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.
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