Missing in action...A 2 week report. ACTION!!!

Well, I apologize for my delay in writing about what has ensued for the past couple of weeks. Although nothing dramatic or major has happened, it still is a good idea to keep everyone updated as to what is going on with me, my group and our film project. Please do pardon my lateness and my squeezing of two weeks' updates up into a single blog.

So, two weeks has gone by pretty fast, and I can't believe that I am in the process of studying my head off for finals. Although I can't wait to get the semester over with, there's one thing I'd miss; my Honors film class. I already miss our movie nights and all that goes with it. Then as a substitute, we started doing our own movies. Then as quickly as it went, we are done shooting our film. Yaayy..it was a great success and I am really proud to have worked with such intelligent young scholars. Last two weeks was our last week of shooting our film, and the last but one day was really an interesting one. When unsuspecting people walking and driving around campus came to the scene of a young man lying helplessly on the floor, believed to have been knocked down by the blue TOYOTA car,that was parked a few inches away from him, with people gathered around him and some shouting out for help, they began to utter words like "OMG!! What happened??" and "Oh no..call the ambulance!!" The expressions on their faces was enough to convey a sense of sorrow and their willingless to help. Unknown to them, a group of young, intellectual scholars had gathered to do what they've been thought to do for the past couple of months. Haha...We must have been really good actors and actresses to have given that impression to unsuspecting passer-bys.

Then the final day of shooting came. On that bright Sunday evening, we were set to shoot a scene of mostly dialogs between our 2 main characters. Our crew gathered and met at the specified place and we all moved to our location. Then, our director had his script ready, actors were ready for a quick rehearsal to go through the lines, and the bag containing our camera laid on the floor, staring at us "smilingly". Then, it was time to shoot.Camera was brought out, turned on, and actors were ready to go. Director shouted, "Action" and after a few dialogues were exchanged, the next thing everyone heard was "Dang!! we ran out of battery."
"OMG...seriously???" I thought to myself, hoping that it wasn't true. But no, I run out of luck, it definitely was. Both batteries had been used up and had just a few minutes, if not seconds, left on them. Now, we definitely had to get those last scenes shot that evening,so we put ideas together, and definitely got things done. Our actors run through the lines as quickly as they could, and we conserved the battery as much as we could. And JUST when our female character said her last word for the dialog, the screen displayed "BATTERY EMPTY" and went out!! How AMAZING!!!
So we finally got our film shot and done with, as planned. Now the next step was to edit, and make the multi-million dollar award winning short film of the year, ready for the markets.

So last week in class, we all gathered just to see what the fate of our videos were. We then had to get our shots digitized, so we could begin with the editing process. Since a lot of other groups had presented their tapes, they had to get theirs digitized first and due to some circumstances, the process took longer than expected. Unfortunately, our tape was not digitized... :( and we have barely 2 weeks to get everything done and submitted. But, once again, our smart director devised a plan. Clint has been so helpful and hardworking in getting this short film going, and I'm really happy to have such a person on our team. He finally got the tape digitized, and hence ready for editing. I must confess that as I write, I have no idea how far editing has gone, but to the best of my knowledge, our sound director, Jessica, is very much ready to put in some wonderful tunes and get the short film READY!!

I can't wait to see what the final product of our efforts has been, neither can I wait to see what my colleagues in other teams have...May 6th should hurry and get here!!!! Goodluck everyone....
*CUT*

Team 6 Short film Progress Report....

For the past week, my group members and I have been really co-operative in getting out thoughts and ideas together, with hopes of getting a really good end-product. So far, I have seen talents being unearthened and put to work, a great deal of thought-processing being made, as well as a supportive environment of learning under practical conditions.

So far, my group members have all been dedicated, and shown a lot of positive attitude and support towards our efforts. I can say with much confidence that our short film will be a success.

Of course, just as anything or anyone else, we run into a few minor issues,which we quickly learnt from and moved on. Because trying to explain what these issues were, would lead to the disclosure of the plot of our short film, I'd rather keep it and mention it in my next blog, by which time our movie would have been ready to hit the theatres!! :)

So far, all is well, and we are set to get our final scenes on Thursday before class period, after which we would begin with the editing process. I am particularly grateful to my team members for making this a success. And to someone who spends most of her free time with us, just to see this materialize,I say "Harley, we are most grateful and indebted to you." To everyone on the team,I say "good job, thanks for all the wonderful support, and let's finish it up hard!!!!

