Film Four (One Take of an Event): Director's Statement of Intent and Beat List

1.     What is the story of this scene in two or three sentences? In other words, what happens in the scene?

Two people are playing racquetball. We will watch them rally back and forth for a bit, and one will win the rally. They may end up not carrying a rally very long, in which case we will also watch them transition into their next point, and play that point. This could go on a couple of times in two or three minutes.

2.     What is purpose of this scene in the larger story? (Or, if there is not a larger story, invent the purpose of this scene.)

The purpose is the competition between the two players. Hopefully, there will be excitement for the audience in watching these two players rally back and forth. Potentially, there could even be tension, if I am able to film it in a way that encourages the audience to identify with one player over the other. If this were somehow part of a larger story, the competition could play into the future of their relationship.

3.     What is the emotion I want to communicate?

I want to communicate the thrill of the fast paced nature of racquetball, as well as potentially the claustrophobia of being the room during a play.

4.     Why is this scene personal to me? What previous personal experiences does it remind me of? Why do I need to make this scene?

I really enjoy one-on-one sports like tennis and racquetball. They’re fun and generally very genial. I like the combination of the thrill and casualness of this sport, and I’d like to convey that through my scene. It reminds me of times I’ve played racquetball and have felt these feelings.

5.     What, specifically, must the audience understand narratively and feel at the end of this scene? How do you intend to make sure this will happen?

I want them to understand the tension of the sport that comes from being right in the middle of it. I want them to feel excited and nervous. I intend to make it happen by capturing various elements of the play—the players expressions and movements, the movement of the ball, the speed of the play, and the tightness of the room.

6.     What two visual elements (line, shape, space, tone, color, rhythm, movement) will you use to help communicate the emotion of the scene?

I want to focus on line and movement. I hope to capture the lines that are created through playing racquetball—the lines of the ball, the eyelines of the players, and the lines that are painted on the floor of the room. Their interaction can feel quite hectic, which is thrilling. I also hope to focus on movement—of the ball, of the players, and of the camera. The interplay of these is also hectic and thrilling.

7.     What are some potential obstacles to creating a successful scene? How can you be prepared to overcome these?

One thing I am very nervous about is keeping the camera and lens safe. I will definitely need to fashion or borrow some sort of cage or safety device to ensure that the camera is never harmed by the ball or by potential accidents caused by the movement of the player and myself. This will also mean that I will have to be simultaneously mindful of the scene, and mindful of myself and the presence of the camera.

Another potential issue is the tightness of the space. It will be impossible to capture this event in an exciting way without being in the room, but it will be difficult to be in the room and show all the action from as wide as I might like at times. As such, I will definitely use a full frame sensor, and probably a slightly wide lens, such as a 35mm. I will also allow myself to get action and meaning from closer shots, as well as trying to get a few wide shots to give more information to the scene.






BEAT LIST

1. Visualize the event unfolding in your mind as you answer these questions:

a) Where is the action taking place? How will we know that?

The action is taking place in a racquetball court. Hopefully, it will be somewhat obvious based on the event. However, I will also include wide beats that allow us to get a good look at as much of the room as possible, giving the audience a sense of what this kind of room feels like.

b) How will the action unfold? In other words, what are "beats" of the action? 

One player will serve. The ball will hit the wall. It will be returned by the other player, who will strive to hit the ball off the front wall of the court before it bounces on the floor more than once. Then, the first player will in turn return that, followed by the second player. This pattern will repeat until one of them makes an error and the point will end. Then, they will probably banter a bit as they reset for the next point. The next point will begin the same way, with one player serving, followed by a series of returns until one player makes an error. This process may repeat two or three times during the film.

c) Who is involved in this event?

The two players.

d) Where is the drama in the event? Is it between competitors? Are there spectators? Is there some kind of physical risk?

It is between competitors. There is drama in that one of the players will win the point, and one will lose the point. There is minor physical risk in that one of the players might be hit with the ball, but this is generally not very dangerous and is kind of fun.

2. Decide how you will communicate the above information to the audience in terms of beats or points of focus. In other words, what specific images/subjects does the audience need to see to:

a) understand what's happening;

They need to see the players hitting the ball, the ball bouncing off the floor, the ball hitting the front wall, and the ball falling once a player makes an error. They will also need to see the players moving around trying to get the ball, as well as various elements of the room to understand how the layout of the room comes into play.

b) connect with the people involved;

They will need to see the actions that the players make as they strive to not let the ball fall. They will also need to see fairly close shots of the players (at least mediums) to get a feel for their emotions.

c) grasp, and feel, the drama.

They will need to have a sense of the quick movement and hectic atmosphere of the space. This will require movement between beats, as well as beats that clearly include the movement of the ball and the movement of the players.

3. Decide where the camera will need to move in order to capture these images.

The camera will need to be on the court. At times it will need to be right next to the players to get their movement and emotion. It will also sometimes need to be near the back wall to capture the space and the way the movement plays within the space. It will also need to go closer to the front, so that we can see the players head on.

