Lights and the Symbolism

Lights! That's what I'm writing about today, no camera or action. Personally, I know very little about lighting. I just notice that lights can be symbolic when used correctly. It's also something I thought "Hey the sun can take care of this"-type thing. When you watch behind the scenes featurettes or B-roll clips, lighting a scene takes a lot more effort than I thought. For example, a lot of the time the crew would use reflectors that help light a scene. They also use more lights behind the camera, in addition to the lights in the shot/natural lighting.

For my film, I am shooting at night, so natural lighting is out of the picture (sorry Inarritu). But my house is has a lot of lighting outside that can make the shot well lit, in addition to lights inside the house (obviously). What I want to do is use lighting to convey a struggle between good and evil in the main character. When the character walks through the dark, he tenses up. When he walks through the light, he looks more conflicted, until the end, when the character's little brother opens his door (and there's a cool silhouette of the character and the knife) , the character becomes tense and walks into his room.

I think that this gives the opening another layer, and this addition would separate me from the rest of the film openings that I've heard from my classmates. I think that this is going to be really good. Now this is hoping I finish my steadicam before I leave for Houston over the weekend. That would push back plans, but I have plenty of time. 

Until next time.

Sound and the Foley Stage

Sound is always a key sense. As the once godly George Lucas said "The sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie." And that was before the prequels, so we should listen to the advice.

Regarding my film and the lack of dialogue, I am at a luxury of actually being able to choose whether or not I want to record all sound live or not. And, I've decided against it.

After watching the art of a Foley Stage (and the last illusion I had about movie making flushed away) in Media Studies earlier this year, I learned that hardly any sound, other than the dialogue, is recorded on location. Rather they do it mostly on a Foley stage.

So that's what I will do. And I've made a list for all the things that I would need to create for the opening.

List:
Car Engine turning off
Car door opening and closing
Footsteps walking from the car to the room
House door opening and closing
Mother's feet shuffling
Tie hitting the ground
Shoes being kicked off
Mother's and Father's dialogue
Room's door opening
Knife hitting the floor
Sound of muffled crying

Nothing too hard. As some may have noticed (I expect no one to notice), I added the knife part. That's is what the main character will be holding and drop when he gets to his room. It adds more layers to the scene, as he doesn't want a murder weapon in his room and doesn't care who sees it. I like it. Therefore it's in the opening.

Until next time.


<"George Lucas." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<SoundIdeasCanada. "What Is Foley Sound by Sound Ideas." YouTube. YouTube, 05 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<Stoklosa, Tina. "AICE Media Studies." AICE Media Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>

Expensive v Cheap: Dawn of Steadicam*

 So, a problem that I've had for the entirety of the project is what am I going to use for the steadicam, how am I going to use it, yada yada yada yada. I've finally came to the conclusion that I am going to make one, using the $14 dollar Camera Stabilizer instructions!

 ...There's no confetti. Very anti-climatic.

 I choose this instructions because 1) I don't have the cash to spend on expensive things I would only use once (we all don't have money sprouting up our ----- in West-ton) and 2) I found that these instructions are the best I've found on the internet. And that's saying something. There are a lot of instructions for homemade Camera stabilizers, which is so odd.

Anyway, I'm excited to make this over the next week and finally begin to shoot this thing. In retrospect, I probably should've done all of this over spring break, but being the procrastinator that I am, I am not surprised.

Until next time.

*Sorry for the Batman v Superman-like title. I just had to.

<Lee, Johnny Chung. "$14 Camera Stabilizer." $14 Camera Stabilizer. Johnny Chung Lee, 2000. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.>

Music or No Music?

The sole reason non digetic music/score/stings are used in a production is to elevate what is being viewed on screen. I mean, what else is the point, to give more Oscars that regular people dread as they wait for Best Actor?

However, silence can also elevate a scene. There are many examples, but one in particular, and what made me realize this last night, is Lawrence of Arabia. In the three hours and thirty-six minutes (holy hell the film is long), director David Lean uses composer Maurice Jarre's terrific score in times when the film needed it to be used. However, he uses silence and lack of sound when the film needed to as well. For example, the introductory scene of Sherif Ali. Silence. Or at least no score. And it works, with the amazing shot of the weird mirage/heat thing of Ali riding he camel to Lawrence and his guide.