Final Scene...Roll Tape.........ACTION!!!!

As the old saying goes, "all is well, that ends well."
"Adaptation" was definitely a great way to end our fun-filled movie nights. I am absolutely going to miss our "mini-theater" where we watch our movies, discuss/decipher them and come out, always refreshed and equipped with new ideas and useful information. What more could wisdom-seekers ask for? Thanks to the AWESOME woman behind the trick-- Her Excellency, Professor Donna Bowman!!!
[Donna , I hope you are ready for a close-up, because our cameras are..:-)]

Well....last week in class, we watched "Adaptation," a movie made in 2002 by Spike Jonze, where a screenwriter (played by Charles Kaufman) is faced with a daunting task of writing a script based on the novel, "The orchid thief," written by Susan Orlean (who also played a "physical" role in the movie.)
As easy as the task before Charles seems, it turns out to be the theme of the movie...The movie brings Charles' thoughts, experiences, decisions and frustrations to the viewer. This makes the viewer understand and appreciate to a greater extent, what it takes to write a script foor a movie. Despite all the previous successes chalked by Charles in writing excellent screenplays, this script presents him with the opportunity to think outside the box. He therefore decides to meet with the author of the book, so as to get first-hand information as to what the book was all about. In the process, Kaufman begins to fantasize about the author, but is too shy to make her aware of his intentions. He therefore makes his twin brother play his role,(although it would have made no difference since his brother was actually,just one of his multiple personalities). Once this was started, the realities of life, violence, sex and drug trafficking set in.

The movie does a really great job in getting the viewer to think about the things that go on in everyday lives of screenwriters, as well as the elements of good screenwriting. Although the last quarter of the movie seemed a little bit more abstract, I believe that this was done on purporse, in order for the viewer to once again appreciate the value of critical thinking and its significance in movie making.

Just as all the previous movies we've watched in class, this movie gives us more insights into movies and the movie industry at large. It helps us to think out loud, and how to understand what goes on in the industry. No matter how small these ideas are, I am convinced that most of us use them as we plan our short film projects.

For my group, it is our turn to shoot our short film, and I am more than excited to see what we can get on these rolls of tape (not literally..haha) I can't wait to see what my other colleagues have too on finals day. It's definitely going to be lots of fun....;)

But until then, "Stay strong, do no wrong, live long, where you belong!"
*CUT*

Time for a recap.....ACTION!!!!

Well, there's not enough to be said about last week's class, considering that it was dedicated completely to discussing how our short film projects were coming up. For those who had started, it was a good time to let us know what their successes were, as well as what drawbacks they encountered. They did a really great job by giving all of us some very good advice in order to make good use of our shooting time.

And oh...before class, a senior honors/film major student showed us the final piece of his movie he had been working on for almost a year,if I got that right. Honestly, for a movie that was written and directed by this student,I feel that there is something to definitely love about it. Although it was obvious that this movie didn't win the hearts of many in the class, I love the enthusiasm with which the student presented and answered the questions that were thrown at him after the movie. On one hand, I was grateful that he showed this movie at a time that we are preparing to do something similar, although within a relatively shorter time. First of all the movie made me think for a second about the importance of lightning, in our short films. Although I'm not sure if that was done on purpose, the main problem with the movie, in my opinion was the lightning. Although the best was done, I still think that it could have been much better. Also, it looked as though the complete thought (plot) of the story was not made elaborate enough in the movie. It was when he told us about the story, that I could understand the movie better. Maybe I was just too slow. :( Overall, I think that he did well, although it could have been better.

Next, Eric went through some movies with us online, pointing out things that were worth knowing; shots, sound effects, etc. Class was much dedicated to all the things to expect or do whilst getting the project done.

About an hour to the end of class, we divided out into our respective groups, where we discussed what the present and future plans concerning our projects were. Our group used this opportunity to make final touches to our script, as well as make sure that we had al props ready for the project. Although we don't start shooting until April, I feel that we are ready to get this done. Goodluck to whichever group is shooting now...and Happy long awaited Spring break to all of us... :)

Scene 8 Take 1......ACTION!!!

