Uncles House (Location)

This is the kitchen / dining room where Shawn will make his phone call to his sister, I plan to shoot with Shawn at the table underneath the light both as a stylistic choice and so that he is lit. I chose to shoot in this house as it's belongs to a relative of mine making the negotiations easy in terms of filming permissions and availability. The house has a farm house aesthetic that I was after, rustic with plenty of character to contribute to with art direction.  

The bathroom is very small which could prove hard to film in, I would like to avoid using a wide lens in this scene and throughout the film as the wider lenses provided in the Sony F5 kit suffer from barrel distortion. Myself and Tom will arrange the scene and work with lens will be suitable to capture what I want. I would very much like to capture as much of Shawn's naked body as possible, I will speak to the actor about full nudity and how far he is prepared to go in this scene, I would like to display his tattoos that I plan to get Luke to put on in make up, as simple as this shot is it has immense importance to the film and in displaying Shawn's disposition.

Possibly shoot into the mirror as Shawn is taking a shower, to get around the small room problem though I would prefer to get in closer to the actor at a more intimate distance.

This room will be Shawn's in the film I like how the light is cast through the window on the bed, there will be a shot of Shawn sitting on the bed looking toward the window possibly holding something of his fathers the room will be dressed with Shawn's military baggage and uniform in clear view for the audience.

Casting - Mark Holgate

Mark Holgate

I was put in touch with Mark Holgate by Francesca, she forwarded me his contact details during a conversation about the film, she had recently worked with Mark and recommended I speak to his regarding the role in my film, she mentioned that he had been cast as a soldier before. This could help with preparing him for this role.

Mark had done mainly theatre work however I feel that the way Francesca spoke about him I trust that he will be suited fully capable of taking on the role in this film. I gave Mark the script and following a Skype conversation he produced me three casting videos of the dialogue that he would be performing later in the film, i was really impressed by what he sent me and set about sorting his schedule right away.

UPDATE

During the filming myself and Mark worked very closely to achieve the right state of mind for the character Shawn, we spoke on Skype prior to filming to get a general sense of what I was after and if he had any questions about the role. During the setting up of the scene I'd spend a brief moment with Mark and go through what I wanted, however I'd always welcome Mark's input keeping in mind the pace of the film and how the characters mood would develop from scene to scene. I often explained to Mark that I wasn't going to pursue the PTSD of the character however a general sense of the soldiers trauma since returning home from fighting would need to be expressed throughout the film. Mark had little difficulty understanding and portraying the character Shawn which made the directing process simple, I preferred to give little direction to the actors to generate a more natural performance, I took advice from Mike Figgis's book to prepare me for directing which I found extremely useful. I decided not to do any rehearsals for the film and the actors were all compliant with this idea, I've found that many directors don't do them for varying reasons, but for me I believed that they would get a good rehearsal and aim to achieve that rather than what comes naturally on set, I thought it would be exciting to see what would happen on the first take having the camera rolling and I was confident that with the calibre of the actors I had this wouldn't cause any problems. If I found that a take didn't work I would take a minute with the actors to discuss what we needed to do, in the minimal struggles we had, I'd draw on the actors experience to resolve the issue.

Light Metering

Today I researched how to use a light meter, again this type of research is part of the cinematographers however like getting to know the Sony F5 I feel that having this knowledge is beneficial to the production of the film. This technical knowledge will also help me in my other module 'professional practise' where I will be investigating the role of a feature fiction film DOP, I know that being able light meter accurately and efficiently is imperative to that of the DOP. Using a light meter has been something I have been interested and after watching this short video I feel comfortable putting this new technical knowledge into practise in this years film. I understand that there will be a minimal crew on set during the production of this film and if I am able to assist Tom (the DOP) this will only provide a better working environment so that we aren't wasting precious time setting up shots when we need to be shooting. Though having said this my main focus on set will be to direct the actors to get their best performance, making sure they're expressing their character accurately.

Blue Valentine (2010)

This film has been inspiration both in terms of its cinematography and narative themes. The film centres around the life of a couple cutting between two time zones, the current where wee follow their deteriating relationship and the past where we witness them meeting and falling in love. My interests dont often lie with films that utilise a on linear structure however I enjoyed the simple cutting between the two temporal spaces, this sturcture didn't create a confusion or pose an akward complex structure to figure out it was simple leaps between time that slowly released information about these characters, how they were previously when they first met and how they remain in the current temporal frame of time. This theme of relationships is going to resinate through my film, as I'm interested to see how they can change when altering factors are employed, in my case war, an unstable upbringing with a distant father. Blue Valentine shows a leap of 15 years within that time their has been a huge change in Ryan's and Michelle William's relationship for the worse. In the first chapter of my film I would like to depict the most stable period of time in Shawn's life as a montage of nostalgia shot on a Super 8 film camera, halcyon that the characters long for.


 I intend to use a symbolic shot to cut from when the film leaps 10 years to end the chapter of the families life. In Blue Valentine there is no specific genre or period in time, the film simply shows a very real human relationship, the dialogue flows naturally, the actions and situations feel real and raw, To capture these scenes, unbroken long takes are used we see an extenive take rather than a cut together performance that has been made in the edit room, the film is essentially made on set. At times the cinematography feels cramped and there is no use of wide shots or panaramics that capture the city, instead we see a strong focus on the family, the camera work is natural most likely on a shoulder rig so the camera man can get close and intimate with the characters a well considered approach to this size film.


