The funkie monk

Taking this experimental production class has definitely opened my eyes to new methods in regard to the actual production. But I think the most important thing I took from the class was the experience of filmmaking as a community, as something that is shared among many people. So often in the Hollywood narrative world of film the actual hard work of producing, editing, and actually putting a film together gets lost in the mix behind the names of the stars in the films and the director. But in the world of experimental film, where films are often shown in art houses and microcinemas, everyone participates in an interactive sense, including the audience. I think this type of filmmaking encourages not just young people coming up in the industry to get out and make films, but it encourages everyone; and not for fame and fortune, but for the sake of making them, screening them, and learning about it. And that is what I have taken from this class and will apply to my future study of production and filmmaking. 

Well after our pitch, I’ve realized that we may have spent too much time planning the interactive activity part and not enough time planning and forming a concept for the idea of our actual video. I guess we will just have to brainstorm and meet this weekend to figure out what the main concept is and how we will go about executing it on-screen. 

I am in Nathalie’s group and we are going to be working on the concept of time. We have some cool ideas about possibly having a delayed video feed of the audience so they can see themselves in the past. Also, we want to project the images on large clocks. Those are just some of the ideas, but we will be expanding on that as well. 

Well, Cucalorus was awesome. It was the first film festival I’d ever been to, and I feel very fortunate to have been able to experience that. It’s amazing to see that many people gathered in one general area all for the love of film. The experience was also great because of the intimate, personal atmosphere created by having the filmmakers play an active role at the screenings. Being able to ask them questions and actually see them answer the questions in their own way was really awesome. 

My favorite screening that I attended was one of the shorts blocks that I went to. The “Flesh Jelly Shorts” block. It was perhaps a collection of the weirdest films I’ve ever seen. When they described them as “weird” …well, they weren’t kidding. The first film from that block was “The Quiet Girl’s Guide to Violence.” The actress who played the lead role in the film also co-wrote and produced it out of Austin, TX. The film was very well shot, and although it is extremely violent (a girl attacks people with an aluminum baseball bat), the graphic imagery is left to the mind, as the shots cut write when the bat strikes someone. The only indication that the person was hit was an incredible foleyed sound of the bat hitting someone’s head. I don’t know how it was achieved but it was amazing. But the the way it was shot keeps the audience on edge throughout the film, and there were several times during the screening that everyone jumped a little. The script was also very well-written and although the protagonist is a murderous, vengeful psychopath, the audience is prompted to sympathize with her because of how she was bullied, which is shown in flashbacks. 

The second film from that block was called “Chance.” The mise-en-scene was really cool, and the lighting and the setting made the film much more suspenseful. It seemed like a fog machine was used to make the room look slightly hazy in the light. The acting was also really good. The guy who played the “killer” looked pretty crazy. The concept of a person who goes around killing “do-nothings” was interesting. I’d never really seen that explored on film before. 

The third film, “Tumult”, was really morbid, as there were graphic shots of peoples’ heads being cut off, but the overall tone of the film was comical. The juxtaposition of an ancient war setting with that of a modern tour group was hilarious, and I thought it was very original. The acting was superb and the special effects and cinematography were excellent. There were some amazing shots of the mountainous countryside. 

The last film that played in the block was just amazing. It was called “blackstory” the opening sequence of a five-way split screen was awesome, as a slow reveal shows the aftermath of everything that happens throughout the rest of the film. The acting was great, and the editing was immaculate. The cuts and transitions were awesome, and the split-screen was used in such a cool way to introduce new characters, clue the audience in on what is going to happen next, and create an intense suspense throughout the film. At time the film had a dark comedy aspect to it, as the irony and coincidences that occur throughout it draw laughter, but the content was very violent and graphic.

I really enjoyed that shorts block, and my second favorite screening was “Journey to Planet X.” The film was a documentary about the making of a film called “Planet X.” What made that particular screening so interesting was the fact that the filmmakers were there for a Q&A after it showed, and they were really cool guys. They were great with the questions and hearing their input on the film and the subjects of the film made the film that much better. Also, before that screened Matt Hulse’s film showed, which was about a dog who “hunts” bagels. It was filmed like a nature show on Animal Planet or National Geographic. It was incredibly funny. He was also available afterward for the Q&A. 

Overall, I’d say that experiencing Cucalorus has made me want to attend more festivals. I really like watching films, but the chance to ask the filmmaker about his or her choices is a great way to learn new things about making films and a way to get insight into how to draw inspiration from various places. I can’t wait until next year!!

