See you at the Emmy's

Last week I left off with our film production being halted due to a few technological issues. Four of our video files would not transfer to our editing software, which is understandably a production halting complication. But now I am elated to announce that during our last class meeting Eric Dietz was able to resolve our compatibility issues. Apparently, the three troublesome video files were of a configuration that was unrecognizable by our editing software. I have no inclination as to why only four files were of the wrong format but nonetheless our hindering issue was resolved.

So we thought…

Elizabeth contacted me a few days back notifying me that a couple of the files, our first and last scene, were MISSING! (For everyone’s information, our first and last scenes are by far the most important. The film would be incoherent without their presence.) But before I had time to conjure up any unneeded angst, Elizabeth explained that she had already done a bit of detective work and tracked down the missing shots. From my understanding, the two files were still on the camera’s tape, un-digitized. What a place for them to be! I was just relieved that they weren’t fortuitously lost in one of the many file transfers. Having to reshoot scenes this late in the production would have been a distressing calamity. Elizabeth said she had already contacted Eric Dietz to schedule a meeting so that we could rightfully lay claim to our missing footage …

Other than this minor episode Elizabeth sounded pleased with the current editing developments. I found this to be relieving because I will soon be working with the film since I am now the sound editor (although initially being a visual co-editor). Last class meeting the group met and decided that instead of having two video editors we should have one to ensure that a consistent editing footprint is maintained throughout the film. Elizabeth and I found this to be an excellent idea so we agreed that she could be the visual editor and I would be the sound editor. Lennon, who was initially the sound editor, had already spent an extensive amount of time acting in the film as well as aiding in the production. Thus we decided she had already fulfilled her production obligations and that I would fill the sound editing position.

So for now, I wait to introduce the magic of sound! Although this will be my last blog, I hope everyone has enjoyed this semester as much as I have. When the film is finished I will try to post it on YouTube and list the link here.

And the Window of Time Narrows

This past week has flown by without any major advances in our film production. Although our film has been digitized, the editing process has proved to be a technologically hindered process. Many of the editing programs available for free download either leave watermarks embedded in the final product or do not have the features necessary to properly edit our film. Our film class does have access to an ethnography lab, where professional editing equipment is available, but our group feared that the time allotted would be too scarce for the editors, Elizabeth Naglack and I, to fully assemble our film. Thus under the advisement of our film technology instructor, Eric Dietz, our group selected and purchased reputable editing software from our local Best Buy electronics store.

Now that we have collected all of the necessary equipment, we are ready to get serious into the editing! Well, at least that’s what we thought. When Elizabeth started transferring the video files into our newly purchased program she found three files that were not compatible with the software. And instead of the program posting notifications of why the files were incompatible, it would simply freeze solid. A real help for those of us who are new to the process! Also, one other problem that was experienced with our clips was audio quality. Supposedly, one of the clips features miserably low audio levels. Thus now we must rely on the beauty of voice over. For now we will be waiting for class this Thursday to see if Eric Deitz can alleviate some of our technological problems and although not our first round of technical problems, we are all hoping it will be our last.

We have less than two weeks of available days in the semester before our film must be finalized. I’m sure more time would be nice but it’s not exactly an option at this point. I don’t doubt our ability to finish the film but stress will certainly be mounting as the window of time narrows. I hold a strong sense of optimism because as soon as we settle our editing platform (mainly technology), I believe that we will be able fly through the editing process. Our screenplay is still concrete as ever and our shots are filmed so that they smoothly synchronize with the plot. Taking those qualities into consideration, I am confident that major editing feats can be avoided and the film will ultimately fall into place.

Time to Digitize…

My production group finished filming two weeks prior thus this last class meeting, which was dedicated to group filming, was not particularly productive for my crew, but nonetheless enjoyable. We are now at the point where we await to digitize our film. It seems that the cameras, which were unavailable last week, hold the key to digitizing our film. But with class cooperation I expect that we will be able to mass digitize each group’s footage this coming meeting. Despite being unable to advance in the production of our film, I still found that the class meeting was able to heighten my filming experience. By this time in the production process, many of the filming crews had already filmed or at least were able to experiment with the filming procedure. So for a portion of last class I wandered around collecting some of the other group’s experiences.

