6 Nominees...Who Will Win Best Project?

Is it over? Really? It feels like we just started! Gosh, we learned a lot in such a SHORT period of time! I loved all of the projects, but I think the one that I enjoyed the most was the video race. I did not like having to come up with footage from an ‘un-camera’ named tool, but I really liked piecing together all of the parts in final cut. It was pretty stressful though, what with the 3D and the animation due and the editing project for 331 and then on top of that, put a new project that has to be completed in 48 hours. This was like a ‘lord of the flies’ day times 3. But I will say that Gabby's lecture on sound really helped me out! We had to come up with an idea, shoot it, import it and then make something presentable out of it. It was hard finding footage, but I luckily already had footage on my phone from when it snowed last and I just recorded some other random things from around. I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but once I got into final cut and found some audio that I recorded, it just seemed to all fit into place. That was nice. I was going for the general theme of apartment life- the dogs barking, the babies crying, and the general lack of peace. I also enjoyed the final screening of both of the classes’ final projects. A great way to incorporate us and to show each other our hard work. It was a really nice ending to a fast-paced semester.  Bravo Silvas, thank you for a very instructive and well-rounded 4 weeks.

‘See you in another life Brother'

-Desmond Hume LOST

3D anaglyph

The 3D anaglyph shoot was a bit tougher then I had anticipated. Not only were the cardboard sets troublesome to mold into what we needed, but the story-line itself had to be changed a few times. We had drawn ‘slapstick comedy’ with ‘foreign’ and ‘crime drama’ as our sub genres. We went with our initial idea, and I think it will work (I hope). We ended up having to shoot our video a second time because I guess I wasn’t paying attention and one of the cameras wasn’t recording. I felt so bad after all of that work and I didn’t think to check both of the cameras after we shot. (I don’t know why, that really isn’t like me at all). It worked out in the end though because during the second shoot, Ethan and Palmer joined us as extras.

 We had a relatively simple set, especially when you consider the lavish set of some of the other groups that I saw, but I we were trying to make that play into our ‘slapstick’ theme. Now that the sequence has been shot and loaded onto the computer, I feel much better. I don’t think it will be too bad adding sound, but the problematic area will be AfterEffects. I will be working with Max to composite our video, and he says he’s good in the program, so I’m hoping that we will turn out a good video. I’m pretty excited to see how everything turns out, I am just ready for the end of the semester-SO MUCH STUFF TO DO! Film Boot Camp is wearing me down!

Theatre in the Rough

In my Intro to Editing class this semester, one of our assignments is to create a found footage video that carries with it a certain message or meaning. This is almost exactly what was being said in the article. We are taking someone else’s work and manipulating it in a way to create new meaning and depth. Isn’t that what editing is anyways? I’ve always found videos like Aaron Valdez’s (an experimental filmmaker that was shown to us in editing class) to be intellectual and meaningful. He pokes fun at celebrities or brings up certain global issues in a humorous manner. No matter what he does, he does it in a way that makes the audience sit back and really think about the meanings behind his films. For this assignment, in my editing class, may partner and I are tentatively going to manipulate found footage and images to convey the evolution of vampires and how widely accepted they are in today’s society…even found appealing… I think we are going to use some things like Nosferatu, Buffy, and maybe even Twighlight (much to my avoidance).

After reading this article, I feel like I am better prepared because I understand what goes on in the mind of someone who’s attempting to spread a message through found footage. It think it will be a good learning experience for us to say something profound with something we found. This is just another addition to the drills and assignments that will lead all of us towards a brighter path in filmmaking. It’s Film Boot Camp (Summer Session 2011).

PS. That’s what I am now referring to this semester as…

The 'Long Take'

I will have to admit that I was very skeptical that my group and I could produce a 1 minute film from a Bolex camera in one day. When this assignment was presented in class and it was said that it was going to be like a ‘lord of the flies’ type day where we would be asked to fend for ourselves and block, shoot, develop and transfer a film in 4 hours, I was nervous. Once the day of the so titled Long Take came, I was even more nervous then before because I showed up to class and we all immediately began working. I was in group 4, so we ended up having to go out first and help group 2 with their blocking and shooting.  

They ended up using Ethan as an extra and after about 20 minutes of blocking and planning, they had it timed perfectly. Once they shot, we were able to go with them to the dark room and watch them develop their film. That was cool for two reasons, first was because we got to watch to see exactly how to do it before we did it (in case they screwed up, we wouldn’t) and second because it was awesome to see their film images appear onto the strip. Now, I’ve take photography class before in high school and I’ve gotten to see photos hand-processed before, but this was cooler because the images actually came out! In my photography class, I always over exposed the paper, or something happened (user error) in the aperture or shutter speed settings.

When my group and I went out to film, I was the camera person, so I held the Bolex (heavier than it may appear) and tried my best to follow the directions and blocking. It was difficult because we were having the camera as a POV of a stalker and I had to make sure that it looked perfectly. It’s so hard when there is only one chance to get it right and only one chance not screw it up. While we were filming, I could tell that it was going to be good because, I don’t know how (by the grace of god or whoever), but it was the best version of all the run throughs that we had—thank goodness that it was a live take.

During the developing process, I kept having flashbacks of my photography class days where my pictures would come out black, or with no image at all. Luckily, after seeing the dried negative on the projector, it was awesome… The frames flicker a little and I think that was from the camera, but I think it works with what we were doing. It is going to be awesome!

So, all in all, the day turned out to be so much better then I had anticipated. I wish that we had more days to play around with the cameras and then get the immediate gratification of seeing all of our sweat and frustration out on the film. It was a great day!