Sunday, April 10, 2016
Editing!
The first problem I immediately realized while editing? I hate iMovie. Quite a lot. I'm used to working with Final Cut from my previous short film project, and the downgrade from Final Cut iMovie was slightly degrading.
Another obstacle I quickly came to become aware of was kiind of a major one at first: I lost an entire take of my film. During filming, I ran out of memory on my SD card. To compensate for this meory loss, I had to go into our takes and delete one I didn't think was important/had any solid footage. Unfortunatelly for me ... I didn't choose the right one. It was one of the birds eye high angle shots that I thought, when I deleted it, was just practicing/getting used to the high angle and didn't actually include any takes. However, it was the only take of some of the lines I had - the ones that began the shift from scuba diving to driving lessons (beginnign when Cassie's character asks for a ride to the scuba diving lessons).
Although this loss of footage at first plaugyed me (I first discovered it right before I had to work an eight hour shift at my job and I mourned over it the whole time), I soon came to realize that my footage was too long. I was forced to cut down the film, and that included the driving portion of the script. I had to make executive decisions on what was most and least important, and whenever I had people read my script and give feedback they always liked the beginning and end best. So, those are the two areas I attempted to keep both intact (scuba diving and factory metaphors).
One of the major interesting editing decisions I made was for the sequence towards the end of the introduction surrounding the factory metaphor. I filmed that dialogue sequence the whole way through from both characters' perspectives, so in editing I decided to bounce the shots back and forth between the two characters. This is to establush the flow and tone of the film, that of which is quick, strange, confounding humor that you need to be quick to catch. Otherwise, you'll get caught up in the flow and miss the point.
In additon to the two shot editing technique, the score in the background also helps set the tone. It's quick, fast-paced, minimalistic, quirky, sort of strange, and sort of almost ominous/eerie. All of these tones underscore the essence of the film, capturing the flow of the comedy as well as the more serious undertones/messages/themes.
Another obstacle I quickly came to become aware of was kiind of a major one at first: I lost an entire take of my film. During filming, I ran out of memory on my SD card. To compensate for this meory loss, I had to go into our takes and delete one I didn't think was important/had any solid footage. Unfortunatelly for me ... I didn't choose the right one. It was one of the birds eye high angle shots that I thought, when I deleted it, was just practicing/getting used to the high angle and didn't actually include any takes. However, it was the only take of some of the lines I had - the ones that began the shift from scuba diving to driving lessons (beginnign when Cassie's character asks for a ride to the scuba diving lessons).
Although this loss of footage at first plaugyed me (I first discovered it right before I had to work an eight hour shift at my job and I mourned over it the whole time), I soon came to realize that my footage was too long. I was forced to cut down the film, and that included the driving portion of the script. I had to make executive decisions on what was most and least important, and whenever I had people read my script and give feedback they always liked the beginning and end best. So, those are the two areas I attempted to keep both intact (scuba diving and factory metaphors).
One of the major interesting editing decisions I made was for the sequence towards the end of the introduction surrounding the factory metaphor. I filmed that dialogue sequence the whole way through from both characters' perspectives, so in editing I decided to bounce the shots back and forth between the two characters. This is to establush the flow and tone of the film, that of which is quick, strange, confounding humor that you need to be quick to catch. Otherwise, you'll get caught up in the flow and miss the point.
In additon to the two shot editing technique, the score in the background also helps set the tone. It's quick, fast-paced, minimalistic, quirky, sort of strange, and sort of almost ominous/eerie. All of these tones underscore the essence of the film, capturing the flow of the comedy as well as the more serious undertones/messages/themes.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
... Title?!?
Oh boy, we're really far into this project and I've only just now come to the realization that I still don't have a title for my film! I'm not at all good with being clever, so I'm sorta stressing about what the name could possibly be. Maybe I'll ask around - my friend Cherry prides himself in being an expert at puns - but for now, I'll keep brainstorming.
I did come to one epiphany during my shower a bit earlier: Trapped In the Box ... instead of Jack In the Box? I don't know, I thought it wasn't bad and got the message of the film pretty across. Plus, when you think of Jack In the Box, you think of kids (students) and playfulness (the quirky nature of the film). I'm not sure yet ... I'm worried both that audiences won't get the reference to Jack In the Box, and that the message is too in-your-face through the title. I think more interpretation = more powerful.
