Idiot Box Love

adieu - part II

2007-11-09T13:27:00.000+11:00

So we've been asked to do a wrap-up post of sorts to conjure up our thoughts on last week's screening. A lot of what was asked for I posted in the previous post anyhow - but there are a couple of points I'll address separately so that all bases are covered.

Seeing my group's documentary up on the big screen was both terrifying and exhiliararating. Everything looks different when you're in a cinema-type setting and not just viewing a timeline on final cut through a TV monitor. It's a completely encapsulating experience. All the flaws of our work were magnified for all and any to see - and all the beauty we marveled at in the beginning radiated tenfold. It really was quite an overwhelming experience, especially considering the depth of my involvement with this project. Hearing Rachel and other members of the audience roar with laughter at Amazon's jokes made me feel completely.. accomplished I guess. Just like the moments of candour when he spoke about getting beaten up in and out of home for choosing to dress in drag. And the way a wave of awe swept over the audience when they saw Amazon as a finished product just blew me away. To be able to elicit those kinds of feelings - to have achieved our aim in terms of creating this project - made everything so incredibly real.

From its inception, to its initial stages of production, to the editing, fine cutting ,fine tuning, peer assessments, etc - I can honestly say that I've made something that I am proud of, in spite of its imperfections. Maybe it was kinda raw, and sorta rough around the edges, but it spoke to people. It brought to the fore a side os society and the human condition that does not get explored everyday. It uncovered the individual story of one person whose charms were both majestic and engaging... and it will not be forgotten.

Of course, we need to go through *once again* and fix up the sound.. this time it was too soft.. God only knows how that keeps going awry...And that little blip od blackness I swear I saw before one of the photo clips. I'd also like to do a proper DVD set for it. Maybe go through and re-do the first cut away. If it were possible it'd be great to have filmed Amazon doing a live show ourselves... Aside from that, everything else I was pretty happy with.

There were a couple of other group's docos that just left me spellbound. "The valley", "Mirrors with Memory" and "A Darker Shade of Night" spring to mind... The former, for its evocative and clever structuring, not to mention completely masterful infusion of archival footage.. I can't imagine how long it must have taken to go through it all and produce such a fine result. "Mirrors with Memory" was just funny and compelling through its richness of character... I loved the absence of English, and the whole 'lost in translation' feel it carried with it. Not to mention the gorgeous, picturesque cinematography. "A Darker Shade of Night" didn't really do it for me at the beginning, but the way it was shot and edited just eked with beauty. It was smooth and sensual, and though it did not conform to strict documentary-style conventions, it was somewhat uplifting. "Asian Beauty Pageant" and "The Gift" deserve honourable mentions.. for their completely candid humour if nothing else. I really liked opening sequence of the former. Was not one bit amateurish and made me both proud of my peers and honoured to have had the chance to work with them a second time 'round. I am going to miss them next year.

And so it seems I've arrived here once more: the bitter-sweet end of a long, trying, draining - yet intrinisically rewarding, and uplifting - road.

TV2: So long, and thanks for all the shoes

2007-11-02T15:35:00.000+11:00

Well, last night really capped off what has undoubtedly been one hell of a semester.

As stated in my previous posts, I have had the time of my life putting together this documentary, and I think the quality of the work reflected the deep level of engagement myself and my group memebers had in this process.

It was also heartening to see so much fantastic work, and to have the fruits of a laborious semester amount to something. It is quite astonishing, the far greater levels of skill as filmmakers we have acquired since last semester. So many docos stood out for me last night, far more than the dramas. Yeah, they all had their little flaws (OMG I'm positive I saw a flash of black in ours, and the sound was TOO SOFT - why oh why?!?!?!), but they took me to places that 9/10 dramas could not - i.e., they actually made me think.

Working with this medium has been so richly rewarding, and I'm not sure if that's because I have always had a marked partiality towards it or because my experience in TV1 was so dramatically different (read: negative). I don't think the two semesters could have been any more opposite in my mind... I literally never even saw the final version of 'Potato Cakes' before it was screened, and could not have cared less if someone had blown up the harddrive and erased everything. With Amazon, however, I was only ever more than willing to spend as much time as needed to make it as polished as possible.

To some extent I had no choice in the matter (that is, with my level of responsibility), but the fact is I genuinely enjoyed every minute of it. And that counts for a lot. As imperfect and rough around the edges as our documentary may be, it connected with people, and gave me the opportunity to do something beautiful for a good friend of mine, who has only been too supportive of the project as a whole.

This is quite possibly the end of the road for me as far as production projects go. For a little while, at least. I have Honours to think about now, and at this stage I am looking at doing a thesis instead of a production project. I have to say, though, that it was good to go out with a bang - and even if I'm not working on something of my own next year, I have big plans to hijack as many gigs as possible... as long as I can pluck up the courage to take on more technical roles, but you never know. Stranger things have happened.

'I like to be the man'

2007-10-30T16:58:00.000+11:00

Though this is a joke I frequently make in reference to bedroom exploits (I have half of my friends convinced I own a deadly, 12 inch strap-on), I can't help but feel that it is an apt call to make in reference to being director.

Being cast in a role where you call all the shots is at once exhiliarating and terrifying. The pressure associated with such an intimate duty of care is enormous, and you know that the failure of anything - on or off the scenes - is likely to be attributed to your own performance. Coming from a project where I had the bar minimum of say in last semester really meant that this was a 360 degree turn for me. At the same time, though, nothing has ever felt so natural.

As fantastic as Deno & Anthony have been over the months with their technical prowess and their willingness to contribute, neither of their interests in film are much concerned with creativity and aesthetics (though Deno does have a very smooth hand for operating a camera). What made this group dynamic work so well was that the visual side of the production was my forte - literally every decision made in post came down to my discretion. Right from the positioning of pictures, footage, transitions, music, etc, to making the end credits. Every cut on action, every smooth progression within the conversation, I oversaw.

And to have had people compliment the work is just the most satisfying experience for me. To literally have seen this idea materialise from a conversation with a friend to a tribute to their career is fairly mind-blowing. Directing is such a personal challenge - and by that I do mean, blood, sweat and tears. But at the end of the day, there's no way more fulfilling to be involved with something.

'i love an audience.....'

2007-10-22T16:56:00.000+10:00

With so many things in the midst, the editing of this project has unfortunately gone on the backburner until next week - and it feels strange having such a gaping creative absence in my academic schedule.

The question we have continually posed ourselves in the making of this project, is "why would anyone care?" or "what have they learnt from watching this?". It is something that has been constantly been at the epicenter of our working 'agendas' if you will - it is the core of what it means to create a documentary.

What we really want is to focus upon the character of Jamie/Amazon and his evolution or metamorphosis from masculine to feminine form. Applying the makeup and getting ready for a show seemed to be the perfect backdrop for revealing the subtleties and nuances surrounding his unique dual personality experience that was shaped by his performing career. What started out as a form of artisitc expression resulted in being completely enveloped by a whole other part of his psyche - the feminine - who was the tough, bold, more indepedent of the two. And this is the story element we have tried to convey more than anything.

It is not so much us making a documentary about Amazon, but rather a documentary for him and people like him. Something that can commemorate the years of hard work and effort he has put in to get to where he is, on both a personal and professional level. It offers a brief insight into life as a performer and then delves into the psychodynamics of being a drag queen and reconciling both elements of the male/female.

The overriding intention was never to educate our audience about being a drag queen - alas, how dull. It was to showcase Amazon's talent and to delve into the depths of his mind. Of course, there is quite a degree of risk involved here as we wanted to approach something relatively 'tired out' with fresh eyes. Remember, even though we crafted our questions, we were essentially filming responses which we wielded little control over. It will make you think and question the ways in which you make your judgments. Take or leave it I guess.

w13 - bye bye birdie

2007-10-17T19:13:00.000+10:00

So, no more pracs, and no more classes - for that matter. Gotta love week 13.. Lucky for some, unlucky for others.

For those of us seasoned veterans, 'Week 13' has come to be synonymous with 'Self-Assessment'. Good old self-assessment. It really drives me bonkers because if you give yourself a shit mark, no-one's really going to argue with you (unless you truly deserve it), but if you give yourself a good mark, people are going to just think you're full of it (in which case, you wonder if you actually are).

As it happens, I chose the path of awarding myself a good mark. I rightfully deducted a mark for the lecture I didn't attend, and was going to deduct one for the tute I had to come late to, 'til I remembered all those times I returned the filming gear on my own, all the running around I did in aid of making our production run as smoothly as possible, all the money that came out of my pocket (petrol, tapes, props) and realised I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't nominate to receive a HD.

Moreso than last semester, I have gone out of my way in tutes to give as much feedback as possible. I am not that ridiculously competitive that I would dream of inhibiting the creative process of other students' work; if I think something can be improved, they deserve to have that brought to their attention. The other 2 groups had real potential with their projects, and for the most part they did really, really well in driving home exactly what it was those projects were about.

And while being on the receiving end of feedback has never been something I've enjoyed, again I've done my best to take everything that other students (and my tutor) suggested on board, and the changes we made were evident in today's screening. For one, the sound has improved in leaps and bounds, and the cuts make more sense than they did in our rough cut. Our work has evolved from something we were cringing at merely 3 or 4 weeks ago, to something we are proud to show off.

There's nothing I wouldn't have done for this subject. It has consistently been prioritised over everything else, and for good reason. This has been my sole creative outlet for the semester, so I have only been 110% willing to get behind it.

Thankfully we also had the privelege of David & Christine working together with us to hone these concepts and guide us towards success. And after seeing how far each group has come, they have certainly done a fantastic job.

heartened

2007-10-12T14:49:00.000+10:00

David described our footage as 'elegaic' in class the other day. He said there was something about the composition, the shots, the tones, etc - that gave the piece a kind of poetic, reflective feel.

His comment made me remember the beginning of the semester and the theoretical grounding of documentary it concerned.

Bill Nichols' ‘genre-categorization’ for documentaries is a particularly useful way to teach students how to understand the sub-genres of documentaries and how they are put together.

His modes can be divided into the following groups:
Expository Documentaries; Observational Documentaries; Interactive Documentaries; Reflexive Documentaries
and the less commonly used (not necessarily his):
Performative Documentaries; Poetic Documentaries

I would have to say that ours is a blend of both expository and poetic. Expository documentaries tend to carry an ethical burden due to its nature to expose people’s lives. As such, they are highly constructed, with a well thought-out storyline that frequently addresses the viewer. They usually propound a strong argument or point of view, via the use of voice-over, narration or titles. From a stylistic perspective, they can be both informative and descriptive (this could apply to the ways in which Amazon describes what he does and how he does it, and recounts his experiences). The narrative itself is then carried forth by a rhetoric that forces an audience to read the images in a certain aesthetic fashion.

Poetic documentaries, on the other hand, are much more abstract in nature, with form taking precedence over content. Paradoxically, this format emerged as a response to the heavily content driven and rhetorical documentaries that were far too reliant upon continuity and the lineal structure of time and space. Coherence was abandoned in favour of more fragmented elements of form, color, and movement, making them far more impressionistic and lyrical in nature than their predecessors.

I think that having a project which corsses and blurs boundaries makes for far more compelling viewing than one that sticks within the limitations of a specific format. Documentary is forumlaic by nature and if it weren't for the innovators and pioneers of the past, it would not be possible for all these different kinds of documentaries to exist. Even with the more recent phenomenon of 'docu-drama' reality TV, this kind of viewing would not be made possible if filmmakers had not taken it upon themselves to appropriate different elements from both genres into the one production. If there is one positive thing to emerge from Big Brother et al, it is the gateway of possibilities that we are now posed with when we go to craft our own works.

w00t!

2007-10-10T17:39:00.000+10:00

Well, we had our tutes 2 hours earlier today and one of our groups forgot! Well not totally, but they were only represented by their director. Crazy times. I guess they are though when you think about it.

Christine was particularly excited at finally getting to see Amazon on the screen - from one Kiwi to another, of course. She was especially glad that we had managed to delve beneath the surface of the subject (as our proposal had stated) as a means of uncovering the duplicit side of his personality - which is what really set us apart from any other media featuring your generic 'drag queen'.

We also got favourable feedback about the sound quality after inserting yesterdays recordings. It's amazing how a few bit of decent sound can dramatically alter the whole thing... And David was totally rapt about us getting the 'tour of Amazon' audio synched up perfectly! The closing sequence looks (AND SOUNDS) totally unreal now.. which is what we want, because the opening is so dramatic - we need this to balance it out!

To have the end of the road in sight is pretty exciting. Next week is when everyone else grades our work, so we've got the suites booked for a few nights between now and next week... Students grading other students are notoriously critical, so we have to give it our all as none of us can really afford to lose marks at this stage.

Dinner time.

Progression

2007-10-09T23:25:00.000+10:00

Well, this afternoon was officially 'Day Two' of filming for Project Diva - we just hung around outside the State Library, filmed ourselves an intro, before moving off into one of the rooms to do the few bits of voice recording that we needed.

Here is where we thank our lucky stars that we chose a subject with such extensive experience in the realm of performance. We got lucky. Asking him to re-do his audio was something we could not have avoided, but the fact that we were able to synch up parts of it, as one might within a drama, has made an enormous difference. Yes, the majority of it will need to be used as voice over.. but it kind of works in our favour. As it happens, all the majorly bad sound was woven into the clips where Amazon talks about the way in which the feminine side of his persona came to dominate the rest of his life... and to have that now as clear sound, layered with visuals of him doing other things gives it a much more nostalgic feel.

We stayed back late again so we could get all the new stuff slotted in. I'm looking forward to Wednesday and hearing what everyone else has to say.

2007-09-27T13:28:00.000+10:00

I had a thought today regarding our documentary which harked back to one of our earlier readings (Paul Arthur - Feel the Pain). The implications of which stemmed back to including myself - the filmmaker - in the documenary itself.

Strictly speaking, in the history of documentary, directors have not played any on-camera role within the fil, and if this was the case it was either inadvertent or there was no way to work around it. More recently pioneered documentaries such as Michael Moore’s Roger & Me, however, offer a much more integrated relationship between the director and the content on screen.

Technological advances, which have entailed the “availability of inexpensive mini-cams and readily accessible video-editing equipment” have enabled emerging filmmakers of the next generation to tell their “literary memoirs”, as it were.

Such documentaries commonly include subjective voiceover narration, a mixture of interviews as well as found material. Whilst ours does not contain the former, there definitely is a marked use of the latter two, and my inolvement is pretty well apparent throughout the piece. And I would definitely class this as an almost 'unavoidable' inclusion because there is probably less chance that Amazon would have been as open and honest had it been anyone else asking the questions.

I have tried to minimalise my involvement on the screen as much as possible, but there are just some points where it cannot be helped. I guess the reality here is is that I wanted my viewers to fall in love with Amazon the way I did, and in order for that to happen I had to have quite an intense level of personal involvement. So far it seems that this has been a success - and it will be interesting to see whether any other groups in the other tutes utilise this mode of reprsentation, too.

'Tis the season

2007-09-25T11:18:00.000+10:00

Well, we're on holidays. 10 Weeks into the semester, and we're on holidays. Go figure, haha.

We're spending all of today putting the final touches to the rough cut. We figured this was the best approach to take, as 'stop-start' bursts of editing are far less effective.

I also stayed back last night putting together the intro, it took my FOUR FREAKING HOURS. For just 20 seconds of footage, what does that ratio work out to be?! Although due to the number of effects I applied, I reckon more time was spent rendering than anything else. Got the music happening & all. 'Stand Up' is going to be our intro track - gotta love the use of camp, club/house music. However, the idea is to have people glued to their seats, so we'll see what reaction that gets next week.

The dossier has finished, much to my dismay. As ridiculous as it sounds, I have actually enjoyed relaying my thoughts through the academic proofferings given to us. Will pick up where I left off next post.. for now I have to meet the boys.

