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.
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