Final Reflection - What did you discover about yourself as an artist and filmmaker this semester?

I discovered that I don't have to plan. And that sometimes, I don't have the best ideas. Actually a lot of the time. Well, most of the time. Being patient is another virtue I constantly have to be striving to make an attempt of. With all that said, I've learned to be in tune with my strengths and my weaknesses. I don't necessarily have to be in my strongest position in the group every time. I know where I shine and where I don't. 

I'd hate to sound cocky, but I felt that I'm pretty on par on what I expect to be at this stage of my education. I feel that I'm starting apply what I've been learning to a practical use. Most of the others in the class are also around the same level, but I feel me and a few others are leading the pack. I think that my projects quality got better and better and I know who I work well with in this class and who I don't, and the projects that we worked together on got voted into the festival and in my opinion the best work of the roster. Not to say that everyone else is subpar, but just different. 

I learned that we all have different expectations in the film studies program. I forget that film isn't just about me and my opinion of what is cool. Making films is whatever you want it to be. Whatever makes you inspired to create what you like. Being a creative individual is what we all strive to be. Unique and different. 

Microcinema Plan and Reflection

Since I didn't get a chance to post about a plan, this entry will be more of an afterthought of the planning of the microcinema and a reflection of the result. Me and Paul teamed up to run A/V for the festival. I kind of love electronics and Paul being an employee at Best Buy in the Geek Squad department, it seemed like a natural team-up. After the initial class period of planning, we decided to go scout the location at the Silva compound. We were met with the art department and locations team. Cori was supposed to meet us too, but with her family obligations, I told her I'd cover her as much as possible and catch up her up to speed later that night. I drew an overhead layout of the backyard and took about a dozen photos. I suggested several layout plans and other location notes. The next day, I met with Andre and picked up the equipment. I took it home and hooked everything up and tested it all to make sure everything worked and to see if we were missing any cables or anything. Only thing left to do was to wait on programming to give me the order of the films. I should've hounded them more because I didn't get all of them films until the day of the microcinema. It's not their fault, the people that didn't their films on time are to blame.

We finally got all the films and my intention was to create one video file of everyone's films in the order they were to be played. Well, the last video we got in was about an 2 hours before the screening was to start, and unfortunately it takes more than 2 hours to render an 65 minute video file. But we were able to create a playlist in VLC in the order of the program. It was hot, it was itchy, and it was sweaty. But by the time the sun went down and my skin was saturated in bug juice, I felt better and cooled off. I actually had alot of fun and was entertained by all of our films.

Microcinema and Rough Theater Reflection

Reading the articles, I learned that creating a microcinema is something of a personal passion. By definition, microcinemas appeal to films and art cinema that would not likely get top billing at a movie plex. They're not gonna get a write-up review in the daily. After working so closely with the Cucalorus Film Festival and the Jengo's Playhouse crew, I've gotten inspired to one day put together a program for me and friends/classmates. It doesn't have to be at a huge complex or a hip urban space. I could do it at my house, or a buddy's bar, or at a public park. I think it is a chance for the smaller independent filmmaker to showcase his/her hard work in less commercial and intimates setting that he/she would feel at home and comfortable. There would be no judgement, or thumbs up or thumbs down, or star rating. Just a moment to shine, and as mentioned in class, a "that's my boy/girl" moment. Ok, maybe not that intimate. It could be done in a semi-professional manner too and open it to the public, and invite your teachers, colleagues, co-workers etc. I imagine it could be really fun and something I would consider pursuing if the stars aligned right. I guess acquiring the screening equipment would be the biggest hurdle to jump. I'm not really concerned with having it a dedicated space. I think the possibilities of doing mobile screenings a la agitki, can be an extremely creative and intuitive form in itself.

Reflection - How did the idea/plan work out?!

I have no idea how I'm gonna express myself without hurting anyone's feelings.
I understood why we got put into the roles we were assigned. Some of us, were played to our natural attributes, while others were selected to gain more experience and confidence. I knew I wasn't in charge, and I didn't really want to be.

In my opinion, as the producer, my first priority was to support the director's creative vision as best as I could. We had a pre-production meeting and discussed the exact specifications of the assignment as well as locations, script, costume/make-up, equipment, etc. We also ran through exactly how the shoot was going to go with the talent's and camera's movements for the shot. I felt that it was going to be a pretty smooth process.

I was responsible for assembling the crew together to be on the same page as the director with regards to the project as a whole. I made sure my DP had the appropriate camera for the shot, the sound mixer had his equipment and knew what he was supposed to capture, and costume and make-up had enough supplies and understood the look and effect of the shot. I went with the DP and sound mixer to shoot test footage of the location to send to the director for his approval. I planned a shooting schedule to provide ample time for everyone to get comfortable with the set, rehearse the movements and make any final adjustments. I feel confident that I set up to shoot this single shot to reflect the original material and still achieve the theme/genre we were assigned.

