Directing Research

During the process of my project I watched many tutorials on youtube, I tended it gravitat towards Ryan Connoly and Film Riot as I find their style easy to watch and understand, I have also seen many sample of his work and know he is a competent director.

FILM RIOT -----

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXeOE-pvdk8 - Finding you directing style -

Ryan's main advice with this question was to not focus on it, this is very similar to what Farren Blackburn said when he spoke at the studios. I find when I am planning a shoot I am always trying to add my own flair to it and coming up with ideas takes up most of my time. Taking this advice I will make my projects trying not to think of how I will make it unique, I believe that will come in time and trying to find my style will take away from the feel of my project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8pJYDJdmQ0 - Directing first time actors, Visual vs Audio and Not finding a location.

This video was quite relevant to me at the time since I was having trouble finding a location for my shoot, I either was getting refused straight away or not getting any response, I had spoken to a friend and knew I would be able to use his house but I did not want to do that as I knew the location wasn't what I wanted it to be.

Ryan's advice was to make compromises, which I had to do anyway to be able to get actors. Ryan also spoke about Video Vs Audio, his main point was that Bad visuals can be forgiven but bad audio ruins a film, because of this I knew I wanted to get the best sound I could, therefore I booked out a mixer rather than a Zoom.

Seth Worley

Whilst this video was hosted on Film Riot, it was actually a short film director called Seth Worley, his advice was a favorite quote from the writer of Toy Story 1 and 2 which was Fail as fast as possible, get the first draft done quickly and move on, get the bad rough cut done and move on, your first try at anything is not going to be great so dont get hung up on it, move on as fast as possible.

I found this extremely relevant to myself as I find it very easy to get disheartened when things are going wrong, which happened a lot during this project, with the struggle to find actors and locations I was disillusioned about my final product, I like the advice to just push through it even if it isn't great as it took some pressure off to make it perfect and just to make it full stop. Obviously I will try my hardest to make it good but I wont get caught up in that one shot I didn't do well or that cut I can't quite get yet.

Locations - Worley also talked about the process in getting the locations for his latest short Real Gone he spoke to the woman in charge of locations about what scenes he wanted and the type of feel of the location and the location person just drove around and saw places, then walked in and asked if they could film, this is a very personal approach and also allows to get an answer straight away, rather than waiting for an email or call back which may never be forthcoming. I will take this into effect for my next project but I agree that this would be better for the locations themselves as they can put a name to the face and maybe feel more at ease letting us film there.

After the shoot, apparently Worley's Location scout went to each location they filmed at and gave a small gift basket with a thank you note, this is a great idea as it fosters a good relationship between the location and the production, maybe allowing for more opportunities to film at a later date or giving people a good impression of the filming community in general.

Worley also mentioned that when they came to the location they asked the person in charge if there was anything they needed to do or not to do, any rules or regulations they should adhere to and kept a constant state of gratitude for the person to allow them to film at their location.

Steven Spielberg - The advice from Spielberg was primarily to watch older movies as these were the films that started the industry and everything we do today stems from them. You can learn from silent movies and how they added tension without sound, you can learn from when sound first came into films and they felt like plays until people learned more about composition and making people talk faster.


In the process of researching Directing I also read some scripts and imagined what I would do for them, just small thought experiments such as thinking about how I would do a scene from The Fantastic Beasts script or the Star Wars Script, I even planned a small sequence from one of my favourite books, without the hinderance of location or actors I simply thought of shots and the type of mood I wanted to convey.

Sherlock - BBC Drama

Sherlock is the BBC recreation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous character Sherlock Holmes, in this Crime Drama writers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat reimagine the detective not as a Victorian in 1880 but as a modern day consulting detective, who solves cases too difficult for Scotland Yard or private clients.

The series features Benedict Cumberbatch as Detective Sherlock Holmes, A socially inept consulting detective and Martin Freeman as Dr John Watson, who documents his exploits with Sherlock on his blog.

The series spends one episode per case, with a subplot running in the background, each episode is typically an hour long or more and follows the storyline of a case of the fictional Sherlock Holmes, similar to the books.

What I did like is the change of era, from the 1800's to the 21st century, this made the characters more relatable and understandable, it also allowed for variations from the original novels, such as the hound of the Baskervilles being hallucinogenic drugs and a genetically engineered dog.

From a technical standpoint Sherlock uses a variety of different techniques, such as when text messages come through on phones it is displayed on screen via text. When Sherlock deduces facts from visual cues, instead of verbally telling the audience text will appear, tracking the motion of the object, say for example a hand with the clue it has given.

The person with the most Director credits for the series is Paul McGuigan, he has directed the first and last episode of the first season and two episodes of the second season.

McGuigan works in a specific style using visually appealing shots along with a main shot to cut around.