For a movie that started off very nicely, got me interested and kept my interest up until somewhere past halfway, it is hard for me to admit that I didn't like "The Player." In last week's class, I deeply appreciated the importance and the relevance of the discussions we do in class after watching a movie. Thanks to these discussions, I would have had no idea what "The Player" was all about.

The movie started off with really wonderful shots and the interesting signature of Robert Altman; people constantly talking. It was interesting to see how this feature was maintained throughout the movie, with every scene leading on the other spontaneously without a trace of suspicion. However, as the movie came to a close, I paused, took a look at my "critical viewing guide", shook my head in shame and thought to myself "why is this paper still blank?" I had written nothing except for the words "Nudity, Language and romance."

"The Player" talks about a movie producer who had to have the time and the patience to listen to a countless number of writers, who all wanted their scripts to be picked for a movie. However, after receiving several postcards that threatened him, Griffin tries to find whoever it was. In the anger and his quest to achieve his aim, he ends up killing an innocent writer, and eventually fell in love with the victim's girlfriend. As interesting as it might get, Griffin Mills gets away with his act.

It was during the class discussion that I realized that although the movie had a lot of romance, nudity and other forms of languages, it belonged to the Film noir genre. It then made sense to me, why the parts of the movie were put together, the way they were. Robert Altman, the director also seemed to bring to the audience, the reality behind the movie business and what goes on in getting a movie studio running. He tried to explain the uncertainties that come with the movie businesses and the risk associated with being involved in the movie-making business.

Overall, the class discussions helped a lot by clearing up the confusions that I had whilst the movie was about to end. There is without a doubt,a lot to learn from this movie. It does bring the competition that goes on and the risks involved in getting into the business. No matter how confused I was, I came out of class with one thing learnt ; HUMILITY and PATIENCE conquers ALL!!! Thanks to Robert Altman!!
*CUT*

Scene 7 Take 1......ACTION!!!

So last week, we had a short film planning workshop. Eric showed some videos that really proved to be helpful by the end of class since most of us got a lot of ideas from the videos that were shown. A variety of videos were shown; from those that gave ideas as to what films to make, to videos that gave important ideas on how to make a movie on a small budget and others that exposed us to props, special effects and other things that would definitely be useful, as we prepare to begin our short films.

I should admit that I have wonderful, and understanding group members and I am really excited to be working with such a group of hardworking intellectuals. :) During the small group meetings in class last Thursday, our group got together to discuss what we have so far and in what direction we are headed. As always, we had a successful meeting, because we were able to do some editing on our script, decide on certain important factors like sound, locations, etc.

Although a final decision has not been made as to what our script should be like, I believe that our group is on the right track and in a good position to start shooting. Being the last group to take our shots, we have adequate time to prepare in order to make the best of this advantage. Once again, I am really indebted to my group members, and I can't wait until we start shooting..Fun....Fun FUNN....*CUT*

Scene 6...Take 1...ACTION!!!

So this past Thursday,we watched Brian De Palma's thriller movie, "Blow-Out." This movie definitely was different from all the other movies we've seen, in many different areas. In this movie, we see Jack Terry, played by John Travolta, as a sound editor for a low budget film studio.In his quest to capture some “real” sound outside one night,over a bridge near a "forest" area, where he could get different types of sound,he witnesses and records the sounds of a car crash. After the car crashes into a river below the bridge, Jack saves the girl in the car, Sally,played by Nancy Allen. He then finds out later that the driver of the car, who died after the incidence, was a famous politician. The sound he recorded that night was what became his valuable asset which he intended to use as proof to show that the politician's car accident was nothing, but a planned murder attempt. This intent however, didn't last long, as he and Sally got into different kinds of trouble and obstacles.

I personally love the plot of this movie. It definitely was a thriller and as well, a movie that had a great idea and theme. The cinematography and editing associated with various scenes in this movie was excellent. However, the movie seemed to be a bit boring to me, after a few couple of scenes. Although the movie had a lot of various interesting scenes, I would have loved that my interest had been sustained throughout the movie. But just as Donna said, prior to the movie, Brian De Palma actually cared less about the viewer. What he cared most about was his theme and how he put it across. Overall, I think that this was a good movie, although it got boring most of the time, especially when you could tell what was going to happen in the next scene.