The first instant in which the film cuts from one temporal space to another is near the beginning after we've been introduced to the family, Ryan leans against a car as he watches his daughter leave to stay at her grandparents.

I tend not to look to much into the shot composition and what that might be reflecting when discussing films however I see that the two shots that constitute the temporal change when placed together suggest the character is looking at himself as they are both in similar positions facing toward one another, though conflicting states of mind.

The next point in which the film leaps in time is during the scene where Ryan initially meets Michelle Williams, the cut is re visited later in the film and serves as the most inventive of the temporal interchanges. From the shot pictured below the film then reverts back to present day

This cut seems to follow a similar convention to the previously mentioned of which it suggests the character is looking back at themselves or their family, and alternatively, looking toward the future, both with contrasting expressions. The time has seen a change in their relationship, young love juxtaposed against a weathered mother, somber with the expression of a predicament. The reverse shot that follows this is of Ryan Gosling conveying the way she views him in the current state of the relationship as opposed to when she first met him. This attention to the editing displays the directors and editors intent of how they want the story to be told, there is consideration in the leap in time, though it happens without warning or additional sound, the pause and moment in the scene is enough for the viewer to appreciate the reasoning behind the temporal shift. This notion behind the pace of the editing and where it takes the narrative is evident of Christopher Nolan's explanation of how films progress through their story, withholding information releasing it slowly. Nolan defines narrative as "the controlled release of information", this idea of controlling what the audience can witness is clearly evident in 'Blue Valentine'.

The Place Beyond The Pines (2012)

I've taken inspiration from this film in all respects but mainly the narrative structure. Derek Cianfrance's fondness of relationships and legacy are routed in this film much like his previous film Blue Valentine. I liked the idea of seeing how one persons actions and life can effect the next generation, we see the repercussions of Ryan Gosling's character Luke Glanton when the film leaps 15 years down the line and we are presented with the life of his son and witness his mothers struggle with him, we see how she is still grieving from the death of Luke.

I watched an interview with Derek Cianfrance about his films where he mentions A Place Beyond The Pines in great detail, he often talked about his direction during the film and how he prepared actors for the roles they were undertaking. There is one scene where Ryan Gosling tries to stop Eva Mendez's character Romina from driving away as she leaves work, this is following Ryan's vicious attack on Romina's husband Cofee. Derek talks about how he did serval takes with simple direction each time just asking Ryan to stop he from leaving by all means and no description on how to do that. He explains how on one occasion Ryan placed his head underneath the car wheel as Romina was about to drive off, though this take wasn't used in the film i understand how the simple direction allows the actor to complete an action thats fresh and natural, meaning that the actors performance isn't forced giving them the space for their creativity and what they feel the character would do in that situation. I plan to take this idea and apply it to my film when directing the actors to achieve the performances I want during each scene.

I feel that this extreme action of placing his head under the wheel of the car reflects another of the directors techniques where he asks each actor in the casting to surprise him during the film. This responsibility that Derek is giving the actors allows them to make the character their own, the director is open to their suggestions to achieve something more exciting bringing the characters off the paper. This less structured approach to the films creation is something I aim to consider throughout the filming of my film. I understand that sometimes things don't always work the way they were written once the actors are on set and so to tackle any issues of the script or scene not working i want to work as a team to resolve any issues that the scene may be causing. Keeping in mind "What is the scenes purpose and what does it need to achieve?".

Out of the Furnace (2013)

After watching a DP/30 youtube interview with Christian Bale I found that he spoke about making films from an actors point of view and what film set he finds most ideal to perform within. He went on to explain that he found acting within a false or green screened environment difficult to portray a character as his surroundings didn't exist, he spoke about acting within an actual location where you can turn the camera around and the backdrop is all real being a far better scape for his performance much like a documentary, giving him something to act to, encompassed in the bounds of the environment. This statement became is easily understood in his most recent film 'Out Of The Furnace' where he plays a brother to a recently returned soldier whose leading a reckless life waging himself in illegal bare knuckle fights. 

This idea of a 360 degree stage in which to perform can be seen in the film where Christian Bale playing Russell is released from jail following his man slaughter sentence. The scene begins with a profile shot of Russell looking out of the prison gates between two guards, the shot continues from here down to when he runs and hugs his brother, looking back to the prison doors, he then walks around the car before his brother Rodney offers him the chance to drive.

The scene is captured in a long take from a medium CU, this method of using a long take with framing that isn't too close allows Christian Bale to move around the frame without being over constrained to his positioning, creating a more natural performance. The camera man learns his movement and finds the best possible position in which to frame him, this seems unconventional as generic shooting usually frames the subject and applies taped lines to ease the focus pulling and increase the control over the scene. This idea of allowing the subject the latitude to act within a larger space relates to the notion of rejecting rehearsals and shooting spontaneously, this is a technique I will be utilising when directing my actors, I trust that their calibre and confidence will be displayed without any concern of the performance being impaired. 

Once the shot cuts from a spontaneously shot scene like this the director can see which part of the performance he likes and/or take pieces in or out to use in the next take, I understand that simple direction in addition to this method will create fresh performances giving the director the choice of what he thinks will work best, the takes become more diverse which will prove to be beneficial at the editing stage.

Test footage from the Sony F5

Today I went out filming with the Sony F5 round Sheffield, I've been getting the camera out each week so that I'm completely competent with using it, like I've mentioned previously I feel that having knowledge of the camera despite having Tom as the DOP I know that having the ability to use the camera as well as Tom will only create a more efficient working environment if we both know how to use the camera.