TMA 285: Final Scene: The Home

Here is my final assignment for this class: an original scene written by me for a feature-film concept called "The Home".


The Home (Original Concept) - Dramatic Scene from Spencer Plewe on Vimeo.

TMA 285: Photos, Week 14

Sunday

I really love the lines at work on the bottom. The whole landscape's features were stretched by my moving car and now it's like a simple painting. The top portion of the picture is also very minimal in detail. I like how the middle third is the most refined - the eye is immediately drawn to it. I wish there was a brighter, more colorful spot on that horizon or in the sky to give it more variety.

Sunday

This deep space in this shot is helped by the line of the roadside and the car lights in the distance. I wanted to show the dark sections where cars' lights were turned off to convey the slight hopelessness toward the traffic jam for the people in them. It would have been nicer if my camera were to focus on the vanishing point better.

Wednesday

A very special occasion happened in our family and what better way to remember than with Martinelli's? In the spring of the moment, I wanted to capture the pouring rush of the drink into the glasses. I love how here, the dark red stream contrasts with the bright fizz of the filled glasses behind it. I also like the texture of the smooth round circular glass edges making their own depth cue.

TMA 285: Master and Coverage: Director's Reflection

In 2-3 paragraphs, write an overall response to your film: Were you successful at achieving what you set out to achieve? What are you proud of? What would you do differently if you could remake this piece? What did you learn? 

The hotel bar scene from “Fargo” was going to be tough because I had no idea how to control the color of it all. So many factors were swimming around my head and I didn’t know which to use as a base to jump from. I just wanted to convey a friendly scene between old friends, to contrast against an otherwise super-dark and profane movie. I do believe I did my casting all right, and the emotion felt correct as they carried the scene. I think the intended effect was reached of growing from a simple friendly get-together into an awkward, tensely intimate moment.

I do love the acting execution of Archie and Rylee and their chemistry together, though maybe Archie over-did it breaking into tears, and even started crying too early. What bugged me the most from this scene was how many continuity errors I found in the edit because I wasn’t mindful of maintaining consistency of everything between takes, specifically where the actors were when they spoke certain lines and what they were doing with their hands. I also learned that getting the right angle with the camera can be very difficult, especially when shooting at a corner table booth, instead of a straight side booth.

Briefly answer the following:

What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not?

I wanted to communicate the warmth of old acquaintances and the difficulty of confessing love. I believe I succeeded because of the shifting beats of attention between the two actors and how they changed their approaches throughout the scene’s run.

How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you use?

I deliberately planned on closer camera shots as the scene progresses to get more up close and personal as they themselves get more personal. They started in Mediums, then went on to Medium close-ups, then close-ups.

What did you learn about storytelling:

When characters shift in emotion, they propel the story in a different direction, and this direction must lead us to an important piece of information about these characters that will help them in their journey through the film.

Working with actors and getting performance:

I was much more on-point with my actors for this project than with previous ones. I deliberately selected actors I have seen in other videos that I felt were just right for the roles. Archie says he knew the movie backwards and front and seemed excited to go with it, but since Rylee had not, I met with her the day before to talk about her character’s place in the movie, what motivations she had, and testing her costume.

Blocking — camera and actors:

This was difficult because I was trying hard to make this scene entertaining to watch, even though it’s a table conversation. The waitress was scripted at the beginning, but seeing as the script doesn’t describe her coming back and Marge and Glen clink glasses later on, I knew I had to write the waitress coming back in to give Marge a glass. In between takes, the actors improvised their mannerisms which was easy to miss on set yet easy to pick up in the edit. On a positive note, blocking the camera was a good learning experience, as we had to play with raising and lowering actors in their seats to get the angle straight, and moving the camera between the different set-ups was fun.

Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements:

I’m not too proud of how some angles turned out, particularly of the medium close-ups on Glen and Marge. They were the closest we could get to looking into their faces without the tripod trespassing on the table, but they were still too sideways, not looking into their eyes like I wanted.

Design & Art Direction:  

The color scheme was all over the place, with the green seats, white walls, and dark costumes. I wish I had found a location at least with warmer colors, and a better idea of the setting of the scene so I could know more precisely what costumes the characters would wear.

The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of making this piece:

The crew was great to work with, though the sound mixer and waitress extra’s baby son was also there, and our main concern was keeping him quiet. The waitress held him while her scenes were being prepped, and I held him when she walked on camera.

                  

What was it like to watch your film with an audience? Did they understand it? Miss the point? Why did they respond the way they did?  

I felt good presenting it in class, and I felt like they followed it pretty well, even reading it the right way. Despite the errors in editing I made, I think the scene was still written and acted well enough for the audience to understand the characters and the drama between them, which was more important. 

TMA 285: Glen - Recreated Scene (Master & Coverage) from Fargo

This is my Master & Coverage scene, from the film "Fargo."


Glen - Scene Recreation from Fargo from Spencer Plewe on Vimeo.

TMA 285: Photos, Week 13

Thursday

This is an old kids' favorite puzzle at my Grandma and Grandpa's house, and it is currently missing a piece. Both the contrast of the empty space and the rest of the present pieces and the contrast of the shapes of each piece are striking. Each piece is different, but a sudden blue space and not a yellow shape is too much. The rhythm is uneven by that much. The colors are also great, giving us definitions of yellow, blue, and even red. I think a flatter shot can illustrate this clearer.

