Critical Evaluation

Critical Evaluation

Having almost complete this unit and nearly finished my edit, there have been many variables within this term that have came to be serious obstacles. I have faced these straight on at times an unfortunately came out the loser, losing out on actors and locations. However out of the negatives come plenty of positives, to have experienced this hardship it makes me appreciate the times of when everything goes smoothly, but encourages me to engage more and focus on keeping those lines of communication strong and clear. 

 What worked?

What I felt went very to script and storyboards was my hotel sequence, I knew what I was doing throughout that scene and the approach to it was clinical. It did not take long to shoot and my actor was fantastic to work with. The edit also came along nicely after deciphering which sounds best suit my work for capturing tension an evoking an emotional response of anxiousness. 

What Didn't Work?

I personally believe a lot of things on this unit could of gone better, personally I feel i've let myself down, but knowing that I can only move forward now from this and to prove to myself and others that there is much more to give. As certain things didn't come together I had to make do with a kitchen for a shop sequence which really doesn't work whatsoever. It was immensely frustrating directing it and at times I felt like giving up as it was not at all what I had wanted, however I kept going and got it all shot. As well I didn't keep clear communication with one of the actors, and the location correspondent who I was talking to about confirmation of shooting in his shop. Also the sound on my edit, I need to give myself more time to find appropriate and quality sounding effects that really evoke what i'm trying to achieve.  

What could of been improved on?

Honestly, a lot of things in this production, the preproduction, not putting all my eggs in one basket, considering other actors just in case. Trying harder to find the right location, having a plan B, C, D, F etc. Sound design now to me is something that I need to focus on heavily, I'm finally understanding why there are so many sound guys, it takes a lot of time to find the right sound you're looking for, but when you do find it, it's extremely satisfying. Also sound recording on this shoot was a slight pain when it came to post-production, there was a wobble with the mic on the camera, so I know for the next time to keep it still and be more gentle with the camera.

What have I learnt?

I've learnt that I don't want to ever be a director... Haa haa! I wish I was joking but in all seriousness, I don't think I'm cut out to do it, It has definitely made me appreciate the directors job, the competence and strategy of someone an their skill set must be vast an to be turned on constantly on and off the set. It has made me think though about working in a team, being apart of something and looking at the finer details, especially with sound, this unit again just like the last unit has reinforced how pivotal it is. 

What will I apply next time?

If ever something comes up not too dissimilar to this then I'll be thinking about the preproduction more, putting in the graft of my location and actor hunting. Thinking as well way into the future of what possible edits I want to use, so when I'm on set shooting I can shoot things that can be later manipulated into match cuts, jump cuts, eye line match cuts etc. I want to begin to further my editing skills and focus on that. An also the post-production, working on the sound design, spending more focused time to play around with different sounds, not feeling rushed! 

Overall general thoughts

I can't believe it's genuinely gone this fast but it has, and there are things that i'm looking back at which I wish I could possibly go back and change and spend further time on, but I can't and this is what i'm left with. I can't truthfully say i'm as proud as I was last term this time round, but some things have came out as planned so I can be happy with that. I just know for next time I need to be more committed to certain aspects of the production. 

Directors Statement

Directors Statement

The scenes I chose were specific to me and what I felt I could potentially give in terms of depth and a disparate perspective to that of the Coen Bros. Obviously, I didn't realistically want to change much but I felt I could certainly add and tweak parts of the scene ever so slightly to add to the tension and atmosphere of it.  

Casting

With casting for this production I unfortunately fell into a pit of despair as my actors dropped out. However I was able to, in the end recruit a member of the class and a fellow actor which coincidentally was his friend! They definitely didn't fit the part for the first scene however in the second part of the sequence I definitely felt the appropriation was nearly there and his aesthetic also. 

(Alex Miguel)

Location

As spoken about in one of my previous posts, my prime location had unfortunately not allowed me to shoot in so I had to make do with a kitchen and try to attempt to transform it aesthetically like a shop. My initial target though was to have the shop sequence filmed in a shop across the counter/till area, and if this would have been possible I believe the quality and authenticity of the whole scene would of gave the whole sequence much more life. 

However, being dealt that blow made me think how to approach the kitchen with it's difficulties of resembling nothing of the sort of a shop, I tried everything in my power to make it as authentic as possible. 

Costume Design

My costume design was specific for my main protagonist, the character Lleweyn, played by my friend and actor, Alex Miguel. I wanted to replicate the same sort of aesthetic as was captured in the original film. I felt I did that. 

