Mini FMP - Interpreting a Script
Pre-Production
We were given a screenplay that does not make narrative sense and told to interpret it how we see fit, As I am in a group of four, we read it and decided on a genre following the tone we could picture on screen.
Imagining the character and their reaction toward circumstances presented from the screenplay, such as 'the Face staring directly into the lens' coupled with the dialogue 'You want me to kill him?' had me think of a game character called 'Hitman'. This character is cold-hearted and unemotional, which suits his job as an assassin. I imagined the character 'Face' to have a similar occupation and manner. Because we decided on this approach, the tone seemed dark and moody, thus the genre thriller was chosen. Thrillers can be unconventional and rely more on tone without obvious scare tactics. Horror films such as Saw and Insidious use obvious jump scares to jolt the viewer which we didn't feel was appropriate for this script.
Shutter Island' is an effective thriller because of the continuous unsettling mood caused by dark, muted colours and complex characters. I think muted colours will provide us with the dark tone we are looking for thus suiting our choice of a thriller. I will try these ideas in post-production.
Crew Roles
For our individual roles during production, we decided to have three of us operate cameras in order to maximize the amount of creative shots. There won't be only one director as we feel we can all pitch in our ideas during production.
For props, the only needed equipment we need is a purse, phone and mirror, and decided on our group member Sara to bring a purse and mirror and to use Karla's phone as it loads quick and is easy to use.
For location, we were thinking of using the college studio as it has easy access to lighting and is a large open space instead of a classroom which would have chairs and tables obstructing and limiting our space. We are also thinking of filming in a building we have used before on college campus, which is sophisticated as rooms have large windows and curtains as well as a large floor plan which can be used for different placement of characters and lighting. However, this needs booking in advance and is used frequently therefore we must decide our exact times to film.
Our other location we have chosen for an outdoor scene is a park with streetlights and benches. We wanted streetlights for our character to run by at night to create dark tone and display a sense of claustrophobia with night surrounding them.
Cinematography Inspiration
I was inspired by the Tv show 'Bates Motel' for our film. The show uses many thriller conventions such as being shot in the rain or at night adding an heir of mystery. I am aware that filming at night may not be an option as we are only at college during day. Other film conventions the show uses to communicate an ominous atmosphere is the cinematography presenting the isolation of the main character 'Norman'.
Different directors direct throughout the show, however Tucker Gates recurs in season one and many of his shots display Norman's isolation and insanity. For example, a close up of Norman's face as he ponders a dark thought, displayed by his acting, causes the viewer to realise his insanity as the close, centre full screen has the eye entranced. I plan to use this to display a similar level of characterisation with our own character. I am also aware acting has a major impact on selling a character and conveying this could be difficult as we are not professionals. However, I believe the scale of an image can be impactful nonetheless.
The long shot underneath was chosen to also display Norman's feeling of isolation as he is scaled small on a wide open road. This displays his powerlessness as the road swallows and surrounds him. I would like to recreate this shot, having my actor scaled in this way to show her vulnerability. I plan to use this when she is running outside and film from afar.
This same closeup breaks the fourth wall by staring directly at the camera.
There is an added heir of creepiness because it's as if he is aware of your existence, thus jolting the viewer from their safety behind the camera. I think this is a very effective tool as it engages the viewer and creates intimacy where we are usually merely an observer. I would like to try this technique with our film implementing where it seems most effective.
Editing Inspiration
'Nocturnal Animals' edited by Joan Sobel is inspiration for my editing style. The timeline of Nocturnal Animals is disorienting and ambiguous. It bounces to and from reality and the characters imagination, abruptly starting a scene mid action effectively shocking the viewer. This was a powerful technique used by Joan Sobel that I plan to imitate in order to receive a similar reaction by my audience.
The neutral tones used throughout the film were emphasized by Sobel's choice to minimize light intake and highlights which restrained the color palette. Because of this, bright colors were easily recognizable with meaningful appearances. For example, the actors hair is a stark red, contrasting her environment, accentuating her characters importance.
This has influenced my decision to style my edit with muted colors, drawing importance to objects with a strong contrast.
This week we discussed our script and decided on the narrative structure we plan to use. At first the narrative of the script was difficult to understand as it seemed to be non linear, however after discussing it through numerous times within our group, we came to the conclusion we would keep it in order without changing placement.
