7. Filmmaker’s bio and letters of support
This can and should include key players. Bios should be brief. These can be included as attachments.
8. Additional elements
Attachments that would be helpful in explaining or illustrating any of the above elements.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Location, Location, Location
Tonight i provisionally booked a location to record some of my client project. With the weather being pretty cold recently i have decided to approach some bars to see if they would kindly let me film in there. I think i'm gonna head up there next week to shoot some test footage and then if it's cool, get going the following week or if not, talk about the possibilities of setting up a lighting corner or something.....
Tom Oliver's Artifact.....
Seems like all the smart people are getting other people to do their artifacts for them !!! Tom Oliver wants a group of people each to write a script for him to make into a film with various people over the internet..... I am participating and this is the brief he set.......
The story idea is as follows. Sarah is a 26 year old single woman. She keeps an online video blog. She has recently turned her attention to the online world for comfort and to look for companionship. She chats to various people from all over the world, however she has never met any of these people in the "real world". She has recently been talking to someone online called Chris. Things were going OK to start with, until Chris starts to act obsessive and intense. What is the story behind the mysterious character of Chris? Do the two characters ever meet in real life? Is there more to them than meets the eye?
The overall style of the film will be a psychological thriller.
The script must feature at least two characters, Sarah and Chris.
and this is my first scene for his film.......
SCENE ONE :
IT'S EARLY MORNING. AROUND 9.30AM. SARAH IS AWAY FROM HER COMPUTER MAKING A CUP OF TEA. HER COMPUTER IS MAKING SPORADIC ALERT NOISES. SARAH LEAVES THE TEA AND GOES BACK TO THE COMPUTER THE SCREEN READS....
Chris1984 says :
no ?
do u think ?
k ?
helloooooooo ?
alone again ?
SARAH LAUGHS AND STARTS TO TYPE....
Sarah_08 says :
i'm still ere u fool. You can get so demanding sometimes.
Chris1984 says :
ohh so u r ere den ? i fort u'd left me
Sarah_08 says :
making a cup of t. Wat wur u sayin ?
Chris1984 says :
i wuz sayin dat i've got 2 much space ere. But it feels gud 2 ave my own place.
Sarah_08 says :
yeah, i wuz like that @ 1st.
Chris1984 says :
u got ur own place ? where'd u live ?
Sarah_08 says :
yeah, got my own place
Chris1984 says :
really ? where ?
Sarah_08 says :
it wuz scary 2 start wit but now i'm fine.
Chris1984 says :
yeah, i'm alone. Need some company.
Sarah_08 says :
don't we all
THERE IS A KNOCK AT THE DOOR WHICH MAKES SARAH JUMP
Chris1984:
knock knock
SARAH STARES AT THE WORDS.
THE DOOR KNOCKS AGAIN
Chris1984 :
knock knock Sarah
THE LETTERBOX KNOCKS. SARAH WALKS SLOWLY TOWARD THE DOOR TIGHTENING HER DRESSING GOWN AS SHE GOES.
SARAH : Who is it ?
VOICE : Royal Mail Miss !
SARAH LOOKS THROUGH THE SPY-HOLE. A MAN DRESSED IN ROYAL MAIL UNIFORM STANDS IN THE CORRIDOR WITH AN ARMFUL OF OTHER MAIL.
SARAH OPENS THE DOOR.
MAILMAN : ohhh i'm sorry, did i wake you !? Sign here.
SARAH SIGNS. SHUTS THE DOOR AND RETURNS TO HER COMPUTER TO READ.....
Chris1984 says :
knock knock ?
Sarah ?
knock knock ?
who's there you say ?
Sarah !
Sarah who you say ?
Sarah reason you're not laughing !?
...... Sarah ? hello ? cup of tea again ?
look i know it's pretty lame up come on ?!
SARAH SITS DOWN A BIT FLUSTERED
Sarah_08 says :
Sorry Chris, mail man. Jessssus, that's so stupid. Anyway, gotta go, i'm late. Speak 2 u 2nite ?
Chris1984 says :
definitely !
