VISIONS 2014 Film Conference

At the 2014 UNCW VISIONS Film Festival and Conference, I attended the one hour Video Race screening and the first Film Block, as well as some of the discussion section afterward. This was the first official film conference I had ever been to, and I realized soon that it was something I intend to attend a lot more.

            The one hour Video Race screening was silly and fun; while the audio was turned up a bit too loud in the theater, causing the air and birds and hands near the on-board camera microphone sound to blast into the large room, there were several solidly creative interpretations for their parameters. They were all based on the Mad Lib writings they had made, and one noteworthy minute film that comes to my mind typing this here was the one in which the group members in the shot did not say anything; they rather acted out or did things according to the Mad Lib, without speaking, which was funny and interesting to watch.

            The First Film block was particularly great to attend. The notable films that stick out to me are “Win or Lose” and “Caught.” Win or Lose was about North Carolina’s vote for Amendment One, which would outlaw same-sex marriage in the state. A gay professional family photographer ended up becoming a huge part of the Vote Against movement, and he took hundreds or mayhaps even thousands of photos of people of every background and walk of life wearing a Vote Against shirt. In the Q&A afterward, we found out that the director from Elon, seated at the front of the theater, had over 200 hours (or was it 200 GB?) of footage from the filming of that documentary. Caught was a very funny and energetic look at how teachers and authority in school treat things like Pokemon cards, and that got a lot of laughter in the theater. The makers of that film were based out of NYU and not there, but the Q&A did provide the interesting experience of meeting the directors and producers and heads of these films we had just seen. Impressive animation and cinematography was also present in the films, and the documentary about the end of 35mm projection was particularly interesting, as I’m friends with the current Head Projectionist in Lumina theater.  VISIONS was a great experience, and I intend to go next school year as well, and perhaps even show something there.

Blog 11 - Wild Card position

For the Wild Card final project in this FST201 class, I have the role of Sound designer. So far, members of our group have met up to discuss the story idea itself, as we are going with a Narrative-Experimental hybrid. Troy drew out some storyboards in collaboration with Kendrick, and Michael and I have met up to write out the script, which we did two days ago Now.

As the Sound Designer, I plan to get more practice in with the recording of sound, using H4N's and other mixers, and getting used to the equipment, etc. Some in our group have mentioned the possibility of recording most of the dialogue audio with ADR, and that would be very interesting to try; it will be a learning experience if we do so, and doing so would further our future abilities in film making!

Because of the creative and experimental nature of our short film, recording sound will be a bit unconventional, with the "trippy" and dream-like story elements. I intend to do all of these things and get better with them.

Blog 10 - Editing the Soundscape 3B

Editing the Soundscape 3B was a great experience, and a different one as well; I was the main editor for Assignment 3 in my group, and at first we weren't entirely sure how it was we wanted to go about editing together all the many different sound clips at our disposal. I made sure to ask for creative input from Brandon and Adrienne, as well as Jacob, but I ended up editing and arranging most of it into its final composition.

The idea of different sounds theming together was reinforced for me, and as I edited further and we got momentum going along for the Soundscape, it became apparent that using fewer sounds was sometimes necessary to maintain the theme that we were creating. And so we created.

Blog 9 - Sound Recording

Working on the Sound 3A project, I was reminded of how much we can do with little resources. Jacob in our group had his own sound equipment, using an H4N and his own larger shotgun microphone, and he and I gathered with Adrienne and Brandon to record sound in the Edit Lab. We essentially had already thought of several sound ideas in the class before that toward the end of it, as well as on the Facebook group page we made for the project. Adrienne had compiled a list of all the requirements for the different types of sounds required, and she wrote down many of them under each category. We then proceeded to record several of them, like typing on a keyboard, laughter, wheels rolling, footsteps, spinning a coin, etc.

I was reminded of how amazing sound can be; of course, music can be an incredible artistic entity of its own, but through this assignment I was reminded of how sound can create visual poetry, the way we did; different sounds can tie into different themes together. I was also reminded of how great a sound recording session and library can go with little to o budget; many sounds can also resemble the sound something else would make, like a slamming fist on a table resembling a gunshot, a soda can opening resembling a flashlight/lightswitch turning on, etc. Especially when the editing process begins, the possibilities are even more open. Simply reversing piano pieces and a long, drawn out chord can make for ambient greatness.