4. Create a list of the above beats and images in the order you think they will occur. (Don't move past each beat too quickly--give the audience time to process the information!) For each beat/image, include this information:

a) The subject of the beat (what/who are we looking at?)

b) The why. Why is each beat important? What is the purpose of the shot in terms of story, drama, character? What impact will it have on the viewer? 

c) Include: 1) The type of shot (W, M, CU, ECU, etc.); 2) the angle and type (High, Low, OTS, POV, etc.); 3) any visual element(s) you'd lke to take advantage of in the location (Flat or Deep Space, Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal Line, Warm or Cool colors, etc.) However, remember that you are not to manipulate this event by giving direction, assigning wardrobe, production designing, etc.. 

5. Review your Beat List and make sure it will tell the story you want to tell. This will be your first draft.

HINT: To improve your project, refine your Beat List. After arriving at the location, observe the action before shooting. Check it against your Beat List. Does the action unfold as you expected? Is something more interesting than you expected happening? Can you incorporate it into your approach? Revise your Beat List. Visualize it carefully before you begin to shoot.

Submit a hard copy of this assignment twelve days before your film screens in class. Upload to Learning Suite twelve days before your film screens in class.

4. Beat list

1.          A) We are looking at player one as he serves.

B) We need to see him serving to get the motion and story of the scene moving. This will begin the tension of the scene, and help them to immediately feel connected to the character.

C) CU. This will probably be as close as we are able to get before the action starts and it becomes risky to get too close to the characters. Eye-level. Vertical line of the player reaching to hit the ball, and movement of the player hitting the ball.

2.         A) We are watching the ball hit the floor and front wall as it begins to be rallied.

            B) We need to see this to understand how the game works, and how the ball moves in the space. This will be a kind of establishing beat, which will help the audience understand the nature, rules, and space of the game.

            C) W. Eye-level, looking slightly down to see some of the floor. This will involve movement and space.

3.         A) Player two as he returns the ball.

            B) We will follow player two so that we can get a sense of who he is. This will also help the audience continue to understand how the game is played—this time they will come to understand how the players move to achieve their goals. This will hopefully also help the audience to connect with the second player, which will hopefully raise the stakes as they get to know both of them.

            C) Medium wide. This will involve movement of the player, movement of the camera, and shape of the player as it dynamically changes as he moves around the space to get the ball.

4.         A) We are watching the two players from the front of the room as they hit the ball towards the front wall.

            B) This will allow us to get a nice view of how the two players interact with each other in the space, as they move to get the ball and move out of the way when it is not their turn to return. This will hopefully excite the audience, as they are able to see the interaction of the players they have begun to get to know, in a very physical and spatial way.

            C) W. Slightly low angle, looking up. This will involve deep space and movement.

5.         A) At this point, I will move to the side of the room and try to follow the ball until it bounces on the floor twice or hits a player, either of which will end the point. The subject, then, will be the ball.

            B) This will allow the audience to understand how a point is scored, and how it is lost. It will also carry out the tension of the point until it is momentarily resolved by its ending.

            C) Medium wide. Eye-level, looking down when necessary. This will involve movement and line as the ball moves back and forth.

6.         A) The subject will then be both players.

            B) We need to see both players’ reactions to understand how losing the point and winning the point made them feel. This will be a point of low tension for the audience, as they reset emotionally for the next point to be played.

            C) Medium. Eye-level. This will involve shape and movement of the players with each other.

7.         A) The hands and feet of the player who will serve next, as he prepares to serve.

            B) This will allow the audience to get a feel for other portions of the serving process than the face and shoulders of the server. It will be engaging as they continue to understand the shape and physical nature of the play.

            C) Medium. High, looking down. This shot will involve line (the bouncing of the ball and the player’s arms and legs), and rhythm (the bouncing of the ball).

8ish.     Repeat beats 2-6 as the next point is played, this time following the returns of the player who wasn’t focused on the first time.

9.         A) The player who will receive the next serve, as the server prepares to serve, and serves.

            B) This will show the final part of the service process—the receiver. It will show the anticipation that inherently comes with waiting for the serve, and will hopefully finally prepare the audience to engage for one last point.

            C) Medium-CU. Eye-level. Movement and rhythm as the player bounces back and forth on his feet in preparation for the serve.

10ish.   Repeat steps 2-6.

Film Three: Shot For Shot (Juno)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcSYVJrZYtc&feature=youtu.be

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? 

            Since the was the shot-for-shot assignment, my goal was to recreate, as closely as possible, the scene from Juno that I chose. In my opinion, I was mostly successful. Each shot had the same general composition, and the beats and progression of the scene felt largely the same—especially, in my opinion, inside the clinic. I’m proud of how close I was able to come with timing, framing, mise en scene, art design, and performance.