END OF SCENE ONE
Don't know if you wanted some little fake suspense or anything early on ? anyway, those are my two cents.
ps : i attempted "internet speak" and it's prrrrrrrrrrrrrrobably the most annoying thing in the world so forgive the inconsistancy of my script. From now on just imagine it's in internet speak...... it won't be though.
The story idea is as follows. Sarah is a 26 year old single woman. She keeps an online video blog. She has recently turned her attention to the online world for comfort and to look for companionship. She chats to various people from all over the world, however she has never met any of these people in the "real world". She has recently been talking to someone online called Chris. Things were going OK to start with, until Chris starts to act obsessive and intense. What is the story behind the mysterious character of Chris? Do the two characters ever meet in real life? Is there more to them than meets the eye?
The overall style of the film will be a psychological thriller.
The script must feature at least two characters, Sarah and Chris.
and this is my first scene for his film.......
SCENE ONE :
IT'S EARLY MORNING. AROUND 9.30AM. SARAH IS AWAY FROM HER COMPUTER MAKING A CUP OF TEA. HER COMPUTER IS MAKING SPORADIC ALERT NOISES. SARAH LEAVES THE TEA AND GOES BACK TO THE COMPUTER THE SCREEN READS....
Chris1984 says :
no ?
do u think ?
k ?
helloooooooo ?
alone again ?
SARAH LAUGHS AND STARTS TO TYPE....
Sarah_08 says :
i'm still ere u fool. You can get so demanding sometimes.
Chris1984 says :
ohh so u r ere den ? i fort u'd left me
Sarah_08 says :
making a cup of t. Wat wur u sayin ?
Chris1984 says :
i wuz sayin dat i've got 2 much space ere. But it feels gud 2 ave my own place.
Sarah_08 says :
yeah, i wuz like that @ 1st.
Chris1984 says :
u got ur own place ? where'd u live ?
Sarah_08 says :
yeah, got my own place
Chris1984 says :
really ? where ?
Sarah_08 says :
it wuz scary 2 start wit but now i'm fine.
Chris1984 says :
yeah, i'm alone. Need some company.
Sarah_08 says :
don't we all
THERE IS A KNOCK AT THE DOOR WHICH MAKES SARAH JUMP
Chris1984:
knock knock
SARAH STARES AT THE WORDS.
THE DOOR KNOCKS AGAIN
Chris1984 :
knock knock Sarah
THE LETTERBOX KNOCKS. SARAH WALKS SLOWLY TOWARD THE DOOR TIGHTENING HER DRESSING GOWN AS SHE GOES.
SARAH : Who is it ?
VOICE : Royal Mail Miss !
SARAH LOOKS THROUGH THE SPY-HOLE. A MAN DRESSED IN ROYAL MAIL UNIFORM STANDS IN THE CORRIDOR WITH AN ARMFUL OF OTHER MAIL.
SARAH OPENS THE DOOR.
MAILMAN : ohhh i'm sorry, did i wake you !? Sign here.
SARAH SIGNS. SHUTS THE DOOR AND RETURNS TO HER COMPUTER TO READ.....
Chris1984 says :
knock knock ?
Sarah ?
knock knock ?
who's there you say ?
Sarah !
Sarah who you say ?
Sarah reason you're not laughing !?
...... Sarah ? hello ? cup of tea again ?
look i know it's pretty lame up come on ?!
SARAH SITS DOWN A BIT FLUSTERED
Sarah_08 says :
Sorry Chris, mail man. Jessssus, that's so stupid. Anyway, gotta go, i'm late. Speak 2 u 2nite ?
Chris1984 says :
definitely !
END OF SCENE ONE
Don't know if you wanted some little fake suspense or anything early on ? anyway, those are my two cents.
ps : i attempted "internet speak" and it's prrrrrrrrrrrrrrobably the most annoying thing in the world so forgive the inconsistancy of my script. From now on just imagine it's in internet speak...... it won't be though.
The REAL First Artifact
Well well, a whole month since my last post. I thought i was staying on top of this.....