Although of little relation to the group film project, I have recently noticed an increased personal attention, or at least recognition, of the student film world. The campus information email system often announces the showing of a student production films. One such email recently announced the premiere of UCA’s first full length feature film, which from my understanding is an impressive feat for a university, especially one of UCA’s size. The email addressed that although many of the students involved had previous filming experience, most of their experiences had been limited to minor productions. It continued to point out that such experience generally limited the scope of their experience. Just as they would be getting comfortable in their specific role of production, the project would be finished. Such short lived exposures to the nature of filming and production were only enough to wet their feet (fairly similar to the experience of this Honor film making course). The recent full length movie project, though, provided many of those film students with the opportunity to oversee the complete spectrum of a full length production. After reading the email I was fairly jealous of the experience that these students had acquired. Although I’m sure they put forth great effort forth, even in an observational role, I feel that the experience that they came away with is certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity. One that many students of this Honors film making class would surely appreciate.

Lights, Camera, Action

This past week, prior to last Thursday, was our opportunity to film. Although my role in the filming process, as co-editor, was not crucial to shooting I still thoroughly enjoyed the experience. For the short amount of time that I was able to witness the magic of our movie, I was impressed by the efforts of the crew. Everyone was continuously adapting to the role of their positions with a sense of flexibility that allowed the production to continue without catastrophe. The camera man, Michael, was exploring new angles, camera settings, etc. while our director, Doug, was envisioning the scene as if it had already been filmed. Once I was able to see one of our scene’s takes I was filled with excitement as I realized the full circle of filming that I had just witnessed.

Several weeks back, mid semester, was our group’s first film production meeting. The five of us sat down around my laptop and watched short films that pertained to the genre that we had be assigned. Each throwing out ideas as they spawned new variations of action, drama, and clever twists. Idea after idea we started making headway, a plot was forming, characters were being developed, and the recognition of potential was present. From this point forward our group slowly sculpted our original rudimentary plot into a well thought out progression of scenes. Then, through detail crunching labor we were ready to shoot… This succession in production stages all floated through my mind as I watched several of the scenes being filmed. It was not only wildly satisfying to see our film come to fruition but it excited me to see the rest of our footage. Which now brings me to my main function in this production process, editing.

Although I’m sure the editing work that waits ahead is more than I could ever wish for, I am excited and ready for it. I have witnessed Doug’s enthusiasm in directing the film and I think it will be contagious when I’m finally able to make my mark. Stringing the scenes of our film together into an exciting flow will be gratifying. Right now I have the scenes flowing around my head like individual still shots, waiting to be glued in order. I have a feeling that when I actually get to arranged the shots it will be like jotting down a long needed To Do list, oddly rewarding.

A fitting end to our movie presentations..

This last class we watched our final movie presentation of the semester, Adaptation, by Spike Jonze. The picture’s structure employs a technique where the audience witnesses the movie as it is being composed. Adaptation addresses the journey of a screenwriter who aspires to mold an un-filmable book about orchids into a movie. Despite Charlie, the screenwriter, wanting to stay true to the book and eliminate the sensationalized addition of cinema drama, the story introduces him to a spiraling spout of action. His wish to eliminate thrilling flourishes arises from his belief at that real life is drowned from tragedy and excitement. Due to the perspective of the movie, the events that Charlie witnesses become part of the movie he is compiling, Adaptation.

The film represents a sense of success out of failure, out of the lack of ability to make a film from the book provided. The layering of the movie raises a question of Jonze’s message concerning the role of the screenwriter. How the temptations, almost required aspects, of cliché movie additions are forced upon the writer. For the film embodies that despite the desire to create a worldly and insightful film, the industry standard forced grand action and wicked climaxes.

I found the movie’s spiral into cliché stunts of action quite entertaining. The interjection of drugs, scandalous affairs, gun battles, and car wrecks all twisted into an off the wall weave of events. For me the most enjoyable cliché was the dynamic enlightenment of Charlie’s character- a surprising ending for a post-modernism movie.