Sound Design

Sound was one of the technicalities in where the thought process was much deeper and meaningful, I wanted to try an make the audience feel as if they were behind the counter in the shop scene, and with Lleweyn in the hotel suite. As in the original there is purposefully a lack of sound which is extremely effective, so I just wanted to experiment and see if I could create just as much atmosphere with sound, than without. 

I chose to use dog sounds and police sirens in the hotel suite scene to add to the undertone of the scene and give it more fear and intensity, as I did not want at any time throughout the sequence for there to be some sort of let up from the tension. I wanted constant, relentless tension being built up for the dramatic finale. 

Camera Operation

With the camera I wanted certain shots extremely close up as these specific scenes at times are awkward and immensely tense. For example I wanted CUs of Anton Chigurh eating the nuts, as it creates an uncomfortable watch for the audience as the entire sequence is evoking such a response, it compliments the scenes nature

. 

This is where I wanted to really to add my own perspective, by using the close ups, going further into the action and involving the audience more to emerge them in the scene. 

Mood/tone/visual style

What I wanted to portray was nothing to disimilar to the original piece, stark contrasting characters with vast amounts of tension and suspense created through all four of the key elements. Colour wise, especially in the hotel scene I wanted to keep it dark, low lit lighting, very isolated and confide. This was all again to add to that hostile tension build up, to make it all seem very authentic.

Editing

With my first scene, I chose specifically to build from slow steady pacing, gradually speeding up with the context of the scene and it's tension rising dialogue. This choice was to reinforce the scenes tension an uneasy atmosphere within the space. I again chose to do this in the second scene of the hotel, going from slow to fast paced. There was a specific edit I decided to use to entwine the scenes with which was a match cut, I'm not fully convinced it work nor am I too sure on the exact reasoning behind it other than my aspiration to use it ever since watching 2001: A Space Odyssey an how successful that was. 

Location Drop

Location Drop Out

So two days before my shoot was about to commence, I decided to go and just make sure that it would still be okay to go and shoot in my confirmed location. The location that was firstly confirmed about a week and a half before the shoot was Cafe Moroc on Rochester High Street. 

(Cafe Moroc)

Unfortunately, when I went in to confirm the shoot dates etc, I was told that he had forgot and that he had a large booking in that night. He said if lines of communication were kept going throughout, obviously he would of remembered and would have spared me time inbetween his work to allow me to film. This is all food for thought and definitely something to take into account in the future. 

However this then left me in a relatively tight spot, with hardly any time left to shoot, and having asked the majority of stores/places realistic to shoot my footage, I had to think fast, in the end choosing my own kitchen. 

Overall this whole experience has made me think more about communication and how vital it is, keeping on top of it and being clear with your commands and questions. 

Fargo - Series

Fargo (2014) - TV SERIES

Fargo is a TV Series based on the film Fargo (1996) which was originally created by the Coen Bros. The show was directed by Noah Hawley and Adam Berstein, with the exec. Producers being obviously the Coen Bros. The series has slight changes with characters etc, as it doesn't want to replicate but create a very ever lasting imprint on you. It wants to leave it's beautiful visual trademark and stylistic dialogue just how its originator left it. It consists of a stark narrative in which entails various chronicles of deception, intrigue and murder in and around frozen Minnesota.

With TV series becoming more and more visually gripping and complex, they're reaching levels of quality that you'd associate only with film. There is obviously a much more deeper answer as to why that is but i'm not about to get into it! That is why though with this series, especially the first one, I found the directorial stand point of this film magnificent. Colour is used throughout the series to bring out the harshness of its natural surroundings, the emphasise the bitter coldness of snow, an at points, the isolation of itself. What I also found to be interesting was the cinematographers of the show, Dana Gonzales and Matthew J.Lloyd would rarely go beyond the 40mm focal length. This again helping to reinforce the vastness and harshness of the landscape, through that use of wider lenses. 

Casting as well in this series is outstanding, Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman excel stupendously and Billy has to be one of the greatest evils i've ever been witness to on screen. The simplicity to his acts and how meticulously he can carry out such antics is strengthened by the general themes and tones of the series. As the series is simplistic and minimal, it emphasises the bleak and graphic content that Fargo is riddled with. 

This series as a whole had a major influence creatively speaking, as it gave me more thoughts on my own piece on how to use the environment and think about the elements and landscapes. Even if it was in a building, to try and bring to life the surroundings and aesthetically shape things into believable spaces to achieve a sense of authenticity.  