Hiccups

2007-09-21T09:10:00.000+10:00

Damn, forget about boom in frame - we've got something new happening in this doco.. it's called.. DEDO IN FRAME!

Okay, alright, so the dedo was not switched on, but it's there alright. And it's right in the background of a shot we plan to use with its synched dialogue.

I realise now just how crucial seeing Week 7's lecture was... We were given the chance to visualise just how we would need to set our own lights up to create the desired effect... I mean, it might seem pretty straight forward to outsiders but there is actually a shitload of thought that goes into each and every shot, and even though you can't properly storyboard/map out a documentary from shot to shot, you do wield a great degree of influence over the aesthetic feel. Fortunately, the dedo being in the shot does not affect the overall look of our rough cut too badly... could have been a completely different story if this were drama, though.

I guess the idea is, no matter what genre you're working with, you HAVE to walk onto that set as prepared as you possibly can be - i.e. with the right tools, the right crew, if you want to create the perfect project.

Getting practical

2007-09-20T19:56:00.000+10:00

According to Megan Cunningham, there are the three versions of the story that we negotiate in our viewing.

The story that the director is trying to capture
The story that the editor sees in the rushes viewing
The edited version of the story.

These are all going to be laden with slightly different meaning. Our group has so far edited in unison, although I much prefer to work alone, I have appreciated the presence of Deno & Ant - the last thing I want is to turn into some egomaniac director who makes their project 'all about them'. While I'm willing to accept that most things are, indeed, about me, this documentary happens to be about Amazon. And I need to work with people who don't know him on the same level as I do so as to gague their reactions to the aesthetic devices I am implementing.

The first part of yesterday's tute was spent going over some of the techniques that are a useful way of keeping things in order throughout Post. Such as the paper edit, transcripts, summaries etc.. Basically you want to know exactly what is in each clip so you know where to look when you want to include a certain aspect in your story. The last thing you want to be doing is re-watching hours and hours of footage looking for a bit you could easily have denoted at some point beforehand. The more organised one is, the less time one spends in the suites.

We then moved into the suits, and spent more time editing tonight, and most importantly David was pleased with what he saw. The sound is obviously an issue but the actual footage is really quite captivating.. I hate to toot our own horns, it's just that Amazon really looks fantastic on camera. And the set-up of the bathroom ended up working really effectively, and the more we piece this doco together, the more affirming the whole process becomes.

Sound bites

2007-09-18T10:40:00.000+10:00

So last night we went through our rushes, and Anthony ended up staying back late and getting all the clips from ALL FOUR TAPES onto Final Cut. Everything is looking superb, but lo and behold, THE SOUND SUCKS ASS! In parts, at least. As my long-term readers may recall, I HAD THIS SHIT SOUND PROBLEM LAST SEMESTER! After everything this has caused me, I wanted to have kittens when viewing the initial takes. How could something so imperative screw up for us? It's almost like everything that could go wrong, has (well that's not entirely true, but we the Market were utter bastards). But it may be possible to work around it in the final cut, it's just gonna take a lot of genius engineering, and time, and effort. At least I've got the last two.

And at least, now, we have something to make a rough cut out of. I have to say, Amazon was brilliant to work with, and kept all of us entertained while being as helpful as he possibly could - i.e., welcoming us into his house. Last Friday was one of the biggest demonstrations of friendship I've ever experienced, and makes being enthusiastic about this project one of the easiest things ever.

It's just so surreal... As well as calling the order of shots, I kept everyone in order and on top of their game while we filmed, but at the same time, I wanted to allow the boys (especially Deno) their own creative licence. It was my main aim to keep us on schedule as much as we possibly could have been (okay, so no-one foresaw we were going to need 4 tapes... it was a good thing Officeworks was only 4 blocks down the road!) One thing I regret was not having the little viewer connected while the boys had their eqiupment - a few shots stuffed up with having the boom in frame, and even though it's fixable, changing the composition still impedes the shot a bit.

Ah well, the worst is over. Or is it? There are going to be countless hours spent holed up in V1 from now on. Can't say it doesn't excite me, though, because it does.

Keep rollin'

2007-09-16T12:26:00.000+10:00

Well, at about 4:40pm last Friday we were officially rolling camera... And were so doing for the next 3.5 hours! God, even though setting up was nothing compared to the onerousness of drama, I was still bloody buggered at the end of it all.. and now I am paranoid about the sound because Deno & Ant both reported a buzzing, which in the end wound up coming from THE DEDO LAMP BEING SWICHED TOO CLOSE TO CAMERA. what the?! SINCE WHEN DO DEDOS INTERFERE WITH BOOM MICROPHONES?

Suffice to say, I was not a happy camper! If we, the late mob, have to re-film all our stuff, I am gonna sphincterise someone!

Yes, sphincterise. Watch out.

question sheet | in order of asking

2007-09-13T18:53:00.000+10:00

How did you get your name?

At a guesstimate, how much money has Amazon cost you over the last two decades?

They say perfoming on stage is all about sex, drugs, and rock n roll. What percentage of it is sex, what percentage of it is drugs, and how much of it is rock n roll?

How did your family react when you told them you wanted to wear womens clothes and perform for audiences?

Have you ever been banned from the stage for any reason whatsoever?

Have you met any other famous performers?

Not everything about being a diva is glitz and glamour - what was it like the first time you were beaten up?

How did Amazon become such a dominant personality?

How does what you do affect your cultural beliefs?

To have a 'husband', and to settle, is Amazon a part of your identity that you would be prepared to sacrifice?

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If any randoms have any questions you'd like asked of a drag queen, speak now or forever hold your peace!

2007-09-12T13:22:00.000+10:00

Well, we're officially the Late Bloomers of the bunch. Alex & Jen's group had feedback to offer on their first day of shooting, which apparently went well. They went down and filmed a dramatised sequence for their piece - which is basically an overview of how modes of communication have evolved, and how the prevalence of web-based mediums (eg: MySpace, Skype, FaceBook) has made it easier for people living away from home to remain out of their country... I'm sure it's well-trodden ground, but I do like the fact that they are adding in little experimental, stylistic extras to jazz the subject matter up, and give it a unique feel.

I think David is officially skeptical of our project, since everything to date has seemed so touch n go... Hopefully by this time, next week, some of that skepticism will be eliminated.

We did, at least, have the concert footage available for him to view and some pictured to peruse. At least everyone knows our subject is real! Unfortunately Anthony left drive #32 at home so we weren't able to transfer any of the stuff, but will get the DVD-tape thing happening at some point before Friday so all that we need to craft the rough cut will be at our fingertips. Don't want to be stuffing 'round at the last minute, considering how 'last minute' the filming process itself is beginning to feel... deep breaths.

Getting into that mode again

2007-09-11T20:05:00.000+10:00

Preparing, once more, for Friday. Save one of us losing multiple limbs, it looks like it's going to be the goer.

We only had one reading to do this week. 'Manipulating Time', by Sheila Bernard. A relatively long read, but a pretty useful one, especially cosndiering how our narrative is going to be structured.

Anyone outside of my tutorial class probably isn't aware of the overriding 'plot' I guess that is going to drive Amazon - him applying his makeup, or 'putting on a face' in preparation of going on stage. Of course, he isn't really going on stage, in fact the only gigs he has in the near future are corporate gigs that us rogue filmmakers are not privy to viewing. Thus, the order in which we ask our questions is going to prove elementally crucial in how this thing comes together. Because the beginning of the piece is going to be more observational before moving into exploratory mode, we need to get the timing exactly right. It usually takes Amazon a good 2-3 hours to apply full drag makeup - right from shaving to putting on the wig. If we ask all our questions at the beginning, the audience isn't going to be able to see his transformation.

The challenge for us is going to be compressing 2-3 hours worth of rushes and synthesising a decent 'story' out of it. The other media we plan to use - past shows and photographs - can help to bridge some of these gaps, but it's going to be bleedingly obvious if you weren't on top of your game during filming.

Moral of the Story: Like Sound, the structuring of time is probably far more crucial in documentary than in drama filmmaking... Given that there is somewhat less room for 'trickery', and every move you make serves to reinforce a particular message about your subject...

3 more sleeps.

More of a chance winning Tattslotto, I wonder?

2007-09-10T16:36:00.000+10:00

Well, I'm back. A little older, a little wise (ha!) and a whole lot more fearful about the direction my life is taking! YIPPEE.

In short, I think the real reason lecturers throw 'guest lectures' in every now & then is to scare the pants off people. Phlippa was an aweseome presenter - getting to hear about someone who is out there & 'living the (proverbial) dream' is always somewhat grounding... But it just makes you realise how BLOODY IMPOSSIBLE the Howard Government has made it for those of us who care deeply about documentary to make a real crust out of working with it.

I have done some research into this based on the information that was presented today and the reality is really quite bleak for our industry at present. I would like to take a moment to point you towards Lisa French's edited work, which has helped to contextualise exactly what we (as the future of this industry) are going to be dealing with.

French, L. (2001) Patterns of Production: The Australian Film Industry in the 1990s (ed. Craven, I.), Australian Cinema in the 1990s, first edition, Frank Cass, Essex

This piece – compiled by one of our homegrown lecturers – paints a very comprehensive overview of the political factors that have affected Australian film funding over the past two decades. It identified the election of the Howard Liberal government as the cornerstone of this demise, as its election in 1996 was made on the premise to cut spending to almost all areas, including the arts. Unlike its Labour predecessors – most memorably the Whitlam and Keating governments – whose public backing of federal funding towards cinema was at its peak, the Coalition has done precious little to encourage the production of local films. Rather, its strong Capitalist principles have resulted in the encouragement of foreign investment and the production of foreign films in Australia, which, predictably, has had a dramatic impact upon the local screen culture. With the market dominated by mostly American product, it has proven excessively difficult for Australian feature films (and to an even greater extent, documentaries) to replicate the successes they reap, mainly because the processes involved in getting government funding in the first place has become elongated and intensely limited. As French rightfully points out, there is no foreseeable time where films will not be reliant upon government support – thus the more restrictive and dollar driven it is, the less able we are to cultivate our unique cultural aesthetic.

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Having an affinity for the creative? Sometimes, it just bites the big one.

I may be director, but that doesn't mean I don't get to have my moods pampered on occasion, too!

2007-09-05T16:17:00.000+10:00

Spent most of today's tutorial once more bouncing ideas off one another as far as our docos were concerned. Josh's group have already got some stuff on tape, sons of bitches. Nah, good on 'em, this isn't a competition, but if it were they would definitely be a few goals ahead of us. We're going to be so behind by the next tutorial, because we decided not to get the gear out this weekend, either.. Yes, folks, it's my birthday in two days' time, and one thing I was NOT entirely enthused with the prospect of having to put on the 'uni face' for my once-every-365-days' respite from reality. My deepest apologies... BUT I had a presentation + 2 things to hand in on my birthday last year (my 21st) and I swore black and blue that uni could go to hell whenever I had a birthday next.. And as much as I love this subject, there's no breaching my credo!

Anyway, the 'Stacey' doco is looking pretty cool... I mean, for the first viewing of the rushes, they seem to have done well. Some cool pans, and for the most part the sound worked out well. It's good to know that lapel mics are pretty powerful devices. We're in two minds about using lapel mics or just relying on the boom in ours.. Now that we aren't using a public space anymore, it may work out better to just use the boom. Amazon's flatmate has agreed to let us use his (fairly decent sized) ensuite (which is also a laundry, which would account for its size). It's relatively enclosed, nothing like the theatrical back-stage feel the last location had.

We've short listed all the photos we'll be using in the doco. Some of them are real pearlers... haha. Gotta get my arse off to Teds and print them before next week. Other than that we haven't got much else to prepare for. All our questions are finalised and we are in a good space as a group for the upcoming filming process. I'm actually really glad to have landed a group of only 3... it's so nice only having to coordinate 2 other schedules besides my own, and the boys are really flexible when it comes to meeting after hours etc.

Time to do my Australian Cinema reading log. Yay :P

sound, glorious sound

2007-09-04T19:27:00.000+10:00

Could I have said it any better??
"One of the major stylistic characteristics of documentaries that use sounds recorded on location is the lack of clarity of the sound track. Ambient sounds compete with dialogue in ways commonly deemed unaccpetable to in conventional Hollywood practice. A low signal-to-noise ratio demands greater attention from viewers to decipher spoken words. Slight differences in room tone between shots make smooth sound transitions difficult."-Jeffrey Ruoff

Yes, I am quoting from the Dossier! But only because he is RIGHT ON THE MONEY. Documentary is so contradictory because so much of it depends upon location, location, location, and the nature of the recording environment (where you want to tackle somewhat INTERESTING, INNOVATIVE ground) works completely against the fact that you need shit hot sound in order for it to work! ARGH.

Unless, of course, you're planning to make a documentary about a recording studio. Now there's an idea.

the hills are alive... with the sound of evasionnnnn

2007-09-03T22:01:00.002+10:00

Well, I returned the gear this morning and, suffice to say, we did not end up doing any filming this weekend. I imagine this is how it must feel for pregnant women who end up going to the hospital, expecting to go into full labour but find out it is just a false alarm. Bollocks. It's not like it was anything any of us could control, but at the same time I just wish I'd got them to confirm their consent in writing so that we weren't all just stranded like that. Makes me feel unprofessional and amateurish, and no matter how true either adjective may be, they still don't sit any better with me.

Anyway, enough of that. Today's lecture focussed on - ta da! - Sound. Always a winner with me. It was good to get an idea of how to set up the perfect recording environment as far as lighting is concerned. As most of you are no doubt painfully aware, I am Technologically Challenged to a fault - not necessarily with all electronics, but certainly with filming equipment. Part of my being Challenged can be attributed to a deep-seated fear of the apparatus, and what will come of me if I damage it, and the other half is merely plain ignorance. Obviously there is no excuse for that. So you can imagine how beneficial it was to sit in on today's class and just get real pointers on how to achieve nice, clean sound.

As we've had it drummed into our heads over the past 2 months, sound is THE MOST IMPORTANT element within documentary filmmaking. Even if your visuals are shit, your last saving grace will come in the form is crisp, levelled sound. The reason for this? Well, think about it. If you're viewing a documentary about something unfamiliar to you, you could pretty much have any visual thrown at you, but if you're distracted by poor quality or stilted sound, there is no way you (or more specifically, your audience) are going to remain engaged for that entire 3-7 minutes.

There are also many varieties of sound one needs to take into account when crafting one's documentary. Keeping in mind we're working with stereo (thus working wtih both left and right channels) we are going to have to sub-divide all our sounds in order to make sure their effects are being maximised. Meaning we would need to keep all narration, music, atmos, sound effects, dialogue, foley etc separate, or at least in separate tracks. This is pretty much how it was done last semester - if there is one thing that horrific experience with ADR in drama has taught me, it is how to set up the perfect synch sound pallet on Final Cut - even though I'm not a pro with connecting all the gear up.
Besides, that's Anthony's job :P

GREY HAIRS!

2007-09-01T14:23:00.000+10:00

Well, we got jibbed. The venue (Market) who had originally agreed to let us use their dressing room facilities has conveniently decided that they don't want to pay someone to open up early for us, so here we are, frantically trying to make other arrangements with other hotels.. but we have a slight issue... NONE OF THE GAY BARS ARE OPEN DURING THE DAY! The earliest bar opens at 4, which happens to be when I finish, which happens to be when we were MEANT to be on our way to South Yarra in order to film. What a bloody nuisance! I have all the gear in my car and everything... and I've been psyching myself up for this all week and I'm worried about what David will say because this will effectively put us behind all the rest.. ARGH! So much stress, especially from where I'm standing. I mean I love being Director, don't get me wrong - but I just can't help but feel like the onus is on me 99% of the time, 'cause I'm the one steering this ship.. so to speak.
I'm waiting impatiently for a miracle here.

counting down the days

2007-08-30T20:24:00.000+10:00

With just two days left until we officially begin filming, things are rapidly beginning to fall into place.