Charlie’s opening character was physically draining through a constant wine over his dull juncture of life, filled with insecurities and shortcomings. Because I’ve recently re-discovered the Romantic era of literature I found myself paralleling his character’s shift in mentality to William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of experience. The experiences of Charlie’s past had made him unnervingly apprehensive to life and the surrounding world but through the influence of his brother, Donald, he was able to see the integral importance of experience, regaining his innocence. Charlie’s epiphany exposed his once lost foundation of human spirit, hope and innocence.

Also, during this last week my film production crew has been filming. The experience has been enjoyable as well as a learning experience. As the editor, I have been mentally constructing the image that our director is trying to embody. I’m excited to get my hands dirty with editing tech.

Peer Pride

Last class period was spent developing ideas and concepts pertaining to the production of our short film projects. As a catalyst in the idea generating process for our film production we watched a short film called “The Last Summer.” The film was scripted, produced, and edited as a senior thesis by UCA’s very own Corey Womack. “The Last Summer” is a biographical short film, approximately 15 minutes long, that tells the story of a high school graduate who is fixing to leave his small town for the pursuit of a college education. Despite his ambitions for a life greater than his hometown can offer, his friends and more importantly girlfriend are having trouble letting go of their dear friend. The plot leads the audience through his mental tribulations and external conflicts that dictate his ultimate decision.

As purely a UCA student film production, its presentation served as an excellent building tool. Through examination of its evident faults the class discovered a few of the concerns of low budget productions. Lighting is certainly now a major fear. The movie relied strongly on artificial light which forced many of the scenes to be dark and void of detail. Much of the audience had trouble with character identification because many faces were indistinguishable in the lighting circumstances. Although I’m sure their low budget limited the availability of lighting equipment, a more natural lighting appearance, which is cheap, could alleviate some of the gloom in the film. Beyond lighting indifferences, the film’s ambiguous ending was just simply too indefinite. The audience wants to assume that the main character followed his ambitions of education but has little confidence in doing so. Womack, the student producer previously mentioned, said that he was aiming for a certain cinematic effect through the vague ending of his film. He seemed to be implying that if the film portrayed the plot as he intended then the audience should be able to carry out the story line. Although such logic could rightly apply to longer and more detailed films, I feel similar gambles should be left to the professionals. Needless to say, the class now certainly realizes the importance of a solid ending.

Despite “The Last Summer” having its share of amateur production traits, Womack’s pride in the film brought the production experience to full circle. His contagious enthusiasm even made me proud of his satisfaction in his final product.

Filming starts this week- wish us luck!

If we could just get rid of these actors and directors, maybe we've got something here.

The cynical motivations presented in film noir style films certainly create unpleasant antiheros. Last Thursday in my film appreciation course we watched the Robert Altman 1992 film, The Player. This movie told the story of a Hollywood production executive, Griffin Mill, who murders a screen play writer under the belief that the given screen play writer was the source of threatening messages. Though plenty of circumstantial evidence, the clearly guilty Mill escaped incarceration. Mill, as the antihero of the plot, had a sense of ambiguous morality that was maintained throughout the film. Due to ambiguity in his sense of moral judgment and selfish pursuit of success I experienced building distaste for his character. Mill repeatedly attempted to use his career’s demands for cutthroat studio decision making as an excuse for moral shortcomings but any variation of such personally found week bargaining power. Thus from the beginning of the film his character was relatively putrid. As the movie progressed I felt as that Mill’s regression of character could be compared to kicking a dead horse. I already don’t like the character and yet his nonexistent moral frame is still being degraded in the viewer’s eye.