Editing the Master Shot Project

Because of our shooting conditions, editing the Master Shot short film wasn't very difficult except for the sound. Our director decided on a story that would take place outside and in a street in a city, so we ended up filming our short film chained to the "Bran and Park script" by the Boardwalk in downtown Wilmington. On the specific day we filmed, there was a St. Patrick's Day parade going on, and it was windy. So we constantly stopped to let cars pass by, and the wind was constantly affecting the audio quality. Otherwise things went well, and during the edit we got a rough cut done as soon as just a few days after the filming. Because the rough cut was done so early, we were securely able to make our own tweaks to the pacing and trimming of the clips, and while synching the audio was one of the more time-consuming parts, it was handled in a good amount of time. After that we trimmed things around some more and were ready.

Preparing Pre-vis Materials

For my role in the preparation of pre-visualization materials, I was assigned by the designated director to draw the storyboard. I have a decent bit of drawing experience, but fitting the subjects I drew to match the proportions ascribed by the certain types of shots (such as Medium Long shots, Close-ups, etc.) was a bit tricky at first. I also realized that, in order to save some time and not have to constantly re-draw similar frames, I could just use one storyboard shot for 2 or more of the same shot, such as for shot-reverse-shot and over-the-shoulder scenarios. The other pre-vis materials, such as the Overhead list, the shot list and other things, were all somewhat dependent on the Storyboard, which itself is dependent in most cases on the shooting script. So it's better to have that finished soon.

Master Shot Sequence - ideas for my role

For the Master Shot sequence, we have all more or less collaborated on what the scene’s story will be like. The assigned director had the idea of our scene ending with us preparing for a robbery, as we put on ski masks and pull out weapons (which may either be guns or baseball bats, the latter of which I think is less cheesy for a short film) and walk into a store or bank. I’ve been assigned the role of Producer in this short film, and so I will help manage the availability of what we can film and when. I’ve also been assigned the role of drawing the storyboard shots, and those have been interesting to sketch out and really help with visualizing what will be happening. Much of what we do when setting up the camera will visually be referencing the storyboard, so it’s important and convenient to make one.

Reflecting on the Vox Pops and Interview

When our group filmed our vox pops and B-roll footage on location yesterday, we learned more about how we should go about our street interviews.

We are making our short documentary about the Cotton Exchange shopping area downtown, an old and historic building that houses a maze of locally-owned shops in a tight community.

Our first vox pop was with a man on the street with us, and he happened to be just outside the building and knew people that worked there, so he proved a valuable interview. However, as I approached a few other people on the street for quick vox pop interviews, I realized that many of the random passersby may not know enough about the Cotton Exchange to help us with our project. So I decided that I would ask random citizens if they're familiar with the Cotton Exchange before asking for their interview.

As we were filming B-roll footage of the area's interior, I decided to try some of the shop owners for vox pops. Some of them didn't want to be on camera at all, but at least half of the shop owners were very willing to do a vox pop with us. I discovered that the shop owners were perfect for vox pops about the area, because they innately know a good deal about the Cotton Exchange and they all have interesting stories or experiences with the area that makes for good documentary material.

We were left with a few very good vox pops from shop owners and one good street vox pop, and we decided we needed a few more from pedestrians. So we eventually found a father and his daughter, the former of which was very enthusiastic about the area. We did a vox pop with him, and he told us stories about growing up there and why he loves the place.

It was a very successful shooting day after we adjusted to the precautions for and the advantages of the location.

Short Documentary Production Schedule

Our shooting schedule one is a relatively simple one for a relatively simple film, but there were some changes in plan along the way of preproduction. We originally intended to interview a staff member from the Black Cat Shoppe, and we had written the questions for her and planned out some B-roll shots. But because the Black Cat Shoppe was in the process of opening another store in early February, they were very busy and unable to follow through with the interview.

Because of this, we needed to quickly find someone else to interview and a location as well. After we each contacted a few people, Victoria was able to arrange an interview with a staff member in the Cotton Exchange shopping area in downtown Wilmington.

The new production schedule is as follows:

-On Wednesday, February 19 we drove to the Cotton Exchange downtown with our equipment and we filmed the majority of the B-roll and vox pop footage. After setting up the camera and audio equipment we filmed various B-roll shots of the exterior of the building and the surrounding area, and we filmed most of our vox pops. We discovered after a few street interviews that some of the people might not know enough about the location for what we need, so we decided to ask people on the street what they know about the Cotton Exchange before asking for their interview. We also decided to get vox pops from employees in the shops there, as they were guaranteed to know a good deal about the area. This idea proved very effective for what we sought.

-On Saturday, February 22 we will interview our contact in the Cotton Exchange downtown at 12 noon. We will have questions ready and be prepared to set up for the filming.