Wednesday

A puff of smoke, a straight split between two pieces of metal, and my dad holding a quick saw. I think the story is clear, but I also like the stark black shapes and perpendicular lines going on in this shot. It's a clear and epic combination.

 Friday

At the St. George red cliffs, my family looks off to the side and I capture three of them from behind, the tallest (basically Chris Pine's stunt double) in the middle. Their triangular shapes pointing to the clear sky makes them easy to see and tell apart.

TMA 285: Photos, Week 12

Thursday

At a freak random moment in time, it starts snowing dry snowflakes during a clear sunset! The sight of contrast between the dim objects around me and sunlit snowflakes was absolutely striking! I also love how the brightness of the sun draws us toward it and more objects are illuminated in that direction. If I were to do this again, I would have taken it behind my own car, to make it a bit more personal.

Thursday

The direction this dish is pointing is toward the blue sky, where it's clear. With a closer angle, I would have been able to see the dish make a more triangular point upward, instead of down. I also wish I positioned the dish more to the right to be right in between those two clouds.

Friday

The lines work in a very orderly manner in this shot, I think. The horizontal lines are structured to hold the curved lines in place. I wish I shot a bit of this without the window on the left being so bright.

TMA 285: One-Shot Scripted Scene (Psycho) - Director's Reflection

Overall response (2-3 paragraphs):

In 2-3 paragraphs, write an overall response to your film: Were you successful at achieving what you set out to achieve? What are you proud of? What would you do differently if you could remake this piece? What did you learn? 

            I set out to film the Highway Patrolman scene from “Psycho” expecting to make it strong, smooth, and suspenseful, but I don’t think any of those things were achieved. My direction on the day was very relaxed and easygoing, which wasn’t a very healthy decision in this case. The final product doesn’t look refined at all because of the shaky camera, unconvincing performances, and difficulty of seeing inside the car. I do like the look of the location though, and the general camera beats that I planned are still conveyed well.

            If I were to do this again, I would record more takes for more variety and room for refinement. I would have directed Jason, who plays the cop, to be a different kind of person than the tough, steadfast kind that I tried directing him to be; rather as kind that would best fit him. I would also better block the DP to time the beat of looking into Mary Crane’s car window a lot better, not moving until Mary sets the envelope on the passenger seat.

            This taught me a lot on paying attention to what’s wrong with a take so I can make it known before the next one, though I sadly didn’t learn how to find solutions. It also taught me to look for actors and their costumes a lot sooner so I could have better choices for my vision and for accuracy’s sake for their characters.

Briefly answer the following:

What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not? I wanted to show the process of being interrogated, with the guilt of having done something really wrong, being a tense experience. I don’t think I succeeded well, mainly because Alexa, the actress playing Mary, appeared more cheeky than nervous.

How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you use? Aside from acting style, which I could have corrected, but didn’t know how; I did use deliberate lines and space between Mary and the cop, with him higher than her and the space always looking deep, to show how she feels insignificant and trapped by him.

What did you learn about storytelling: The emotion of trying to get away with a crime is meant to be hard and harrowing, but those in authority to punish you for it are meant to drill you when they suspect something.

Working with actors and getting performance: I could tell on set that the actors weren’t hitting a proper tone: Alexa wan’t nervous, Jason wasn’t assertive, but after seven takes of giving them direction specifically to those goals, but not achieving them, I’ve learned that they should either be directed in another direction or have been cast differently entirely.

Blocking — camera and actors: A well-written scene requires good blocking to go with it in order to tell a visual story in the right way. The camera’s movements and changes in angle are essential to making the changes in story more distinctive. I may not know very well how to communicate improvement to my actors, but their blocking is something I can naturally see as essential. If the actors are doing some visually interesting activities as they talk, their characters reveal more details about themselves.

Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements: I learned that deep space while outside can make a good impression of vastness and being lost. I know I missed a huge opportunity for using the car’s mirror to reflect Mary’s face while the cop is checking her front license plate though.

Design & Art Direction: I was able to get a good amount of props I needed from the prop shop, and some from Walmart. I unfortunately lacked access to elements of a police uniform (hat, badge, shirt/coat), and what I improvised for Jason didn’t look convincing. I should have looked earlier for certain costume places or legitimate clothes others may have loaned.

The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of making this piece: My DP was recovering from an illness, so her shaky footage is partly justified for that, but I think the main culprit was the one-handled shoulder rig she used, and that I’ve used before, and it produced equally shaky footage that was no different from hand-holding the camera. Next time, I’ll be sure my DP knows to either get a glidecam or Steadicam apparatus, or otherwise a two-handled shoulder rig so that the mobile shot will be smoother. My sound mixer also came up with a clever fix for our one wireless LAV microphone not working: putting my recording cell phone in the car and booming the outside sound, and later on getting wild lines with the boom as well.

                  

What was it like to watch your film with an audience? Did they understand it? Miss the point? Why did they respond the way they did?  I could tell that the audience universally felt that Jason was unconvincing as the cop, and they didn’t even know he was one until later in the scene. I was actually surprised that some felt the emotional tension as the blocking of the car starting and the cop stopping it kept going. In a way, it is a good shakeup of actors and camera blocking that gives us variety to look at.