Photos Thirteen

This week, I was focused on ambiguous space. This photo ended up being possibly closer to flat space than ambiguous, but I like how much visual detail there is in line, rhythm, and, obviously, tone, without really giving any spatial details to the viewer. To me, this photo creates a very strong sense of anticipation. It causes me to wonder where we are, why we are there, and how we will figure out the answers to those questions.

I found that using mirrors that are facing different directions is a good way to create ambiguous space. Although there are several details in this photo that are recognizable objects (door, window, towel), the way they relate to each other in the space that is presented in the photo does not make sense to the viewer. The directions of the planes are not congruent, and it is somewhat disorienting to look at. It would be interesting to use this space and this shot in a motion picture setting, and to have a character walk through the room, seeing how they move through our two dimensional space. That could even make it more ambiguous and suspenseful.

The space here is simply ambiguous because there is noncoincidence of tone in everything other than the light. Looking at this object, it is not hard to infer what kind of space it would be located in if we could see what was around it. However, because we cannot, it creates a different feeling than it would if we saw more of the image. This light, placed bizarrely as it is in the frame, creates an unsettling feeling. It feels suspenseful because we cannot see more and feel that there could be something unpleasant in the shadows.

Film Six: Scripted Master With Coverage (Beginners)

Director's Reflection

Overall response (2-3 paragraphs):

In 2-3 paragraphs, write an overall response to your film: Were you successful at achieving what you set out to achieve? What are you proud of? What would you do differently if you could remake this piece? What did you learn? 

            I had a few goals for this film. My biggest, but arguably most simple, was to tell a story in the master and coverage style that was cohesive and purposeful. I also wanted to convey the emotion that I read in the scene, including Anna’s reluctance to share, her depression, and Oliver’s empathy. Other than that, my goals were more technical, such as getting appropriate lighting, and using line and space effectively. Overall, I think I was largely successful at all of these things. They all could have been done somewhat better, but they all had effective elements. The lighting was generally soft and natural feeling, the transition from using horizontal and vertical lines to using diagonal lines in the POV shots felt effective, and my transition from somewhat deep to very flat space also worked. People told me that the emotion conveyed (especially by Emily’s performance) was effective, and everyone was able to follow the story without any unnecessarily jarring cuts.

            I am very proud of the performances in this piece. I spent a lot of time understanding the scene before shooting, and I felt that I effectively conveyed my vision and goals to the actors at the times they didn’t understand already. Specifically, I spent some time making sure Emily stayed connected to the scene and the emotion of the character throughout the phone call portion of the scene in which she didn’t have anyone’s face to look at. I am very happy with how this turned out. I am also happy with my ability to use some fairly dramatic cuts/angles without alienating the audience (specifically the cuts to the bird’s-eye view shot and the POV shots). I am also proud of its overall effectiveness in conveying the story and emotion to the audience. There are, still, plenty of things I would do differently if I remade it. First, there are a few technical issues that I would be sure to correct first thing. The biggest one is that we somehow neglected to check the shutter speed before filming and ended up shooting at a shutter speed of 200 the whole time. This would be changed immediately. Additionally, there are a couple shots toward the beginning in which the lighting is a little bit hot, making them feel out of place among the rest of the scene. I would tone down the lighting on these shots. I would also shoot on a wider lens for the wides, and possibly try to get a bigger room to film in. There are also a couple more emotional/narrative things I would do differently if I did it again. First, I would probably have directed Spencer just a little differently. He was going for a very “understated” presence, which I liked, but at some points it led to him feeling somewhat disconnected, which was not as effective at showing empathy as it could have been. I also would have tried to convey more comedy in both actors toward the beginning of the scene, with both of them trying to make something difficult into something lighthearted.

            I learned a lot about shooting for continuity and how to make it work out. I also learned the comfort of shooting an entire master shot—it made everything else so much less stressful, even though I didn’t need to rely on it much. I, again, learned the importance of checking every detail on the camera to make sure that its settings are what they need to be. I learned a few techniques that helped me to direct my actors to stay connected for the entire scene, even when they aren’t looking at another person.

Briefly answer the following:

What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not?

I wanted to communicate the narrative information in the scene (specifically what Anna’s relationship is with her father, that she is telling it to Oliver through this phone call roleplay, that he empathizes with her, and that he tries to cheer her up at the end after she has a hard time with it). I also wanted to convey Anna and Oliver’s emotions during the scene. I think I was successful for the most part. When we watched it as a class, everyone seemed to follow the story just fine, which I was worried about because it’s somewhat convoluted in this scene. They also complimented Emily’s performance, saying that it was emotionally evocative. I believe that my success came largely because of how I shot the scene. We began with a master, so that I and the actors understood the blocking, flow, and purpose of the scene. From there, we shot coverage of each other shot. For these shots, we captured one or two lines before and after the portion of the shot I intended to use in the edit, allowing the actors to get into the same place they were the first time they performed it. I also directed them to be very specific in their actions, allowing their actions to match from shot to shot.