---- LATER ----
I asked sme friends if they understood the Trapped In the Box reference ... and they didn't. So! What I instead came up with is: Cardboard. Simple. Simplistic. To the point. Students are put into boxes. The characters are "literally trapped in a box." I think it's fitting.
I did come to one epiphany during my shower a bit earlier: Trapped In the Box ... instead of Jack In the Box? I don't know, I thought it wasn't bad and got the message of the film pretty across. Plus, when you think of Jack In the Box, you think of kids (students) and playfulness (the quirky nature of the film). I'm not sure yet ... I'm worried both that audiences won't get the reference to Jack In the Box, and that the message is too in-your-face through the title. I think more interpretation = more powerful.
---- LATER ----
I asked sme friends if they understood the Trapped In the Box reference ... and they didn't. So! What I instead came up with is: Cardboard. Simple. Simplistic. To the point. Students are put into boxes. The characters are "literally trapped in a box." I think it's fitting.
Searching for a sound
I'm currently in school, and can't edit on the school computer because I don't have my footage on me (since I can't edit iMovie files before exporting them). So, I'm going to start looking for some music for my opening. What I'm looking for is something upbeat and quirky/strange, but not happy/pretty. Something that will put viewers on edge, but also acknowledge that other than satire, the primary genre of the piece is comedy and it's important to enjoy the piece and not take it too seriously. Another thing I want to look for is some kind of sound effect/noise/chime to use whenever a credit appears onscreen.
---- LATER ----
While looking through royalty free music, I wasn't able to find anything that I like for the film. I'm not sure yet whether I'll have to compromise on something that I find, or if I may try and create the sounds myself. What I'm imagining in my head isn't so much of a score so much as a beat. In addition, I have two other options: I'm going to text a friend I met at my filmmaking camp over the summer (she was an instructor) and ask her for any recommended royalty free music sources; or I can call up my cousin and ask him to whip something up for me, because he's a DJ and makes beats all the time. Ideally I would get my cousin to do it, but considering deadline is close and he doesn't have all the time in the world, that may take too long to accomplish in the time that I have.
---- LATER ----
I finally found a sound that fits! It's a song called Rafters, found on a site called Free Music Archive (it's royalty free) that was recommended by my friend Kiara. It adorable and catchy and strange and interesting and I like it a lot. Now I just have to make sure it works well in editing ... Stay tuned.
---- LATER ----
I finally found a sound that fits! It's a song called Rafters, found on a site called Free Music Archive (it's royalty free) that was recommended by my friend Kiara. It adorable and catchy and strange and interesting and I like it a lot. Now I just have to make sure it works well in editing ... Stay tuned.
Drafting my critical reflection!
I'm now starting to work on the critical reflection because I take the lessons learned and overall outcome of the product to be supremely more important than the product itself. I am beginning to think about which medium I'd like to use, and I immediately decided on a podcast. Quite frankly, it's the medium with which I am most comfortable with, and it encompasses the way in which my film primarily shouts its message: through words. Words are powerful, and there's a lot I can do with sound. It's more difficult to get creative without picture, yes, but that just continues to correlate with the entire purpose of creating such a minimalistic story in such a confined setting: take something condensed and make it into something. And that's what I intend to do.
I decided to make my podcast a stream of consciousness because that's what I'm good at and comfortable with when reflecting upon things. When I just talk or write without any end destination in mind I tend to subliminally take the best course. It's also very raw and minimal and personal, all correlating to themes and tones of my film, so I think it's a good match.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
That's A Wrap!