"I tend to work by doing a big master shot which you could use as one shot if you wanted to and I never changed that process at all" - Paul McGuigan

There is also several instances of time slowing down to a crawl, helping to symbolise how Sherlock takes everything in at a glance, the time pausing effect is first shown when Watson meets Holmes, who is dropping a fluid onto a petri dish.  Holmes makes several deductions, correctly guessing that Watson was a veteran and he was looking to share an apartment. 

In another scene they are sharing a taxi to a crime scene and Sherlock reveals how he came to that conclusion, we flash back to the scene where they meet but time is paused, and then in a series of close ups and tracking shots we are talked through his deductive process.

McGuigan remarks that even though the episode length is similar to that of a feature film at 90 minutes, they had half the time to film at 22 days rather than a typical 40-50 day shoot.

"you only get twenty-two filming days where in the movies you’d get twice as much as that if not more. So obviously you’re tempered by that schedule. We were doing action sequences in like five hours when normally you’d have five days to do them" - Paul McGuigan

McGuigan also uses sound design to good effect when Sherlock is studying the Woman in Pink, as he looks at the word Rache we hear the sound of scratching on wood, he also examines her coat noting the wetness and we hear the sound of rain, this is a perfect use of sound design as we are shown two things at once, him noting the wetness and the sound of rain as he deduces she was out in the rain.

What Id like to take from Sherlock is the use of sound to help symbolise the thoughts in the main characters head, such as in my project I could have a rushing noise the help symbolise him losing his memory along with another noise that distracted his train of thought and caused him to become confused.

http://www.reelscotland.com/exclusive-interview-paul-mcguigan-on-sherlock/

http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/sherlock/20536/steven-moffat-and-mark-gatiss-interview-sherlock

Contextual Studies - Representation Race

Watched Blackish

Sitcom written by and for pluralistic society: Identity politics.
Radical step - characters on equal or superior social/class status.
Mediation affects audience reception Satire/comedy Provoking empathy


Watched Love Thy Neighbour  

Sitcom Written by and for dominant society. (Hegemony)
Everyone involved in the production was white
Reflects manifestations of "the other" and friends "narcissism of minor differences" Xenophobia
Radical step - characters on equal social/class status
Mediation affects audience reception: satire/comedy provoking empathy.

Objectives

Theory and critical contexts behind issues of representation & identity

Examination of Race and Identity in media

What do we mean by Race?

Skin Colour (Too reductive on spectrum not purely defined by genetics)

Broadly, shared cultural identity, history and experience shaped by marginalisation exclusion.

"The Other" That which is not us or is different to the homogenous group or culture.

Ideology  - A set of opinions, values, beliefs and assumptions constructed and presented by a media text. Influences both the context in which the media is produced and how it is received.

Hegemony - Is a dominant ideology within society. In sitcom traditionally represented by nuclear family. or reflects conventions or attitude of dominant group. (culture identity)

Pluralism -  

Mediation - What we see is not objective reality or truth, but firstly the filmmaker's version of reality what they have mediated. The process of mediation - the editorial decision making process - directly affects. Representation : through judgment and selection editorialises how gender, race and class are presented. We as the audience are also complicit in mediation, through our understanding and reading of media texts.

Reception Theory - How we as the audience mediate texts, and the factors that might influence us. Argues cultural text has no inherent meaning and of itself, instead meaning is created as the viewer watches and processes the film.

Factors include elements of the viewers personal identity, the exhibition environment and preconceived notions of programme's genre and production.


A Very Brief History

Dominant group is superior
Other cultural groupings are 'inferior' by virtue of difference
Defined by crude stereotypes :X are doctors/shopkeepers. X are criminals/natural athletes.

The Other

Establishing identity through opposition to (and sometimes vilification of) a group or individual who display difference.

Psychoanalysts like freud and Jacques Lacan argue "the other" is a primal impulse, "The narcissism of minor differences"

Lacan Theorizes "the other" emerges as the ego (self Identity) is forged in infancy when child sees itself in the mirror.

Issues of representation
is skin colour always a predominant factor?
how significant are class and identity politics - who or what do you identify with?
What role does pluralism play in defining cultural identity?

A Series of Unfortunate Events - Netflix Original

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a book series I read as a child, It follows three orphans, Violet, Klaus and Sunny, after a tragic fire in which their parents perish. Perish here meaning killed, but I'm sure you know what perish means. If you a looking for a blog post that is well written look away...look away.

The books follow the trio as they are being chased by the villainous Count Olaf who is after their enormous fortune which Violet inherits when she turns 18, The books were written by Lemony Snickett which is a pen name for one Daniel Handler who is the executive producer and writer for all of the episodes of the TV Series.