-We may also film some additional B-roll or vox pop footage on Saturday as we see fit, but we will film most of all of that on Wednesday.

Documentary Interview Plan

We will interview a staff member from the Black Cat Shoppe in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. We have yet to fully decide where we will shoot the interview, as that mostly has to do with the interview subject. We may just end up filming the interview in one of the offices of the store itself, as that way we might be able to see more of the shop in the background. Our tone is likely going to be an informative one for the public; making the viewer aware of the very interesting shop in focus and its history. This shop is of a unique kind and has an interesting story to tell.

1) What is the origin story of the Black Cat Shoppe that the public should know about?

2) What made you interested in writing "Ghosts of Old Wilmington?"

3) On your website it says you began selling merchandise from the back of your car years ago. How was this successful enough to lead to a store offering space for you?

4) What should we know about the Wizard on Saturday?

5) How does your fortune teller go about predicting people's futures?

6) How do you make your own merchandise and put it on the shelves?

7) How long have you been putting on your tours, and where did you do the research for their information?

8) What is your favorite tour to guide?

9) How has it been operating in the city of Wilmington? Any comments on its people, its location?

10) Do you have any goals for the future years of the Black Cat Shoppe?

Our vox pops will likely be in the streets around the Black Cat Shoppe. Here are some questions we may ask local passersby:

1) What can you tell us about the Black Cat Shoppe?

2) Have you or someone you know been through one of its tours?

3) Why do you go there when you do?

Light Observation 2

This parking lot tonight is lit by streetlights of orange and blue shades. The lighting is harder, and the shadows of the naked winter tree limbs are clearly defined on the surfaces of the cars. The faces of passersby are rigidly composed of either light or shadow, and the areas beneath the light posts seem overexposed, with a brightness that seems a bit alien to its surroundings. Because of the numerous light sources, some objects cast multiple shadows in that many directions, and the shadows there are sharper or softer depending on the distance between the light and the object.

Light Observation 1

My room on campus gets a lot of sunlight, for which I often leave my blinds open. Today it is especially adequately lit without electronics because of the sunlight and the light reflecting off the snow. The illumination is white and crisp and very soft. Shadows fade into darkness gradually, and despite the blinds there is no pattern to the light. The texture of a pair of leather gloves is sharp and pronounced, and the wrinkles and surface details of the paper in my sheet music (facing perpendicular to the window) is easily seen. The lighting is quiet and clear.

Week 1 - Filmmaker's Statement

Film Experience

When I was getting into movies, I started to use my grandfather’s tape video camera whenever we would visit them at their lake house. I at first recorded my siblings on the raft from the back of the boat pulling it, and eventually started piecing these clips together with Movie Maker, then Roxio, and other horrible editing software slightly better than before. I started to also film our daily activities in the house, and I burned these half-hour documentary-style movies onto DVDs and showed them to the family at the end of the visit. I began to use cinematography and editing styles I had seen in recent favorite films of mine as I went on.

I was also in the class that did the morning announcements in my senior year of high school. Our school allowed for short comedic sketches to go along with the show each morning, and in this class I became very experienced in Final Cut Pro 7 and Adobe Premiere Pro later. I became very familiar with deadline pressures, fixing tech-errors, writing shorts with other people, and some acting as well. We aired (usually) funny news shows to 2,400 people every morning, and it was an amazing time.

What I Want to Learn

The most important thing I’ll learn more of in this course is how to work in a creative team. In my filming experiences with others, I’ve found that it may sometimes feel as though the rest of the group is heading in a direction that you entirely dislike, especially if most of your input isn’t used. But after letting go of your particular desires, you may find that the direction the group is going in is still filled with potential, some of which you can realize. I want to get used to working with other filmmakers in this course.

10 Years Down the Road

I want to write and direct my own films in this world. I would also love to be an editor and perhaps a visual effects designer or animator, and I would also love to become a director of photography once I learn much more about that trade, but these paths would only be for a time. At the core of my future, I intend to be writing and developing my own pieces of cinematic storytelling for the world to experience.

Something About Me

I have a very artistic and philosophical nature, and I’ve been keeping a journal in which I record each day’s main events in my life for a few years now. I started in January of 2011 with a few bullet points about the literal events of each day, and over time my journal grew to entrees of at least a page in length in which I thoroughly write about and contemplate important events that occur in my life. Looking back on what I was doing and my thoughts about things months or years ago is an amazing experience, and it prevents beloved and important moments from slipping out of memory as time moves ever forward.