Taboo - TV Series

Taboo (2017)  - TV SERIES

Released this year on BBC 1, Taboo was created by by Tom Hardy, his dad and Steven Knight. The TV Series narrative is based on true events and is about a man named James Keziah Delaney, who returns to 1814 London after 10 years in Africa to discover that he has been left a mysterious legacy by his father. Driven to wage war on those who have wronged him, Delaney finds himself in a face-off against the East Indie Company, whilst playing a dangerous game between two warring nations, Britain and America.

I thought the series as a whole was a fantastic and gripping experience in many aspects, the narrative had a great complexity to it and you never felt comfortable when Tom Hardy's character was on screen, which I found to be really intriguing. This was displayed through his lack of dialogue, his costume design and his general persona. 

The colour tones within this series were extremely consistent and portrayed the 19th Century perfectly, or as how I would of pictured it in my head. The blacks, dark greys, grey, just the general lack of highly saturated colours, and through just that you can feel how it would of been like to live through that period of history. 

Definitely in one aspect of the directing of this series which I found to be quite influential was creating such depth in the aesthetics of the locations. Creating such a world and making the audience believe it, unfortunately I was not able to capture this in one of my first scenes however in the second I believe I captured a relatively believable hotel room. Not only this but the awkwardness of the main protagonist/anti-hero (could be argued) is something that I wanted to try an emulate with my piece, to have my villain play awkwardly, and to reinforce it with extreme close ups to create such atmosphere.

Overall with having almost completed this unit, i've been able to fathom actually how much time, effort and cognitive function is put into directing, an so when I now watch series such as this one it really does make me appreciate the viewing a whole lot more.  

Production Design - Hotel Scene

Production Design

For my hotel scene, I needed a space that I could manipulate into being a hotel room, and for this I decided that space would be my room. So I completely stripped my room of all its identity like so - 

It took about roughly 2 hours to manoeuvre everything around and stuff it all in my bathroom, forcing me to use my neighbours toilet! It was all worth it though it the end as this scene was by far the most satisfying.  

I borrowed the lamp shade from a friend as the lights borrowed from Fergus were over exposing the shot, and were not really giving the desired effect through the camera lens. 

Overall I was happy with the dedication I'd put in with this transformation and I'd like to think it had paid off. 

Actor Drop Outs

Actor Drop Outs

Coming up to the dates of my shoot, officially 3 days before, one of my confirmed actors pulled out due to supposedly double booking on the weekend of my shoot. I was left with one other actor who was still unsure of his commitment to the production so I needed to act fast and on my feet to restore faith in completing this unit.

As each day passed and with it all being too late with Casting Call Pro I decided it was best to go ahead and shoot with a person from our class, going against what we had been informed not to do, but I deemed it necessary as something needed to be shot. 

The actor who was unsure of his commitment did eventually pull out but said to give him details on future projects, etc, so I shall keep his contact information! 

Overall I think in the future with using platforms such as Casting Call Pro, I'll not put all my eggs in one basket, to wait for other applicants to apply and see. At the time I must admit feelings of anxiety and worry to not receiving lots of applicants and that is probably why I rushed into trying to confirm the two actors that were unable to follow through with their first enthusiastic responses to the call out. 

Coen Bros - Style and Signature

DSLR Workshop

In our DSLR Workshop we were shown by Fergus and Sam, how to use the camera and it's differences between itself and the Sony EX's. Having already used many DSLR's before and canon's being my preferred choice of DSLR, I was fairly equipped when it came to getting to grips with the camera. 

However the session didn't just consist of going over the pros and cons of the camera, but also speaking about the different types of lenses, depth of field, dynamic range etc. I found this extremely useful as that is the field of work I want to get in to, being a cinematographer I would need to know what lens would be appropriate for what shot, what my aperture should be set at etc. 

(Little glimpse into the DSLR Workshop)

As I was fairly comfortable with the camera, but not with some of the gear that was left out for us to play around with, me and Trine decided to play around with it. The video is just a little bit of fun, my own take on the session. 

Overall I found the workshop to be extremely useful and it left me feeling conflicted at what camera I should use for my production. I have thought since the workshop and I'm going to stick with the Sony EX for the simple reason of the sound that I can capture on it will be stronger than that of the DSLR (Canon 7d). 

Directors - Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese

One of the directors I've chose to delve in to for part of my research on directors, is the wonderful Martin Charles Scorsese.