As we watched this movie, some things were noticeable as distinct from the earlier movies we had watched. For instance, the sound, acting and the video were much different. One could notice that the color became more saturated, the language became more "explicit", nudity and sex were being exposed,and the acting in general became more real. The camera shots in this movie, are definitely worth-noting. The various underwater shots, the split diopter shots, the split screen(whilst Jack was on the phone, labeling his films) as well as the rack focus used in various scenes. There was definitely a lot to love about this movie.

Most importantly, the theme of "Blow-Out" was very evident both in the movie industry as well as in America. The various cover-ups, the search for reality, the search for freedom and the desire to achieve the American dream (that everything is possible)are just a few of the interesting themes. In general, Blow-Out was a great movie, although I had a problem with the boredom that was inevitable in most scenes in the movie. I blame it on the movies we've watched prior to this one. They made me feel very comfortable and so having to watch a thriller seemed to be a problem. But well.........On to the next one!! :) *CUT*

Rehearsal Shot 1......

Following several weeks of careful analysis and understanding of cinematography, editing, and screenwriting, our class has been divided into groups of about 4 to 5 people, with each group responsible for making a short film about 2 to 5 minutes long.
Last week at the end of class, all 6 teams were provided with different genres, ranging from horror, experimental, romance, comedy, action and drama.
For each group, the short film must meet the following criteria:
1. Must have a Mime/clown
2. Must have the line “Why is this happening to me today of all days?” and "It would be better for us not to talk about that."
3. Must have a guitar, a cheese grater, and a skull.
INTERESTING!!!! Well...let's see how this goes....ummmmmm...

*ACTION*
(speaking as fast as I can)
In a very dark room, with lights reflecting from the black ceiling, the camera fades in on a mime on stage, playing a guitar. As the camera zooms in on him, he plays a quite soothing, romantic and captivating tune , which gets the audience humming along. The camera captures a close-up shot of the mime, and the music begins to fade. Next, the mime is seen in his home, with his wife in the kitchen. The wide shot in this scene gives us a really great depth of field, where we see a cheese grater lying on top of one of the expensive-looking counters..suddenly, the camera moves swiftly and zooms in on a..*CUT* NO, HOLD ON!!!!! I'm sorry, I was just thinking aloud...Back to our project...

Yes, after a few times of brainstorming, I personally think that our group has the best talents. So far, we have come up with a few ideas, although none of them has been completely agreed upon yet. We’ve thought about a stalker girl who always runs into this boy anytime she sees him around campus. Although the intermediate scenes have not been fully built, the final message/scene sounds fun and interesting. We'd see...:)
Secondly, we are considering an idea of a blind date. A date that ends up being a dramatic one due to various factors such as communication barriers, personal atributes and expectations, etc. All of these ideas have been brought to the table, and hopefully, we'd be able to select one, then begin to put our thoughts together.

It is my personal conviction that our short film would be a success. I would like to see my teammates and I work on getting really great shots since I believe that the quality of a movie depends on the kinds and quality of shots. Secondly, as a "freelancer" in my group, I look forward to working and helping everyone in their roles,in order to make our short film a success. I can't wait for the Film festival on Finals day....It is going to be fun. Good luck to everyone on our assignments!!

Scene 5...Take 1....ACTION!!!

(Just woke up and singin' in my bed)
"Good mornin'!
Good mornin'!!!
It's great to stay up late,
Good mornin', good mornin' to you." (Stretching lazily)
So I have always thought that musicals were only characteristic of Bollywood movies (Mariam knows what I'm talking about)... but well..I was wrong!! Prior to watching the movie, I had planned to look out and see if I could figure out all the cinematographic effects, as well as all the other fun things we've learnt in class. Believe it or not, after the first musical, I had lost track and count of what I was looking out for. I totally and absolutely loved "Singing in the Rain." With well composed songs and dance moves to go with it, the rate at which one gets pulled into this movie is really not surprising. These old movies do nothing, but get me thinking about the wonderful, God-given talents these people had, and eventually died with. If only brains were transplanted, I'd have sought the graveyards of all these awesome people..haha..