I filmed on Wednesday, March 30. That day was the only day me and my two actors could all get together to film; however, I had work at 6pm that day, so we didn't have much time to waste. We started filming after school, starting with filming in the elevator. My two actors, Cassie and Jonathan, had been memorizing the script throughout the day. We started in the elevator rather than going in chronological order because there were still students milling around the hall outside of the elevator, and we hoped that by the time we were done with the elevator that there wouldn't be any more students outside of it and that we would have the hall to myself. We began going in chronological order, until we got to the first high angle shot. This is because it was really difficult to set up and shoot, because we had to use a tripod and hold up the tripod to get the camera high enough to look like a birds eye view. So, to get around having to re-set up the tripod every time we got to a high angle shot, we shot all of them back-to-back. Other than that, we pretty much filmed everything in chronological order.
Both of my actors were really perfect for the their roles - and not just because I practically wrote it for the two of them. Technically I didn't write the role for Cassie specifically because I originally wrote it for Kiara (my original actress), but her and Kiara are best friends and super similar to one another, so she was by far the next best thing. Both Jonathan and Cassie's acting was spot on: Cassie perfectly encompassed the absurdity of the content - her quirkiness and aloof line-deliveries was on point; and my brother's snarky sarcasm and realism perfectly captured how the audience should be feeling.
Both of my actors were really perfect for the their roles - and not just because I practically wrote it for the two of them. Technically I didn't write the role for Cassie specifically because I originally wrote it for Kiara (my original actress), but her and Kiara are best friends and super similar to one another, so she was by far the next best thing. Both Jonathan and Cassie's acting was spot on: Cassie perfectly encompassed the absurdity of the content - her quirkiness and aloof line-deliveries was on point; and my brother's snarky sarcasm and realism perfectly captured how the audience should be feeling.
Planning Shots, Part 2
PRE FILMING:
After I planned out the shots for the walk to the elevator, I then had to plan out the shots for inside the elevator. This was infinitely more difficult, because I have a lot less room to work with inside an elevator than outside in a hallway. One shot I knew I wanted to utilize was an overhead shot that would look down on the characters like a birds eye view. To give these shots a purpose, I decided to interject one every time there was a shift in commentary. For example, there's a birds eye shot that separates the dialogue exchange about scuba diving and driving ("Cool, guess I'm screwed then." "[...] Do you think you could give me a ride to the lessons?") and the dialogue between driving and getting a job ("Bro, shut up with your food analogies ..." "[...] But can you drive me?") The elevator mainly utilizes close-ups/medium shots in ways that best show the exchange of dialogue between the characters. I planned to do this in two ways: for shorter exchanges of dialogue, I would use a pan to shift back and forth between the characters; and for longer exchanges of dialogue that would require more editing, I planned to get a medium/close up shot of each character acting out the same lines of dialogue and mesh them together in editing to make a two-shot editing technique. Finally, for the end of the film, I planned on a POV type shot of one of the characters pressing the door open button to illustrate that the door won't open - and that the characters are stuck in the elevator, establishing the conflict of the film. I also plan on recording the sound of the alarm bell in the elevator that I want to sound at the end of the introduction when the title of the film appears. In addition, I want to get a sound bite or two of the characters muttering something in exasperation once they realize they're stuck in the elevator - I'm not sure what yet, I plan on asking the actors to improvise, but I scribbled down some ideas while I was planning the shots.
SHOT LIST, POST FILMING:
(The shots are scribbled out because I scratched out each shot after shooting it in order to keep track of where we were at during production.)
After I planned out the shots for the walk to the elevator, I then had to plan out the shots for inside the elevator. This was infinitely more difficult, because I have a lot less room to work with inside an elevator than outside in a hallway. One shot I knew I wanted to utilize was an overhead shot that would look down on the characters like a birds eye view. To give these shots a purpose, I decided to interject one every time there was a shift in commentary. For example, there's a birds eye shot that separates the dialogue exchange about scuba diving and driving ("Cool, guess I'm screwed then." "[...] Do you think you could give me a ride to the lessons?") and the dialogue between driving and getting a job ("Bro, shut up with your food analogies ..." "[...] But can you drive me?") The elevator mainly utilizes close-ups/medium shots in ways that best show the exchange of dialogue between the characters. I planned to do this in two ways: for shorter exchanges of dialogue, I would use a pan to shift back and forth between the characters; and for longer exchanges of dialogue that would require more editing, I planned to get a medium/close up shot of each character acting out the same lines of dialogue and mesh them together in editing to make a two-shot editing technique. Finally, for the end of the film, I planned on a POV type shot of one of the characters pressing the door open button to illustrate that the door won't open - and that the characters are stuck in the elevator, establishing the conflict of the film. I also plan on recording the sound of the alarm bell in the elevator that I want to sound at the end of the introduction when the title of the film appears. In addition, I want to get a sound bite or two of the characters muttering something in exasperation once they realize they're stuck in the elevator - I'm not sure what yet, I plan on asking the actors to improvise, but I scribbled down some ideas while I was planning the shots.