A couple places I was less successful with emotion were in Spencer’s performance during the phone call and in my use of POV shots. I explained Spencer’s performance above in my overall response. In regard to the POV shots, I think they were somewhat less successful because the actors moved their eyes during them and didn’t spend enough time connecting directly with the camera, making it harder for the audience to realize that they were POV shots. This made them confusing for some viewers.

How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you use?

The main visual elements I used were line and space. Both of these elements were used one way for most of the film, and then changed after the emotion in the scene changed. For line, I used primarily horizontal and vertical lines (the lines of the bed and characters) during the phone call, then introduced diagonal lines during the POV shots, and a little bit in the bird’s eye view shot. This was to show that the emotion was heightened for both characters at that point. For space, I used somewhat flat space, but with a few depth cues during the phone call sequence. This turned into much flatter space afterwards, to place the characters together in the same plane. Other techniques include soft, high-key lighting because it was a warm, intimate, vulnerable scene. Of course, a lot of what I tried to tell also came through the performances. Fortunately, the sound was clear and the actors enunciated well, while still being realistically connected.

What did you learn about storytelling:

I mainly learned that emotion is much more able to come through after a few basics are taken care of (continuity of time and space, as well as good lighting). By paying attention to these things, the more purposeful things I put effort into (visual elements and performance) were able to give information and tell the story much more intentionally.

Working with actors and getting performance:

I focused a lot on having the actors stay grounded and connected during the phone call scene in which they didn’t really have anything to look at. I gave them very specific think about and be motivated by during the times they needed it. This worked effectively for me. I also found that having something written down beforehand (in my broken down script) made this process much more stress-free than it has been in the past when I didn’t have that information written down.

Blocking — camera and actors:

For the most part, I was happy with the blocking of most shots. As we discussed in class, however, there was at least one moment (right at the very end) when it would have been good to have the camera tilt up to readjust frame to keep the composition nice. I agree with this. It would have been good to do this. This is something I need to work on when using a locked down camera. Obviously I wasn’t using the camera, but I should have been attentive to this and made sure it was happening.

Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements:

I learned how effective the human figure can be at conveying line when there isn’t much else around to do it. The vertical presence of the two people sitting up on the bed was surprisingly effective at giving a certain rigid style to the phone call portion of the film. I also learned about framing as I discussed in the blocking section above. Finally, I tried to be attentive to how wide the lens needed to be, but due to unusual circumstances, we weren’t able to get the camera we wanted or a lens as wide as we wanted. As such, I tried to combat this by just doing more panning than I planned on. However, I didn’t put a lot of time into preparing the new composition of the beginning of the master, leaving it to be fairly awkward and empty. This is something I will work on in the future—making sure that all compositions of every part of every camera move are interesting and purposeful.

Design & Art Direction:  

I would have liked to have more things in the room, hanging on walls or sitting on shelves. However, I wasn’t really able to do this, largely because there wasn’t room in the location we were shooting at. Still, based on how empty the room was, I was happy with how the art direction turned out. Although the set was very simple, the direction that was there (costumes and the bed) were effective. The costumes were largely the only color in the room, and having them be the only color helped them to stand out. Additionally, the white and gray bed was a nice space for the characters to end up at the end.

The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of making this piece:

My biggest regret in terms of logistics was that I wanted a bigger, grander location, but I wasn’t able to get one. I wasn’t able to put as much time and effort into location scouting as I would have liked simply because I had a very busy couple of weeks. Fortunately, knowing this, I had this one as a backup the entire time, and it turned out fine. Collaboration with crew went fine—I felt like I was able to give them what they needed to be prepared, and they came as prepared as possible. They were able to set up in a fairly timely manner, and there weren’t really any snags that I can think of that came up during shooting. Unfortunately, Hannah’s car got towed, so I supposed parking was a bit of an issue. However, I had given the cast and crew information about where to park safely, and Hannah parked in a different place, so I did try to mitigate this issue.

                  

What was it like to watch your film with an audience? Did they understand it? Miss the point? Why did they respond the way they did?  

On this film, the audience actually spotted a few flaws that I had missed. Specifically, the biggest ones were the boring composition at the beginning of the film, the hard lighting on Emily during a couple of early shots, and the small adjustment that should have been made to the composition at the end. These were all excellent things to point out, and they are things I’m glad to know about.