There is indeed, a lot to fall in love with,in this movie; the sound, the acting and the Cinematography. For a movie that was done to depict the transition from silent movies to "talking" movies, I think that a great job was done in getting the sound together. The shots that were taken at various points in the movie, are worth mentioning. Shots that took the actors dancing through a wall, shots that gave smooth depths of field and that shot of Gene Kelly dressed in a yellow slicker, hanging from a lamp-post and swinging his umbrella in the wild joy of his new love. The cinematography in that scene was breath-taking, as Kelly stomps through the puddles of water in the gutters, making big wet splashes.

The most interesting thing about "Singing in the Rain" for me, was the humor that was in this movie. There is great humor, especially in the scenes that deal with the technical difficulties of the early days of talkies. Lina could never seem to remember which flower arrangement holds the concealed microphone, and so her sweet, sexy voice(in my opinion) booms and whispers as she turns her head back and forth. Although this was funny, it really served the purpose of bringing out the main theme of the movie. The color-filled broadway scenes, also made the movie more interesting and "modern." In summary, "Singing in the Rain" was an awesome movie, and I'd definitely watch it again soon--maybe now..but until then,
"I'm singing in the rain
Just singing in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again"
*CUT*

Scene 4 Take 1......ACTION!!!

Well, after 2 film production and editing workshops,and various movies that confirm how they work, I feel that I have a better understanding of what is involved in getting movies together. The same way, I believe that I can employ these skills that I've gathered and propose that we use it in our short film project.

This week's class was very interesting considering the fact that Eric did a great job explaining all the various cinematography concepts and ideas. All these things come together to give me ideas as to what to do on this project. Most importantly, I would love to see my team-mates and I come to a consensus as to what we'd all want to see in our short film as well as what not to include. No matter how different our ideas may be, there's one thing that all of us would want : GOOD LIGHTING!!!!

From cinematography class,we learnt about the basic 3 point lighting method, and tried to figure out where the different kinds of lights were placed in movies that we saw.I believe that lighting is definitely important because it brings out the life in the characters as well as makes the shots more clear and appealing, as the actors get more in focus.

Next, I'd want to try a voice-over narration, depending on what kind of movie we decide to make (adventure, romance etc) Since this is a short movie, I think that it would be very helpful, since it gives the audience, more information about what is going on, in a few scenes, just as it was used in Sunset Boulevard. At some point in our project therefore, I would love to see this in use.

Depth-of -field and focus have become things that I generally look out for these days, anytime I see something on screen. I'd absolutely love to include these in our project. Getting a really good focus, and incorporating the various forms of focusing.I'd really really want to try the deep focus because it makes the scene looks really Cool. I'd want us to consider the depth of field too,which means that we'd place much emphasis on zooming and the different kinds of shots.

All these I believe, are possible considering the extensive workshops we've had and the ideas that my team members and I would bring on board. I would therefore love to see all these in our short film, just to have a feel of what it feels like to be involved in bringing out ideas for a creative work. Until then, good-luck to everyone and happy Snow day... :) *CUT*

Scene 3 Take 1....ACTION!!!

Whoever thought that an old movie as "Sunset Blvd" could hold my interest much better than any of these new, recent movies?? Sunset Blvd from its very beginning,promised to be something that I could watch till the very end. The class discussion after the movie,got me thinking about the creativity and authenticity that was incorporated in these old movies, especially the film noir genre.

Everything, from the very beginning till the end of the movie, looked original and natural;from the inscription of the movies title on the curb of a sidewalk,to the shot of credits being presented on a moving road, even to the use of soothing,comfortable lightning, the award winning sound/musical interlude and a completely black and white colored touch, everything indeed, was authentic and spontaneous.