SHOT LIST, POST FILMING:
(The shots are scribbled out because I scratched out each shot after shooting it in order to keep track of where we were at during production.)
Planning Shots, Part 1
PRE SHOTLIST:
Shooting is getting close, and I have to start really finalizing everything. I'm 100% finished with my script, so now I have to work on planning out the shots. Cinematography isn't exactly my forte, so this is a step to my project I'm not particularly looking forward to. However, I am looking forward to overcoming the obstacle and hopefully getting my film to look nice in a way that makes all of my shots contribute to the meaning of my piece.
POST SHOTLIST:
I first had to think about how I wanted to frame the shots leading up to my two characters heading into the elevator. The very first thing I knew I wanted - before I even started writing my script - is for the very first line of the film to be "I'm gonna start taking scuba diving lessons." - and for that line to be said while the screen is still black. The next line - "What?" - would be when the picture appears, and the shot will be a long shot of the two characters walking down the school hallway towards the elevator.
This is for two reasons: firstly, it also functions as an establishing shot, showing the setting of the schools and generally depicting the two characters; secondly, it also works to set up the pattern of shots I decided the walk to the elevator would be like.
In each shot, the two characters will walk towards the camera, and eventually pass it, leaving the last frame of each shot the back of the characters. The reason for this is that it visually describes how the audience should be feeling: as though they're constantly behind the chain of events/dialogue of the introduction. This is because my film is supposed to confuse viewers - hopefully not so much to the point where they don't understand the commentary, but enough to make them cock their head, knit their eyebrows and go "... Wait what?"
The dialogue is intentionally obfuscatory and confusion-inducing; or, in essence, absurd. This is because it's a primary element of my genre, satire. Absurdity is a necessary feature of any satirical story because it lets the viewer know that the content isn't literal - it's supposed to be funny. We're mocking the vices and folly of humanity and society, hilarious!
Shooting is getting close, and I have to start really finalizing everything. I'm 100% finished with my script, so now I have to work on planning out the shots. Cinematography isn't exactly my forte, so this is a step to my project I'm not particularly looking forward to. However, I am looking forward to overcoming the obstacle and hopefully getting my film to look nice in a way that makes all of my shots contribute to the meaning of my piece.
POST SHOTLIST:
I first had to think about how I wanted to frame the shots leading up to my two characters heading into the elevator. The very first thing I knew I wanted - before I even started writing my script - is for the very first line of the film to be "I'm gonna start taking scuba diving lessons." - and for that line to be said while the screen is still black. The next line - "What?" - would be when the picture appears, and the shot will be a long shot of the two characters walking down the school hallway towards the elevator.
This is for two reasons: firstly, it also functions as an establishing shot, showing the setting of the schools and generally depicting the two characters; secondly, it also works to set up the pattern of shots I decided the walk to the elevator would be like.
In each shot, the two characters will walk towards the camera, and eventually pass it, leaving the last frame of each shot the back of the characters. The reason for this is that it visually describes how the audience should be feeling: as though they're constantly behind the chain of events/dialogue of the introduction. This is because my film is supposed to confuse viewers - hopefully not so much to the point where they don't understand the commentary, but enough to make them cock their head, knit their eyebrows and go "... Wait what?"
The dialogue is intentionally obfuscatory and confusion-inducing; or, in essence, absurd. This is because it's a primary element of my genre, satire. Absurdity is a necessary feature of any satirical story because it lets the viewer know that the content isn't literal - it's supposed to be funny. We're mocking the vices and folly of humanity and society, hilarious!