Other than that, I felt like they responded positively in ways that I understood. They understood the story and seemed to be pleased with the success of the emotion conveyed in the scene. I believe one of the biggest reasons they responded like they did was because of the continuity of movement, space, and time in the scene, which I owe largely to the master and coverage technique I used.

Other observations:

It was easy and comfortable to work with actors I was already friendly with for this film. I enjoyed doing that, and I hope to do it in the future, but I also think it would be valuable for me to work with strangers a bit more.

Photos Twelve

This week, I had the objective of characterizing a location with a detail shot in my first two photos. This photo has a few interesting things going on--specifically, the use of line/shape, the use of tone based on different amounts of light, and the tiny amount of limited space that is created in the bottom left corner among the huge amount of flat space in the rest of the image. However, the main object of the shot, the pieces of tape on the wall, are hard to understand without a bit more detail. A wider shot probably could have shown that they were ways people marked their height on the wall. As is, however, without more context, that is hard to determine.

I find this photo interesting because it was taken at the Brigham City Temple. This photo has a few features that create a feeling that is not similar to what we usually think of when we think of the temple. Specifically, it features down-facing diagonals, and a dark noncoincided area as the main subject of the shot. These features create an ominous feeling, whereas the temple is usually associated with hope and peace. Another thing I find interesting about this photo is that converging downhill and uphill lines create a feeling of moving downwards.

For my final photo, I wanted to try something that we talked about in class: taking a photo of text, and having the audience's eye be drawn exactly to what they should be reading (without relying on obscuring the rest of the text or using tilt/shift or anything). I think it turned out best in this photo for a few reasons. First, I chose a piece of text "I shall not come to Petersburg." that is highlighted by the text itself, being a brief, indented paragraph in the midst of larger paragraphs. Additionally, the text is centered and easy to read. Finally, because of the bend of the page and the placement of the wide-angle lens, the P in Petersburg seems to be the largest, most prominent letter on the page (even though the text below it is larger).

Film Six: Statement of Intent, Shot List, and Lined Script

Statement of Intent

1.     What film or TV show is this from? Beginners (2010) – Mike Mills

a.     Have you ever watched this film? No.

b.     Do you have the actual script of the film—not a transcript? Yes.

2.     After reading the entire script, in 3 sentences, what is the story of the entire film?

A man experiences confusion and depression after learning about the difficult and morally confusing pasts of his parents who have both died. He meets a woman who is also depressed and confused because of the incessantness of her suicidal father; however, he and the woman hit it off and become close. They eventually struggle being with each other and decide to break off their relationship, but finally reconsider being together despite both of their difficulties.

3.     After reading the entire script, what is the theme or message of this film?

This theme of this film is that it can be difficult to live with someone with depression, complications, and internal struggles, but that sometimes the things we get from and give to them can make those difficulties worth it.

4.     In 3-5 sentences, what happened in the story immediately before your selected scene?

Oliver and Anna have started hanging out in a casual but intimate sort of way, really getting to enjoy each other’s company, both through humor and through more serious stuff. They’ve also started to tell each other about their familial problems. Additionally, Oliver has been having flashbacks about his father, in which he struggled to see his father do things that harmed himself.

5.     In 3-4 sentences, what is the story—the beginning, middle, and end—of this scene? In other words, what happens as the scene starts, as it progresses, and as it ends?

Oliver and Anna enter Anna’s hotel room while the phone is ringing. When Oliver goes to pick up the phone, Anna tells him not to because it’s her father, who she can’t stand to talk to. They then role play, with Anna playing her father and Oliver playing Anna, so that Anna can demonstrate to Oliver how hard it is for her to live with her father. Afterwards, they have a silly but intimate exchange, ending with Oliver suggesting they go out and do something illegal to lighten up the mood.

6.     What, specifically, must the audience understand narratively/plot-wise in order to engage in this scene? How will you communicate each piece of information?

They need to understand that Anna has a hard time communicating with her suicidal father because she is the only one he relies on, and the pressure is really putting her in an emotionally vulnerable state. This will be communicated because it is pretty explicit in the lines. However, additionally, they need to understand the underlying sadness of both characters, in that they don’t want to have hard feelings toward their parents, but they can’t really help it based on some of the things they put them through. This will be a bit more implicit, but it will be able to be communicated through acting, lighting, set dressing, and camera angles. Finally, they need to understand that Oliver and Anna really like each other and enjoy each other’s company, even though they also struggle with the other’s demons. This will be communicated through blocking.

7.     What is the narrative and thematic purpose of this scene within the larger story?

It is kind of a highly indicative scene of the overall arc of the film. Anna struggles with depression about her father, and she doesn’t want to have to place that sadness on Oliver, but he understands her so well that she does it anyway. As hard as it is to see each other suffer, they both enjoy and appreciate one another at the end of the scene. This scene shows the beginning of their relationship with all these complications, which are all things that both lead them to break up and to come back together again in the end of the film.