So, what does this have to do with my opening? An option I've been weighing and pondering is to whether or not to use a score for the opening. And if Lawrence of Arabia taught me anything (other than there is a good reason this is Spielberg's favorite film of all time) is that silence can be used well.
Now, the setting of my film is not in the Middle East or in the desert. Nor will it be shot in 70MM. However, I feel confident more than ever after watching the fictionalized version of T.E. Lawrence's WWI experience that I can use silence, and will use silence to make the opening more chilling.

Alrighty then. I also am finally going to pick a steadicam method tomorrow, as I will have a discussion with my parents. That will be written tomorrow for ALLLLLL of my readers who are so enthralled with my decisions and are biting their nails in anticipation. I know. You can wait. It's ok.

Until next time.


<"Lawrence of Arabia." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<"David Lean." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<Oldmoviemusic. "Lawrence of Arabia - Main Theme - Maurice Jarre." YouTube. YouTube, 17 July 2009. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<Movieclips. "Lawrence of Arabia (2/8) Movie CLIP - Ali's Well (1962) HD." YouTube. YouTube, 06 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<"Trivia." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>

Timing is Key

So I had a thought that was irking me in-between episodes of my binge of Season 2 of Daredevil (Punisher, Elektra, crazy stairway/prison fights are seriously improving on a great season 1). It was the timing of the opening. I don't want to rush to get it under two minutes, I mean how long could walking up to a second floor room by right?

So I decided to do an experiment. It would be a test run, me doing the movements of the character for the opening scene. I timed myself and ran into a problem.

I was clocking in around a minute and fifty-six seconds. Now, it is under the required length, however not ideal for me. That means it all has to be blocked near perfectly, with only seconds to spare for the main title.

The problem is really a non-problem, just a precaution. However, I still am nervous about the possibility of not clocking under two minutes.

Until next time.

Emmanuel Lubezki , Jeff Cronenweth, and Roger Deakins

Cinematography is, in my personal opinion, one of the best part of actual production. Sure during post production, a lot of work is done to enhance the cinematography, but there is a thing about making something so simple, into something beautiful. So when the Oscars are being presented and most of the normal human population turn down the volume when they present this award, I care. Not in the same way everyone "cared" about Leo winning one, but genuinely interested. And by the way, if I heard one more person say "It's about time Leo won the Oscar" from random people who went to the movies four times that year, I might've gotten sick. The man is only forty-one and a FRICKING MILLIONAIRE! Do you think he cares too much about an award while he's getting paid $20 million a film, traveling the world, having many promiscuous relationships with many women, or saving the world from global warming? No. So please stop it.

Apologizes for the digression. Now this post isn't about who the best working cinematographers are, but more of who I'm studying for this film opening. And it's clearly obvious the three influential DPs I'll be typing about today.

1) Emmanuel Lubezki: Lubezki has won the past three Oscars for Best Cinematography! He won on Gravity, the seemingly one take Birdman, and last year's coldest film, The Revenant. However, he began to shine Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men. His trade mark is the one shot. Him and his Mexican directors (and probably editors) really do love it when they can immerse the audience in an always impressive one take. Seeing my plan is to shoot a oner for the opening, I am studying how he shoots a lot of scenes, from a practical standpoint. Which is great, because there is a lot of steadicam used.

2) Jeff Cronenweth: This guy is David Fincher's go-to DP. He has shot Fight Club (sorry, first rule about Fight Club is to not talk about Fight Club), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Hollywood version), Gone Girl, and The Social Network (aka the best movie of this decade).  Him and Fincher really have this clear cut feel, sterile feel about them, that could potentially isolate the viewer, but doesn't. It's odd to profess in words.  Oh, and the focus pulls and shallow focuses. Love those focus pulls. Also, him and Fincher rarely uses the handheld technique or closeups, which is what I am being influenced by.

3) Roger Deakins: I would've felt wrong leaving this guy out. He is my personal favorite Cinematographer ever. He has worked with so many different directors and so many different types of films that it's insane. He worked on The Shawshank Redemption (aka the closest to perfection any movie could've  gotten to), to No Country for Old Men, to Skyfall. While he may be my favorite DP, there is nothing flashy about his work. He uses a mixture of cranes, steadicam, dollys, tripod, etc. Never are any of his shots flashy, yet they all are framed to perfection, lit perfectly, and do what the story needs it to. He makes all of his shots the best that they can and that is why he must be studied.

This is a long one. In all honesty, this should count for two blogs, but I know that wouldn't fly. Even if I split this into two, I don't think it would work. Ask all crappy YA films that split the last two to milk the money. It doesn't work.

Until next time.