After a lot of thinking and discussions about my first artifact i decided to scrap the idea of showing surrealist films and asking the audience to come up with a narrative as, as many of you might know, there IS no narrative to the surrealist films i was planning on showing. So there would nothing to compare the answers to.
I decided not to scrap the film idea completely but time constraints made me change my last artifact. Instead i made ten stills from five different films and asked five volunteers to arrange the stills in the order that they think they were originally in. With this artifact I aimed to test an audience’s understanding of narrative when each is based in their own version of reality or what it is to be real. Each film being set in a different version of reality or portraying different aspects of what is real. The films were Alphaville, Mulholland Drive, Labyrinth, A Cock & Bull Story and Princess Mononoke. Each film’s representation of reality differs from actors talking directly to the audience ‘out of character’ (A Cock and Bull Story) to the audience having to comprehend alternative dimensions (Mulholland Drive) to magical, fairytale worlds (Labyrinth & Princess Mononoke).
It was imperative to the experiment that the audience member had not seen the films before, therefore a handful of occasions a 5th and 6th participant was asked to take part instead of the original five. The participant was brought into a room with a computer. On the screen were ten still images in a random order. The participant was then asked to arrange the stills into the order that they thought told the original narrative. Upon completion they were then asked to type a short evaluation of the narrative they had created.
The film viewing artifact is now in full swing and i have already shown my first film. David Cronenberg's eXistenZ. A film, released the same year as The Matrix (not the best time to release a sci-fi film about reality) which challenges the audience's understanding of reality and leaves them asking questions as to what was real throughout the film. My second film will be a documentary called Malcom and Barbara - Love's Farewell which is a documentary about a man with Alzheimers and the struggle of the both parties as Malcom condition worsens and Barbara tries to cope with looking after him day and night. (Although to be honest, i really don't want to watch this again and it's heartbreaking !!) The film after that will be Downfall. A film about Hitler's final days. My final film will be A Cock and Bull Story. A film based upon Laurence Sterne's novel 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentlemen' which was referenced in my essay.
i'll be in touch......
After a lot of thinking and discussions about my first artifact i decided to scrap the idea of showing surrealist films and asking the audience to come up with a narrative as, as many of you might know, there IS no narrative to the surrealist films i was planning on showing. So there would nothing to compare the answers to.
I decided not to scrap the film idea completely but time constraints made me change my last artifact. Instead i made ten stills from five different films and asked five volunteers to arrange the stills in the order that they think they were originally in. With this artifact I aimed to test an audience’s understanding of narrative when each is based in their own version of reality or what it is to be real. Each film being set in a different version of reality or portraying different aspects of what is real. The films were Alphaville, Mulholland Drive, Labyrinth, A Cock & Bull Story and Princess Mononoke. Each film’s representation of reality differs from actors talking directly to the audience ‘out of character’ (A Cock and Bull Story) to the audience having to comprehend alternative dimensions (Mulholland Drive) to magical, fairytale worlds (Labyrinth & Princess Mononoke).
It was imperative to the experiment that the audience member had not seen the films before, therefore a handful of occasions a 5th and 6th participant was asked to take part instead of the original five. The participant was brought into a room with a computer. On the screen were ten still images in a random order. The participant was then asked to arrange the stills into the order that they thought told the original narrative. Upon completion they were then asked to type a short evaluation of the narrative they had created.
The film viewing artifact is now in full swing and i have already shown my first film. David Cronenberg's eXistenZ. A film, released the same year as The Matrix (not the best time to release a sci-fi film about reality) which challenges the audience's understanding of reality and leaves them asking questions as to what was real throughout the film. My second film will be a documentary called Malcom and Barbara - Love's Farewell which is a documentary about a man with Alzheimers and the struggle of the both parties as Malcom condition worsens and Barbara tries to cope with looking after him day and night. (Although to be honest, i really don't want to watch this again and it's heartbreaking !!) The film after that will be Downfall. A film about Hitler's final days. My final film will be A Cock and Bull Story. A film based upon Laurence Sterne's novel 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentlemen' which was referenced in my essay.
i'll be in touch......
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