My distaste for Griffin Mill as the antihero seems to illuminate qualities that deter from the movie’s film noir style. Most film noir antiheros roles tend to blur the line of good or evil. Such as in Sunset Boulevard where the audience is left to decide whether Norma Desmon deserves sympathy or admission to the mad house. Should you root for her, root against her, or try to reason out her situation? Despite Robert Altman’s inclusion of many film noir elements, I feel that his depiction of the movie’s antihero misses the mark and consequently loses some of my appreciation for his film. Altman appears to create a monster of a character where there is no doubt of dislike towards the antihero. I want the antihero to have a question of morality that battles my mind as I watch the film, not just building evidence of purely angelic character. The plot should tease my psyche as I battle a mental duel of love and hate over the antihero. I recently watched Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler, and I found my moral frame being questioned by Gerard Butler’s motives as an antihero type character. For ninety percent of the movie I was cheering on his path of murder and revenge! His wit, intellect, and appealing vigilante motives kept me on his side despite such a violent path of destruction. I felt his character epitomized the relationship that an audience should have with an antihero and maybe Griffin Mill could take a couple notes.

What... no nudity?

Last class showed how our films production might just make a finely whisked soufflé of mockery out of my organization skills. Although I like a degree of control and am a goal driven individual, you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m not going to be the producer. From paperwork (location agreements), to set arrangement, to the compilation of actors, the producer better be able to manage the Ringling Brothers via Skype. A blackberry in each hand and some outrageous texting skills might do the trick but one predication is for certain, our whole crew would be spending the night behind bars if it was my responsibility. Who knew it was illegal to film in an alleyway without permission anyways?.. Not me. I can’t imagine the river of paperwork that must flow through the production of a blockbuster film, it would rival the Nile. However, although I’m sure location agreements are protocol for most filming endeavors, I question how strict of a protocol it may be. For instance, skateboarding films are generally massive compilations of professional boarders mastering city terrain. These fools hurdle city gaps, fly over stair sets, and ride concrete planter boxes like it’s the interstate. Seeing that all of these objects rest on property that is of personal ownership, how do such films come to fruition without legal mayhem? My guess (though not worth much) is that although most individuals understand the concept of trespassing, they aren’t aware that they own rights for the filming of their property. You can’t sue if you don’t know it’s illegal.

In my original mental conception of our film I viewed it as homegrown. This meant that the people who were behind the scenes in its production were probably going to be the actors. I figured that Doug would win the souls of America while Elizabeth filled the shoes of Meryl Streep and Lennon brought home the bacon with some solid gut wrenching lines. You may notice that I left my name off the acting squad (stage hands don’t get filmed). But now we’re talking about trying to sign actors? I’m still wondering who would want to be in our film. After asking George Clooney I ran out of options. But on a serious note, I’m not sure how many individuals are going to want to perform in our motion picture. Although this project lies near and dear to my heart, I don’t foresee other individuals having the same enthusiasm and ambitions as I do for our film. After the sixth or seventh attempt at a shot they might just tell Doug where to put his director’s hat. On the other hand, maybe I’m just being a bit pessimistic. But for now, be on the lookout for our film premiere... It might just change your life..

Don't mind me crowd, I'm just being Murdered

Last week our class traversed through time via film, the 1981 cinema success Blow-Out took us back to the decade of Reaganomics. Director Brian de Palma epitomized eighties cinema scene through copious nudity, vulgar language, and graphic violence. Blow-Out illustrated a shift in the film industry from reserved to not so modest. The depictions of a modest society, as seen in our previously watched films, (i.e. Singing in the Rain and Sunset Boulevard) were lost to the sixties as film was no longer held back by standards limiting what could or could not be shown. And then two decades later a society corrupt from the demoralizing pursuit of personal gain emerged.

Despite having a flashy front I felt that Blow-Out was about as predictable as they come. The representation of eighties society and film is really what I found appealing. The corrupt justice system was rampant with mafia infiltrated officers and politicians. The society’s view of the state of affairs was jaded through blinding media and the compulsion to band together during times of crisis. Most corruption was simply overshadowed by the domineering nature of patriotism. Director Brian de Palma certainly was not shy in his intentions of calling out the social order. As can be seen by this film, Brian de Palma is known for borrowing much of his directing inspiration from previous fixtures of the film industry such as Alfred Hitchcock. And although I can see where a source of inspiration can be need at times, I initially found his borrowing of techniques to be quite frankly lame, unoriginal.