            Obviously, however, a few things were off, and some of them were off in fairly significant ways. The biggest problem is that most of my shots ended up being on a slightly wider lens than they are in the original film. This caused characters to look smaller, and for too much of the background to be in focus, which changed certain elements of the feeling of the scene. I often gave the characters too much headroom. There were also certain visual elements (line, movement, and tone are the biggest ones I see) that I didn’t use properly outside, which led to some distracting elements, or things that didn’t play quite as powerfully as they do in the film. If I could remake the film, those are the biggest things I would change. I also would wait for a cloudy day, or the opportunity to use a large diffusion, to make the exposure and lighting in the outdoor scene better.

Briefly answer the following:

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

I was trying to communicate the same emotion and narrative that’s in the original film. To me, that means the discomfort that Juno feels talking with Su-chin, which then morphs into discomfort in the clinic, which causes her to doubt herself and decide to carry the pregnancy to full term. It also, of course, means the humor of the scene. Honestly, I think for the most part I was successful. Some of the tension was less strong, or a bit murkier in my piece due to the things I mentioned above, but overall I’d say the general emotion of the piece still followed the same trajectory.

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

I tried to use the visual elements and techniques used by Jason Reitman in the original film. I focused on color, tone, and movement, but there were others that he uses that I neglected to use to their full extent (line and shape being the biggest ones I see).

What did you learn about storytelling:

I learned A LOT. I learned a lot about how powerful simple things in the image can be, like the distance perceived between two people, or a simple, hard to notice leading line. I learned how well over the shoulder shots can orient the viewer to the geography of the scene and can help the action to feel continuous. I learned that it’s possible to cheat actors to feel like they’re different heights than they actually are, without it feeling noticeable. I learned that camera moves can be way more complicated than I had ever realized, in subtle ways.

Working with actors and getting performance:

Honestly, I didn’t do too much in this area. I would occasionally ask my actors to say something a bit differently so that it carried the emotion that I perceived in the scene better, but yeah. I guess I also learned that I feel like I get a better performance and more continuity if the actors run through the entire scene, rather than just shooting line by line for each shot.

Blocking — camera and actors:

I learned a lot about over the shoulder shots, and how long lenses can make those a lot more comfortable for the actor. I also learned things about camera movements and tracking shots, like I said.

Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements:

I learned how leading lines can be made in surprising ways, as well as how powerful they can be in a comedy where we are only supposed to be focusing on the performance of one person.

Design & Art Direction:  

I learned that sometimes, getting a feeling across can be done in multiple ways, with different kinds of set dressing and costuming, as long as they feel similarly.

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

Location moves take so much time away that would probably be more valuable spent with actors and camera and running performance. Additionally, it’s really stressful, and I feel very guilty, when I keep an actor longer than I intend, so I will do my best to let them know up front how long it could go, but to try to keep it as short as possible.

                  

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?  

I think it went over quite well. They noticed the same issues that I noticed, but still reacted positively to the things that I thought turned out decently. Honestly, I felt better about it than I expected to. They understood it, got the point, and understood why things didn’t work out well when that happened.

Other observations:

This was really really stressful, but I learned so much about visuals.

Photos Six: Tone

For my first photo, I wanted to do something very low contrast. Even if at first you can't tell what this photo is of, you can tell that it's not purely black. Hopefully, on closer inspection, you are able to make out the plate, bowl, and cup--all black--on a black desk. Here, I was going for limiting the range of tone to one third of the spectrum. I may have limited it a little much, especially based on the low exposure. However, I think the effect is at least interesting, if nothing else.

Here, I was going for high contrast via production design--blacks and whites. I think it kind of came through, but I wish I had lit it better. The milk feels very yellow, instead of really popping against the black as much as I had wanted it to. I think it's somewhat effective, but better lighting would have really helped. It's also a shame that you can see my reflection in the spoon.

This is probably my favorite of my photos this week. Here, I was clearly going for contrast via lighting, and I think it worked. It has an interesting effect based on the style of this house. The contrast creates a sense of suspense, but the house, in better light, would probably feel cheerful. I like the effect here.

Shot for Shot Part 2: Pre-production

Shot for Shot Part 2 PDF

Photos Five: Line and Shape

The linear shape of this photo is very straightforward and consistent, with the strong horizontal lines being the strongest component of the image and the shoes at varying, but fairly close to vertical angles adding a bit of flair and personality. The straightness implies cleanliness, while the slightly off-ness of the shoes makes it feel like this reflects someone who fits in but is somewhat offbeat.

The lines in this photo are somewhat confusing. It is highly dynamic, with a strong linear shape of repeated diagonals. The lines draw your eyes to their apex, but are somewhat disorienting as there's really nothing to be looking at there. I thought it was interesting, however, to use the lines of something, as well as their shadows, to create one complete linear image.

I was interested in the shape of the subject's body in this photo. There are several shapes at work, all within one person. Her overall form is clearly a strong triangle that is the subject of the image. However, her hair creates a strong square (rectangle) that is also easy to see. Additionally, her head, as long as one is able to complete the image in spite of her hair, is clearly very circular. All of these shapes play together to create a unique image of someone.