In 2004 a feature length film was made after Nickolodian brought the rights in 2000, Originally Barry Sonnenfeld was picked to direct the feature along with Daniel Handler writing the script, however the producer Scott Rudin left due to budget concerns.

There are several accounts of Director Barry Sonnenfeld leaving for the same reasons however in an article from Vulture.com (3) Barry states the head of Dreamworks disliked working with him and when the producer was looking for backers he warned against Dreamworks.

"I said, “Go to anyone but DreamWorks. If you go to DreamWorks, the head of DreamWorks over there, Walter Parkes, will fire me the next day because he was the producer on the Men in Black movies and we didn’t get along.” She went to DreamWorks and the next day I was fired." - Barry Sonnenfeld.

After this Daniel Handler was also released from the project, the film was then made by a different director and writer. A few years later Netflix brought the rights to the film and approached Handler to remake the franchise as a series, Handler agreed and recommended Sonnenfeld. Netflix however were unsure of having someone who worked however briefly on the feature film work on the series, Sonnenfield pitched himself to them and won them over, going on to direct half of the series.

Sonnenfeld remarks when asked what it was like working with Netflix that he was given a lot of freedom than a traditional studio, they would provide notes on things they would like him to change but wouldn't enforce them.

"Netflix gave me notes when I finished each episode and they would say, “Well, here are our notes. You can take them or leave them.” And I said, “What do you mean? It’s your money.” They said, “Yeah, but it’s your show.”" - Barry Sonnenfeld

What I loved about the series is they kept to the original books, something that big production companies seem to shy away from, such as with the film " A seventh Son" the film adaption of the Spooks Apprentice series.

The film was terribly written and was nowhere near what happened in the books, it felt like the studio was cashing in on the fanbase with a subpar movie. In regards to the Feature length version of A Series of Unfortunate events they cut down 3 books into one film. This led to an almost rushed feel.

What I like about the series is that the episodes are written by Daniel Handler (AKA Lemony Snicket), this meant that whilst there were changes to keep the audience engaged and on the edge of their seat it was by the original content creator and therefore not changed by someone else thus taking away from the experience of the story.

I also like the way the acknowledge the audience sometimes, not in key scenes but sprinkled through the episodes are small lines, such as Poe shouting its off book when the orphans run away, something which didn't happen in the books and as he shouts this line he grabs a fish monger who is none other that Daniel Handler.

From a technical standpoint there are many aspects of the TV Series  that are well done.

Set Design - Netflix gave the show their biggest budget so far, surpassing the Crown and Daredevil, the majority of the budget went on set design as most of the series is filmed at studious in Vancouver.  The effect this gave was an almost surreal effect, which was intentional as to mimic the imagination when reading a book.

Colour - There is a lot of contrast within the show, bright colours against greys and blacks, there is also contrast in locations, often within the same shot, such as the reveal from Justice Strauss house to Count Olaf's mansion.

Sound - Since the filming took place on a set the sound is very clear and allows for sound design to be used in interesting ways, such as when Count Olaf slides across the table with a tray of cupcakes.

Narration also features a pivotal role in the series, the alter ego of Daniel Handler - Lemony Snicket is an actual character within the narrative, who within the actual scenes tells information in an almost deadpan fashion.

This form of breaking the fourth wall gives another layer of narrative to the story, as we are told about Beatrice and see Snicket as he searches for clues in the orphans story, almost every episode he tells the audience that this is not a happy story and they should go elsewhere and look away.

The title sequence changes dependent on what book is currently being portrayed, Neil Patrick Harris, who plays Count Olaf sings the title sequence, with the chorus being changed depending on who he is pretending to be in the episode, such as Stefano, Captain  Sham and Shirley.

What I wish to take from this series is the abstract nature of the story and the environment, along with sound design being used to add or take away from individual scenes. I also greatly admire how the story is not altered to a different ending, something which rarely happens in Film adaptions, the fact they kept Daniel Handler as the lead writer means that any changes come from the authors mind and are not merely some arbitrary changes to shorten or cheapen the story told.

I also really like a certain shot in the last episode, where Count Olaf sits before a mirror with a drink. The slow dolly in adds a certain tension to the scene, which inspired me to do a similar shot in my own project where the camera would slowly move in on the main characters face to reveal an evil smile.

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http://www.telegram.com/entertainmentlife/20170113/daniel-handler-barry-sonnenfeld-and-neil-patrick-harris-on-perfect-storm-that-led-to-lemony-snicket-on-netflix

http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/753767/Lemony-Snicket-movie-Jim-Carrey-A-Series-of-Unfortunate-Events-director-Barry-Sonnenfeld

http://www.vulture.com/2017/01/barry-sonnenfeld-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-netflix.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5v3khefaxs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5YMcXy0x_g

http://www.indiewire.com/2017/01/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-netflix-creator-kicked-off-movie-barry-sonnenfeld-1201767932/

http://www.theverge.com/2017/1/10/14228706/a-series-of-unfortunate-events-netflix-tv-show-review

Is Christopher Nolan an Auteur Director

Is Christopher Nolan an Auteur Director?