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Working with punches
I was planning on filming over Spring Break - however, the setting of the school/its elevator is what I need, and it's locked and closed during break. In addition, one of my main actors informed me that she can't act anymore (Kiara Pomeroy), so I'm working on finding a replacement.
My original actor that I wrote the script for - Kiara Pomeroy - informed me today that she can't act in the project anymore because she's really pressed for time and can't dedicate quality time/performance for me. I'm kind of insanely nervous now??? Because I didn't only have her as my actress, I literally wrote the script for her. So now I'm going to do my best to find a replacement that can pull off her role ... I hope I can.
---- LATER ----
So I managed to find four different options to be Kiara's replacement: my friend Megan, who is really exuberant and funny and outspoken; my friend Melissa, who's really witty and sort of strange and who I think would be able to pull off being comedic; my friend Sofia, who is super eccentric and capable of pulling off the character; and, more idealistically, Cassie, who's best friends with Kiara and extremely similar to her - to the point where they've picked up the same mannerisms and way of speaking. I've asked everyone so far but I've only gotten commitment from Melissa, so we'll see who it ends up being.
---- EVEN LATER ----
Cassie got back to me! (Which, thank god, because neither Sofia nor Megan could commit and Melissa was my last choice). She was shockingly really eager to be involved, and I didn't feel bad at asking her at all. Plus, she seems really excited about it, so I have no doubt she's going to give it her all and do great with the part.
My original actor that I wrote the script for - Kiara Pomeroy - informed me today that she can't act in the project anymore because she's really pressed for time and can't dedicate quality time/performance for me. I'm kind of insanely nervous now??? Because I didn't only have her as my actress, I literally wrote the script for her. So now I'm going to do my best to find a replacement that can pull off her role ... I hope I can.
---- LATER ----
So I managed to find four different options to be Kiara's replacement: my friend Megan, who is really exuberant and funny and outspoken; my friend Melissa, who's really witty and sort of strange and who I think would be able to pull off being comedic; my friend Sofia, who is super eccentric and capable of pulling off the character; and, more idealistically, Cassie, who's best friends with Kiara and extremely similar to her - to the point where they've picked up the same mannerisms and way of speaking. I've asked everyone so far but I've only gotten commitment from Melissa, so we'll see who it ends up being.
---- EVEN LATER ----
Cassie got back to me! (Which, thank god, because neither Sofia nor Megan could commit and Melissa was my last choice). She was shockingly really eager to be involved, and I didn't feel bad at asking her at all. Plus, she seems really excited about it, so I have no doubt she's going to give it her all and do great with the part.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Final script thoughts
I may or may not be beating a dead horse here, but I'm quite frankly slightly obsessing over the script. I feel as though the script may not be necessarily as important as the other aspects of the production process for this project (i.e. shots/angles/composition, editing, sounds, etc.), but it's a personal passion of mine and so I'm putting extra effort into it anyways. In addition, I have a feeling my production is going to be very different from most people's. I'm not sure if this is better or worse - or neither, and just different on its own - but in order to draw viewers in with a majorly simplistic/minimalistic plot and overall production in general, the script needs to be spot on. Not to mention I'm more than contemplating fully pursuing the production of this short film on my own after the conclusion of the project.
In addition to all those technical reasons as to why the script is important, it's important to always - ALWAYS - keep both genre and target audience in mind. I feel as though in addition to this project being a platform to exemplify and showcase technical skills, it's also a prime opportunity to prove your understanding of marketing and representation. For example, I chose my actors very wisely - the contrast between a snarky white male and a quirky black female was entirely intentional. Usually, the people who watch/enjoy/understand/appreciate satires are intellectuals who understand the implications of representation. More specifically, my specific themes/particular criticisms of the education system are very liberal leaning ideals - and liberal individuals are very critical of diversity through representation in media.
All that being said, the specific and well-thought-out content of my script is all for my genre and target audience. It's no secret that satire is hard to pull off, and I didn't take the challenge I signed up for lightly. I wasn't going to plow through the script and focus on pretty shots when I know that that's not what the audience that would eventually buy tickets for this film is looking for or expecting from a film marketed for its social commentary. I believe that, as long as I put in an equally well-thought-out process during the making of my shot list, and take cinematography as seriously as I took the script, that my production can be just as visually/technically pleasing as - if not even more than - a project that consisted of planning/taking shots through ninety percent of their production process. Shots aren't just meant to be pretty - they're meant to express meaning. And my film is all about meaning.