We picked up the gear this afternoon, after our meeting with Christine for the final verdict on our written submissions. She gave us a few more handy suggestions - ones that we could have done well to receive before actually HANDING IN the final copy, but them's the breaks. The only notable change is that we'll be bringing along copies of the photos we are using in the montage to have Amazon give us some anecdotal stories.. The idea of having him comment upon the current Miss Melbourne Drag heats came up in conversation, but there is the very real possibility that we won't get time to incorporate everything in the time frame we've been given.

Other housekeeping stuff like requesting copyright was brought to our attention - and as far as aethetics go, we've been told to be mindful of not letting style overtake or get in the way of the subject's story. Although this was never our intention, I guess it's something we need to take on board seriously if we want this to be as successful as we're hoping.

Speaking of which... I really hope this week's exercises don't get shown to the other classes (as with Lenny last semester). I went to edit the footage the boys captured on Monday night and couldn't find any of the original stuff; I was sure we had more angles than what they used in the 'sequence' - I swear that program is elusive! Still, I edited what was there down from 1:13 to 1:01, and like I suspected, the audio really did turn out an embarrassing shambles. Thank god we get the opportunity to do this stuff before hitting the road - I can't fathom the thought of going through the whole gut-wrenching process of production only to have it turn out like that. That said, it probably wouldn't bother me so much if I wasn't a part of the on-screen footage, at least that way other people wouldn't automatically associate me with complete and utter mishaps :P

Well. The next 48 hours are going to be... intense to say the least! Bring it on I say.

fascinating viewing

2007-08-29T09:08:00.000+10:00

One documentary I have been meaning to comment on for a while is Flight from Death - one of the most gripping cultural commentaries I have had the pleasure of viewing. The recipient of a modest 5 reputable awards, I am surprised this text has not been included in any of our lectures to date.

Based on a bestselling book by Ernest Becker, the purpose of this documentary is to examine the fear we have manifested within ourselves as a race of the very inevitable - death. Even though the film is of the ominisciently narrated variety (by Gabriel Byrne), I found the visual playbacks to be sufficiently enticing and did not feel that the content was subtracted from in any way by this. Both thoughtful and thought provoking, it really did a fine job of resonating with ontological reasoning we have been conditioned by since day 1... and what it also cleverly managed to do was turn that reasoning around into something more questioning of our everyday existence, highlighting just what lengths we have gone to in order to prevent the natural act of dying.

Without giving the game away too much, I will just say that everyone reading this blog needs to check out this film. From the beautiful prose and accompanying, moving nature photography to the insidious commercial profiteering (signposted by a wicked soundtrack), Flight from Death contains both rich, complex mind-material as well as a beautifully balanced audio-visual treat. Something to extract ideas from as well as broaden your understanding of the genre as a whole, and possibly come to grips with the way you see your own life (or death) headed in the years (or moments) to come.

cinematography - not just limited to 'drama'

2007-08-27T16:41:00.000+10:00

As the title suggests, this is an aspect to documentary that requires virtually just as much planning across the genres. Today's was quite an informative lecture, and I really liked the fact that David and Paul has Christine sitting down as the subject, offering different suggestions about conducting our interviews. These suggestions ranged from the lighting, to mise en scene (eg- the rule of thirds), to depth of field and focal length - the kind of nitty-gritty that can dramatically affect the end product, and is pertinent to the day of shooting so needs to be well thought-out.

One thing I'll need to clarify with the boys is the way we intend to use lighting.. I think we can really do better than one redhead (currently what we've opted to hire) and think imaginatively about how lighting can compliment the transition our subject undergoes. It is something worth thinking about at least and definitely worth finalising in the next couple of days.

I found the reading about Kirsten Johnston quite inspiring this week. Particularly given that she has worked on a lot of autobiographical documentaries, a lot of what she had to say is both relevant and useful. Nicely tied in with the ethical boundaries we discussed last week, she commented on the notion of politically questioning documentaries, and the need to take risks with people who (she) believes have a vision about a particular subject matter. This really reflects the direction in which we wish to steer Amazon - ours (and his) dream is for the eventual cohesion within the gay community and worldwide understanding/acceptance of all character types, whether it be drag queens or another minority group.

The ways we then use the production elements can then act as a salient reinforcements of this positive vision, but only if they are executed in a subtle and engaging manner. The way the shots are framed, for example, needs to be quite specific depending on the content we are discussing. The start and the end of the film are going to be quite different in emotional tone, and thus the other elements such as lighting and compositon need to be able to complement this shift.

done and dusted

2007-08-24T11:22:00.000+10:00

Well, with the final proposals all tweaked and submitted, there's not much left to do except sit back and wait for our next meeting with Christine, while preparing anxiously for our shoot in little over a week's time.

It's too bad neither of the boys are on campus today, because I'd have liked to make a start on editing the material we filmed in the tutes the other day. For those out of the know, we were asked to film an observational scenario, i.e. a conversation, by getting a few different angles (but keeping the audio consistent in editing) and just seeing how the production elements turned out. I am positive our sound is going to be crap, as we filmed at a noisy construction site, for starters, and the guy who spoke to us about what was happening - while an altogether friendly and likeable character - spoke at the rate of a million miles a minute in his exceedingly thick Irish accent. We didn't get enough time to film anyone else, so it'll have to do, but I have a feeling we're going to be blushing (me in particular, cause I have a feeling I'm on the tape too) in front of our peers when we go to play it back - ah well, live and learn I suppose.

I should add, though, that I thoroughly enjoyed the next instalment from Rabiger in this week's dossier. I just love the way he has put information together to create such cohesive and ultimately helpful chapters. Given that our main interview is so closeby now, having his suggestions for setting and technique have really been a timely source of inspiration. He makes a point that I touched upon in one of my earleir posts, about how directing 'need not be manipulative'. His way of defining an 'interview' - as a meaningful exchange between two or more people - really forces us aspiring doco-heads to consider the ways in which we approach our subject, as not just an interrogative force but an entrusted body. It is setting, preparation, skill and forethought all rolled into one - it is the essence of the production and the sole foundation upon which audiences will base their concluding judgements.

Due to its brevity, this is the sort of thing that can't be 'winged': audiences will be able to discern whether or not this relationship is a truly trusting one or just a 'face' for the camera. Fortunately I have spent quite a bit of quality, get-to-know-you time with my subject, who in fact offered to be involved in this production without me having to ask. Fingers crossed this will come through in the material and the final product, because I would hate to think my own lack of preparation or consideration could affect everything else... like a dangerous domino effect in reverse.

advice from the king

2007-08-22T18:11:00.000+10:00

We booked the equipment today - and are all gung ho to begin shooting next Saturday. The 1st of September - what a way to start the month, and the season. To say I'm gut-wrenchingly nervous is a complete understatement.

We have confirmation on the dressing room at Exchange, so at least the location/logistical side of things is sorted. Thankfully I have a car so we can get all gear as well as the 3 of us there, and Amazon now lives just 3 blocks away, so it works out to be a convenient location for all of us.

The final version of the treatments is due in two days - we've completed the bulk of it, but it's the fine-tuning and actual articulation of what we want to do that's seemingly taking the longest. One aspect that we had not put much considertaion into for our initial draft was our target audience - and it would feel as though this aspect is taking the longest to craft. So far we have a couple of paragraphs, which I might just put up here for the sake of it, in case anyone in cyberspace has any musings to offer on the topic:

While we are confident that vast kinds of audiences will be able to appreciate Amazon’s story, the main target audience of our work will be Victorian homosexual men between the ages of 18-50 – that is, the key demographic that are most familiar with and likely to partake in drag activities themselves.

Because our subject is widely known within this community, an exposure of his personal story will indeed be of interest to those that may have seen him perform in the past. And given that the main conflict within this story – besides that of Amazon’s dual identities – reflects critically upon the divisive nature of the modern gay world, the underlying message is one of hope that drag queens will someday become a more widely accepted part of not only society as a whole, but in particular among gay men.

Furthermore, this demographic are a media-savvy, media consuming bunch who will probably have watched many documentaries on their favourite performing artists. Indeed, for someone with so much talent and experience in this arena, precious few Victorians (let alone fellow Australians) are aware of Amazon’s impressively unique - albeit somewhat colourful - history. This two-fold process of ‘revelation’ will take viewers on a journey that may well not be far in physical distance, but will nonetheless transport them to a captivating, yet painstakingly realist atmosphere (one which audiences either young or old can certainly appreciate).

Sounding alright? I can't believe how long these things are shaping up to be - we're looking at something in the vicinity of six pages. I suppose there are considerably less pre-production aspects to doco than there are to drama, so I can see why they'd want us to be absolutely specific at this point in time. Still, it's a fairly consuming process - and as nervous as I am about filming, this whole 'a little less conversation, a little more action' (cheers Mr Presley) fever is starting to take hold... cause part of me just can't wait to get my Directorly hands on that set to roll camera and watch the magic transpire all over again.

Patience, they say, is a virtue.

the ethics of filmmaking

2007-08-21T21:52:00.000+10:00

It's an onus few of us really take the time to stop and grasp - the ways in which we are portraying another person's life to the rest of the world.

Essentially, this is the premise upon which all documentary filmmaking lies. The presence of the camera, the exlusion (and by extension, deliberate inclusion) of certain material and the physical manipulation (i.e. editing) of material are not merely aesthetic choices, but things that affect the viewers' relationship and impression of the subject in very purposeful ways.

On one hand, the audience expects that it will be left with a certain image and discovery of the subject, but on the other, the subject expects that they will be treated with adequate care and responsibility, so that they are not portrayed (or worse case, chastised) as sympathy-grabbers or whores of attention. It really is a difficult balancing act - because every decision you make from pre- to post- production can affect the overall tone of the piece, and contributes to a representation that you, as an integral artist, wish to produce. I would argue personally that this isn't nearly as much about manipulation as it is simply just trying to be fair... I also guess the fact that I have a personal friendship with the character in our piece affects my stance on this and makes me ultra-wary of not overstepping the boundaries and painting him the in the 'wrong light' completely.

The underlying ethical issue, for us, is the reflexive commentary we wish to make on the gay scene itself... We do not want to make drag queens appear as 'offbeat' nuisances, but we are definitely not looking to turn it into a mass plea for pity against these so-called social outcasts. I know Amazon would hate that, and so would we. Thus we need to be very careful of the questions we ask, the wording, the order, the technical conventions we employ and the consistency of the tone.

The fact that someone has entrusted you with their story is a privilege, and one that you can never, ever take for granted. Perhaps the best way to avoid becoming redundant or dogmatic is to constantly source the opinion of others. I know I'll be getting plenty of non-media students to view this along the way and offer suggestions. Sometimes I find the best ways to connect with the 'everyday' viewer is to get someone who doesn't read into films the same way we do and have them explain things in their own words. At least that way it is more of an indication of the reaction we would get if this was ever going to be shown outside of this course.

edits and changes

2007-08-17T13:41:00.000+10:00

The meeting with Christine this week was fortuitous. Here are the changes she has suggested we implement:

-try to eliminate the formal documentary aspect and go through all our interview material while he is getting ready - to ensure reactions are not contrived in any respect
-cut out the interviews with the best friends. rather, have them present while we are filming Amazon getting changed
-include, and perhaps begin with, a slice of his 'everyday' existence, i.e. sitting at his desk in his role as a Medibank office worker
-dig as deep as we can into his persona: try to pinpoint the internal conflict faced by having a side to your own character that has the potential to compromise one's own happiness
-focus more upon his character than anything else

The readings this week were nothing to write home about (I'm just being truthful), however I did enjoy the first reading on Musical Documentaries, particularly as I could relate a lot of the material from what we saw of Drinking for England. I find Brian Hill an incredibly inspiring filmmaker and his treatment of the subject in Drinking for England was really quite remarkable... I love how he was able to get his point across without seeming overly pitiful or judgemental of the subject. I guess this is a notion we can explore further next week when the focus is on 'ethics' and what that means for us as the creators (of the representations) of other peoples' lives...

defining and applying aesthetic concepts

2007-08-16T19:00:00.000+10:00

To springboard this week's lecture discussion centering on aesthetics, we watched part of a documentary on John Wojtowicz (whose life was the basis of the film ‘Dog Day Afternoon’). If nothing else, watching this excerpt really hammered home the prevalence and centripetal nature of sound in documentary filmmaking.

The music, to begin with, was the most emotive aspect of the production. Whether to elicit suspense or create ambience, sound was the inherent vehicle upon which every internal reaction in the audience could be solicited. The phone call audio used at the very beginning was also a powerful tool, as it gave a feeling of authenticity and curious uncertainty - the audience were cast almost as voyeurs, listening in remotely on someone's private calls. Implicating viewers in such a scenario is the ultimate tool of engagement here, one that the filmmaker had obviously thought about well in advance.

I guess the most defining aspect of describing any kind of aesthetics is to be 100% familiar with its treatment of style. In the case of our own documentaries, we are aiming to produce a very experimental, boundary-cutting work. Given the nature of our subject and his own colourful existence, we can only do him justice by having our production style mirror the contagious idiosyncrasies of his character.

There will, of course, be some strict adherence to convention as well. Although it will structurally retain a clear beginning, middle and end, Amazon will not only portray a fusion of character, but also a fusion of styles. On one hand, it aims to give an overwhelming degree of visual continuity – that is, to have shots smoothly dissolve into one another accompanied by seamless voiceovers (i.e. to make viewers feel as though they are literally ‘turning the pages’ of a biography). However, to compliment the more complex natue of his personality, we wish to utilise several effects in post-production to manipulate the relationship between time, space and what it seen, giving our documentary an aesthetic edge. This will be done strategically and where appropriate to compliment the content of the subject's accounts.

As with the docmuentary on John Wojtowicz, the overall intention is to produce a technically cogent program to elicit a wide array of feelings, ranging from excitement to suspense (where necessary). Given that the notion of appearances will be thoroughly explored, his costume will be given significant treatment - though most certainly not at the expense of the aural component of the production. We intend to use several sounds – both diegetic and non-diegetic, each being employed to fill their own unique purposes. Sound montages will accompany visual montages, with calmer parts of the background music accompanying the still images, and more rapid bits of film being entwined with the faster beats.

The transition from 'guy to goddess' will provide viewers with a hands-on account of what it is truly like is to go from one persona to another. At the documentary's end, he will transpire as being much more than merely a 'boy in a dress'.

getting there - getting square

2007-08-16T17:29:00.000+10:00

I have to say, I am really a big fan of the way prac sessions are being conducted this semester. I love how we have sprung straight into learning the ropes with the technical side of the equipment - something that has never been my forte, for any part of my academic career.

The Z1Ps truly are sweet little devices. If I could, I would bring one home and marry it. The most taxing aspect to wrap my brain around has been (by far) that of sound... Ironic, really, considering it plays such a major role in the construction and coherence of any good doco. Even this afternoon, it took so long just to plug everything in and make sure we had equipment that was in working order... I swear, filmmakers and film crew must be some of the most patient people on the planet. Thankfully, however, I am slowly learning the ropes - with the help of cheat sheets and dossier guides, not to mention easy-to-remember phrases such as 'line in, mic out'... every little bit counts.

It's also been good having consistent exercises to complete in our groups each week. We interviewed one of Anthony's friends this week (informally, of course) about a life-changing moment... probably more camera time for me than what would have been desirable, but it was a useful means of experimenting with the equipment and finding out the advantages and disadvantages of using both boom and lapel microphones.. clearly each has its separate merits.. but this way we were able to discern for ourselves what worked and what didn't within the various recording settings. We'll definitely be using the radio/lapel mic on our subject for filming, and now we know how to hook it up to the camera and sound box which is an even bigger bonus.