This was because the time markers we were
given ( Then, Now...) we thought matched within that order.
Following this, we decided on an actor (Ilan) and the shots she would be in. This helped us envision how the script would transfer on screen as we could rehearse and simulate the camera shots and movement.
Further through the week we produced a shot list and storyboard to prepare for our production.
Shot List
We created a shot list for one of our more complicated scenes to help during production and make shooting more efficient. A shot list can be useful as positioning and camera angles are thought through before-hand therefore we can follow this and save time without having to decide during production.
However, it was a little difficult to anticipate positioning of the camera and actor as we have not yet visited our location. This may inrease filming time during production and we might not be able to follow it exactly.
Pre - Production Planning
We storyboarded a few scenes to picture the scene unfold and the camera angles we plan to use. This was useful for transferring our thoughts on paper and giving us a realistic outlook for each scene.
We also planned shots, direction and editing on the script we were given. This helped us visualise the outcome as we discussed each part and how we wanted our character to be portrayed on screen.
We discussed our script and shots we intend to use. This was useful as everyone had different ideas and we could anticipate the outcome by picturing each scene.
Filming
- Week 2 -
We collected equipment needed for filming and headed to Spring Grove House hoping we could find a room available as we didn't book in advance. Luckily, there was a large room with a conference table centered in the middle which was needed for one of our scenes.
Luckily for us there was a DSLR camera available, we didn't book it in advance which could have presented us with problems. The DSLR was needed as shots we plan to use require depth of field.
The conference table emitted a soft brown glow throughout the room, I wanted to use this colour effectively by arranging it in shot and have it reflect off the actor. This would produce a fluid darkness on the actors face, whereas a harsh bright colour would disturb the atmosphere we are aiming for. In my edit I plan to imitate 'Bates Motel' colour theory by muting colours and dulling light emission. Black has connotations of mystery and evil, therefore this colour choice is most effective.
We set up our equipment and tested lighting and shadows changing aperture and ISO before we started filming. This was helpful to capture shots efficiently without wasting storage on our SD card.
We found it was rather dark on camera, therefore had to increase our ISO just enough to see the actor but still keep a dark mood.
To create a cast of shadow on our actor, we placed her against the source of light, a large window on one side of the room and an LED light.
There were curtains attached to the window creating a potential use for light manipulation, however there was an obstruction and could not be pulled shut. We still used the curtains to our advantage by holding one side over the window while the other was filming, creating depth by controlling the light and dark cast into the room from sunlight.
Realising the actor can't be wearing the same clothing in every scene, we decided to have her wear Sara's coat as it would give the impression of a movement in time.
We planned to have our actor lay upside for a more dynamic shot, however as there was no sofa for our actor to lay upside down, we changed our scene to have her sitting on a chair, looking out the window. Although this wasn't as interesting, both me and Sara investigated different angles to create a more intriguing mis en scene that engages the viewer. Instead of producing a flat image level with the character, we tried using film conventions such as 3 dimensional composition and angles to display emotion of the character.
Sound Design
To create tension and suspense we used sounds like wind and accelerated footsteps. I would also like to add ambient music underneath the action to emphasise the unruly atmosphere and hold the interest of the viewer.
Most films require music to elicit an emotional response, where the absence can be boring and vastly change the perception of the scene. Equally important, the genre or tone of music chosen has the same effect and must be thought through depending on the reaction and mood looking to be accomplished.
With this in mind, I am aiming to follow the 'thriller' genre as well as incorporating stylistic conventions from Film Noir, slow with a suggestive tone of untrustworthiness, ultimately directing the viewer to question the intentions of the character.
Post - Production
- Week 3 -
This week I focused on editing our footage and filtering through shots that weren't needed. I began following the original script, however I wanted to separate the close up shots and have her character revealed gradually, thus enticing the viewer. I remained with the fluidity between them by sequencing each close up expression to suggest the same actor.
I also applied the colour theory I researched, desaturating each shot and adding shadow to implicate mystery. I did not fully like this on its own, believing it was not powerful enough and required a more definitive style. Therefore, I applied an understated vignette to some shots in order to enhance a creepy atmosphere.
I searched for suitable music aiming for a slow and progressive beat mimicking Film Noir and maintaining the similar perception of a Femme Fatale. The piece I am looking for is classical instrumental coinciding with the tempo and beat of Mis en Scene action. I will do further research into instrumental artists to find the ideal piece.
