Hiccups

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.

cinematography - not just limited to 'drama'

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.

coasting.. on the upward gain

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.

chop chop - and a smorgasboard of fresh ideas

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

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.