w13 - bye bye birdie

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.

w00t!

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.

Getting practical

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.

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

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

done and dusted

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.

getting there - getting square

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.

round of applause

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..!

'take it like a man'

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!

tips and tricks

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.