All in all, a satisfying tute. I'll write more later on this week's lecture topic - got a few more parts of the draft final I want to work through before blogging about it.

hahah.. dig it. my 15 seconds of fame!

2007-08-14T20:18:00.000+10:00

where's a paper bag when you need one?

you can lead a horse to water...

2007-08-10T15:11:00.000+10:00

'Whatever else movies do, they invite viewers to think for themselves, without intermediary, narrator or correspondent.'
-Robert Drew

...Or do they? In a perfect world, documentaries are a perfect balance of revelation and judgement - that is, their point of view is so subtle and undemanding, audiences are inadvertently implicated within it. The article the above quote came from is part of this week's third reading - the first part, to be exact. Neither the boys (there is only 3 of us now, by the way, as Christine has gone to another group) nor I had even suggested using a narrator for this documentary, however we did stay back on Wednesday after class to watch Sadness - a doco directed by William Ayres, that centers around the life story of William Yang and how he grappled with his Asian identity and losing so many of his friends to the AIDS epidemic of the early 1990s. This film contained quite a bit of narration by Yang, something that both Deno and I thought detracted from the content because of its prevalence. The story would have been much more effective if it hadn't been so formulaic, and had strove to step outside the square much more than it did. Especially considering how powerful some of the content was, it could definitely have been executed in a more discrete manner - a more aesthetic one, at the very least. Something else for us to keep in mind with our own productions, that's for sure.

I want to catch another doco @ MIFF this weekend, seeing as it's about to wrap up, but I'll have to play it by ear and make sure I have enough cash and everything else. It'd be good to see though. I'm also considering hiring out 'Capturing the Freidmans' for a bit more inspo... everyone I'ce talked to about it said it was good, and David did mention that there were a few twists in it. And we like twisted, don't we? (Rhetorical question, I know)

the great divide: arguing for argument's sake?

2007-08-08T10:26:00.000+10:00

The first reading for this week, written by Paul Ward (entitled Fiction and Nonfiction: The Grea Divide?) highlights an ongoing debate between the respective genres of doco and drama that has been simmering away in the cauldron for decades. Personally, I don't see why so many people get their knickers in a twist when one mode borrows stylistic elements from the other and appropriates them as it sees fit. To me, it's kind of like that whole naturalistic VS digital photography debate... it's old! And anyone who thinks otherwise needs to get with the times and move on, and accept the fact that technological convergence has given birth to a certain convergence in genres over the years, that is not nearly as much of a bad thing as the puritans would have us believe.

Take, for instance, Aussie filmmaker Murali K. Thalluri's feature length debut of last year - 2:37. Though it was a completely dramatised account of one girl's final day in school (the day the commits suicide), it contains several interview-style black and white sequences typical of documentary, but used in this case to heighten the sense of drama and conflict within the narrative. In this day and age, filmmakers don't just use these unconventional effects willy nilly, they're there to serve a particular purpose. And if blurring the distinctions from time to time makes anyone uncomfortable, I feel sorry for them!

In postmodern times, we should be revelling in the opportunity to experiment and borrow from other genres. We plan to use aesthetic elements from both naturalistic and experimental documentaries.. there's nothing wrong with hybrids, people! If you can balance one thing with another, then that is a work of genius - not madness. The fact of the mater is, documentary to modern audiences consists of far more than your average discovery channel polemic - it requires artistry and craftsmanship if it is going to succeed against its increasingly stiff competitors - yes, including drama.

time is ticking away

2007-08-06T14:04:00.000+10:00

Side note: Today marks the fourth week back at uni for the semester - and my head is totally spinning out at the fact that was are practically one third of the way through already. How scary is that??!!

The lecture today acted as a kind of follow-on from the last week. We're basically being given every hint/tool/tip and trick in the book in order to narrow our focus and establish our storylines on paper, the idea being that audiences will then have a reason to willingly sacrifice their time and embrace what you've put together.

We've so far managed to get about halfway through the proposal.. We've written a synopsis, character analyses, and discussed the 'story' aspect of the doco. The working title we have so far is simply 'Amazon', but we've agreed to change it if any one of us comes up with something more fitting. We're hoping to cover style, structure, and the audio side of things befoe the next class, that way we won't have to run around like headless chooks before Friday. Here's a small taste of what to expect:

Story
The storyline will adhere to classic narrative-style conventions. It will begin with an initial premise – i.e. the vibrant side of being Amazon – before confronting the internal conflict surrounding duality, and how drag queens are both received and perceived within the gay community. By uncovering the personal story of one of the Melbourne (and formerly International) drag scene's hidden gems, the many aspects of his personality will unfold as multi-dimensional layers in and of themselves Indeed, for someone with so much talent and experience in this arena, precious few Victorians (let alone fellow Australians) are aware of his impressively unique - albeit somewhat trying - history. This two-fold process of ‘revelation’ will take viewers on a journey that may well not be far in physical distance, but will nonetheless transport them to a captivating, yet painstakingly realist atmosphere (one which audiences either young or old can certainly appreciate).

We want this doco to have a few different textures to it, in the same way The Butcher's Wife does - i.e., we want to include elements of 'intimate conversation' and infuse those with more character-based activities, such as getting ready and taking to the stage. We've also tossed about ideas of weaving popular culture, or at least iconography into the mix - seeing as drag queens are so often associated with the realm of celebrities and stagecraft. Amazon's already indicated that he's more than happy to dig up some old photos for us to include, so at least we'll also have stills to play with and edit accordingly if need be.

The more ideas we come up with, the more excited I am about seeing this thing come to fruition. It's gonna be a long haul - I know that - but there is something incredibly rewarding about knowing that your idea has a real tangibility to it.. like you have a purpose, almost. I really can't explain it any other way.

doco shorts

2007-08-05T18:21:00.000+10:00

Well, as most of my avid fans would know, I caught the doco shorts programme 2 at Greater Union on Friday night. And, besides the one or two productions that made me nod off, I have to say it was definitely money well spent at the cinema - not something one can profess too often nowadays.

The first doc, entitled I want to be a pilot, was a moving, poetic account of a young HIV orphan, who was later revealed to be HIV positive himself. Turned out that it wasn't about one child specifically, but illustrated the fate of tens of thousands of children living out in the slums of East Africa. The boy had such haunting eyes... and both the pace and texture of the film were just painstakingly beautiful.

Out of all the documentaries, though, I would have to say the biggest highlight for me was The Butcher's Wife. It was just such an awe-inspiring piece, both from a filmmaking and human psychology point of view. To think that one woman put herself through so much and could then come out from that to become the subject of such a wonderful aesthetic is mind-blowing. I especially loved the way her daughter infused the story with bits of dramatised footage as well as more formal interviewing... not to mention the sheer perfection of the sound at all times I guess it was just good to see good quality documentary filmmaking happening so close to home - apparently the girl (Kylie) was/is a student of the VCA. The beginning of a long and vibrant career, I hope.

Lipari wasn't bad, stylistically. It was the only doc that didn't contain explicit dialog, and that seemed to work. The Fighting Cholitas was as informative as it was amusing... really loved the whole corny pro-wrestling touch of the dialogue boxes.. haha. And the way the women were filmed.. both in their domestic and 'professional' settings. Again, multi-layering. And the way it was structured was just really engaging and built up to a pretty exciting climax. This is all stuff I've taken on board for crafting our own up-and-coming short documentary.

Speaking of which, it's high time I did some more work on this proposal. Did I mention this? We've all decided on what we're doing - and my doc it is. :)

round of applause

2007-08-02T19:39:00.000+10:00

Well, thankfully we managed to narrow it down to two choices in yesterday's class - either mine or Christine's (shop-a-holics). I guess that makes the research process slightly less cumbersome. Any progress is good progress at this stage :) And we also have a fourth member! Exciting stuff, it's good to have as many men as we can to lend a hand on deck. AND, most magnificently, I HAVE BEEN APPOINTED AS DIRECTOR. I am so freaking over the moon about this, considering how little input I was able to give last time 'round. THREE CHEERS FOR ME IN THE BIG CHAIR :D

Let's hope I can hold my game, eh?

It was good getting to dissect each group's ideas properly in the class. I guess what we need to focus on now are visual arrangements and how to best go about wowing our audiences with style as well as content... I love the thrill of the challenege though. Drama kept us so confined in what we could and couldn't do, whereas in this mode I feel like we can afford many more aesthetics or at least experiment with them on some level. Moderation is the key, folks, always remember that.

Off to catch the second run of the docos at MIFF tomorrow evening. Will be sure to report back on my observations :D No doubt I'll want to cry and throw in the towel and have a whinge about how jealous I am... but still..!

pre-production with a twist

2007-07-30T13:16:00.000+10:00

So the course seems to be moving full steam ahead as far as moving our projects along is concerned. This week we're focusing on the research aspect of our proposals - seeing as the written draft is going to be due at the end of next week. Talk about a whirlwind process! But it's keeping us on our toes at least.

Having read Rabiger's reading for this week, I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed. There just seems like there is so much intense ground to cover, so much thorough preparation that we need to undergo... and we haven't even decided on what to do as yet! I know that a strong pre-production is essential for any final production to work out... Things can't exactly go according to plan if there is none! But it just feels like the undertow of the semester will drag us all with it unless we get cracking - sooner rather than later.

On the plus side, it's good that we have been told just what specifics we need to address. Thus eliminating the possibility of leaving anything out. I really do hope we get to follow through with my concept; I think a subject matter such as a drag queen will give us a better chance of crafting a documentary that is both engaging and contains a visual edge. Either way though, the way we go about it will determine the outcome - and as long as we're all prepared to put in 100% then I'm sure the outcome will speak for itself.

Getting the chance to make a documentary on a subject who happens to be my friend will also give me a chance to examine the nature of our friendship. Which, for reasons I won't detail here is quite complex. The lens of art would be a brilliant dimension to add to it though.. Which is why I am quite intent on seeing it through, because I really think it will be a positive dynamic not just for the purposes of this project but for the possible enrichment of one of my dearest friendships. Creativity is a wonderous thing.

getting it together

2007-07-25T14:36:00.000+10:00

Groupwork is on the horizon again - this time I'm not the only Prof Commer in the group, in fact there are two of us so watch out folks: strength in numbers!

I'm with Antony and Christine this time around. Really looking forward to working with these guys, they seem really enthusiastic and willing to include others which is always a plus.

Both of this weeks readings served to reinforce what Christine covered in the lecture - that is, to focus on the nature of storytelling and to define that burning question in pre-production (in other words, to pin down the 'main point' that you wish to illustrate).

Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to MIFF this week - being flown to Sydney tomorrow afternoon as part of a work function. BUT I will be getting my rear into gear next week, so hopefully there will be a few familiar faces there. Would hate to think of myself as the one and only doco geek in this entire course :P

Also, not that is even deserves a mention, but the final of Big Brother is going to be on next week. Even though I never watch the show during the 'season', I always like to tune into the final, keeping up appearances with popular culture so to speak. And, although it pains me to admit it, reality TV has changed the face of communications forever, and as annoying as it is, I can't really spend an entire year of my life having studied the intricacies of both 'drama' AND 'documentary' without fostering some kind of appreciation for the formats in which they converge.

And that, friends, is what the real success of 'reality TV' - for all its unmistakable crassness - can be rightfully attributed to.

what say you?

2007-07-25T08:52:00.000+10:00

Alright, so this is the concept I am going to be pitching in today's class: opinions anyone?

Oh, and for those out of the know - I am a faghag by trade and Amazon is a good friend of mine. :D

What a Scene

When exotic stage performer Amazon celebrated her twentieth birthday in June of this year, Jamie turned thirty-four. With two decades of solid experience as a drag queen, What a Scene is an expose of the rich and colourful character that resides behind the glitz and glamour of a seasoned scene professional.

Hailing from New Zealand with Islander parents, Amazon spent the first fifteen years of her career establishing a name for herself overseas. Having ‘come out’ about her sexuality in her teens meant that she was able to establish herself as a name early on. However, this admission came at a personal cost as her lifestyle conflicted with the traditional beliefs held by her parents, who sternly rejected their son’s flamboyant homosexuality.

Consequently, the earlier part of her career was very much a lone journey that resulted in numerous risk-taking behaviours, almost jeopardising her career. Then, in her early twenties, Amazon was later diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder), for which she sought treatment and promptly returned work. She literally took the Auckland gay scene by storm, performing 6 out of 7 nights a week (with one week off in each month) for the next 4 years.

In 2002, after re-establishing a relationship with her family, Amazon’s quest to broaden her sense of self brought her to the shores of Melbourne, Australia, whereupon she has continued to win hearts and wow audiences. Although she no longer performs full-time, she is a very prominent and respected figure within the queer talent scene. What a Scene will delve beneath the wig and false eyelashes, documenting a step-by-step transformation from being Jamie to becoming Amazon. It will critically explore the subtleties and nuances surrounding identity, femininity and performance, and how they affected the other areas of her life.

The documentary aims to reveal the difficulties she has overcome in order to express her inner creativity within a minority group that is becoming increasingly rife with exclusion and divisiveness.

Word count: 315

belief: what is it?

2007-07-24T09:05:00.000+10:00

Well, how do I define something that is so instilled in our beings since day 1...

Commonly, the term is used interchangeably with 'faith' - be it in religious or spiritual sense. But the term has quite a lot of versatility to it, given that our conditioning and beliefs are often held so deeply and with such conviction. I think it's fascinating that we were given this as a working concept for the medium of documentary, seeing as the crux of the medium operates upon being able to uncover the truth, or what to believe, per se.

But belief can be any number of things. Courage, committment, certainty, throwing caution to the wind... and what about disbelief? Isn't that too a belief in itself? I guess the real difference is that belief is generally given a positive connotation, and rightfully so. So many people have fought for what they believe in, and for that I admire their steadfastness. Belief, to me, is inherently stubborn, but nonetheless, a necessity - for what kind of world would we live in if it were devoid of any of these things? Would the world even exist for us?

There's an idea worth pondering.

flashback

2007-07-23T18:17:00.000+10:00

Today's lecture brought back missed memories from the Writing Media Texts days... it was great to have Christine back in the lecture theatre, and a treat to have her share her expertise in this field with all of us once more.

The primary topic for today's class was focus: we were forced to ask ourselves what we want to hone in out, topic-wise, so that our documentaries actually say something and now just show. To illustrate the case in point, we watched a bit of a documentary made last year about a Commercial Dominatrix - fascinating subject matter, but it didn't really hit the nail on the head with regards to storytelling. Thus, it didn't reach its full potential.

I think it's all too easy to get caught up in the 'drama vs doco' mindset and end up discarding elements that could enrich the genre you are working with. In the case of 'Dominate', the aforementioned doco, the group really neglected to shape the documentary with a beginning, middle and end. It might sound like basic narrative structuing here, but that's because it is - just because documentary is not fictional by definiton, does not mean that we can just do away with the basic premises that govern all forms of filmmaking.

I guess it was like a 'beware' to the rest of us - know your subject, know your focus. And most importantly, know your audience and what you want them to walk away feeling after seeing what you have to show to them...

leacock's reading - 'a search for the feeling of being there'

2007-07-21T13:22:00.000+10:00

I gotta say, the tone and articulacy with which Richard Leacock recounts his experiences in filmmaking is quite inspiring. Maybe that's something for me to strive towards in this blog - getting just the right amount of description, infused with an insatiable zest and exuberance for a medium as addictive as the air we breathe.

After doing my readings this week, which have centered mostly on how to capture the essence of documentary - and how to define it - I feel like I am in a position to tackle it in a creative sense. Rabiger's reading, entitled 'The Director's role' makes a very resonating quote: "There are no limits to documentary's possibilities, but it always reflects a profound fascination with, and respect for, actuality". From thereon you can take the debate as to what constitutes 'actuality' in any direction you like, but the assumtpion remains the same. Documentary aims to uncover something tangible, something real, and the camera acts as the all-seeing visual apparatus at a level that our own eyes are incapable of reaching.