<"Emmanuel Lubezki." Imdb.com. Amazon, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.>

<"Awards." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.>
<Kwadraputa. ""Gravity" Continuous Shot. Opening Scene. Space Debris Hits Explorer." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Jan. 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. >
<Cinema7Man. "Birdman - Flight Scene HD." YouTube. YouTube, 15 June 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<TheNewYorkTimes. "Anatomy of a Scene | 'The Revenant' | The New York Times." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Jan. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. >
<Http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7gBcKzHKc0oOR5-XiWdlFQ. "Understanding the Cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki." YouTube. YouTube, 29 Feb. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>

<"Jeff Cronenweth." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.>
<SonyPicsHomeEntUK. "DAVID FINCHER'S THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO FIRST 10 MINUTES." YouTube. YouTube, 08 May 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<MovieclipsCOMINGSOON. "Gone Girl Movie CLIP - Who Are You? (2014) - Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck Movie HD." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<Shark15. "Opening Scene of The Social Network." YouTube. YouTube, 06 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<Http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXZewxOWvLM4m1aQ8RGUZ9A. "The Social Network (2010) Best Scene." YouTube. YouTube, 19 Feb. 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<Everyframeapainting. "David Fincher - And the Other Way Is Wrong." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. >
<"Roger Deakins." Imdb.com. Imdb, n.d. Web.>
<Thepencilsmith. "Shawshank Redemption Tarring Roof Scene with English Closed Captions." YouTube. YouTube, 13 July 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<BadWolf8333. "No Country For Old Men Coin Toss HD." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Aug. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>
<Thechadsh0w. "Skyfall - Patrice Fight Scene (HD) Clip." YouTube. YouTube, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>

The Steadicam Problem

As previously discussed, I really want to shoot the opening as a tracking shot on a steadicam. And as perviously discussed, they are really expensive.

And it's not just the money issue, it the actual-shooting-the-film-with-a-steadicam-up-stairs issue. I talked to Mrs. Stoklosa and she warned me of the problems of shooting with a steadicam up stairs. She said that either I should forget the steadicam shot or break the one shot. However, I am stubborn as hell and refuse, like a pouty child.

So, the first thing I need to do is find a steadicam for an iPhone. There are plenty of homemade steadicams that I can make, like $14 camera stabilizer or  $15 camera stabilizer, or some real ones that can be found on Amazon, which are obviously more expensive. Not sure which one to use, because if the do-it-yourself ones work, then I'll try to make it. If not, I'll probably have to bite the bullet and buy one. Still looking into all the available options.

Another problem is the actual filming with the steadicam up the stairs. I've gone over many scenarios how to film it, with Mrs. Stoklosa and in my head. What I think will work the best is to use the railings, and move the camera up them. I think that will work the best to get the shot I want, but I still need to practice with whatever steadicam I end up using for the opening.

This predicament really got me thinking. This is just a two minutes student film opening. Imagine what full productions have to deal with. Sure, there is obviously more crew (more experienced crew), but they must deal with such problems,  all the time, the job has to be super stressful, yet rewarding when you fix the problem and make the film better because of it.

Until next time.

<Lee, Johnny Chung. "$14 Camera Stabilizer." $14 Camera Stabilizer. Johnny Chung Lee, 2000. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.>

<Defnyung. "Original $15 DIY DSLR Steadicam "The Silver Flyer" Stabilizer." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>

<Amazon. Amazon, n.d. Web. 2016.>

Check List

There is a lot of things that need to be done/acquired to make this opening.

1. Actors- I need to find a kid that can walk and look sad. Not a lot of acting chops required. I probably will get one of my unwillingly friends to do so, but in worst case scenario, I'll have my equally unwillingly brother to do it for me. But in his case I can bribe him with free drives around our neighborhood.
For the two parents, I'll simply use my parents. I sure they love it just as much as my friends.

2. Camera- I, as most filmmakers, would love to actually shoot on film, but don't have to means to do so. An iPad or iPhone will suffice.

3. Steadicam- Steadicams are expensive. The cheap ones can range from $200-$1000, but the professional ones can go up to 25K. So there will need to be a substitute of some sort, because I refuse to shoot it handheld, especially a mobile device as the camera. Must look into that.

4. Lenses- Not a necessity, but wanted. I think different lenses can make the film easier to shoot or increase the quality.

5.  Lighting- lighting is a huge in the opening, for its symbolic meaning, reflecting the descent to darkness the main character has just experienced. However, I mapped it all out. The lights in my house can certainly go bright to moody very easily. Will need to test though.