Adding onto the seriousness of my script, the absurdity is also a huge part of both the comedy of the film as well as contributing to one of the most important aspects of the genre. It's imperative that all satires are even just a little bit absurd. The entire point of satirical commentary is to point out and criticize the ridiculousness of some aspect of society. Absurdity is ridiculous. It works. That's why the genre is so successful. It also adds a huge comical element to the film, as well as alerting viewers that they shouldn't take the content too seriously.
In addition to all those technical reasons as to why the script is important, it's important to always - ALWAYS - keep both genre and target audience in mind. I feel as though in addition to this project being a platform to exemplify and showcase technical skills, it's also a prime opportunity to prove your understanding of marketing and representation. For example, I chose my actors very wisely - the contrast between a snarky white male and a quirky black female was entirely intentional. Usually, the people who watch/enjoy/understand/appreciate satires are intellectuals who understand the implications of representation. More specifically, my specific themes/particular criticisms of the education system are very liberal leaning ideals - and liberal individuals are very critical of diversity through representation in media.
All that being said, the specific and well-thought-out content of my script is all for my genre and target audience. It's no secret that satire is hard to pull off, and I didn't take the challenge I signed up for lightly. I wasn't going to plow through the script and focus on pretty shots when I know that that's not what the audience that would eventually buy tickets for this film is looking for or expecting from a film marketed for its social commentary. I believe that, as long as I put in an equally well-thought-out process during the making of my shot list, and take cinematography as seriously as I took the script, that my production can be just as visually/technically pleasing as - if not even more than - a project that consisted of planning/taking shots through ninety percent of their production process. Shots aren't just meant to be pretty - they're meant to express meaning. And my film is all about meaning.
Adding onto the seriousness of my script, the absurdity is also a huge part of both the comedy of the film as well as contributing to one of the most important aspects of the genre. It's imperative that all satires are even just a little bit absurd. The entire point of satirical commentary is to point out and criticize the ridiculousness of some aspect of society. Absurdity is ridiculous. It works. That's why the genre is so successful. It also adds a huge comical element to the film, as well as alerting viewers that they shouldn't take the content too seriously.
Script draft! Part 2
After being unhappy with the first draft of my script, I not only had to scrap everything and start over to change the style/flow of dialogue, but also continue to brainstorm and expand my ideas because I scrapped my first draft before I was able to arrive at a conclusion. So, while re-writing the beginning portion of the script, it was also time to brainstorm.
First thing was first, and that was me deciding which ideas were imperative to hit. I decided on the "pointless skills" point that I had already touched upon with scuba diving, and the idea that public schools are a "factory" that produce the same type of cookie-cutter students - an idea that I got from a friend of mind named Adri while talking about the elevator setting, as well as a teacher of mine during my interview with them (they asked to remain anonymous).
With these points in mind, I also came up with the idea to throw in some dialogue about taking a driving test. This was, quite frankly, because while I was writing the script I was also preparing to take my driving test for my license that same week. I was really nervous about it, but everyone told me to relax and that I would be fine - I knew how to drive, and so I would know how to pass. Despite this mentality, I was still explicitly nervous, and it only took minimal contemplation to draw the connection between my anxious feelings and the commentary within the themes of my project: the education system doesn't value skills themselves, it values your ability to pass a test.
Through several drafts, numerous read-throughs, and extensive feedback from intellectual/respectable friends of mine, I finally finished drafting my full script. All in all, these are the points that I hit:
First thing was first, and that was me deciding which ideas were imperative to hit. I decided on the "pointless skills" point that I had already touched upon with scuba diving, and the idea that public schools are a "factory" that produce the same type of cookie-cutter students - an idea that I got from a friend of mind named Adri while talking about the elevator setting, as well as a teacher of mine during my interview with them (they asked to remain anonymous).