Things did not go as planned.
Actually, other than everyone showing up to the right location at the right time, nothing else went "according to plan."
I get it, things happen and unexpected situations happen, but I felt like my efforts were wasted. The director has the final say on the set, and I feel I did my best to make sure we accomplished what he wanted. I didn't put up a fight, I didn't argue, I voiced my concerns with regards to the original material and requirements of the assignment on multiple occasions, but I felt that I put a lot into planning and scheduling and communicating logistical concerns without over-stepping the boundaries of my role. So yes, I could be salty because of how the final product turned out, because I felt that I put a lot of time and effort into following the assignment and producing the best result so that ALL OF US would get a good grade. The footage looks great, and the performances were satisfactory, but I personally do not see any resemblance of the source material and no coherent application of the Sci-Fi/Zombie/Musical theme.

It turned into someone's pet project led by someone with no concern for quality. 

Just being honest.

Blocking Challenge

So for this assignment, we are to recreate a long take scene from Woody Allen's Annie Hall. The scene is essentially the lead, Alvy having a conversation with his friend Rob as they walk down a sidewalk. The shot is a static long take, Alvy and Rob start the shot from an extreme long shot in the background and gradually make their way into the foreground to a medium shot.

Except it's a sci-fi zombie musical.

We were assigned into groups and as follows:

Director/Screenplay - Ian Kelley
Producer/1st AD - Viet Nguyen
Director of Photography/ Editor - Paul Cirigliano
Lighting/Sound - Knox Gray
Set Design/Makeup/Costume/PA - Maura Johnson

Our idea is our two main leads are zombies walking down the street while "normal" people are passing by and reacting awkwardly to their undead appearance. They will be difficult to understand and will be speaking in an unintelligible zombie dialect only they can understand. We'll insert subtitles as they communicate. My idea is that after their lines have spoken, they'll break into song and dance away happily in apocalyptic bliss.

We are currently scouting locations and the weather will be clear. We have equipment; a primary camera and backup, and between the group, various microphones and cellphones to record audio. Hopefully we will only have to costume our 2 leads and not much more. I am currently in talks with the other group to see who is available for actors/extras. Some of our group members are also asking around. I'm feeling confident that the shoot will work out, but as a producer I am in constant frenetic state. It's hard to suppress the director in me and let someone else take charge of what will end up on-screen, but I welcome this experience and I definitely need to get used to working with a group and not being in charge.

Film Beatz/ Rhythmic Edit

Ignore my last post. I intended to follow what I said and portray equal parts background and subject, but when it came time to shoot, I didn't really keep those intentions in mind. The assignment was to edit a sequence portrait of our partner (Maura). I basically let her come up with whatever she wanted to do and I would film it as best as I could. I kind of did the same, I had a list of things I wanted to do while she filmed me, and I think it's a typical depiction of my personality. She showed up at my place to shoot her footage of me and it really didn't take very long and I didn't do many activities, but she was pretty much filming the entire time. I have no idea what kind of shots she got of me because we both decided to not see each others stuff until it was edited down and screened in front of the class. After we were done at my place, she wanted to shoot at the cemetery, so we went to Oakdale Cemetery which was down the street from me. I had no idea what she wanted to do, but she obviously had more extravagant ideas. I was trying my best to direct her without telling her exactly what to do. We walked around the small lot of graves and I tried to get as many angles of her as I could while she visited each tombstone and pranced around the walkways.

Then she brought the blood.

I wasn't caught off guard by it at all, I wanted her to express herself however she wanted. My only focus was that I had decent footage to edit. She kept insisting on trying different things and I basically told her that I was going to edit the clips that I thought looked the best and could fit into a theme or comprehensible timeline. I reassured her that I wouldn't "make her look stupid." I understand Maura is an extremely creative and expressive person and I know she wanted to be depicted a certain way. It was actually pretty fun being an observer and just letting her do her thing while I tried my best to get into position. It kind of made me think quickly on the fly and try to predict what she's going to do next.

I'm satisfied with my edit and I think the music I chose worked out well. I took a beat from a song and looped the rhythmic parts and tried to piece together the transitions as best as I could.

Although these assignments are rapid fired at us, it's giving me confidence that I am able to step outside my comfort zone and be able to produce something that others can appreciate.

Rhythmic Edit Reflection

Today, we watched some examples of Rhythmic Editing from Aaron Valdez and several past student projects. It inspired me to want to shoot some artsy b-roll type footage and reminded me of a video from a band that I have recently gotten into. Not necessarily pertaining to cutting to an exact number of frames, but instead of intentionally filming something in particular like a piece with a main subject or actor; but rather shoot nothing for something. I had to also edit a documentary for my FST 331 class and I had used lots of b-roll footage that actually got me out of some undesired cuts but had to have those spoken lines in the piece. I am now inspired to just go out and shoot whatever is in front of me. I've always been so frontal with my photography and with my developing cinematic eye, I want to look past the deliberate subject in front of me and look behind or at a location/scene as a whole piece by itself and not just background vs. foreground. Make the background the subject and the person/subject it's accessory.
For this upcoming project, I am filming a person as the main subject, but I will try to keep in mind the world behind and around her. Yes, she is crucial to the piece, but what or who is the main character? Is it the rhythm created by the edit of what clips I decide to repeat 44 times? Her face and actions? The location and environment that this will be captured? I know this course is designed for me to experiment with unconventional cinematic techniques and broaden my expectations, but I think I will try to deliberately capture an ambiguous image and let the viewer choose what is more relevant to look at.