8.     What emotion do you want the audience to experience while watching this scene? Why? How, specifically, do you intend to do this?  

I want them to be sad—I want them to empathize with Anna the way that Oliver does. Then, I want them to feel hope and joy as the two of them are able to be a bit lighthearted at the end of the scene. I want them to feel this way so that they understand the dynamic of the relationship, with both its highs and lows. This dynamic is what makes the relationship in the film so complicated, and so powerful. I intend to convey these feelings largely through acting and story, but also by focusing equally on Anna’s experience in the room, and on Oliver’s experience of empathizing with her.

9.     What is the first image of the scene? What is the final image of the scene? Why do you think the director chose these specific images?

The first image is of Oliver, Anna, and Arthur (Oliver’s dog) entering the hotel room, with Oliver rushing to grab the ringing phone. The final image is of Oliver lying on the bed, looking up at Anna standing over him, with both of them smiling.

I think the first image was chosen largely out of narrative purpose. The whole point of the scene is for Anna to share with Oliver what a phone call with her father is like. At the beginning of the scene, Oliver doesn’t understand this, and so is eager to rush to the phone to help. This allows Anna to stop him in his tracks and for the emotional and narrative purposes of the scene to come through.

The final image is more emotional. After having gone through the emotional pain of the scene, Oliver and Anna have remained connected and thus have found a way to lighten the mood. Because of this, they are even more hopeful by the end of the scene, culminating in this hopeful image.

10.  Why is this scene personal to you? What specific personal experience(s) does it remind you of?

I relate a lot to Oliver, who struggles because of his father’s choice to marry a woman (his mother) even though he was gay, and because of his father’s death without fulfillment or closure. Although I don’t have these same issues with my father, the conflict between being gay and other values is very true and real to me as someone who is experiencing those struggles in my own life. A key point of Oliver is that he is able to relate to Anna because of his relationship with his own father. Since I relate to Oliver in this way, I am also able to relate to Anna in this way.

Additionally, this film is about having a relationship with someone with depression. I have several friends who have depression, and though I love them, I often do not know how to help them. Additionally, occasionally, I feel that being with them may be bringing my emotional state down. This film is about this experience, but knowing that the relationship is sometimes more important than its negative side effects. This scene honestly and nicely represents this.

11.  How should the lighting feel in this scene? Why? You may include sample image(s). (Not from the actual film!)

The lighting will feel soft and warm, but somewhat low key. I am doing this partially out of practicality because the scene takes place in a hotel room at night, in which the lighting probably would be warm. However, additionally, I am using this lighting for emotional effect. This is a scene of connection between two people, but it is a difficult connection. The softness of the light is to indicate that there is no danger—that comfort can be found here. The low key-ness will be to indicate that this is difficult and sad. Everything is not perfect and comfortable.

12.  Which two specific visual elements—line, shape, space, tone, color, rhythm, movement—do you intend to use to purposefully communicate the emotion of the scene? (You will be graded on your execution of this plan)

I will use color. Everything in this scene will be warm except for the eyes of the characters. My intention here is to show that everything is comfortable in the relationship, but there is sadness in each of the characters. If the eyes thing isn’t bold/clear enough, I will give each of them one royal blue accessory to keep near their face.

Additionally, I will use line. The room will consist of no diagonals, and I will do my best to keep planes and lines horizontal throughout the scene. I want the attention to be brought to the vertical lines of the human figures in the scene, which will be eased up on when Oliver lies down on the bed near the end of the scene.

13.  In a bulleted list, describe three potential obstacles you may face in creating a successful scene. Describe how can you be prepared to overcome these? Be specific!

One obstacle is location. This takes place in a hotel room with two beds. I would really prefer to not have to rent a hotel room for this because of my financial situation. However, it will probably be hard to find/create a location that matches what is needed without doing so. I will begin looking/brainstorming right away. If needed, however, the option of getting an actual hotel room is always open.

Another obstacle is that this scene features two landlines in one room. While only one of them needs to be working, they should ideally match, and look like they both are functioning. This will be difficult to pull off, considering how rare landlines are nowadays, especially among college students. I will ask around families who live near me to see if I can find someone with landlines.

Finally, casting and acting may be difficult. Anna needs to speak with a slight French accent, and within the scene, the characters act like other people. I need who they are and who they are pretending to be to remain clear and obvious throughout the scene. I will make sure to cast actors that I am confident in for this scene (since it only needs two this should be doable).

Shot List

Lined Script w/ Breakdown