AStickySituation_Gronk2012

In transition from tape to online edit, the editor cut the first 30 seconds from the film which outlines the "Masked Man" capturing the two "captives" also the arrival of the "scooby gang" which interupts his torment of them. but a lot of fun to make, as a director, working with new students with fresh ideas is interesting, but their level of confidence in their own abilities led them to be a little shy in sharing them, I hoped that my passion for fun would help them all relax but in the end we used a previous idea, (Man captures girls) and mixed it with the scooby doo ending, it seemed like the most fun for the kids and I had thought to be an easy effect to achieve with in camera editing.

The Lonely Apple (2012) - Short Film for Competition, as Director.

and what have you done for me lately?

I haven't mastered the art of blogging on a weekly basis, sounds like a regular bowel movement, so at least this is a nice surprise.

I have done stuff since the last update, actual work related stuff. Saw the completed project of a super8 film in which i was director, entered in the Revel8 competition as part of the Revelations film festival, Screened at Astor Cinema in Mt Lawley, will post the Youtube link extra.. it was Titled "the Lonely Apple" and in the end had exposure issues, but finishing the project on time and within filming ratio's (only one roll of 3 minutes of film provided) technical challenges of filming in camera edit, all in sequence. a fun project all in all and im my eyes a successful first attempt. Try again next year.

Also I did work experience with Soul Films, Producer Angie Smith, for a Samsung TVC, filming in midland trainyards felt like working on a backlot, and as a grip assistant, I felt I could enjoy that job any time of the week, working with industry professionals showed me the lack of training I feel we recieve in our studies, but did the best we could with the knowledge we had to achieve a successful result, its the last job that defines you so leaving all personal issues at the door work with only your A game for continued success. The final product should be broadcast nationally within the next few months. As a grip working on set we laid dolly tracks, helped to set up a green screen and a pegasus Jib, helped out with Art Department when required and generally tried to be helpful while enjoying ourselves. If that was working in the industry all the time sign me up, but it can't be that good forever right?

Apart from that we had another Pitch session at tafe this time for a 3 minute drama, we chose a friends script and added our own personalities to it, to add depth and new perspectives of the same story, also created small video clips as presentation pieces using editing skills, and photoshop to create a more multimedia presentation. results come out tomorrow to find out whether or not we were successful, knowing my history with the tafe lecturers I do not assume much success, but we had fun trying. Success means the beginning of production for a 3 minute short film, I pitched for our script as an Editor. which is the position I enjoy working in the most.

Anyway cats, you have fun now. Remember its not what you know but who you know that helps you out in the end.

week 12 - give or take

somewhere in the depths of the battleground weary soldiers fought their way across enemy lines to reach a goal... oh wait, its just film school..
I would update more often. but I don't. I've never been good at self advertising.

lately I've learnt about the film industry through Tafe's eyes, though we are not supposed to call it tafe i used to be a student here when it still was called tafe so too bad for you buddy.. I helped out on a short film shoot for the group above us, the Advanced Diploma's, and I found that things ran smoother if the students were allowed to run the shots themselves and not be undermined by lecturers,. some advice is worth being given if it increases the knowledge of the student, difference of instruction perhaps, and ever lecturer has their own way of instructing.

wrote my first film script and will attempt to develop it into something worthy of the pitching process. My second script more is suited to a rock video suggests the scriptwriting lecturer. Both pieces found interesting and that is a good sign.

Working on a short 3 minute Super8 Film with some friends, when that is complete it will be the first project I work on that will screen at a cinema. theme for the festival is Apple a Day, and the project is to film an in camera edit story with no sound, the soundtrack coming from a composing student. leaving the finished product a slightly chaotic outcome.

good things come to those who wait

Not having the internet at home makes updating a blog a difficult process, always forgetting to update in the rush home after lectures. weeks can go past it seems. Over the last few weeks as a group we have been breaking down scripts in the view of a director, describing the overall scene action, seperating the scene into units to help understand instructions to actors, and motives for characters. A difficult process it appears, a lot of misunderstandings and opinions change the same script into different ideas. What one person understands is different to another.
I have attempted in previous years to achieve the same understanding of films breaking down a finished project to understand character motives and plot themes, trying to correctly understand the message of a film just from watching it. This is different, now we attempt to give meaning to a script, to create the message and understanding, to give life to words on paper.
The directors vision, does it match the writers ideal?
does it matter in the end?
probably.
But again I find that I care less for this side of film and television, as my thoughts revolve only around the editing project we are working on in another class. trying to prove myself as a director in directing class seems pointless when my aim is post production, but understanding the content of vision is still important.

when it is complete I will upload it to this blog for perusal.

cheers.

week FOUR plus Media Camp MADNESS

A little behind schedule, but developing nicely none the less, this is week three in the life of a media student. Learning about directing is not quite what I would have expected at first, a lot more about emotional content and making sure each scene tells a story. I've always prefered films of different natures, that don't follow the set structure but instead aimed to tell the story through other ways. Nothing is random is the lesson that we have been taught, whereas I would like to see a random event, like earthquakes or cyclones, that add to the realism of the world, but have no real impact on the story.

Breaking down a script into it's emotive language can be a tricky process, as different people will have different opinions about the same story. Every persons life experience is an indication of their depth of understanding, someone who has not experienced the sorrow of loss will have more difficulty in analysing a scene of the same. Therefore, what a writer imagines with their script, might not neccessily be understood in the correct way by a director, but will still have the ability to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

In other news, also the main reason for the delayed post, we as a class group have spent the last week on a media camp with our peers, from across the arts and media classes, to learn and grow our networks and experiences in an informal setting, with the culmunation being a quickly filmed "gronkfest" short film festival, in camera edit, that everyone participates in. The theme for the festival was "stick" which created a lot of pun's and sticky situations. I ended up directing for my group and chose to try slap-stick comedy of sorts to achieve the goal of the theme. Trying to visualise a scene, without time for pre-production or scripts, does not seem to co-incide with the lessons we have been learning about for directing, the "off the top of my head" senario instead of well thought out and planned action, leaving me to wonder about the nature of a director.

Also as a part of the camp, we were assigned groups for working with the more advanced students on their planned productions later in the year, and participated in a half day production that aimed to film one page from their scripts. Akin to a rehearsal or a block through, I took on the roles of Grip and as Talent. As a learning experience i found that the methods used by the advanced students differ again to those taught to us up to this time. Again mixed messages about the teaching process.

hey you! go and film something.. don't be lazy now y'hear.

WEEK THREE - SHORT FILMS

Round two with the bullet, well supposed to be round three, but like the tortise and the hare the idea is slow and steady wins the race.
Week three in the life of a directing class and this week we discussed short films and why one would make them. Various suggestions were put forward and the main reasons in the end are considered to be: Learning Experience, Building a Profile, Fun, Affordable and as a method to promote/pitch as a feature.
but most importantly:  TO TELL A STORY.

The only short films that I have worked on are projects run though Central Institute of Technology, in Perth W.A., and to be fair they were not of a "Professional" standard, but they are a beginning into a much wider range of experiences and opportunities. Apart from a few short projects that we work on, outside of Central, for fun and to gain greater technical knowledge of equipment and filming techniques.

for an example or two, this link is for a classmates blog who has put up a few video's already.
Travis Davis Blog and Clips

Go check it out, and feel free to comment, and enjoy your day.

Cheers.