Whenever I have the urge to be creative (i.e. write, draw, sculpt), I generally want my masterpiece to be unique. For a director to make a movie and openly borrow most of the techniques utilized is like making prints of an original work of art. You would think directors would want their work to be original, push the envelope. Not just compile the styles of other directors. But despite my initial shock with lack of originality, I came to realization, through the aid of class discussion, that most feasible forms of filming (i.e. techniques, cinematography, themes) have be explored. Thus the sharing of directing techniques is like the reoccurring forms that can be seen in literature and Brian de Palma isn’t a director lacking originality but a well referenced artist, giving respect to his predecessors. Therefore de Palma must be a well studied man of his art and I find that respectful. Thus despite not being overly impressed with Blow-Out, Brian de Palma gained my attention.

The Road to Sundance

At last, our film making challenge has been issued! Just last Thursday our class was divided into teams, assigned different film genres, and given inspiration to create a film worthy of Hitchcock himself. Although I am a tinge nervous, I feel my team, as well as the entire class, is buzzing with excitement to see their ideas come to fruition.

My film producing squad has been dealt the film category of romance. Beyond the inclusion of romantic qualities we must also incorporate the presence of a mime/clown, cheese grader, guitar, and the phrase “Why is this happening to me today of all days?” as well as “It would be better for us not to talk about that.” Based upon the requirements of our project, one can see that my group’s final venture will be a masterpiece.

Seeing that my affinity for romance based movies is limited, I foresee our film project borrowing themes from other types of movies. We strongly feel that the incorporation of humor or shock value is an essential quality. One reason is that the film project has been limited to between three and five minutes (which greatly limits the depth of the film). Thus humorous or shocking scenes allow for entertaining qualities while keeping the plot brief enough for a quick tale.

My personal vision is for the film to utilize dramatic irony (where the audience is privileged to information that has been withheld from the story’s characters). The utilization of such irony can give the audience an empathetic sense of obligation where they are uneasy because they foresee negative events in the future of the character. Whether tragic embarrassment or a painful accident, they know something is fixing to happen. It would be like a piano falling from the sky, on course for an individual’s head, and although an onlooker may see these events unfolding, he’s six floors up on a building and has no means of warning the endangered pedestrian. As far as my group’s video is concerned, we could use dramatic irony to simply set up a sense of apprehension in the audience that an event is fixing to unfold. Then despite the audience being aware of building tension, I want them to be surprised by the event for it would be unpredictable based on the cues previously given. Imagine being surprised be someone who was hiding underneath your bed when you, based on clues observed, thought that someone was actually in your closet. Such a stunning climax preceded by mounting anxiety could certainly make for an interesting short film!

Moses Supposes His Toeses Are Roses

Last week Singin’ in the Rain earned my respect as movie of classic proportions. Its witty, vibrant plot was filled with clever dialogue that kept my smile sharp and attention focused. The movie’s outlandish performances and playful instigation of humorous drama made me feel as if I was watching a comical play. Although I failed to record extensive critique notes (due to the film locking in my focus) I did happen to notice how the style of sound frequently punched the action of the actors. Cosmo Brown’s slapstick scene of exaggerated gyrations and dancing is a primo instance where sound drove the physical action beyond reality. This technique reminds me of cartoons where sets of stairs might as well be keyboards, each advancing step is followed by an attention grabbing chime. I wanted to bring the utilization of such Mickey Mouse scoring to topic because it seemed to be an accurate overall representation of the movie: witty use of drama (over the top sounds) that tells a story with comedic relief.

The movie’s historical representation of 1920’s Hollywood provided interesting ties to actuality. The gap between celebrity and Hollywood reality was shown numerous times through the eyes of Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont. Don’s ‘dignified’ rise to celebrity status demonstrated how society worshiped movie stars as perfect specimens of humanity. The two young females that declared how refined Lamont must be also solidified the false impression of celebrity perfection. Controlled public exposure of these iconic Hollywood figures demonstrated how the producers could manipulate the eye of the public through the intentional propagation of celebrity drama. The public thought Lockwood and Lamont was a superstar couple when in reality their relationship was nothing beyond professional associations. I find it an interesting concept that producers (at this time in Hollywood) would deceive the community through restricted media. Today the phenomenon of false stories concerning celebrities is commonplace but often the product of tabloids not producers.