Martin Charles Scorsese was born on November 17th 1942 an raised in Queens New York, he lived in a devoutly catholic environment. Scorsese was born with asthma, resulting in him being unable to take part in sports/psychical activities when he was going through school, so his older brother and parents would take him to the movie theatre, this is where his passion for movies manifested from. He took many a inspiration from many films, in particular films that would soon influence his view and portrayal of his Sicilian roots e.g Bicycle thieves, Paisa and Open City. He also is aware of the debt that is owed to the French New Wave, and how that has influenced all filmmakers who have worked since it's birth. 

Scorsese's early work on his first feature, 'Who's that Knocking At My Door' would see him strike up great long lasting collaborations with such people like Harvey Keitel and Thelma Schoonmaker (Editor). Shortly after, he'd be introduced to De Niro, by Brian De Palma (Part of the 'movie brats') and the rest is history. 

                                                        (Mean Streets - 1973)

Mean Streets was a break through, there was a signature style to his work, themes, machismo, bloody violence, catholic guilt and redemption. Also his rapid fire editing and soundtracks with contemporary music solidifying his already brilliant break through. 

                                                     (Taxi Driver - 1976)

Then came along Taxi Driver, the dark urban nightmare of one lonely mans slow descent into insanity. This film established Scorsese as an accomplished filmmaker. The film was nominated for many prestigious awards and won Palme D'or at Cannes Film Festival 1976. 

From this we can see his technical abilities, individual style and the themes he has throughout his films all growing and maturing, becoming an Auteur. So from the success of Taxi Driver, he then landed his first big budget film, New York New York - 1977, unfortunately it was a box office flop. Although this film did possess the usual visual confidence and the stylistic bravura, many felt it was too studio bound, which left it leaden in comparison to his earlier work. 

The negative feedback that New York New York received sent Scorsese into severe depression. He also developed around this stage of his life an addiction for cocaine. It wasn't until the 1980's , in which De Niro practically saved his life by telling him to kick his cocaine addiction to make the highly regarded film Raging Bull - 1980. Scorsese, convinced he would never make a film again, poured everything into it, calling it a kamikaze method of filmmaking. The film went on to receive many accolades, getting Scorsese his first Best director nomination. Some people say this is where he reached his zenith in terms of style. Taxi Driver and New York New York had used elements of expressionism, to replicate psychological point of views, but here the style was taken to new extremes, employing extensive slow motion, complex tracking shots. Thematically too, the concerns continued from Mean Streets, and Taxi Driver,: Insecure males, violence, guilt and redemption. 

                                                          (Raging Bull - 1980)

I think the relevance and interest between my chosen director (Coen Bros) and Scorsese is simple, they both have unique and comparable styles. They're both Auteurs in their own right. They both share technical competence, individual style and interior meaning throughout all of their films. 

For instance Scorsese's themes throughout the majority of his films usually involve Italian - american identity, roman catholic concepts of guilt, redemption, machismo, modern crime, gang conflict and corruption psychically and mentally.  

The themes that I'd associate through the majority of the Coen bros. Films usually consist of characters always having floors, usage of film noir elements, kidnapping and murder, difficult portrayals of the law enforcement i.e Fargo and No Country For Old Men. These are just to name a few reoccurring elements throughout the Coen Bros films. 

In conclusion, Scorsese fascinates me just as much as the Coen Bros but for different reasons, their films are disparate but the level of meticulous preparation the same. It's the vast amount of work that is put into their films that I've found incredibly entertaining to research and watch. 

Simon - Editing and Sound

Simon – Sound and Editing.

The editing and the sound design to a film/TV production are vital components; these elements can make or break a production. That is why I found the lectures on both of these elements extremely interesting and they gave me much food for thought.

What I took from it was focusing on the thought process behind the edits, cutting for a reason, that nothing is arbitrary. If I wanted to create an intense scene, I could speed up the pace of my edits, conveying that sense of rapidness and motion, heightening the intensity.

Also editing for evoking emotional responses, as creating dramatic emotion is the cornerstone of great editing. The lecture left me asking a lot of questions in my own head on my own production, how long will I hang on a shot for, why, what for?  Where is my focus meant to be, where do I want the audience to be looking.

Another point, when we went into detail about certain edits, e.g match cut, cross cut, etc. It triggered something within my own cognition's and gave me some inspiration on how I could potentially place a match cut within my sequence. There is a moment in the scene in which one of my actors will be placing down an empty packet of peanuts; I’m thinking to possibly cut straight into my next scene to an opening shot very similar. These are plans that are being taking into deep consideration though and are still in the process of being a final shoot day plan.