After doing research for my presentation of the Aurora Picture Show, it has become clear to me how significant microcinemas and film festivals are and the important role they play in showing work that would otherwise not be shown. While today’s media tools are greater than ever, and displaying one’s work is as easy as uploading it to YouTube or Vimeo, the act of showing work to a captive audience is still rare. The ease of putting works out for the public to see has somehow made it more difficult for art to get recognition. The microcinemas and film festivals fulfill that ever-growing role of being a haven for true art film. Without these exhibitions the work of local and foreign filmmakers would be left with YouTube and other media sharing sites as their only venues. This would not only leave artists’ work at the hands of the public, to be shown and distributed with no regard for contribution back to the filmmaker, but it would make it more difficult for true works of art to be distinguished from the growing presence of viral videos. There needs to be an outlet for artists who create their pieces to be appreciated rather than accumulate as many “views” as possible, and the microcinemas and film festivals continue to be that outlet. 

My idea is to focus on the physical and figurative heart. I had life-saving heart surgery when I was born, and I view that as the first major undertaking in my life, even though I don’t really remember it. I want to use visuals of the heart. I will try to get images of echocardiograms, which are like an ultrasound of the heart. But if I can’t do that I will focus on other visuals. Maybe I’ll do some stop motion drawings or something. I plan on using my Canon t3i to get video and stills to use for the project. I want to do a voice over to talk about my life journey, but I’m not quite sure exactly how I will execute that. Either way, the conceptual aspect will revolve are the physical heart, and it’s relevance to the journey my figurative “heart” has made throughout my life.  

     It is interesting to me that Alvin admits the definition of micro-cinema cannot really be in only in relation to the types or “successful” nature of the films being shown, but it can only really be defined by the environment and function of the cinema. For example, as she points out, there are many films that are independent, foreign-made, or unorthodox that are very commercially successful and sell-out multiplexes. However, these films may also show at a micro-cinemas, or even first gain popularity at a micro-cinema. It is important, then, to understand that the function of a micro-cinema is not only to show work that may not otherwise be shown, but also to engage the audience as a community. That is perhaps just as important as the films being shown. The fact that the audiences are small enough to discuss the films after they are viewed, and have an intimate, personal experience with each other is what makes a micro-cinema a preferable substitute for a multiplex. 

I’m not very sure exactly how the music video project will work as far as crew assignments go. However, I do like cinematography and camera operation. I would also like to be involved in the planning the overall concept or theme of the music video, i.e., what we decide to shoot for the music video. After our class discussion in our previous meeting, I am realizing more the difficulty that will come with using the Super-8 cameras. Also, the reading for this week shed new light on what it really means to shoot on film, which I’m not familiar with. That is why I’d love be directly involved with the camera operation, so I can try to wrap my head around on what it means to actually make a film rather than just making video. I also realized the many variables that can cause problems with film development and processing after doing the last project. I realized that one simple mistake in the operation of the camera can ruin a whole day’s work. So that is why I would want to get hands-on experience working with the camera on the music video project, so that I can learn what not to do when working in the field and how to use the equipment correctly. 

In designing the soundscape, I realized that through editing sound it can be easy to provoke certain images in the listeners’ minds by the juxtaposition of the unrelated sounds. By combining and overlapping sounds, as well as applying certain effects to them, it can completely change the meaning of the sounds and the listeners’ interpretation of what they perceive the sounds the be. I also learned how sound can cause listeners to experience a variety of emotions and how it can put people in a very specific mood, such as uncomfortable, scared, happy, sad, etc. Sound has a very unique power, in that by itself, it can paint a vivid mental picture in someone’s mind that is completely separate from the actual sound source. I also learned a lot about the actual nature of sound when we began to speed it up, slow it down, and add effects to it. By experimenting with delay and reverberation and pitch shifting, I developed a better understanding of the way sound waves work. Also, I realized how by manipulating those elements, the sound’s perspective can be changed. For example, by applying a delay and a reverberation effect, a sound that was once very dry and sounds like it is right in front of you suddenly sounds like it’s echoing down a tunnel, hitting a wall and bouncing back through the tunnel. It was also very interesting to play with the speed of a track, and then adjust the pitch so that the overall tonal quality of the sound wasn’t changed, but the imagery associated with it could be changed by the length.

For my second light observation I went to the nature preserve on campus. I sat on the bench on the bridge beside the pond. The pond was reflective, as it was in the middle of the afternoon. The trees from across the pond were easily distinguishable in the water. There were several birds in the trees and there were a few turtles bobbing around in the water. The trees were swaying back and forth in the wind and some leaves were blown out of them onto the pond. The sky was deep blue with very few clouds, and the few clouds that were visible over head were also reflected in the water.