Production Journals

What to do

• Spend the first fifteen minutes of today's lesson updating your production journals
• Your entries should reflect on the filming you carried out last week
• Your entries should also consider the choices you are now making in post-production

REMEMBER - the more detailed your entries, the better. Some key questions to help you write are below:

• What parts of filming were particularly successful and why?
• What parts of filming were difficult/unsuccessful. Why?
• Did you follow your plans during filming (shot lists, storyboards, location lists)? Did you have to alter any of your plans? Why??
• How did you fulfil your individual role during filming (cameraman, editor, scriptwriter, director, talent)?
• What are you responsible for in post-production? How are you working towards completing your film?

Documentary - The Interview

What's On?

The real meat of your documentary will likely be made up of  interviews with "experts" or witnesses" for your subject. So, the success of your film may depend on the success of your interviews. We need to analyse how to FILM a decent interview.






Today's task

• Watch the footage from Super Size Me (Spurlock, 2004) twice
• Answer the following questions

1) What techniques are used to introduce the audience to the interview subject(s)?
2) Is it necessary to hear a question being asked before the interviewee's response on film? Why/why not?
3) Shots - what camera positions and angles tend to be used? Why do you think these choices are made?
4) Movement - what do you notice about the movement of camera during interview filming?
5) What can you say about the positioning of the interview subject within the shot (ie. where are they looking and why?)
6) How long are the subjects' responses to questions? How much information/opinion do they give?
7) What research do you think Spurlock did BEFORE interviewing the subjects here? Be as detailed as possible.

Make sure you note these responses down in your laptop or notebook, and be ready to feedback with the class.

Finally, remember FILMING DAY is this TUESDAY!!! We'll talk in more detail about practical concerns tomorrow.

Documentary - completing preproduction tasks

The story so far...

Moonlight Productions - your production folder shows some thoughtful research, some detail in storyboards and thorough explanations of problems encountered and decisions made. Good. Impressive visual conceptualization of scenes.


Skin - Impressed with your organisation skills and the amount of footage obtained so far. Lots of interviews carried out. You understand that the more footage you obtain, the more choices you will have. A really dynamic group.

Toto - An executive producers dream - meeting all your deadlines, and more. Record keeping is thorough. B-roll obtained so far and the preliminary edits have an entirely professional feel. Keep it up.

Today:

• Each group needs to have submitted their location list by end of play today. We discussed this last week. Ask if you need help.
• Cameraman should be working (with help from Writer) on a detailed shot list. I will talk you through this process.
•  Deadline for this is Friday 12th August - tomorrow!
• Talent/Writer - narration/voice-over
• Researcher/Editor - completing all B-roll footage needed. (You need to include in shot list).
• All - add to your individual journals as ideas, problems, solutions arise

Bits and Bobs

For today:

• Updating your individual production journals (make sure all entries are labelled Production Journal) with details/evaluation of your planning/filming so far on your documentary. I will be checking these today with you!
• Completing and uploading your Tarantino-style scripts. Remind yourself of Pulp Fiction's script by clicking here.
• Feedback on Tarantino research.

Documentary Planning - location, location

What's on?

• lDeciding where you plan to shoot video
• lVisiting sites ahead of time to get a sense of the space
• lPlanning the order in which you will shoot in different locations
• lIdentify what the best shots are in each location 

Main Task

Many of you have already visited locations for filming, taken footage, etc. Great work and well done for planning ahead like that.

• You all need to provide a document containing the list of locations you are shooting in, the order you will shoot in them (including dates you will film/have filmed), and still shots with the name of location. 

• Include locations even if you have already decided to delete them from the final film. I want to know why.

See the example provided to help.

If you can finish today - great. If not - final deadline Thursday 11th August.

Additional tasks:

It is quite possible you will finish this task ahead of time, or it will not require everyone of your group. Here's some other things to work on:

• cameraman/editor - plans types of shots for each location
• talent/writer - scripts any narration, practices voice-over
• researcher - more b-roll, facts, statistics, research on interview subjects

 

Scripting dialogue - Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1994)

What's On?

Establishing HOW and WHY Tarantino shapes the dialogue in the opening of Pulp Fiction.

Scripting and performing a table-reading of your own Tarantinoesque dialogue

Task 1

a) Watch the opening scene of Pulp Fiction.

b) Discuss as a class elements of the film that are striking or interesting (camera, sound, features of dialogue, set/costume, mis-en-scene, editing, etc)


(John Travolta as Vincent Vega and Samuel L Jackson as Jules Winnfield)

c) Watch opening scene again, following with the transcript of dialogue.

d) In pairs, make notes on the following aspects:
i) Who are these people and how does the film let us know?
ii) What is surprising/unexpected about their conversation? Why?
iii) What is NOT surprising or EXPECTED about their conversation? Why?
iv) What parts of their conversation - if any - seem important to move the PLOT forwards?
v) What parts of their conversation do not seem to move the plot forwards? What effects are achieved by including them?

e) Feedback in pairs with another pair, then present findings to class.

Task 2- new pairs

Can you do a Tarantino? Provide an opening scene's dialogue, and try and give it a Tarantino flavour.

Set up:
Two characters (who we will learn are gansters, but not immediately) walking towards a subway. One is carrying an old suitcase. (It doesn't contain guns!) They are initially discussing/gently diagreeing on a topic of your choice: (I include some ideas below)
a) their favourite super hero
b) where to get the best milkshake
c) why Kanye West -  - is better than Radiohead. (or any other musical artists)
d) why one prefers make up, the other not

The key is how to try and make your writing sound natural, fluent, amusing, while at the same time revealing more about the characters (background, personality)  in subtle ways. Not easy. Let's experiment...