One of the class’s side conversations discussed how film restoration has helped to preserve pieces of film history. Despite such efforts many films are lost forever due to termination or the degrading effects of time. Donna happened to mention that occasionally films are found that were thought to have been lost to the dark side of the moon. This funneled by imagination to think how cool it would be to find a lost film. Just imagine opening an old trunk and rescuing a piece of film history!? One can only dream…

Film Ambitions

Within the first three film lectures I have come to terms with the prickly nature of film production. For there is only one way you can handle a porcupine and taking the wrong approach could prove to be tragic. And although many interesting structures, methods, and effects have been introduced to the class, I am interested to see which of those are within our means. Despite such apprehensions there are a few features that I would like to utilize into my group’s project.

The regressing film structure of Sunset Boulevard provides appeal that would adequately suit a short film. The said movie leads off with a scene that portrays a tragic yet mysterious murder. Although the film shortly reverts back in time to the building story line, the unconventional beginning gives the movie an early bout of tension. Not only does such tension amplify the drama of the story, it hangs the spectator on the story’s plot- just like a good cliffhanging end to a novel’s chapter. My hopes for incorporating such a technique would be to engross the observer into the movie. When watching film clips on a website, like Youtube, it becomes second nature to complacently surf from video to video, never watching the shorts all the way to the finish. My wish is to eliminate the possibility of onlookers passing my group’s work after the first minute. Exploiting this method is even more appealing when you recognize how reproducible it is with the technology and talent we have been allotted. With a minor storyboard inversion we would be on the fast track to producing an attention hogging film expedition.

Beyond the possible introduction of storyboard inversions into our group movie, effective lighting techniques are a must. After watching Sunset Boulevard in combination with Dietz’s film workshop, my shallow world of film lighting was exposed. The three point lighting system provides depth to shots and a much needed focal point to direct the audience’s eye. Darkness can provide a melancholy atmosphere where bright light can illuminate gay occasions. In Sunset Boulevard, the lighting on Norma Desmond serves as a pristine example of lighting that directs the mood of the audience. Hard lighting on her face lets the audience know that the camera denies her of star status. Most stars at the time had only soft light cast upon her face to preserve their perfect appearance and persona. Although our lighting set up will undoubtedly be a fine example of second hand rigging, I’m excited to explore our possibilities.

There's nothing tragic about being fifty… unless you're trying to be twenty-five.

Sunset Boulevard- the tale of a comeback diva... Or as Norma Desmond might say, the tale of her return. Normally my interest in classic movies does next extend much beyond Blazing Saddles or The Graduate, but in the interest of film exploration I thoroughly enjoyed Sunset Boulevard.

As the movie progressed, I keenly focused my attention on the many aspects of the critical viewing guide. Religiously recording my observations, I felt that I had nearly logged the entire movie. That is, until we began openly discussing our annotations with the class. Nearly every observation that one of our classmates brought to attention was a side of the movie that I had ignorantly glassed over. From differences in lighting to the multiple symbolic representations of the two worlds that divided Norma’s skewed persona, I couldn’t have been more impressed with everyone’s astute observations. Not in fifteen views would I have noticed that the hard lighting of Norma’s face denounced her star status. Many of my observations were actually quite shallow in comparison. And with this apparent, I honestly learned more about the movie from our twenty minutes of open discussion than the two hours that I spent in tedious concentration. Now I just wonder what key concepts I crudely overlook in many other films! For each time I re-watch one of my favorite movies, I always come away with surprising amounts of new, previously missed insight. With this in mind, I left last class under the impression that I had watched Sunset Boulevard thirty times, each through the eyes of a different individual.

