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 am always interested in
behind-the-scenes videos of the making of big movies, so this short documentary
kind of appeals to me in that way. I wanted to shoot plenty of moments where
the director of this swimming video would be giving instructions on acting, or
at least, swimming, in a way that shows this as a challenge for her. It turned
out that she was so committed and prepared that she handled all the segments
with ease, telling her actors precisely what to do and how to do it. They would
also come to her with questions on details and she knew the answers. It wasn’t
“dramatic” in the conflict sense, but it was more like watching a seasoned
instructor.
I am definitely not proud of
the shakiness of most of the footage I got, which I mainly blame the awkward
shoulder rig I was using for, but I think I could have fixed that with at least
trying to hold the camera with both hands, maybe without the rig, and see if
that makes a difference. One thing I do like in the final result is the angles
I take when I’m not walking, how they are well-composed and easy to look at and
interpret. I also think the rack focuses I was doing all the time were
essential to these angles in telling us which part of the image to look at,
though it could have also used some more practice.
Briefly answer the following:
What, specifically, did you want to
communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not?
I wanted to tell the process
of amateur filmmaking, which I don’t think is shown very often, especially not
as much as the process of Hollywood-studio filmmaking. I believe I was
successful in showing what lengths filmmakers go to get certain shots, direct
their actors, and what sheer confidence and power they can have in their
attempts. The female director at the center of my film showed all those things
because she was depicting something she knew well and loved very much.
How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you
use?
I kept the camera on the
director the whole time to tell that she was the subject, and she was always on
top compared to her actors, because she was the boss. Using a shoulder rig, I followed
her wherever she walked around the pool, and found angles at which we could see
her talking to her actors. Her bright green shirt helped her pop out as well,
compared to the rest of the environment.
What did you learn about storytelling:
From a documentary
stand-point, I learned to be very spontaneous and ready to act on what’s
happening around me, so that I can capture it from the right angle and make
everything as clear as possible.
Working with actors and getting performance:
While recording the director,
I wanted to be as out-of-the-way as possible so that her efforts to make her
film weren’t hindered in the slightest. Even then, it was hard for me to decide
at certain points whether to go over her shoulder, looking at her actors, or
looking at her face so we can tell she’s talking.
Blocking — camera and actors:
I was not smooth in my
transitions between each position; it was very shaky and not focused on my
subject all the time. I had to consider how fast I would walk and what angle I wanted
to look at when I got there.
Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements:
My focal length at the time
was too tight, I believe; I was on a zoom lens, so I could have zoomed out a
bit more to allow more room to look at my subject and decrease the shakiness
effect.
Design & Art Direction:
I had no control here, but I
do appreciate how the director wore a bright green shirt which popped out from
the bright walls, blue water, and bleaker areas around her.
The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of
making this piece:
There was thankfully no
difficulty at all in getting permission to shoot at the RB pool, since I wasn’t
going to be swimming in it. The extras that were standing by the pool
definitely took notice of my being there and asked about it during the shoot,
which I think hampered their performances and Jessica’s direction a bit, so I
wish I explained my intentions to them earlier.
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 the class
understood it well enough, that they figured out that it was a film I was
documenting being made, that I was following the director, and that the process
was very engaging and intellectual to watch. I am not surprised that most of
them thought it was simply a swim team photo shoot, since it easily seemed like
that; but it was an aspiring film student filming her Media Arts entry film; though
Jessica is indeed a swim expert.
No comments:
Post a Comment