                        (2001: A Space Odyssey - Stanley Kubrick - 1968 - The infamous cut)

We then looked at sound design, which is a tool which occurs at all stages of production. This intrigued me also as the amount of work that is put into sound was something that I would never of imagined! It also explained why there are so many end credits of different sound occupants, as there are so many different sound jobs, 7 to be exact. These include: Dialogue, which is all recorded on shoot. Sync, which is recorded sound from shoot that isn’t dialogue. ADR, (Automatic Dialogue replacement) This is all dialogue re-recorded or dubbed, most Hollywood productions use this for films. Then we have FX, which are sound effects like car engines, explosions, recorded specifically for certain scenes. Foley, this one put a smile on my face when we were shown a clip on how these sounds were actually captured. This is sound created to go with visuals, they’re created in studios (Jack Foley creator thus the name, Foley). The next one is called Atmos, this sound creates the atmosphere for a specific location, e.g desert – scorching sun beating down on the vast sand dunes, sand sweeps across the landscape. Finally, Music, which is all the music within the film, diegetic, music on the radio, non diegetic, composed piece of music on top of the film.

But the key thing is with sound design, is that it’s there to add depth, feeling and emotion to a film. It is about making the audience believe in what they’re viewing. ‘ Silence is golden ‘, what I found very useful about this phrase was its truth within it. To create/convey silence, you add miniature sounds e.g a fly, buzzing around a room, this emphasises that silence brilliantly.

What I also took as extremely useful advice and to apply straight away in my production, was to record a buzz track, to record on set for about a minute long, taking in all the naturalistic sounds, so when it comes back to the editing suite, I have a seriously authentic look and sound to my production.

To conclude, I found this lecture extremely useful and a lot of fun, as it gave me concepts to play around with, not only on shoot, but off it as well. It’s had me thinking about the whole line of production, as if I do want to try and pull off that match cut, I’ll have to plan meticulously and make sure the framing is right in both shoots. 

Fergus and Sam - Lighting Workshops

With Fergus and Sam, we have been going through the basics of lighting and how pivotal lighting is, and can be within Film and TV. Lighting can create atmosphere, effect emotion and many other things with just the actual placement of specific lights. So it was just about getting familiar with the equipment, experimenting and testing out idea's before potentially using this piece of kit.

(Trying to capture silhouette images.)

One idea that the group I was in wanted to try and have a go at was capturing silhouettes on screen, however it was problematic as the vast space that the studio has, an it's poor lighting really hindered our efforts of capturing such a shot. We then used many different coloured gels, to set different tones and to see then on the camera if you could actually get that sense of emotion that was being conveyed. 

In these workshops I know we don't have much time to go over things a multiple of times and that's why when we're being shown things like this, i.e setting up lighting equipment, I really do appreciate it. These are all industry savvy skills that i'm taking into consideration and becoming more aware of as a filmmaker, as I want to apply all of this outside of the workshop and into real life. 

 

  

Steve Finn - Workshop

Over the multiple sessions we had with Steve Finn, we were taught and given brilliant skills to use on set/location with your actresses/actors. Such skills would include how to block properly, breaking down a script to it's core, and finding that master shot.

Blocking
Before anything, it would be voiced by Steve that we don't touch the camera, and to walk through the script with your actors, thinking about possible actions that the characters could be doing. Action is key, and without breaking down the script you don't have a true insight into what the characters could potentially be doing, these possible actions give you creativity within any sequence and that is why it is vital to have them in. Rehearsal's would be beneficial as it's quite a big part of blocking, making sure characters are in frame, an making sure everyone knows where there positioning should be as we're rolling. 
A main point that Steve really wanted us to focus on was trying to find a master shot within our specific sequence. A master shot from what I gathered from Steve is a shot that is creative yet a solid framed shot, which is a shot that you can come back to, as the main focus point, to get you out of awkward situations. 

Also what I found to be quite helpful and future referential whilst doing this task, was that we would have designated roles. This requires you to focus heavily on the specific task at hand and leaves you with a lot more time to think about things regarding your role. Steve would say regularly " You should just be directing ", as it's just instinct to want to look behind the camera and maybe pick it up to move a slight to the left. It had me thinking about my production team around me for this unit, and whom will be in my team and who will i designate to be camera operator/sound etc. 

In conclusion, it was all extremely helpful and I felt I gained much from it. It's made me seriously think about my script now, and about finding those key master shots and being an all found director, thinking about absolutely everything within the shot, what the characters are doing etc. It was a brilliant experience!