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?
With “Oblivious”, I aimed to portray a real
scenario, and not only how dangerous it is, but how easily misunderstood it can
be. As I directed it, I was thinking in part of the reality I’ve been reading
in the news every now and then of college suicide, how it’s sadly getting worse.
I wanted this film to shed an extra perspective on that, that sometimes, death
happens by accident, even when the victim was going through distressed times
which their neighbors could notice. Now, of course, with the main character
being narrowly saved at the end, I wanted to evoke a sense of relief, and also
an inspiration for friendship being a lifesaver in many instances. I believe I
succeeded in carrying these messages forward with the subtlety of the character
actions and the editing.
I am very proud of my actors, Derek and
Stephen. I only received their contact info a day or two before the shoot, and
had to push the shoot back to accommodate their schedules; but their enthusiasm
to help on it (plus the fact that they enjoyed working together before) turned
into dedication toward their roles, and I think they performed extremely well!
For me, the one biggest mistake that I didn’t notice so much before editing was
keeping track of continuity and other such errors! Lots of things and different
acting choices were misplaced between shots, and it almost seemed totally jarring
just to edit it together. I really need to learn to leave things where they lie
until the setup is done, as well as watch out for reflections of crew in the
window!
What, specifically, did you want to
communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not?
People can accidentally overlook dangerous situations
that seem quite harmless on the outside, which is what having friends watch
your back is for. I believe I succeeded because I felt like I was illuminating
a real scenario that can happen to college students anywhere.
How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you
use?
I used deep space to let the audience see the
whole apartment when we were conscious of the gas filling the air, because this
was reality. When Nick enters the apartment, things become flat, constrained,
self-minded. The haunting yellowish-green glow of the apartment lights also
give a gloomy aura to Nick’s situation, even if he doesn’t know it.
What did you learn about storytelling?
Giving the audience the information they need
as soon as possible helps give them the right emotions to feel towards the
characters and the right expectations for what might, and might not, happen.
Working with actors and getting performance:
Stephen Moore and Derek Johnson really didn’t
mind at all about accepting their roles around a day before the shoot. What’s
more, they both read over the script, had ideas on how to time their actions,
and did a fantastic job. As for me directing them, they were also very flexible
and accepting of my own ideas and occasional changes. I think what kept my
demeanor pleasant around them was my determination to achieve a single version
of the tone I planned, and they were confident it would work.
Blocking — camera and actors:
The apartment we were borrowing for three hours
was pretty cramped, so for close shots, it was difficult to properly get easy
shots of everything we needed into one frame. The actors were easy to block
though, because they had just enough moving space to do their actions and say
their dialogue with just the right timing.
Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements:
The power of the deep shot in contrast to the
flat shot is astounding, and the same to the high and low angles. The
difference is an expression of the perspective of the characters as we move
from shot to shot, how it can go from self-centered to living in reality.
Design & Art Direction:
I thought about deliberately taking artistic liberties
with the apartment, but I spent so much time instead finding actors and
fulfilling other priorities. I paid a price by letting there be “Star Wars”
posters on the wall just because we weren’t allowed to take them down, in that
specific apartment. Maybe if I checked the location out earlier and asked
around for the surrounding apartments, I would have got a cleaner choice.
The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of
making this piece:
While the crew were all very enjoyable to work
with, the logistics were difficult, especially with pre-production. It wasn’t
just the actors, but I needed extra time to plan out the storyboards and secure
the props for each shot.
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 feel like most of them followed along, and
that’s a good most. Most caught on that Nick was so sick, he couldn’t smell,
but some didn’t. They needed more constant signals to let them be reminded of
that truth. The main point of the video was very clear to them though.
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