To answer this question we must first look at what makes an Auteur Director, Andrew Sarris posited in 1962 that there are three things that make an Auteur Director. These are as follows;

1) The technical competence of the director - ability to organise a film with clarity and coherence.

2) The Distinguishable Personality of the Director - A Recurring signature style that runs through several of his or her films.

3) Interior Meaning - The cinematic art created from tension between a directors personality and his material. Such as a message hidden within the film such as gender equality or a political agenda etc.

It is my belief that Nolan meets these requirements, He is technically competent, has a signature style in both the visuals of the work and in the story itself and likes to put psychological disorders within his films.

Technical Competence

Starting with Technical Competence - Christopher constantly shows a technical knowledge throughout his films, using a range of camera movements such as tracking, hand held, dolly and various other shots, He uses lighting, Editing and Sound to great effect. In fact he is constantly pushing the boundaries, such as with this shot from Inception 

To capture this shot, Nolan rigged up a giant corridor on a scaffolding which rotated with a  camera on a crane arm, this meant that the camera was still whilst everything is rotating.

A majority of directors would likely have used visual effects to achieve this shot, but Nolan decided to do something unprecedented and use practical effects.




Personal Style

Nolan does have a personal style, such as he likes to start his film typically with a close up of hands.

He also is known for his non-linear style of story telling, such as in his film Memento, the entire film is told in a series of flash backs, or The Prestige where flash backs help to progress the story.
He likes to go into a characters past to let the audience understand the character and to reveal information. Such as in Memento we see Leonard Shelby as a good guy but towards the end we can see his true character.

He likes to collaborate with cast and crew from previous projects, such as his DOP Wally Pfister, Actors Michael Caine and Christian Bale. Visually his films tend to be dark and gritty, typically with a serious or solemn nature. His films are commonly thought provoking and may not end with the good guy winning or winning but still losing.

Interior Meaning

Nolans films tend to resolve around psychological disorders, Such as The following (stalking/voyeurism) , Memento (Memory Loss), Insomnia (Paranoia and Sleep Disorders) The Prestige (Obsession) Batman (Fear and Pain).

Nolan likes to delve into the mind to give his characters some push and pull, using their defects to keep them back or to propel them into the story.

Because of these three things I think Christopher Nolan is an Auteur Director, He either writes the script himself or has a close hand in the creation of it, He always gives the character a psychological impairment to help drive the story and is technically competent in all areas of the film process whether its camera, sound or editing.

Authorship and Auteurs

- Who is the author in TV and Film and how do we define the role and function of the author?

- The Auteur theory: advantages, limitations and alternatives

- Authorship in TV : Who has creative control

Executive Producer - Primarily responsible for Financial control but may have creative input, particularly in editing and post production stages.

Producer - Primarily supervises production logistics & Budget in tandem with director. May originate project and usually hires writers and directors and be involved in casting.

Director - Primarily responsible for creative vision and creative decisions in collaboration with creative team.

Writer - Responsible for authoring original script or adapting existing literary material.

Changing face of creative control.

Cinema
Silent Era (Director) 1900 1927

Studio Era (Producer)1930s -60s

New Wave (Directors and writer/directors) 1960s-80s

TV

Golden age (Producers and Writers) 50s-60s

New Wave (Producers and Directors) 1960-70s

Writers (1980s-Present)
Producer-writers and show runners.

Origins of Autuer Theory

Reaction against bland commercial cinema where the director was largely regarded as chief technician who just shot the script.

Critics wanted instead a cinema d'auteurs : Directors who expressed an individualistic world view and use of mise-en-scene.

Three Key Criteria that define a auteur

1) The technical competence of the director - ability to organise a film with clarity and coherence
2) The Distinguishable Personality of the Director - Recurring signature style
3) Interior Meaning - The cinematic art created from tension between a directors personality and his material.

Issues with Auteur theory

Doesn't recognise collaborative nature of film and television and contribution of writers and technicians.

What directors were actually trying to portray was secondary to the actual visualisation on screen.

very few directors have final cut.

Genre Theory vs Auteur Theory.

Genre focuses on Generic similarities, how texts are determined by historical/social/political contexts.

How text emerge as commercial products from an industry.

Auteur Theory focuses on

Individual stylistic features.
How Text are determined by directors creativity
how text emerges as part of a directors body of work.

NOTE - Research Stephen Poliakoff