6. Wardrobe- Whoever plays the main character can bring their own dress clothes. All my friends probably have them, but in the off chance they don't, then they can borrow mine. Parents can wear their casual home clothes.

7. Microphone- I am still debate whether or not to record the film live and relief me of the trouble of recording it after the fact. However, because there is minimal dialogue, recording in post-production will most likely be the way I will do it.

8. Music- What the heck am I going to use? Music can enhance a scene so much, but do I even need music? I think this will need to be resolved during post. But if I do indeed use music I don't know what to use. I know it needs to sound dark and creepy, representing the main character as dangerous, yet vulnerable.

9. Blocking- I will need to learn how to block a shot. I guess I can do this, without researching, but I want this to look well and this specific shot will be around a minute and a half. So I'll need to learn how to block and rehearse with the actors.

10. Dried Blood- I will need to find out a recipe in where dried blood looks good. Probably find on the internet.

<"Steadicam+cost - Google Search." Steadicam+cost - Google Search. Google, n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.>


A lot to do. A lot of time to do.

Until next time.

<"Steadicam+cost - Google Search." Steadicam+cost - Google Search. Google, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.>

First Draft of Repression

The story and opening of Repression, as stated in the previous entry, came to me nearly a year ago. The original story was about a kid, who recently went through a traumatic experience and his struggles dealing with regular life as those experiences come back to haunt him.

Small details have changed, but the basic premise stayed the same. The opening has also stayed the same, as I thought it was a great way to introduce the mystery of this kid and his family dynamic.

I also felt that storyboarding was a better way to plan this opening, as there is but two line of dialogue.  I've yet to storyboard, so I feel as if I need a place to write the opening. It's basically ingrained in my head at this point but here we go:

The film opens with a black screen.

From here is a tracking shot. A light slowly comes up to the camera, eventually engulfing the entire screen. The light turns off and the camera tilts up. The light came from a headlight of a car, in which the main character was driving. The main character, 17, is wearing a suit, tie, and slacks. There is still lights coming from the front of the house.

The kid gets out of the car, eyes red from crying, and walks by the camera. His hands had dried blood on them. The camera follows him on his way through his front door, still well lit from lights on the house.

He opens the door and walks through the house, which is overwhelming well lit. As he starts to walk up the stairs, his mom walks up to him "Honey it's-" she cuts herself off when she sees his hands and just stands there.

As he walks up the stairs he takes off his tie and kicks off his shoes. When he reaches the top of the stairs, his father is in his office, watching television. Without looking at him, the father says "How was the game?" Clearly he wasn't at a game.

By now the light has dimmed down and is very dark, as walks down the hallway towards his room, the kid takes off his jacket and leaves it on the ground.  He walks into his room and leaves the door open. He collapses on the bed and starts to sob.


This is the basic plan and I'm really excited to share it with the other kids in the class. I think it creates a mystery, very much akin to what Andrew Stanton said in his TED talk.

Until next time.

Conception and Initial Thoughts of Repression

Hello to whoever has the time to read this blog.  As one can tell by the website name, I am creating a film opening for a film that I'm calling Repression.

 Depressing, right?

That's the point. But title is subject to change.

Here's the thing. I am lucky. Most of my peers are going to have to deal with coming up with an idea, which can be the hardest part of this entire project. Where do I go? What do I do? How am I going to do this? Writer's block, holy crap!

I, on the other hand, have been kicking around this idea for a film opening for over a year now, long before I've ever heard of this project. It was back in my tenth grade English class, trying to impress my English teacher, Ms. Hendricks. I've always loved movies, but she opened my eyes on how movies got made and all the work that people put into these things.

So one day, she handed me a flyer for some young filmmakers program and asked if I wanted to do it. I accepted and the way to get accepted in the program was to shoot and submit a short film. And this is where 90% of the film opening came from.  Just me kicking around ideas.

I've never gotten around to shooting the opening because the rest of the short was, honestly, garbage. But that's fine, as I've learned more and more about the art of filmmaking I can finally realize this idea that has been in my head for a little less than a year and put it to rest. And that feels really fulfilling.

That is until I start actually start production, post-production, and reshoots. By then you'll see me chain smoking with stubs of finger nails left over from constant bitting. I'll either lose five pounds or gain five pounds. I'll have a Hugh Glass-type look and white-heads ready to pop.  Stressing out already.

Until next time.