The theme of this movie, as was discussed earlier in class for me, was to "expose" the "behind-the-scene" lives of people in the movie industry. As most of us might have thought, these celebrities have the modest and most comfortable lives, but don't be fooled, most of them wish they had simple lives. In this movie, we see how Norma Desmond lives an isolated, deserted life, all in hopes to get back into the spotlight. We see how she works hard, and is determined to make everything possible to become as young and beautiful, just so she could be in a movie of her dreams. Also, Marx's "facial" expression throughout the movie got me thinking why he didn't look happy living in that big house, but I finally comprehended when he finally said, "I was her first husband." "Whatt??????" I thought to myself!!!!! One striking effect in this movie was the underwater shot of Joe Gillis lying dead in Norma's pool. This shot, from below the pool, adds a very interesting effect to the movie. Also, the voice-over narration by Joe Gillis makes this flashback more evident and interesting. It also keeps the audience in suspense and makes you want to pick a phone and call Joe and be like "hey Joe you know, this woman is gonna kill you...don't do this or don't do that!!!!" For me, my love for the authenticity of this movie all comes in when I realized that all the characters being mentioned in the movie were real people. This presents a sense of personal touch and great directing by Billie Wilders.

In short, this movie was rather educative, interesting and authentic. I would definitely watch some more film noir's!!!! Any suggestions?? OMG OMG... I'm sooo happy this definitely is the best movie that everyone should...but wait....(In Norma's voice and actions) "I can't go on with this scene,I'm too happy. Donna, do you mind if I say a few words? Thank you.I want to say how happy I am to be in this class and that I love all these wonderful people around here!!!! Alright Eric, I'm ready for my close-up".... *CUT*

Scene 2 Take 1--- ACTION!!

In short,class last night was great. It wasn't until last night that I realized the amount of "behind-the-scene" work that goes on in the production of a movie. Eric did a great job by going through the steps in a very interesting way. The tutorials that were shown at the end of class made it more interesting.
Although I knew that a significant amount of time was required and spent in the preparation, shooting, editing and overall production of a movie, I didn't know how intensive the process was like until I saw the behind the scene works of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I was really amazed to see how some people are just able to visualise a scene, then put it in a form of a drawing, by making storyboards. That shows the artistic value that is put into the making of these movies. People putting their lives at risk, just in order to get the sound of an animal (lions, elephants) makes it even more frightening,yet interesting. Now, I can understand and appreciate these movies since I now realize the amount and depth of efforts put into them.
Now that the short films have been assigned, I am more than ready to start putting them together in order to make a complete thought. Windows movie maker keeps messing up, but hopefully I'd find something that works. Goodluck to everyone and let's have fun with it. *CUT*

Scene 1 Take 1.....ACTION!!!

So the first day of class seemed to be more of an eye-opener to me, considering that I had never thought about how much film has revolutionized over the years. Whoever thought that specially made boxes with movable parts could be used to capture such relatively perfect scenes? But oh...It was a pleasure meeting everyone in my class. It was during the process of introducing ourselves that I saw most people that I had never seen/ ever seen but not talked to. As the introductions went on, and people kept mentioning countless number of movies as favourites, I thought to myself "Wow, these peoople must be in love with movies!!"

Well, like a few other people, I am not a huge film buff. I only watch movies whenever someone tells me "Hey, you should watch this movie, its REAALLLLYYY good." Honestly, I try, but more often than not, I end up watching the movie half-way through, and then I'm done!! What could be wrong with me?? I have really thought about it, but cannot seem to figure out what the problem is, especially after a few incidences where I felt SOOOO sleepy at the movies,(literally, fell asleep) whilst people were enjoying the movie being shown, passionately!! Seriously, anyone who thinks or knows about a solution to this daunting problem should help me out.

That being said, I must confess that I can't wait to start working on our film projects. For me, this class is going to be a lot of fun, considering all the big plans and projects Donna and Eric have in stock for us. I can hardly wait to see the great things that my mates and I will acheive by the end of the semester. Seriously, Donna, I think you should get in touch with some production and post-production Houses in Hollywood, because we are about to break some world records...Donna and Eric should have seen the ideas that were being put to work whilst we made those short scenes in class on Thursday. We are just awesome!!! The final projects, I believe will be a sight to see...and just to let everyone know, some people already know who to cast;Dr. Norb, Rick, Glenda and a few more. Others also have locations set up ahead of time; NASA Space station, the Bears stadium, the swimming pool, cafeteria, HPER and a lot more!!! Could you imagine what the result of these brilliant minds and ideas will be??? It's definitely "COMING OUT SOON IN THEATRES NEAR YOU!!!"

And before I release any more confidential and classified information, I'm out of here,and I'd see all my wonderful film-making colleagues in class on Thursday. *CUT*