As a genre, I think documentary succeeds because it connects, most importantly, with our deeply-rooted desires for knowledge. Unlike drama, which plays upon our emotions, it offers us a sense of assurance and even privilege. This, I think, can be attributed to the switch in point of view, i.e. to an more observational mode of filming. Although the drama and doco are becoming increasingly convergent, I think it's important to remember exactly why each has its respective place - both in culture and in the industry.

'take it like a man'

2007-07-18T18:55:00.000+10:00

Well, today was an adventure of sorts. I love my tute group. I don't think everyone was there, but still. It's a nice, small class and I'm not with anyone I've ever worked with before. And unlike in my last prac group, there don't seem to be any pretentious types out there to do my head in. Always a welcomed relief, what can I say.

So we were given the proposition to work with: "Melbourne is..." - At first, we thought of '..abuzz with infrastructure', but I think it turned out to be simply '..noisy', in the end. Each group took five shots to illustrate whatever description they had come up with... My personal fave was the random tractor we got coming up on LaTrobe St from the Swanston St intersection. It was a MasterCard moment - Priceless.

I love navigating my way around the PD170s... such a pleasant little electronic device compared to what we were using for drama. Sweet as. I guess the bonus with doco as well is that I'll have much more of a chance to familiarise myself with the equipment - as the roles sound as though they'll be quite fluid and flexible. Thank god for that - I did feel kind of constricted being limited to doing the same thing the entire time last semester.

Introducing myself in class today brought it to my attention just how much of what I love about Cinema and have been involved with can be traced back to documentary... Even just little things, like winning an award in highschool in Year 11 Media for our mini-advertisements for our school. It's stuff like that that you don't really think about unless asked to, but when you do, so much of what's in front of you becomes absolutely transparent. Or, if you're Paul - serendipitous!

the insanity resumes

2007-07-16T20:12:00.000+10:00

Well, it was only a matter of time before I made my grand re-entrance into the land of academic blogging. Welcome.

Despite the trials and tribulations of last semester, I did better than I expected. The break has also allowed me to rejuvenate and I can honestly say that I am excited about continuing this subject and getting another chance to put together another production project - and possibly my last during my career as an undergrad.

The lecture I suppose covered a few of the more basic principles of documentary filmmaking. Although I don't have the background some of the students do (those who are majoring in Cinema and did Documentary Studies last semester), I feel pretty confident in tackling the format - mostly because it's what I have been interested in from the beginning, and because I have a bit of a background from doing Broadcast Media last year, in which my group emulated a Getaway sequence. And some very classic documentary-style editing went into practice there.

Most refreshingly, I think, is the fact that the sky really is the limit with documentary - both subject-wise and as far as pushing the boundaries of convention go. There is such a vast amount of information out there that few of us are privy to - I'm not even talking in terms of political exposes... I just mean in general. And now that we have the ground workings in our mind from putting a short drama together, we can really afford to test ourselves as far as this next project goes.

Excited? I think, very :D

the final curtain draws to a close

2007-06-15T16:34:00.001+10:00

So it's been two decent-sized weeks since my last real update, and I dont know that I have the energy to write about all that's transpired over them. So I'll just put post-production into a nice little nutshell for all of you, in the hopes that history never, ever repeats itself again.

In short, post was hell. I saw glimpses of it coming in pre-production, a wave of it in production (that I thought I could cope with), but after being told by Director dearest that if 'any of my ideas were good, they'd have made it onto (the Final Cut)'. Of course, hearing that made me livid, and made me realise why, subconsciously, I had given up any real hope of influencing the nature of this project a long, long time ago. I don't believe it was valid of the Director to make such a nasty comment, but at least I felt vindicated for not actually caring about how the final product turned out. That's right, they could have whipped anything up in there and knowing that my suggestions wouldn't have made a dent, I couldn't have cared less. It's just so uninspiring to be singled out like that. Yeah, the film IS good, but that is beside the point. It could have been much better, and time could have been saved along the way had my suggestions been heeded.

I am disappointed, mostly, at not having learnt my way around FCP as much as I'd have liked. I realise this is something I'll need to pick up in my own time, but still. I thought the objective of group work was to work as a team, not to pander to the whims of some hack-egomaniac who thinks he is gonna knock Spielberg off at the Box Office in the next 12 months. Bollocks. I put in a MASSIVE amount of work in pre-production, and my notes will indicate that. I did all that I could on the days of filming, despite what anyone else says, and went to great lenghts to try and learn as much about the technical side of things as I could (HELLO! did you I ever miss a class? I think not). In post, however, I got segregated and shut out, and basically told not to bother... and the only thing that has served to do is a) ignite my rage, and b) make me fifty billion times more determined to kick arse in semester 2.

If I can concentrate my energy on that, then maybe - just maybe - all this political group wank will seem somewhat worth it.

Let's hope that is the case.

'Til then.

pinch and a punch

2007-06-01T09:35:00.000+10:00

Before getting my no-good arse into gear with this blog, my earlier entries were scattered between my old host and a bunch of WordPad documents. I fear the memory stick with a good half-dozen entries from April and at least 2 from the Easter break is at work, meaning I'll need to drop by after today's tute and pick it up. Arrgh. So much needless stuffing around. I guess it will be nice though to have them all in the one place, at long last. I kinda dig the look and feel of this blog now, I don't even have any desire to switch onto WordPess for TV2. And since I've figured out how to link everyone elses blog, there's no stopping me!

Last prac today - which will consist of viewing the rough cuts and doing our self/peer assessments. Thus, you can expect some nice, long-winded semesterly reviews in the not-so-distant future. Have I expressed my disbelief having at already arrived at the reflective part of the course yet?

I guess this was inevitable, though, like everything else. Stay tuned.

there's always someone cooler than you

2007-05-28T23:08:00.000+10:00

Today panned out to be one of those 'which do you want first, the good news or the bad news?' type situations. So I think I'll just start with the good for the sake of our sanities.

GOOD: Everything looks amazing on film. The lighting is great, white balance is surprisingly consistent, the actors' expressions are flawless. Latch did a steady job as DoP, and things were generally well-timed.

BAD: The fucken sound is shot to shit. Half of it is good, the other half sucks some major hairy moose balls. How gutting. I don't even think we ca blame anyone as Kyle mentioned numerous times while holding the boom that a mysterious buzzing would appear and then disappear. This is exactly what I feared would happen! I never knew nightmares could come true like that. Just.. fuck.

It's just so painful to watch.. I mean to hear it, it literally grates on my ear drums. How can something so good be so inherently bad? argh.. Anyway. So we captured and that process went as well as could be expected. I stayed around until 6pm, putting together the first minute or so of the rough cut on my own. Some of the other stayed back longer, I think Latch was pretty intent on putting it all together in one hit before Friday's class.

There's always the ADR option but in essence that just means more dicking around. I can't quite describe this just-been-kicked-in-the-guts feeling properly. Or maybe nuts would cut it better. If I had nuts I'm sure the feeling would be similar. Drama, drama, drama. Does it ever end? Will it...?

surreal

2007-05-27T15:57:00.000+10:00

So, the past two days were spent lugging around cumbersome equipment and finally getting to film... I can't quite describe what it was like to hear 'action' for the first time, let alone in my house, where the first (not sequential, just the first to be shot) scenes took place. It was like being Alice in wonderland and taking a bit of magic cake, where everything around you instantaneously gets bigger, and you begin feel like the most insignificant cluster of atoms in the world. It was a pretty momentus feeling, and one I'm not sure to forget for a long time.

I'm pretty bloody drained, to say the least. Friday, despite the imminent stresses of having so many goddamn people (strangers) in my house, was probably more of an involved experience for me. Saturday, aside from the fact that I battled an unweidly migraine for most of the day, didn't really require as much of my input. Most of my production design ideas were canned (for no apparent reason, which I'm still not happy about), and the space inside Scott's kitchen wasn't really conducive to having as many people around while the camera was rolling. So I got stuck doing the odd jobs - picking up pizzas, picking up the dolly, etc etc... Sure, this stuff needed doing, but I wasn't exactly in my element. Still, things ran as smoothly as they could have, and I had a great time coaching the actors - Mel in particular.

Now I'm just looking forward to capturing our material and cutting it up into some semblance of a drama. Since everything was pretty much filmed out of order, my poor addled brain just wants to slot these scenes into formation so we can work out what effects will work best, and what sounds will enhance the viewing experience. I wouldn't call production an anticlimax, but it was certainly built up to be something in my mind that I'm not quite sure was realised - in full. Then again, that's probably a good thing.

stage fright

2007-05-24T18:47:00.000+10:00

Wish I could have made last night's rehearsals.. am dying to meet the actors, but alas, my stupid job continues to get in the way of more important pursuits. Meh.

At least I know the test shoot went well and by the sounds of things, the cast all get along - which is fantastic, because I'd hate to think that the animosity-ridden atmosphere in the script could spill out into real life. One big bonus is that the actor playing Mike is happy to bring all of his own clothes, which seem suitable (overalls, shirts, typical dadsy stuff), so that will be one less strain on our budget.

So for the next 18 or so hours I'm left to tie up the loose ends, and prepare my house for an entire entourage of crew. Never did I imagine that my involvement with a subject would penetrate my bedroom door, but I believe I have been proven otherwise :P How's that for dedication folks? Can't fault the ultimate sacrifice of privacy, ESPECIALLY when it's willing! Although, my nervousness is growing about it, as I want the room to look like an absolutely perfect set... Like I want to prove my worth as a production designer, so the pressure's on, in that respect.

Dig these posters though: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
(was I an emo kid in a past life or what? ahah, acutally don't answer that question, I might go cry and kill myself :P tsk tsk)

Also, in a serendipitous twist of fate (Hi Paul), I FOUND MY GODDAMN TV1 LECTURE BOOK! It disappeared into the ethers around week 5 and decided to rear it's head again all of a sudden... Couldn't possibly have had anything to do with the fact that I was forced to clean my room from wall to wall in preparation for tomorrow's guests.. oh no. haha. Solved that mystery at long last. Such a relief, too, mind you.

Before picking up the gear tomorrow I shall make a last minute venture into savers to buy a netball skirt. After that, we're all set. I think it's safe to say that I'm more jittery than those actors.

Fingers crossed...

the home stretch - remember to breathe

2007-05-23T14:45:00.000+10:00

It's week freaking 12, people.

It seems like only yesterday we were sitting huddled in a circle with Di and Paul, tossing around ideas for characters and script-crafting.

And now we're here. Some of us have already filmed, other are just about to. My group falls into the latter category, but I'm kind of glad we chose to grad it out. Especially considering that no matter how much time you get in pre-production, you're always going to feel half-baked when you venture out on set.

This week's lecture was another Final Cut intensive. Timely, I must say, and it's nice to have it shown on the overhead so that we can get some kind of mental feel for the software. I swear that program has a level of complexity that not even I'm used to coping with.. argh. Anyway. It was good to learn how to insert text - we are reccommended to use the fade in/out technique as opposed to lame-o rolling credits. I think we'd have gone that option anyway, considering the feel we have chosen to embellish our piece with.

It's good to know, too, that we have options in post to make our film look spiffy, should some of it turn out underexposed or just plain droll. The formula Paul used went something along the lines of 'white whites, black blacks, saturation, softened edges' - sounds simple enough, but I swear it made a hell of a difference to the footage once the settings were applied. Just like magic :P

Grounded some of the basics once more, I think more than anything so as to solidify them in our skulls. Some key things to remember when shooting, and I think Robin summed this up nicely back in week 9: 'Sun is light and silence is still sound'. Omission is a very deliberate move in film - which is why post counts for so much.

a sneak preview of my pre-production

2007-05-22T17:03:00.000+10:00

1 - mike's pipe, tv hits mag, tablecloth
2 - dull kitchen painting by request of jen
3 - gwen stefani - emo bedroom fodder
4 - fruit bowl, 2 oranges, 2 aprons, there's also a hairtie for the lou that isn't in the shot
5 - 2 x 2 placemats, one being of reverse phallic design (peaches, ahahahah *ahem*)
6 - marilyn monroe poster as per the script

Enjoy.

the inner shop-a-holic gets her fix

2007-05-19T17:53:00.000+10:00

So this arfternoon, after work, I pretty much raided every Asian variety store in the Brunswick/Coburg area, scouting for the props that would best suit our quaint little production otherwise known as Potato Cakes.

And boy did I strike gold!

I can't wait to show the rest of the group the Monroe poster I found. I also got one of Gwen Stefani, looking hot and pouting accordingly, as well as a bunch of stuff for the kitchen, Lou's outfit, tacky shit that will come in useful on the day. I'm so proud of myself. AND it's all within out budget. Score! Got to love doing things the cheap and nasty way :P I think it has salient thematic connotations for our film as well, just quietly.

I gotta say, I am thoroughly enjoying this role right now. I've got such a clear idea in my head of how I want these sets to look, and how I want them to translate onto film. It's kind of phenomenal. I guess being this visually orientated is finally serving a productive purpose in my life. Can't say I haven't waited long to draw that conclusion! Point being, however, that if we don't nail the look and style of the film it isn't going to elicit the desired reaction from our audience... which in my view, is basically going to undermine the whole reason for making it. True?

Gonna get some pics of these babies up and running so all can see... ahh.

factoid

2007-05-18T16:22:00.000+10:00

The human brain needs 2/25 of a second to process a cut (between scenes).

The things you take forgranted eh.

'when Godard zooms, you know it's a zoom'

2007-05-16T17:43:00.000+10:00

I'm beginning to realise just how conscripting and formulaic filming drama really is. Even with just crafting the storyboard, for example, you are made painfully aware of what you can and cannot do as student filmmakers, especially when the look you are going for has a set of codes and conventions that aren't overtly experimental.

Every niggling little thing needs to be thought out. Every crash cut, jump cut, focus pull.. stuff like this you can't really afford to make up on the fly. And it makes sense now why doco and drama were swapped from one semester to another - I really can't imagine having to work within these confines for another 3 month block. But at the same time, it's probably better to get us used to this emulative approach so that once we do get around to making our own docos, we'll be much more likely to come up with something innovative.

In as much as we can, anyhow.

That aside, pre-prod seems to be running smoothly. No major hiccups, and now that everything is sorted, we seem to be on track. The only noteworthy difference is that instead of fiming this coming weekend, we'll be doing it the next. Which theoretically gives us less time in post, but more time to fine tune everything for our big day. Also, the equipment factor isn't really one we can get around. In a way I'm glad it's been pushed back, because it means our actors will get time to rehearse, and won't feel as though they've been thrown in the deep end.

Always be kind and accommodating to your actors. If there's a lesson that doesn't need learning by any of us, it's that.

the production designer: an integral part to the collaboration process

2007-05-14T21:14:00.000+10:00

This post is purely for my own understanding of production design - but may contain something useful for any other people who may be presently undertaking a similar role:

----------

The term 'Production Designer' was coined in 1939 in respect to the work of William Cameron Menzies on the film Gone with the Wind, for the amount and calibre of design work he single-handedly accomplished on set. Previously, and often subsequently, the person(s) with the same responsibility had been called "art directors," but it is clear nowadays that this term is often both insufficient and inaccurate.

From early in pre-production, the production designer collaborates with the director and director of photography to establish the visual feel and specific aesthetic needs of the project. The production designer guides key personnel in other departments such as the costume designer, the key hair and make-up stylists, the special effects director and the locations manager (among others) to establish a unified visual appearance to the film.

Production Designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the director and producer, they must select the settings and style to visually tell the story. They are the person ultimately responsible for the overall look of a filmed event.

Some of the crew who work in the art department under the production designer include: art director, assistant art director, set designer (draughtsman), set decorator, concept illustrator, graphic designer, model maker, although these roles can sometimes be interchangeable.