- Final Product -
I believe our final film was successful, I achieved the moody atmosphere I intended and the cold-hearted portrayal of the character. This was carried out by the emotionless acting from Karla with the cinematography enhancing this, the slow progressive edit, and the dark constricting colour I produced.
The first scene displayed is an extreme close-up which lasts only 3 seconds. I chose this intentionally to intimidate and display the importance of the character to the audience. The blank stare provides insight into the overall tone the film will acquire and the set up of the character. The audience already has a predisposed idea of the mannerisms and emotion of this character as she looks straight through the camera without a display of emotion.
I inserted a 9 second pan down establishing shot to slow the pace and follow the rhythm of music, subsequently creating a moment to question the story and intrigue the audience. I think the shot successfully carried this out, although I was previously unsure if it was too long and not grab the viewers attention. This shot was particularly important and one that I liked. The religious imagery contrasts the violence of the character making it justifiable as if she has done this for God.
I created fluidity by connecting low angle shots from 0.3 to 0.17. I wanted a sense of claustrophobia to the film's reality unlike the Social Realism genre where many shots imitate real life. By using creative angles which are practised by abstract films, I made a clear distinction of the fiction on screen. I think this recognisable separation creates a platform of many potential possibilities the viewer can imagine. We filmed many shots that maintained this formalist approach, 0.33 was meticulously engineered to reflect our actor in the mirror while also continuing the pattern of low angles. This shot was similar to the Bates Motel close up I wanted to remake which involved breaking the fourth wall, however to create a dynamic and personalised shot, we translated this with a reflection.
I excluded the voice-overs meant to appear at 0.18 and 1.14. One was supposed to say "yeah" in response to our character, the other was: "without trust there's nothing". I decided not to use them because the audio quality was bad and I felt it would interrupt the serious flow of the music and film. It would also draw attention the amateur production and create a comedic element which is not what I was going for. However, 0.22 to 0.29 seemed professionally structured as the camera motion tracked Karla's movement smoothly, it also edited well with the music which creating a sinister tone to her character. I wanted to separate the recurrent shots of the actor and the blatant expectation of her reaction or expression, so at 0.43 to 0.49 I tracked her legs moving toward the chair, this transitioned nicely into the next shot where she is sitting at the table.
Some shots were not how we originally planned and we could not follow the shot list I created as there was no sofa to carry out the upside - down shot we wanted. However, the room we filmed in was still inspiring and we could use other points of interest such as the large table. I think even though we couldn't use the upside-down angle, the result still effectively carried out the intimidating tone we were looking for as the character walks with purpose toward the camera while delivering the lines dispassionately and almost accusatory.
At 1.01 I added audio of a squeaking door taken from behind the scenes footage of us entering Spring Grove House. I wanted this transition between scenes to be interesting and stimulate the imagination as the sound of a door is subjective and could suggest danger, instead of a plain black screen.
I wasn't too happy with the running montage shown at 1.04 to 1.12 because there was loud ambient noise and the colour of each shot was too blue. I could have added more shots as we filmed many that could have been embedded and prolong the suspense of the character supposedly being chased. However, I do think the few shots I edited together flowed well and were seamless. The location we chose in the end was on college campus instead of our planned filming at night. Realistically, we wouldn't film at night because we are never at college during this time. This location was a last minute choice and evidently wasn't the best since there was non stop noise from planes, wind and machinery. In my edit, I tried to lessen these interruptions, however I needed to add a little bit for uneasiness and footsteps. The overall sound quality of many shots were slightly static and did not have the full depth I wanted, despite this though I don't think lip syncing would have worked any better and would ultimately be disadvantageous to our production quality.
Feedback I received regarding the soundtrack was that it was too long and should have been cut in some scenes to display a change in time or mood. In hindsight, I agree with this. It seemed too continuous despite the narrative change occurring around the character, making the measurement of time difficult for the viewer to understand. I intended for the coda at the end of the film to end on a high note utilising the music to indicate a further continuation to the story.
Overall, I think there were some amateur production qualities but the mood I was aiming for was conveyed how I intended. I will take on the feedback of interchanging the soundtrack so it doesn't become boring and plan locations more realistically and scout them before-hand. I think with the resources we had, audio quality became an issue, however the camera we chose was professional and this was displayed well with the cinematography me and Sara executed.