Oh here's that video I was telling you about (ironically, the song is called Bad Art and Weirdo Ideas):

Logline

Soundscape:

Iced Earth
A journey to paradise turns apocalyptic when an inevitable and natural catastrophic event topples the tropical landscape into a brittle mass of floating debris and displaced organisms.


Animation:

Mr. Samsa's Big Day Off
A lonely man contemplates the dreary, urban landscape from his windowsill as he suddenly transforms into a repulsive insect and must now adjust to his new life as a faceless, nameless invertebrate (Inspired by the seminal novella of Franz Kafka).
---Corinne Tabor

Animation Progress II

We've finished.
Looking back at my post, I realized we had some really awesome concepts and ideas that we could implement into our project, but after actually getting started and jumping into the process, we discovered that a lot of them just couldn't be done with what we had to work with.

We spent the first day gathering supplies and gear and setting up our workstations. It was a challenge to get the cameras at the right angle to line up with the paper and setting up lamps and lights at the right positions. After a lot of trial and error, we finally had everything set and ready to go. We spent day 2 planning and conceptualizing. We had lots of sketches, storyboards, and notes for a plot. We spent that whole afternoon brainstorming and workshopping ideas. I think coming up with a strong plan and not steering to far outside of it, was the key to how efficient we were able to complete the sequence. Since everyone's schedule was open on Saturday, we dedicated the entire day to drawing and capturing stills. Having 2 workstations really sped the entire process along. We were able to work on separate sections at the same time which we feel was crucial to maintain the best continuity in lighting, drawings, and transitions. We paid extreme attention to detail, which would've been more difficult if we each animated our own sections separately. Everyone had eyes on each other's progress at the same time.

We didn't use any paint because we ended up not even back lighting anything at all. We found that since we were essentially drawing with charcoal for every frame, it looked better being lit from above. There was no need to show any transparency from the bottom. We also didn't use any extra glass panels, because we were lighting from above, the glares from the additional glass were unavoidable. We didn't manipulate the lens of the camera by adding vaseline because we didn't want to risk breaking the rules of the assignment, so we stuck with what was required and played it safe.

We used primarily charcoal and sand for the entire sequence. There is a hint of  orange/red pastel crayon for the tip of the cigarette. Since the majority of our group were decent sketch artists, we relied on our strengths and used the drawings as our primary animation. We incorporated the sand to create transitions for each scene. It felt like an old black and white short from the era of the birth of cinema that would be played through on an Cinematograph.

After assembling the clips into Premiere Pro, we decided what we wanted to do for sound and we recorded them right then and there with our phones. The only sound we didn't record ourselves was the projector reel.

So upon reflection on this project, I realized that planning and having a visual reference like drwaings and storyboards, is a must. Everyone in the group has to be on the same page on what it should look and feel. Setting equipment and work areas ahead of time is vital as well, you do not want to spend half of your work day with your crew standing around trying to set up and experiment with what works or doesn't. I think in any group project, having a good plan and sticking to it is the difference between a good piece and a great piece. I also think the team itself plays an important part. There are some people that just "get it" and you want to work with those people for everything. I feel that my group "got it," and by the time we were exporting, we were very satisfied with the process and the results we achieved.

Animation Progress

Well, we didn't get anything animated yet. We spent most of time at my house, setting up the tables and tripods. A lot goes into setting up these stations and it took a lot of trial and error. We have 2 glass top tables, a light box, 3 tripods, 4 cameras and various lamps. We have most of the supplies; plenty of paper, charcoal, pencils, a jar of sand, markers, and various paints. I'm not sure if we HAVE to use gouache paint, but I have water colors and I think we can probably do that in one session without having to worry about the paint drying out. The only we concern we have is if it will be opaque enough to see through the glass.
We did brainstorm some more about the possibilities of the project. We found some glass window panels in my garage and came up with the idea of layering it on top of our base surface. So, at the bottom we will have a painted background, then lay a piece of glass on top of that and draw with the charcoal, then on top of that lay another piece of glass with and create our own transitions with the sand; like wipes, iris, fades, etc. We also came up with an idea of manipulating the lens on the camera, such as putting small amounts of vaseline on the lens shield to create blurs on certain areas of the frame.
We may be getting a little over our heads into this, but I'm confident that we have a very creative and imaginative group and might be able to come through with our ideas. We are really striving to create not just something that stands apart from the rest of the class, but something we are proud of and pushes the limits of our comfort zones.