Scripted one shot - Directors reflection

NAME: Jase Van Meeteren

DATE: November 7, 2016

FILM: Scripted one shot

DP: Josh Allen

TMA 285 DIRECTOR’S REFLECTION

Reflect on how your film turned out. Have the courage to evaluate your work not only with a self-congratulatory eye, but also with a critical eye. Step back; pretend the film wasn't made by you. Be exacting. Be demanding. Don't let yourself off the hook. Be completely honest about your performance.

- Turn in a hard copy of this statement the next class session after your film screens

- Upload the statement to Learning Suite the day after your film screens

- Post this to your blog with your film the day after your film screens

Overall response (2-3 paragraphs):

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

I wanted to make the film super ambiguous and strange. As I read the script that’s what the main character felt like to me and the ambiguity and thoughtfulness of the film seemed very important. It seemed like the writer always wanted the viewer to draw their own conclusions about what was happening on screen. I wanted to make it seem more suspenseful. I think there were parts that were suspenseful but I also think there were a few important parts that just seemed a little jarring.

            I’m pretty proud of the way things are blocked out. I think the actors, spacing, and camera movements looked pretty cool. I especially liked the fight portion. If I could redo it. I think I would have a car shining through the gate at the beginning, this would at least establish the clippers in his hands and it might make it creepier. I would also get Josh to use something more stable. That took me out of it for a lot of the scene.

I learned how hard it is to get a one take just right. I also learned that I really need to stop settling. If there is something that bothers me I should correct it and try again. I think expecting more of the people you work with not only helps the film, but it really helps them to focus more on what they are doing. I think that goes along with what you were saying about being in the moment. If we are really present in what we are shooting it will look a lot better and we will be more proud of what we do.

Briefly answer the following:

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

I wanted to show how strange and manipulative Louis was, while being really ambiguous and mysterious about what exactly was happening in the scene. I think I was successful at showing how crazy Louis was. Kyler did a really great job with his face at showing how he was actually feeling and I feel like the camera caught him at those key moments to see those emotions. I think it was pretty ambiguous too. A lot of it had to do with the writing, but I think there was just enough information expressed, but still a lot of mystery in what was happening. I just think the execution could have been tightened up a little.

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

I tried to keep everything pretty dark. The only time when we would focus on Kyler’s face was very key moments when we needed to see how he was feeling instead of just hearing it in his voice. I also didn’t want to see the guards face and tried to brighten up the watch to show where Kyler’s focus was. Kyler just wanted the watch from the guard and nothing else.

What did you learn about storytelling:

I learned that when you are trying to tell a story visually, literally every thing we see on screen is heightened in purpose. For example, I feel like the dialog in this scene is important because you need to contrast it with the images. The images show how the characters are really feeling. But, because it’s so important to get the audience to pay attention, things like the watch, or James’ sleeve, or other bumps in the visuals made a lot more of an impression than I wanted them to. I need to be better at being extra picky about what I am showing on screen.

Working with actors and getting performance:

It was really interesting working with someone who is more of a professional actor like Kyler, and then someone who is definitely not a professional actor, like James. I learned that with a trained actor, the tactics I have to use as a director a lot more loose. I can, and honestly should, allow him to make decisions for his character because then his performance becomes more realistic. With James, I had to be a little more specific about things I wanted. The performance seemed to get better as I got him to be more specific with his movements and got him to do things with his hands.

Blocking — camera and actors:

I learned that positioning on camera looks a lot further apart than it does in real life. I tried to get Kyler as close as possible to James so the camera would be able to fit them in a two shot. Honestly in real life I thought it looked super strange, but on camera I thought their spacing was nice. I learned edging on the side of closer together seems to be good for the camera. Obviously this changes according to lens length, but since we were on a wide lens (a 24mm) they seemed a lot farther apart.

Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements:

I learned how fickle each element is. If one thing isn’t working, that’s what everyone focuses on. I still like the way I used light and dark in the frame. I also like the way the watch contrasts with everything. I did learn that it is a lot better to commit to a composition rather than keep moving. Like I should have kept on the over the shoulder for a little longer, then on the two shot for a little longer. Things like that give each framing more purpose I think.

Design & Art Direction:  

This was one of the most art heavy pieces I’ve done, which is weird because there honestly wasn’t that much art to do. I learned that it’s actually pretty easy to make something stand out in a frame. The watch stood out really really well. All I had to do was make it light up, and an opposite color to what the rest of the screen is. This is something really cool I learned because I can emphasize certain things really well in a scene. However, I also learned that this can be taken too far really easy as well. If something is too bright or too out of place, it becomes distracting instead of conducive to a story.

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

I learned how delicate it is, especially in a one shot, to coordinate everyone’s movements. It was really hard at the beginning to find a place for Howie to move around with the boom. It was also hard to get the camera in a place where it could see what it needed to see while also staying out of the way of the actors. It all turns into this interesting dance of everyone trying to get into the right spot. It was a good learning experience though, making sure you couldn’t see anyone in shadows, reflections etcetera.

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?  

Every time I watch something with people I feel like all of my mistakes are put under a microscope. I learned how important it is to look at your film like that before it screens. Even before shooting is over. If I was to look at my film in that way during production, I would have been a lot more careful with my mistakes. I think for the most part they understood what I was trying to do with the ambiguity of the scene, but they misunderstood the purpose of a few things. I think they responded the way they did because there were a few things too apparent in the frame. The watch became especially distracting because of how bright it was.

Other observations:

I really liked this assignment. There were tons of things to learn especially about planning for this because it was a one shot. A bunch of information had to be communicated in one take and it was fun trying to figure out what to show and how to show it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kV-22A5IOY