The set decorator, often someone with experience in interior decoration, finds decorative items for the sets such as furniture, wallpaper, knick-knacks and lighting fixtures. Working under the decorator are buyers, as well as a crew of set dressers who bring the items to the set, arrange furniture, hang curtains and “dress” the set.

A prop master coordinates with the production designer, but also works closely with the director and actors to provide the items handled directly by the actors such as newspapers, weapons, musical instruments and food. For the most part, the prop crew, along with an on-set dresser, maintain the integrity of the production designer’s vision during the shoot and manipulate the items for the camera.
[adapted from wikipedia.org]

Clearly, my role in Potato Cakes includes several components of 'art direction', none of which can really be simplified. However, Production Design is probably the closest summation we are going to find, as I dont think the term 'creative gopher' would resonate with too many folks out there... do you?

we've got out work cut out for us

2007-05-11T19:31:00.000+10:00

So today's tute comprised of a viewing of all the Lennies, across all tutes, and I must say - in comparison to what some of the other groups put together - ours was ridiculously mediocre. Now, I still think I did the best I could with what footage we had.. but seriously, some people pulled off gorgeous ECUs and some beautifully crafted focus pulls.. yeah, some people completely crossed the line and filmed at different times of the day, which just looked weird. I guess the point of the exercise was to learn, but hot damn, I never realised how talented some of these media kids were. It's nice to see them all on top of their game.

With any luck, I'll be able to spend some time this weekend gathering the bits and pieces necessary for the girls' outfits. I'm talking accessories, makeup, hair bits.. the little stuff that all-too-often gets left to the last minute, or worse still, overlooked entirely. Even though it looks like we'll be using my house for the bedroom scene, we're still going to need fresh props for these guys. Got to be professionals here! Practice makes perfect... or so they say.

unedited notes on editing itself

2007-05-11T11:17:00.000+10:00

So any Sopranos fan would have been in 7th heaven on my couch last night.

Mickey Blue eyes is a flatly linear narrative... not once is there a flashback, flashforward or memory sequence (the closest there is is a recurring snapshot of Mickey 'kissing' a ditzy blonde waitress). Each shot is constructed in a logical order. Many of the shots (esp at the beginning) are also rather long in duration - adding further to the one-dimensional feel of the movie, its fluidity and freely flowing capacity.

One very careful editing technique that stands out is the use of sound and the rhythmic ordering of shots to match its tempo. The film thrives on a seasoned buffet of alternately tense and jovial 80s Italian hit songs, not to mention a fair dash of romance thrown in for good measure. There are heavy uses of non-diegetic sounds, one in particular that stands out is the loud gong that introduces us to the Chinatown (fortune cookie proposal) scene. In fact, sound (and quite often, music) prefigures image in all of the location/scene transitions, suggesting a mood-oriented relationship between it and the film's visuals. There is one part where the music is even synched up with a series of gunshots, making for an rapidly unsettling sequence among the longer takes.

I found the shot-reverse shot sequence between Mickey and Gina's uncle to be particularly inlluminating. I love how the camera is angled looking down upon Mickey, whilst it points upward the uncle, an understood sign of the preeminence that longtime gang members these longtime gangsters were surrounded with. Think Citizen Kane on a smaller scale.

As for mise-en-scene, the smoke hovering above Gina and Mickey from her uncle's cigarette is a classic Hitchcockian prefigurement of their wedding day doom.. And, in the last five minute build-up toward the speeches, real time is utilised to heighten the sense of tension that is slowly erupting as Frank is expected to shoot his newly-pronounced son in law. For the most part, dialogue drowns out the rest of the sound, leaving an odd, lingering silence as the audience awaits the trigger being pulled. This is soon disrupted by a rather loud, abrupt turn of events that ends in momentary tragedy as Gina herself is shot..

Momentary, of course, because this is Hollywood, where restoration of love in imminent and a shiny resolution is unanimous. A highly entertaining watch, with a unique element of slapstick and darkness that one can only hope we are able to mimic to some extent in the coming weeks.

aced it.. all that worrying for nought?

2007-05-10T20:05:00.000+10:00

Soo the TV1 exam I dreaded with great ominousness turned out to be rather.. simple in the end. I scored 54/54, which according to my calculations is PERFECT MARKS. hehe. Yay for getting that hurdle out of the way, and yay for being able to concentrate solely on pulling next week's production off.

We finalised our actors tonight, so everything seems to be falling into place nice and smoothly. It's such a headache though. Jen's done a fantastic job coordinating everyone and making sure we all have the contact details of the people we need. I'll be finalising wardrobe and costume over the weekend and buying the rest of the props, so things are definitely picking up in that department.

Must remember to bring my notes on genre as well. God there's so much to take in, I fear an early onset of senility creeping up on me.

Tonight I'm watching Mickey Blue Eyes (love my gangster/mobster flicks.. even the pseudo-British ones), so hopefully tomorrow I'll have some note-idge on the way editing is used within that narrative, and will find some way to incorporate that into our own drama. This is particularly timely as Latch will be finalising the storyboard so this sort of thing will need to be carefully considered early on.. I want as many details as possible to be sorted by the day of the shoot so that somehow, it all adds up in my mind to something frasible.

The countdown begins.

coasting.. on the upward gain

2007-05-06T12:00:00.000+10:00

Friday's prac was probably one of the stand-out best pracs we've had all semester.

I got stuck right into it and actively did what I could to make my lesson in lighting count for as much as it could - And I have to say, I never did realise how complex a filmset could be - and how important it is to be precise (and safety smart) in getting these things set up.

There are several ways to skin a cat, I'm fast learning, but the key here is forethought. You don't want to have to spend oodles of time fiddling around with exposures when so much of that can be solved by making sure the lighting both is adequate and appropriate. Since we'll be shooting mostly in the evening, it's going to be interesting to see how we go with creating that subtle moodiness.. and not tripping over random shit in the process.

Again, you can never be too anal about safety.

I don't particularly wish to walk away with multiple bruises to my skull from hitting my head on a stand, or poking myself inappropriately with something.

That sounded kinkier than it really needed to. Time to get some of this pre-production shizzle happening, methinks.

...between a rock and a hard place

2007-05-04T10:19:00.000+10:00

Is anyone else shitting their proverbials about the exam we're meant to be handing in next week?

I've been (albeit a good 5-10 minutes impunctually) to every lecture, prac, group gathering associated with this subject.. Read that freaking dossier from week to week and still, still cannot fathom how I'm expected to demonstrate my acquired 'knowledge' in an exam format... Unless we're talking in terms of safety precautions, or what button to press and when, or what to plug into where, which has been about the extent of it.

Seriously though, the whole assessment approach this course has taken is completely bizarre. I'm going to write a nice constructive response when the course evaluation surveys do the rounds in the coming weeks. This course could really have done with a Summer intensive to show students how to operate the technology PRIOR TO getting put into groups... Because it's not really fair to expect Paul and David to aid each and every one of us in our individual understandings of how the cameras and editing suites work. That's just not practical.

As a student, however, it's just so frustrating having to work with all this gear while pretty much clutching at the straws trying to get your head around it. I find this especially difficult being from Prof Comm, where movies are not my life 24/7. I thought the fact that I could appreciate communications more broadly would assist me in taking this course, but if anything it seems to have had the opposite effect.

Knowledge in philosophy, literature, drama, the classics, history and politics is what gives context to any media, for me, but I can't seem to find a level with anyone with a straight film bias. My HD in Broadcast means nothing because I can't translate any of that into what we're doing now - and it seems to be because of a) lack of one-on-one teaching and b) 2nd yr media clique culture. I feel stuck.

chop chop - and a smorgasboard of fresh ideas

2007-05-03T18:47:00.000+10:00

Well, I probably couldn't have picked a better flick to apply the principles of yesterday's lecture to. Chopper makes some of the best and most deliberate use of lighting I've seen in a film since Gattaca (at least as far as modern films go), and has brought a lot to the table for our group to work with as far as organising our set for Potato Cakes is concerned.

The first half-hour or so of the film is shot within a prison set, so as you can imagine, there are plenty of tungsten lights and filters used to create a shady, gungey atmos that gives the viewer a sense of unease. The key lighting used is minimal, because the white walls refract most of it back into the space and onto the characters. During the more climactic moments, i.e. stabbings and brawls, the lighting has a tendency to become harsher, signifying an elevation in mood and adrenaline, similar to what the main characters are experiencing. Shadows, however, seem to follow Chopper wherever he goes - and with good reason. His jeckyll-and-hyde criminal persona plays out not only through the plot but via the careful use of mise-en-scene. Below, pictured with his girlfriend 'Tanya', you can see the way lighting has been manipulated to always keep some part of his face out of view:

This either suggests that he is constantly hiding something, or there is some dark part of his personality that cannot be revealed. Perhaps both. Throughout the film, there are several scenes filmed in the dark that seem to add to the overall insidious feel of the piece. However, some of the artier non-plot events or sequences that operate inside Chopper's mind employ some very contrasting lighting techniques - bright, cabaret-style lighting, blinding bulbs, in-your-face sort of stuff to jar ones own consciousness. I wish I could get some of my own stills happening so ya'll could see what I'm talking about. Bana's performance is flawless, and it's well worth a look for those who are keen on indulging in a hearty slice of Aussie gangster culture. Pretty gory in parts, but worth watching for its technical innovation.

Back to Potato Cakes - we've decided we want to make this more of a 'dark' comedic take on dysfunctional Australian family culture, so a lot of our cinematography will be relying upon similar lighting set-ups. To begin with, we're also filming at night, which means the fine line between dull mood lighting and being too dark is something we'll have to be constantly mindful of. We don't want to cross over into the abyss of shooting poor quality footage when in reality the flick of a switch and some careful angles could have added ten thousand times more meaning to a scene... Need to discuss this one with the guys, but I'm going to suggest that we have at least one red head spare in case we run into the problem of 'dead space'. Tbe last thing we want is poorly lit shots that offer nothing in the way of subliminal fodder... I guess that's where my role as Production Designer becomes important, because I can afford to take note of this stuff while the others do the more 'hands on' kinds of roles. Hmm.

Going to go and work on some character stuff now. Fingers crossed Jen gets back to me with some actor profiles to trawl through.

all lennied out

2007-05-02T20:17:00.000+10:00

Well, I spent a good hour and a half tonight editing lenny down to about a minute and making the best of the footage we shot last week. Luckily no-one had touched it since, so I got to navigate my way around FCP a little more and work some of that post- magic again... I've gotta say, every time I get into post I'm reminded of why I chose this major. That sense of achievement that washes over you once you've effectively created something somehow makes the rest of the bollocksing around worth sticking out (hey, you've gotta get your rocks off somewhere).

Impressively, the sound was probably the best aspect of the entire exercise - and given that it was my first time being technically responsible for that on shoot, I was pretty stoked. Unfortunately you can see the boom in one of the shot sequences, and on the whole the shots themselves are fairly bland (dir/DOP didn't heed my advice on getting in some angled close-ups, which would have made a huge difference, visually).

Thus I pretty much did what I could for visual continuity - there are some very complex movements of Lenny's that I worked hard to match up, i.e. when she crosses her legs after sitting down, and when she gets up to make a getaway from Ms Sargeant... little things, but important things nonetheless. It's amazing just how much of a difference trimming one frame here and there can make when you're attempting to convey a simple narrative. I wish we'd have organised some time out of class to film it so that it wouldn't have become such a rush job - but that's the nature of the beast at this stage and I can only hope this makes us more determined to be thorough when it comes to filming Potato Cakes. Cause we'll be inconveniencing a hell of a lot more people next time round if we don't get it right. meh.

Interesting (& elongated) lecture on lighting this morning - we learnt of key/fill/hard/soft lights, when to use them and how practical they are. Also, they tried to play us a bit of The Sweet Smell of Success, but the dialogue came up in German, much to everyone's amusement. But why do we light? 'To achieve temporal continuity' (visual, spatial). I'm going to watch Chopper now, so will update later or possibly tomorrow with reference to what we discussed.

peace.

fine tuning, more for my sake than anyone elses

2007-04-30T15:38:00.000+10:00

I need somewhere to store this list, and here seems to be the most appropriate.

Things I need to finalise in the next week:

Costumes - mostly for Alice. Once we've picked and actor and I know her body type I can find exactly what I'm looking for. Will be aiming for the pseudo-goth look though, so the black and fluro pink nail polish will be coming out of the vault. Watch out!

Set design - I need to get my hands on a bland checked tablecloth, preferably of the green variety, to match the funky art deco ovens in our beloved kitchen. Somehow want to incorporate that pet budgie into the mix, but fear I'm becoming too adventurous for my own good :P

Props - I'm trying to think of new and inventive ways to incorporate boob-like imagery into the shots.. Nothing like a bit of tongue in cheek (and if Hitchcock can get away will phallic symbolism, then we can do the reverse!).. Might invest in a cheap fruit bowl and some well-rounded apples.. or peaches if you're that way inclined.. haha.

I'm sure there were more things. No doubt they'll come to mind when I hit 'publish'.

I'm kind of crabby that work won't give me the time off to come to this weeks castings.. But if I'm not earning cash, I'm not gonna be able to buy all of this stuff, and it's no secret that a production designer's is probably the most financially demanding - because when I visualise what I want, only I can really go about getting it. I just wish the same went for an endless pile of money...

what a scene

2007-04-27T17:02:00.000+10:00

Today was a barrel of laughs. Two dead batteries (both for the sound box AND battery box), loss of script and loss of actors who had to leave at 1:30 for their respective classed. Dramas, dramas, is there something about the genre that to some extent effects the nature of the job? I wonder. Despite being sabotaged, though, it seems to have gone alright. I suppose I'll have a better idea once I see the footage uploaded in post.

We ended up with two female actors - one brunette whose name I can't remember, and a girl named Elanore who played Lenny (ironically, her nickname actually is Lenny.. haha.. serendipity perhaps?). I think it worked better with women to be honest, but I'm scared we might've overlooked something as we didn't have a copy of the original script to work off.. I swear losing my lecture notebook has thrown me completely off kilter with this subject. Freaking pain in the rear is what it is.

Kudos to Latch for bringing along the storyboard. Although, it would have been better to see a bigger variety of shots to work with as opposed to more of the same, unimaginative mid-shot type stuff. The camera movement was good though, and I was pleased we managed to incorporate a fresh setting that no other students would have chosen.

I felt pretty daft being responsible for sound, but I learnt a hell of a lot about the technical side of things, even just sending signals and stuff to the camera to try and get the correct levels. No doubt it will take a few more goes before I can confidently say 'I know what I'm doing', but it was nice nevertheless to step outside of the visual role and just focus upon the audibility of something... Like ordering lemonade instead of Coke or any equivalent switch in default choice.

We have heaps to organise for PC this weekend. I've burnt copies of the shots we took last week for the boys, so at least we'll have something to model our storyboard off. Good times.

the early bird gets the worm... or the grab

2007-04-25T09:17:00.000+10:00

The filming of the PR breakfast with Josh and Ed of 3rd yr Media went well yesterday... Woke up at the bitchin' hour of 5:30am in order to haul arse to Spring St by 6:15. I wasn't in the best of moods. The other stress-addled folk only seemed to exacerbate this, but by 7am we were all systems go and had been given the green light to tuck into our Continental (ha ha) breakfasts, so things weren't all gloom. In fact the day itself turned out to be lovely - sunny even - and it was a delight to work with two guys who had the levels of experience that those two did.

I actually didn't feel out of place not knowing as much as them.. I just paid attention and asked as many questions as I could. It was nice feeling welcomed into unfamiliar territory, as I was initially quite worried about how the events would transpire (and consequently, how much shit we'd end up in if we buggered anything up). It was my first time getting to work with radio mics, so I found that particularly useful from a technical perspective.