With these points in mind, I also came up with the idea to throw in some dialogue about taking a driving test. This was, quite frankly, because while I was writing the script I was also preparing to take my driving test for my license that same week. I was really nervous about it, but everyone told me to relax and that I would be fine - I knew how to drive, and so I would know how to pass. Despite this mentality, I was still explicitly nervous, and it only took minimal contemplation to draw the connection between my anxious feelings and the commentary within the themes of my project: the education system doesn't value skills themselves, it values your ability to pass a test.
Through several drafts, numerous read-throughs, and extensive feedback from intellectual/respectable friends of mine, I finally finished drafting my full script. All in all, these are the points that I hit:
- Learning pointless skills (scuba diving)
- Correlation between financial income and academic success (scuba diving)
- Learning for a test rather than learning the skill itself (driving test)
- Schools' similarities to factories/replicating the same type of student (getting a job)
[LAST 4 SCRIPT DRAFTS]
Script draft! Part 1
I've begun writing the script for the introduction, but I found that as I was writing it that I didn't know by heart which particular problems plagued the people I interviewed. So, I went back and listened to them all and took notes on the specific points they brought up. Here's a picture of my notes that I jotted, with check marks next to the points I ended up hitting during my script:
I knew, before I had any concrete ideas, that the gist of the dialogue would be metaphorical, and those metaphors would in turn stand for the commentary/message of the piece. This sounds confusing ... But it's not! I hope.
For example: the first idea I came up with was scuba diving. I'm not entirely sure where the idea came from, only that it popped into my head when I was trying to figure out where to start. In this case, scuba diving is a metaphor for the pointless skills that we learn in school (i.e. the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell, or the quadratic formula).
When I first formulated the idea for a satirical script, I was drawing my inspiration from the book Catch-22. In Catch-22, the dialogue is explicitly satirical - or "not serious" - by the way it's written. It's written in circles, making it seem as though you (the viewer) never get to the point, and adds to absurdity of the situation (one of the primary elements of satire). To exemplify how this style of dialogue both contributes to satirical meaning and adds comedy, my AP Lang teacher showed us a stand up comedy video that utilizes the same style of dialogue:
[VIDEO]
However, while writing my script, I decided that I didn't like this style of dialogue at all. I'm not quite sure whether or not it didn't fit with my story, or if I'm just not skilled at writing that kind of dialogue, but I did not like how it came out at all. Before I even finished my first draft, I scrap it, rewrite and start over.
I knew, before I had any concrete ideas, that the gist of the dialogue would be metaphorical, and those metaphors would in turn stand for the commentary/message of the piece. This sounds confusing ... But it's not! I hope.
For example: the first idea I came up with was scuba diving. I'm not entirely sure where the idea came from, only that it popped into my head when I was trying to figure out where to start. In this case, scuba diving is a metaphor for the pointless skills that we learn in school (i.e. the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell, or the quadratic formula).
When I first formulated the idea for a satirical script, I was drawing my inspiration from the book Catch-22. In Catch-22, the dialogue is explicitly satirical - or "not serious" - by the way it's written. It's written in circles, making it seem as though you (the viewer) never get to the point, and adds to absurdity of the situation (one of the primary elements of satire). To exemplify how this style of dialogue both contributes to satirical meaning and adds comedy, my AP Lang teacher showed us a stand up comedy video that utilizes the same style of dialogue:
[VIDEO]
However, while writing my script, I decided that I didn't like this style of dialogue at all. I'm not quite sure whether or not it didn't fit with my story, or if I'm just not skilled at writing that kind of dialogue, but I did not like how it came out at all. Before I even finished my first draft, I scrap it, rewrite and start over.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Research! Part 2
Satire is scary because if you're going to be putting forth a radical idea, you want to make sure that there's, at the very least, a niche audience that's going to be receptive to your ideology you're arguing for. Ideally, you want to put forth an idea that's soundlessly accepted by a majority of people but isn't enforced. This is one of the reasons that I chose the American education system as my victim of criticism, because it seemed almost universally accepted that the education system, at the very least, needs to be improved upon. What I feel to be my most powerful form of research is the information that I sought out on my own: I went around school asking students (and one teacher) what their opinion of the education system is. The ultimate goal is to use their collective opinions to formulate the argument that I put forth in the introduction of this film. Luckily for me, I made a solid choice with the education system: everyone I talked to had passionate, similar faults to discuss in the system (with the exception of one student). Below is a sound clip of the best interviews I conducted (by request, names aren't included).