Besides the movie’s fascinating plot and addicting characters, the film repeatedly captured my attention through mini pop culture history lessons. Its characters exposed the generation differences between the society of the film and present times. Cigarettes appeared in nearly every scene and not only showed the prevalence of smoking during the time period but how smoking was much more socially acceptable. With all of the hottest stars smoking six packs a scene, I might have even succumbed to the social pressures of the era. Also, the lack of intimate scenes and bodily exposure, as Sam bluntly pointed out, bared the modest side of 1950’s cinema. Modern films are a bit more trigger happy in the excessive skin department so I can only imagine how the kissing scene between Joe and Norma once warmed the audience in a wave of intimacy.

The Tip of the Iceberg

The second week of film class was comparable to eating an orange without peeling off the rhine. The outside was a bit tough to choke down but the contents were unarguably enjoyable. Despite the massive amounts of information that traveled, undigested, through my ears, I did manage to realize the extraordinary amount of talent, knowledge, and effort that goes into the production of a movie. But to my surprise, I found the supernatural level of organization required in production to be even more amazing. Such coordination appears to be a vital key to production success, such as the thread that holds together a finely crafted quilt. From writer, to producer, to film and sound editors, the system of creating a movie requires almost harmonic orchestration. Under this recognition, I started to think back about our online skills evaluation survey. One of the abilities available for selection was organization, and at first I found this selection to be almost semi-humorous for I failed to see its connection to film production. But now, after the knowledge extracted from our last meeting, I realize the vitality of organization and I almost wish I could return and uncheck the box. This is only because I feel that the ability to synchronize a film project would rival, if not surpass, any applicable skills that I could offer.

Despite my amazement with organization, the volume of work necessary does deserve to receive some credit. In class we learned how the creation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy was an impossibly extensive process and I found that watching the work flow- i.e. script modification, storyboard creation, filming decisions, and editing decisions- was even physically exhausting for me to contemplate. In my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have speculated that film production could be so labor intensive. Enough hours were dedicated in the mere evolution of the storyboard that my patience expired long before its completion. Upon viewing such unexpected effort put forth, I realized that maybe film should be looked at as a mosaic. Each piece signifying a different individual’s efforts and that the final product, when looked at properly, is but a window into the world of film. A world that in my new introduction I have viewed the tip of the iceberg. However, through this introduction I have a new found respect for all movies which, in an odd sense, may even extend some appreciation to films that I find quite distasteful. So now I wait in anticipation to dive down and explore the rest of movie production.

Fresh Eyes in a Filmy World

As with most new beginnings, this semester of college started with promise and prosperity. My classes were meticulously arranged and I even went to the effort of buying a new pack of pens and pencils. Despite all of this buzz-killing preparation, I was unprepared for what my film class had to offer. When I think of the word film I immediately imagine blockbusters: big color, messy drama, comical happenings, and maybe even an explosion or two. I have never been a film guru by any standards, for my knowledge concerning film is quite unimpressive. This was never more apparent than the first day of film class.
When the initial chatter of the class finally subsided, we received an interview sheet that focused on our likes of entertainment. Seeing that I have little film knowledge, my selections were limited and the process was fairly easy. Soon after we were forced to read our selections aloud and I quickly realized that everyone seemed to have an infinite knowledge of TV shows and movies. I blame my parents for lack of HBO, but either way it was apparent that I needed to pay more attention to TV guide. However, little did I know that this open share-fair was but a mere ice breaker leading to the history of film.

We learned that film began from fairly obvious origins: theatre and the progression of still shots. Slowly, the history of film was presented before me as an evolving body of work. I was soon lit with a spark of motivation as I realized that everything I had just be exposed to was personally reproducible. It seemed as if I had just discovered the addicting quality of film production. What other medias of study can you reproduce its entire progression? From Edward Muybridge’s utilization of the zoetrope to the delightful “stop motion” clips of George Melias, all of what we had learned seemed irresistibly accessible. So when the time came for the class to make a few random shots, you better believe that I fooled around with a little “stop motion” filming. In no fewer than ten minutes Sam “Extrodinaire” Tamo had mastered a massive set of stairs on his skateboard. At least thats the story my camera phone told... Minus a few glitches. Either way I was excited to play around with the camera and reproduce a little fraction of film history! For now, I wait and look forward to the next project.