For most of the morning I was responsible for taking the still shots, which I've already burnt onto disc to give to Carey when I go in for tomorrow's prac. Josh did the bulk of the filming, and I take my hat off to him for putting in such a fine effort. Though I wonder how that Tim Flanney story ended up in the news? There were more journos present than you could sink a ship with, but from what I could tell there were no other film crews. It'd be bloody exciting if the work of us lowly students was unwittingly broadcast on national TV, dontcha think?

In short, I'm really glad I volunteered to do this. I'm slowly building up enough confidence to be able to tackle the technical side of things and thus contribute something meaningful to the overall production process. You know what they say - one step at a time.

i <3 suburbia

2007-04-22T21:24:00.000+10:00

Nestled somewhere within the quaint greenery of melbourne's inner South East lays a charming brick veneer home that will become the location for my group's TV1 project.

We met up yesterday afternoon at said location, in Orange St East Bentleigh, and each pretty much fell instantly in love with its rustic appeal (you should see the old-style green oven.. it's TO DIE FOR). The backyard is a bit shabby, I'm trying to convice the others that it makes for a crap establishing shot and we ought to be focusing more on Alice. Other than that though we have good access and most of what we need is already there, we'll just need to organise/prepare the food and figure out a way of doing the plate smashing So we've got that sorted. I brought along my digital camera and we took a few snaps to help piece together the storyboard. Will burn those onto disc/memory stick so everyone else has a copy for their perusal.

I've already started gathering props for our characters. Bought a $4 pipe for Mike the other day, and am hunting around for a grandpa hat as we speak. Found a 'desperate housewife' apron for Lou as well - utter gold. Will be gathering emo-style posters to make one of the bedrooms look more like a girl's room.. might throw in a bit of Leonardo di Caprio for good measure as well :P

On that note, I'm going to finish watching the rest of The Departed now.

saboteurs, ye be ware

2007-04-20T19:04:00.001+10:00

Didn't end up filming in the pracs today... Instead, we practised setting up from scratch (mind you our kit had some of the shonkiest cord etiquette I've EVER seen) and spent the second half doing a mock-Lenny shoot as a class. I then proceeded to make a royal ass of myself as impromptu camera op, cementing the age-old belief that us Prof Commers are the resident incapable twats of bulding 6. Haha.. arrhhg, such embarrassment. To be honest my fear and loathing of the apparatus surprised even me... I mean, am I wrong to be overwhelmed by $20,000 worth of gear? I'm a pretty paranoid person as it is, and you can bet your bottom dollar that even the mildest scare tactics work with me where expensive gear is concerned. Sigh. At least I've managed to memorise all the little on-set catch phrases, and in their correct order no less.

Location scouting this weekend. Hopefully that'll be a more fortuitous endeavour. I really, really, really want to find a way to invest my energy into this project to make it worthwhile. Really.

tail wind's a long way off

2007-04-19T08:25:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow we begin filming for Lenny.
I'm rather apprehensive about this, because last night's meeting revolved around tieing up loose ends with our drama script (we ended up choosing Potato Cakes, YESS!) rather than getting a storyboard together for tomorrrow. So with any luck we won't fail and will hopefully be able to shoot as per the notes we made in class last week... Only problem is, Jen isn't going to be around for the next few pracs and I've MISPLACED my TV1 notebook. I don't think this semester could be any more of a shambles if it tried... and I have a feeling this head wind won't subside anytime soon... argh.

Despite my best efforts to become more of a presence in this so-called 'group' project, I've pretty much landed the most minor role possible: Production Design. I'm not going to pretend to be happy with this, but seeing as the decision had been made prior to my consultation, there's not exactly a lot of choice. Yeah, I'm annoyed that my talent and enthusiasm aren't going to be utilised to their full extent. But at the same time, I'm too over this project to really let it get to me. What started out as the highlight of my year has quickly become the biggest anti-climax... I don't know if it's the way these classes are structured or what, but lately all I seem to be feeling is either completely petrified about filming or totally out of place in all my non-media degree glory.

It's probably not a good idea to be going on about this here, so I'll just put a lid on it for now. On the plus side, nothing can affect my love for this medium, so I know I'll always put 110% into anything with my name attached to it. I guess I just wanted my last year of undergrad to stand for more, you know? I wanted to push my own limits and capabilities and take complete ownership of something, like I did with Broadcast, but it doesn't look like I'm going to get that chance. I guess all there really is left to focus on is honing my own skills and understanding to try and get as much out of this as I can. I want to walk into next semester with the confidence to assert my beliefs... Just got to pull through this first.

affirmation

2007-04-18T13:12:00.000+10:00

They say it's the little things that keep you going - and I can definitely attest to this. Matt Fitz complimented my script this morning and it just felt like the biggest wave of relief... maybe it's a Prof Comm thing where we're all helping to keep each other's heads above water.. I don't know. But knowing someone read it and didn't feel like they'd just wasted their time was somehow enough for me. A glimmer of hope that I've got something to offer to this industry, something real.

Will update more later. In between class and due to have a test. Good times, good times.

opportunity knocks

2007-04-18T09:23:00.000+10:00

I found out today that I didn't get the PR job I applied for. Apparently I was at the top of the ranks until a girl who's graduating this semester had her interview, so it turned out her availability was more ideal. I'm not entirely bothered by this - if anything it means less chaos on my end as I won't have to juggle my set hours at the bank with being on-call - and it means I can be more directive with my degree and the focus I wish to take with it.

I've always been somewhat torn between the two quite divergent disciplines of PR and Media Production. Majoring in both has been pretty full-on at both ends, and my reasons for enjoying them have been radically different. With PR it's had more to do with my desire to become a better communicator through the practice of writing and theorising - whereas with production it's been purely a matter of creative release, as instinctual as breathing and just as necessary. I have a few theories about serendipity, and I think the fact that I missed out on this job is suggesting that I get my priorities straight. I have the chance now to settle for good on the goal of working in production instead of getting sidetracked with what is basically a hobby over a passion... It's exciting, but a little daunting - I always like to have a back-up plan, but that kind of seems like a cop-out when we're talking in terms of life ambitions and dreams...

I'm pulling myself up on yet another introspective rant. My bad.

Next week I'm helping film the PR breakfast (ironic, eh) with Ed and Josh from 3rd year Media - should be good, although we've gotta rock up to the Windsor at some ridiculous hour like 6:30am... The free breakky had better be worth it!

Production meeting in about 20 minutes. Fingers crossed we'll have decided our roles, scripts, and formulated some plan of action for Friday's class. I wish our schedules were coordinated a little better so we didn't have to wait around for each other, but so it goes with these things. Daresay I'll be considerably less antsy once we've actually chosen a script...

scorsese = god

2007-04-17T19:39:00.000+10:00

I bought The Departed on DVD today :D I'd been meaning to go to JB Hifi for ages, I've had $70 worth of vouchers sitting around since my birthday (read: SEPTEMBER last year), so figured this little venture was long overdue.

But perhaps even more exciting than adding another of my favourite titles to the swag was the bonus CD to come with it - Scorsese on Scorsese. The man on the man! I'm so excited I'm practically wetting myself. This is definitely being fast-tracked to the top of the must-see pile before the group gets on location and starts to film.

The man is more than an inspiration. He is a divine entity unto himself.

scripts

2007-04-17T16:15:00.000+10:00

it is going to take me ten thousand years to read through bloody all of 'em.

black friday

2007-04-13T18:11:00.000+10:00

I had a swag of assessment due today, one piece of which will have to be handed in on Monday. Joy.

We've begun visualising for our Lenny exercises, which is proving to be somewhat interesting. There are so many different ways to go about this, but somehow I can picture all of ours looking the same if you know what I mean. To be honest I think everyone's starting to become too wrapped up in their individual projects to really put a lot of constructive thought into making Lenny a success... but it'll be good nonetheless to go through the mini-motions of a production project in order to fine tune ourselves for the real deal.

I'm tempted to suggest we rip off the Hitchcockian idea of introducing our two characters via their shoes. Anyone who's seen Strangers on A Train will know what I'm talking about (Bruno/Guy are contrasted via the sorts of shoes they are wearing and the direction in which they are walking, as well as the steps of their feet and the music that accompanies each.. ah, good times they were, good times). Hopefully we can all work out a time we're free this week to get this show on the road.. the sooner we can knock off smaller stuff like Lenny, the more energy we'll have to concentrate on other, more pertinent stuff.

should have put this up before, but it deserves a place

2007-04-11T09:27:00.000+10:00

[concept]
“…you can’t blame either of them for leaving me to rot like this”

Fiend is a short film that deals explicitly with the intense psychological conflict surrounding chemical addiction. Following on from the dramatic themes touched upon in Crank (2006) and Spun (2002), the film explores the insidious nature of substance abuse – notably, of the prolific street drug "ice" (methamphetamine). Peering beyond the realm of Melbourne's social castes, the film centres around the zombie-like existence of a young man on a seeming-downward spiral. As he tries to grapple with the death of his mother, a failed relationship and a financially debilitating speed habit, Arty's world is thrown off balance as he questions his ability to live with himself – whoever that might be. Unable to reconcile his ‘inner’ persona with the ‘bright and shiny’ euphoria wrought by the drug, he embarks on a confronting quest to find his way back to self-acceptance. In so doing, Fiend examines and rejects popular conceptions of reality, faith, and humanity, while offering solace in the enigmatic beauty of art and cinema.

[/end concept]

Also, getting a start on next week's readings. That dossier is one fat little comprehensive sumbitch. No-one can say they weren't advised on how to do anything! The emphasis on group work is a little jarring, but necessary all the same. Got to get out of solo-mode at some stage, I just wish I knew more folks who had gone into the telly stream. Damn you all for going over to the dark side(s)! We'll show 'em.. we'll show 'em up good.

contextualising my appreciation...

2007-04-08T22:11:00.000+10:00

Just a random thought I had...

I remember being asked in Week 1, what my favourite film was. I answered, in earnest, The Prestige.

It's hard for me because a favourite film, to me, just classes as the one that has most recently inspired or evoked some kind of affirmation in you that the path your headed down is absolutely the right one.

Basically, when I watch a film, what I'm really looking for (above all else) is a sense of conviction. I need that to be sure of what I'm doing.

While it does have many complex layers, what really made the film for me was structuring of time and cause and effect. Without these two things, a film cannot truly succeed as a film... it becomes linear, boring, obtuse.

The world needs more directors like Christopher Nolan.

And for now I need sleep...

good friday.. good times?

2007-04-06T14:05:00.000+10:00

So we're officially 'on a break'. It really doesn't feel like we should be. I don't feel like I've covered sufficient enough ground to have earnt a break from uni, but I'd best use this time wisely while I've got it, hey.

I like how we're being taught all different facets of the production roles. This week had a particularly good reading, entitled 'The Director and the Actor', and I guess having never made a real drama before (only ever did some stage when I was younger), I never really pictured myself having to realise my vision of a role through someone else. It's so fascinating and complex, one can't help but be taken by it all. If I get to direct at some stage this year, I guess I'll see for myself what it's like to have wear that all-important hat.

Sigh. Can't wait to read other peoples' scripts. I want to know what they came up with. In some sense it would have been good to read a few more before handing mine in (the only one I got to read was Latch's, 'cause he asked me to out loud in class). Ah well. Something to look forward to I guess.

I'm in the (rare) mood for a trashy horror film. Any takers?

'...it gets to a point where it's very ego-centered'

2007-04-05T22:09:00.000+10:00

That's a direct quote from Scorsese in the first of this week's readings.

He's talking in relation to longer takes, and how some of the directing greats utilised them to their advantage. I guess he's right - this sort of profession has a certain kind of ego-magnestism to it - especially when so very many of us are at the mercy of our idols. I'm thinking, though, that in order to be honest in the way you make films, you need to be able to trust your own instincts. You have to be open to compromising some of your initial preconceptions.

'Even if there was a certain look on his face, I'd rather cut into that shot for (it)'.

So much of what happens on set is not pre-meditated, and some of it's not necessarily bad. For example, when an actor improvises a certain phrase or line, or gives a word a different inflection... it can change the emotional tone of an entire scene, and thus affect the framing, filming and overall mood. I like to think that while you can never really plan enough, and that all forms of pre-production are 100% necessary, you're not 100% required to stick to your shot lists on the day of the shoot. You can't really afford to set things in stone when so much of what you do is causal.. and we know how unpredictable (and at times, unreliable) people can be.

Scorsese also suggests that creativity and creative interest goes beyond the realm of 'talent' and becomes more a matter of instinct:
'Where I set the camera is just something I feel'.

And we feel it, too.

we could all do with some theatrics

2007-04-04T23:19:00.000+10:00

..to brighten the day.

David's lecture this morning was an absolute doozie. I love having my 6 hours of straight classes brightened by the nutso antics of my peers, namely Latch, whose ridiculously dispassioned performance might've helped demonstrat what to film - but certainly not how not to act. Gold.

We're coming up to break time now so with any luck we'll all be able to get out acts and our heads together enough to prepare ourselves for the ride the rest of this semester is going to be. I've got that much to do it isn't funny. I should probably be in bed now, but will have something more meaningful to contribute tomorrow when I've done the rest of the readings.

nighty night.

april fool's day

2007-04-01T10:09:00.000+10:00

We're now a quarter of the way through the year, folks. Clap clap, the best is over, brace yourselves for the terror that is yet to come.

Also, the census date has passed which means there's no backing out now.

one down, and about fifty five billion to go

2007-03-31T11:53:00.000+10:00

I've completed my script, but there are parts of it I want to change before I shoot it off. I'm glad to have made it through the whole onerous process, but at the same time, it feels like the biggest anticlimax - as in, where to from here? I guess the worst bit is not knowing whether they'll get made, and not being able to have a lot of input into the production of your own script. I know this has to be done for a reason, but it's the first time for many of us to be put in this position, and I just find the uncertainty of it a little uninspiring. I'm sure once groups are formulated and we get our own production balls rolling, things will fall into place.

It's starting to eke closer, as much resistance as time has yielded in passing. This week's readings go into detail about light balance, how to focus a camera, all kinds of other delectable technicalities that will come in useful in the near future. I'm itching to get back into it, though.. to be honest. It's been far too long.

And now to change this bloody ending. I can't decide whether it's more difficult to begin a script or to suspend it. They both do my head in.

time's a tickin'

2007-03-29T11:27:00.000+10:00

So our scripts are due on Monday. Mine's about half-way done, so about 90 seconds left to go. I never dreamed one would need to muster so much energy to get three minutes' worth of film onto paper! Deceptively difficult, that one.

Still, I'm having a hell of a lot of fun crafting Fiend, particularly the voice-overs of Art himself. The character is really beginning to grow on me. I wonder if this is a natural part of the scriptwriting process? Do writers form curious bonds with the little imaginary fragments they breathe into life, or am I just uncessarily sentimental about these things??

In my mind I have a vision of a very experimental, sound-driven narrative. I want the audience to get inside this guy's head, to feel and experience the smacked-out delirium that had overtaken his world. The disorientation associated with a come-down is like a metaphor to mirror his fall from grace... from humanity, from himself. Though being the overwhelming optimist I am, I can't let it simply be a reflection based on that fact. There needs to be change, there needs to be movement. Characters must be fluid, as all humans are.

I'll bring him round full circle, but I won't lead him the entire way. Change is in the hands of the individual. Still tossing up a few motif ideas in my head, but I daresay there'll be a jehova's witnesses encounter somewhere along the lines - just ot keep life interesting of course :P

Watch this space.

nature of the beast: learning the ropes in cinematography

2007-03-28T20:54:00.000+10:00

Today's hour of power was spent brushing up on what, by now, ought to be a given/second nature for many of us, but it certainly can't hurt to reiterate the basics at this point in time.

The nature of the camera has a large impact on the way films are shot, as it has a direct correlation to the nature of the frame. These composition choices need to be clearly thought out from the very beginning, so that mise en scene can be taken care of accordingly.