Audio and voice recording >>
Audio and voice recording >>
Research! Part 1
The first thing I set out to research is satire. Before I can focus on anything else I need to ensure that my thought process/ideas coincide with the genre I'm setting out to exemplify. I immediately set off to the first source we all jump to: Google. Upon my search I stumbled across a PowerPoint and a PDF that talk about the elements/purpose/audience of satire. In addition, I've talked about/learned about/taken notes on satire in my current AP Language class, and have that firsthand research and experience to aid my understanding of the methodology of the genre. Through this genre research, the consensus was that there are a a handful of important elements of satire that should be utilized in order to convey meaning: hyperbole, irony, sarcasm, and understatement. "Satirists are dissatisfied with the way
things are and want to make them
better ... Satirists perform an important role in
society when they expose errors and
absurdities that we no longer notice
because of custom or familiarity" (Elements of Satire) is exactly the mentality I have going into making this project, and the goal of exposing an idea is the ultimate end goal.
Another source that I used during my genre research is a list of popular satirical films. I've seen one film from the list - "Network" - and I plan on re-watching it, as well as the number one movie on the list, "The Great Dictator."
Another source that I used during my genre research is a list of popular satirical films. I've seen one film from the list - "Network" - and I plan on re-watching it, as well as the number one movie on the list, "The Great Dictator."
Formulating an idea ...
Every good film needs substance and a good story behind it. Without a point - or a "so what?" - why bother making a film? My idea, then, and my "so what?", is to point out and criticize the vices and flaws of the American education system through the genre of satire. I came to the decision to move forward with this idea for a few main reasons:
- First and foremost, I decided that I wanted my film opening to be dialogue-heavy. While I'm fully aware of the difficulty of this task and it's intricacy, I'm going to attempt to feat it anyways because that's my personal passion as a filmmaker. My strong suit in all subjects is writing, and when it comes to film I love writing screenplay. Over the summer, I pitched my short film idea with a read through of its script, and it was chosen by the film program class to be developed into our film. Because of this, I have confidence in my ability to create engaging dialogue exchange between characters in a minimal setting.
- Second, I decided on the setting. This is because one of the ultimate downfalls of young/inexperienced filmmakers is attempting to bite off more than they can chew. That being said, I know that my area of strength is screenplay, and that should be the focus of what I develop. This lends itself to a minimal setting that doesn't require anything not feasible to create throughout production. In addition, minimal distracting elements narrows and focuses viewers' attention on the dialogue and material being presented. With all of this in mind, I decided on an elevator as the setting for the dialogue exchange.
- Next came deciding on a genre, and, in the end, I chose satire. I'm a bit nervous about pursuing this genre because I know it's not only difficult to create as a writer, but there's also no guarantee people who watch will understand the underlying message. Unfortunately for me, I'm not one to shy away from a challenge, and despite the obstacles and confusion I'm bound to face upon developing this project, I'm going to go for it anyways. I came across my spurt of inspiration to write a satire while reading the novel Catch-22 in my AP Language class - I'm beyond fond of the novel and find the writing/dialogue/rhetoric/themes of it to be absolutely genius. My goal is to replicate its essence in my screenplay and convey a powerful message through the use of comedy.
- When writing satire, you have to have something to satirize. Excuse my side tangent here, I promise it's relevant - I'm not good at the Twitter thing. I created it about a month ago to feel more included in the culture of my fellow hip peers, but the subculture still confounds me to an extent. However, there are two tweets of mine that seemed to garner a good amount of attention and appreciation, and both were about the same subject: the education system (tweet 1, tweet 2). With this observation in mind, I casually mentioned the subject around my peers, and found a common thread of opinion: there are very, very few students who genuinely have an appreciation for our education system. With target audience in mind and a personal passion for education reform, I decided to satirize the eduction system.
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