We are lucky in that the cameras we are using have viewfinders. Apparently a feature was shot on someone's mobile phone last year - I can only imagine how much of a headache it's going to be to edit something of that quality, but hey, it's a world-first and the technology makes it possible in this day and age.

The aspect ratio of a frame should always be used to its full potential. We can opt to shoot in 16x9 as opposed to the native 4x3, if stylistically this will add specific meaning to the narrative. The key to always ask oneself is how much are your shots going to reveal? How flat do you want the frames to be? Remember, the frame is NOT reality, i.e. cheating is permissible.

Godard commented on the nature of watching (audiences), whilst watching a film. The idea is to make viewers forget that they are, in fact, being engaged - that is, to sublimate their senses without becoming overbearing. The sky may be the limit with character, but from a technical perspective, everything must serve a purpose. Once people remember that they are watching a film, it loses any lasting impact it could have had on them, making it moot.

There's one hell of a fine line between theory and practice - will any of dare to cross it this semester?

conceding defeat

2007-03-27T18:38:00.000+10:00

Well, I've given up and given in to some extent on trying to get WordPress to be my friend. I figure that if I do get it up and running I can just set it up to feed straight from here anyway, so that's that.

This morning's lecture gave me a lot to think about regarding how I want my script to be shot. I hadn't really given it a great deal of thought prior, but the aspect ratio used to film with can make an enormous difference to the narrative structure. A film like Apocalypse Now, for example, would not have had such an oblique, end-of-days feel to it had it been done on 3:4 or even 16:9. Its very structure and cinematic dexterity is heavily reliant upon the inclusion of the wide-wide screen, and Coppola's meticulous attention to detail is enough to awe the pants off generations of audiences, 28 years on from its release.

It's funny to think that movies were awesome well before I was born.

(No, I'm not an ageist, damnit!)

I'm thinking 3:4 might be the go with mine, but we'll see. I've flirted with the idea of 16:9 but honestly, I think it's probably best to stick to convention - at least for the purposes of this task and the genre it pertains to. I have thought about filming in black and white though, not just for the memory sequence, but the entire piece. Hmmm. We'll see what transpires when I finish the script.

Speaking of which... I'd better get on it - while I've still got energy (and motivation).

metamorphosis

2007-03-26T21:00:00.000+10:00

I want to get inside this character's head. How would I feel if the closest thing to living was having methamphetamine coarsing through my veins? When did blood cease to be enough to sustain a human being?

I'm basing this story partially on two people I know. One (M) is a recovered meth addict, the other (J) is a current crack addict. The latter I would consider quite a good friend. The age group is similar, but scenario here is totally different - both of these people I know via the melbourne queer scene - but the principle still stands. Though it wouldn't really occur to me to broach the subject (the term deaf ears springs to mind), I do hope that, eventually, he finds a reason to rid himself of his crackpipe, of his own will.

Maybe I'm trying to personify courage. I don't know. I'm trying to put into a metaphor what is impossible for me to conjure up into my verbal interactions with the world. I've seen drugs do some nasty shit to people, their relationships, their interactions with the everyday world, and most of all themselves. The fact that most of them live in denial scares me. 'Creatures of habit' takes on a whole new meaning when one of your 'friends' goes through a good $100/day of crystallised cocaine.

I understand the desire to want to put a barrier between yourself and your emotions. But it's a depressing way of life and a degenerative one if you let it control you. I'm 21 and already I can see this... does that mean I can make a difference?

flickerfest 2007 - opening night

2007-03-23T16:17:00.000+11:00

Last night I ventured out with a good mate to KinoDendy cinemas in Collins St, to catch the Opening Night of Flickerfest. Currently in its 16th year running, Flickerfest is Australia's most competitive International short film festival. For $14 apiece we were treated to a swag of award-winning films from around the world, varying anywhere from 6-20 minutes in length - not to mention the catered (booze included) afterparty, where they served up these gorgeous little lamb cutlets with pomegranite seeds on top.

Pretty swish, eh?
You'd better believe it.

We actually sat in front of Christine Rogers, the old Prof Comm admin officer and my tutor from Writing Media Texts last year. The film she was invoved with didn't make the cut for the Melbourne screening, but apparently she'll be working on some bigger and better things in the UK and LA next month. It's always good to see Melbournians heading off into the big smoke... unfortunately, we missed our chance to talk with the two directors of the Melbourne short that's on everyone's lips at the moment, Booth Story. Shortly before the screening, Kassimir Burgess and Edwin McGill gave a quick thank you speech, which I probably would have appreciated more if I'd known how good the film was going to be.

Brilliant stuff. I gave an incoherent, gushing review in the tute today, which probably didn't articulate any good reasons why my fellow students ought to suss this film out, only that it would have them rolling in the aisles and send shockwaves of patriotism down their spines. I guess clever, local cinema always takes me by surprise.

They were all pretty good though. Another stand-out effort was 'Dreams and Desires', which gets double points for originality.. Who'd have thought to rip off dodgy home-made camcorder footage in the style of animation? Really understated yet really effective. My lack of innovation really depresses me when I watch this sort of stuff.

Hoping to get along to tomorrow or Sunday's screenings, but can't foresee having the extra time or money to do so. Bah humbug.

research: ABC/Four Corners' 'The Ice Age'

2007-03-22T14:14:00.000+11:00

[This is what I just watched]
'A shocking close-up study of the new drug of choice: ice'

I guess it had to be done in order for me to understand what I'm getting myself into.. as far as my leading man is concerned. but fuck. Some of that doco is just purely and utterly disturbing. And there really is no other way of putting it.

I guess it's difficult to remain truly objective in the face of an illicit addiction. It is also very hard to rationalise that kind of thing, and the sorts of people they use on their programs really typecase addicts in a way that I don't agree with. Why do they scour the streets until they find the most derelict individuals with children they cannot name and cardboard boxes for homes? That is so disturbingly inaccurate of Australian drug culture it isn't funny.

Most of these addicts have jobs, lives, and friends that they try to hold down, while most of their suffering happens in private. That is the side I want to expose - the boy(or girl)-next-door aspect that gets overlooked in favour of what society deems palatable. If 'people' really knew what went on behind their neighbours' closed doors, they mightn't be such a judgemental mob. Because I know for a fact that drugs are *that* imminent.

It isn't always the junkie sleeping in the cardboard box whose life has been reduced to next-to-nothing.

Damn representation shits me sometimes. I'm going to have so much fun next semester ripping these freaking docos apart. Still, at least now I have some proper food for thought.

'the art of ventriloquism'

2007-03-21T12:39:00.000+11:00

So today's lecture moved onto the technical aspects of filmmaking. I can tell we are gonna be in for a long haul when it comes to learning the ropes with all of the gear we are expected to make use of this year. No more puncing around with mini-DV decks! Naturally I predict many a teary tantrum on my part, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it shall we.

In sum:
-Music can serve a variety of purposes in narrative, not the least common of which can be to act as a transition between shots.
-Sounds can be superficial (imaginary) or filmed on location (wild sounds)
-Silence can speak volumes (we watched a bit of footage from a movie where a rape scene was omitted and instead a clip of some wartime soldiers was inserted, whilst the characters continued to discuss the events - thus we were left to imagine what had happened, evoking a deeper sense of pathos than if we had just seen what these characters were speaking of)
-Dialogue is a key form of synch sound
-Music and sound-effects are known as non-diegetic
-You must choose wisely the location from which you record sounds
-Soundscapes provide good grounds for experimentation, particularly in reference to point of view (take Hitchcock's Rear Window, while Jeff is lying in bed)

Will write more once the readings are done, and will possibly comment on some more Hitchcockian use of sounds.

the million-dollar question

2007-03-19T15:47:00.000+11:00

how to avoid being cliche in a postmodern world that continually rips itself off left, right and center?

from bad to worse

2007-03-15T08:57:00.000+11:00

Okay, so now that you all know I'm a religious zealot when it comes to Home and Away, you're going to wet yourselves when you discover my little rainy-day fetish:

Crashing out on my beanbag watching Dawsons Creek DVDs.

Yes, I own all 6 seasons, including the finale.

No, you do not have permission to shoot me.

I don't see what's so bad about it anyway. I mean, a girl's gotta have a hobby, and if it's keeping me off the streets, why not...?

Is it wrong of me to idolise? :P

PS: Cold Feet is an close 2nd... Hey, at least I've got all bases covered! (Aussie/UK/US drama wise)

light reading

2007-03-13T15:48:00.000+11:00

Pretty surprised by this week's readings. I guess when writing a script there is only so much you can say/do before getting back to basics. So far I've enjoyed the lectures, and kind of wish Di was in a position to stay on with us throughout the course. Her input and influence is going to be missed when she moves on.

Since it isn't quite off topic, I'd just like to take this moment to go off on a little tanty rant about the sad, downhill-headed state of one of Australia's most well-loved dramas: Home and Away.

Now, I've been a longeroom Summer Bay resident since the ripe old age of 9, so pardon me if this all sounds like it's hitting a little close to home. Every new season there are new credits, which are infinitely more annoying that the seasons' preceding. Not only this, there is a new style of filming/acting/construction that really only serves to make the show tedious and repetitive... I know, you're all thinking, 'but what else can be done with a drama that's been running for all those years?' - I'm not bagging out the plotline (although some of it in the past few seasons has been utter shite), but I have to say that as one of our main Aussie exports, the way this thing is put together nowadays doesn't do our name or country a lot of justice.

It really is said to see a show like this grow more formulaic and less suspenseful as the years pass. Why doesn't anyone have the guts to change the face of mainstream drama? We could all do with some sense of refreshment. As Alf Stewart would say, viewers are now copping the 'rough end of the pineapple', and the only thing I can attribute this to is a state of sheer complacency.

snippetts.. or teasers if you will

2007-03-11T16:01:00.000+11:00

I find it curious that we are doing both 'drama' and 'documentary' this year when the latter is enduring quite a significant transition. I wrote a Media Ethics paper last year, relating Baudrillard's theme of seduction to the lucrative advent of 'Reality TV'. Also dubbed 'docu-drama', shows such as Big Brother have called the nature of the genres under question, raising a number of ethical questions along the way.

This is just the beginning of the essay. I'll be saving the rest for later on.

Perhaps the most seductive television format to emerge over the past decade is what can loosely be termed 'reality TV'. Programs such as Big Brother, Australian Idol, Survivor, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and The Block have continued to dominate network ratings both nationally and abroad. This mode of observational 'docu-drama', or fly-on-the-wall camera has arguably transformed the viewing style of millions (, playing on presumably different aspects of audience engagement than its 'fictional' predecessors. Most notably, the scriptwriters and actors we've come to know and love are finally eschewed in the process; in which the dramatic displacement of reality masquerades as a kind of voyeuristic 'entertainment', of other peoples (edited) lives (Davies 2000, pp37). Apart from sparking fierce debate about the changing nature of documentary, ethics has resurfaced as an arena for intense discussion - partly because the ethics of this new form - at first glance - appear questionable indeed (Armstrong 2005, pp73).

tips and tricks

2007-03-09T17:27:00.000+11:00

Di really knows her stuff when it comes to defining the nitty gritty of character.

The way to getting to really know the in's, outs, strengths and weaknesses of your character is to put them through the mental ringer a few times over. That is, take them out of the context of the story - out them under pressure, gague their reactions to a vast milieu of social situations and predicaments. Will they cave when push comes to shove, or will they persist? What is the life-affirming message you wish to embed in your narrative... or is it even life-affirming?

You could even write a biography.

Di reccommended a good source of internal monologue/reflection, a book entitled 'You'll never eat lunch in this town again'. No better or more compelling way to get inside a persons' head than through a memoir.

Basically, you are not going to make progress with these characters if you aren't willing to get confrontational. This is often more or a challenge for the writer than the character in question. The key to writing colourful, evolved fiction is to dress up every situation to the nines, and work out exactly where their quirks of personality lie.

meditating on creativity

2007-03-07T15:16:00.000+11:00

So the first chunk of this subject seems to be devoted to getting us to 'unleash the dragon' in relation to our creativity reserves.

Most of us are a little rusty in that department. Me especially.

According to Di, it's a writers' volition to tell the world about things. The innate desire to create, to reflect, is something we are driven to share with those around us. Whether it be to make a serious comment on humanity or poke fun at its foibles, the propensity to share that without is part of our cultural makeup. It's what truly helps us form our social identity.

Subtle tension, irony and conflict must be used to a maximum extent, particularly if the piece has been created to serve a greater moral precept. Noir, for example, is a narrative device used to elicit tension. Often, a set of technical formula is so ingrained within a specific genre but that it is indeed subconscious.

Of course, nothing exists in stasis - so these genre are continually evolving, growing. This is also relative to ever-changing values of the viewing audience, who as educated moviegoers are anything but a static, homogenous group.

Today, the sky is in fact the limit when it comes to putting a pen to paper and writing for cinema. Though there may not be a one-size-fits-all approach, the main thing is to relax with the medium and trust one's instincts. Then, and only then will filmmaking retain an element of unrelenting truth... no matter how fictitious the premise or story.

underwhelmed?

2007-03-05T15:37:00.000+11:00

Am I the only person who finds the entire scriptwriting process completely underwhelming?

Maybe this is a testament to my boring personality, who knows. I used to be able to make up characters in my head faster than I could conceptualise what I'd just done. Is that the trick...? How do screenwriters manage to stay in that constant, child-like imaginary stasis... or at least, be able to call upon it whenever they like.

Maybe I am underrating myself. I know of a few stream-of-consciousness type exercises that can supposedly get the brain juices flowing. But it's the start of another long and daunting semester, and everytime I think about putting words onto paper my brain starts to freeze up.

Maybe the solution is anti-freeze? hmmm.

Mackendrick's reading this week purports that 'Movies SHOW.. and then TELL'. Films are supposed to be 60-80% comprehensible even if the dialogue is in another language. With this in mind, I'm having difficulty running over the ideas in my head in a way that would have them make sense without the spoken word.

I guess that's where one's ability to work with and adhere to production elements comes in.

Is this a confidence issue? Surely all of us who know how to properly read a film, know in the backs of our brains how to construct one to have it make sense to a viewing audience. I guess we'll find this out in later weeks. Until then... wracking my brains.

list pertaining to the art of moviegoing

2007-03-02T16:15:00.000+11:00

Purely for my reference come script writing time:

popcorn
first dates
haunted
darkness
anticipation
storylines
social gathering
time out
french theatre
curtains
magic
communal dreaming
suspension of disbelief
composition
tension
conflict

Okay, so that's rather rough and disorderly.. but there's gotta be a pearler in there somewhere.

coming out, not copping out

2007-03-01T23:02:00.000+11:00

I imagine the feeling I get when admitting out loud that I want to work in film is somewhat similar to coming out of the closet.

I hear that it's not uncommon for gay people to tell friends and family that they're 'bi' first, to ease them into the idea. Which is kind of what I've done in the past, except 'media rep' has always masked my true desire to become a filmmaker.

Well, I'm over it. I'm in my third year of my degree now and I've basically thrown caution to the wind, finally allowing the eternal filmgeek within me to surface without feeling an inexplicable need to silence it.

I guess it's more of an insecurity issue than anything else. The moment you define your destiny - everything changes... And the sheer, fickle competitiveness of the industry, especially within Australia, is enough to shoot down anyone's meagre hopes of big screen success. However, it has been pointed out to me that that alone is not a sufficient reason to abandon my life dreams altogether, and 'copping out' at this point would be perfectly inexcusable on those grounds.

So. 'Ere I am. Enrolled in TV1 and utterly, utterly in love with the content and everything to do with it. This blog is going to be pretty discursive - and, at times I expect, self-deprecating. I really want to make the most out of this course though. I mean, it's pretty much gonna suck if I fail...!