Diving into the matter
Monday- Diving into the matter.
In retrospect, “diving into the matter” is the feeling I have of this first week of film school. Each of the five classes we’ve had, starting with the first production class we had on Monday, were dense with information and offered both structure and inspiring proximity. My expectations have certainly been happily surpassed and school feels like a great warm sea of knowledge in which to dive with confidence.
I’m a medium-format photographer with a background in Environment and Development studies and only recently converted to documentary filmmaking (amen!). I’m mostly interested in witnessing our relationship to the ecological systems that sustain us. Think “River and Tides”, “Darwin’s Nightmare”, or “Baraka”. Documentaries?? You might wonder why I am here, constructing narrative pieces… Good question: among other things, I hope to get a better handle on the construction of the storyline from Screenwriting, gain greater control of my images with Cinematography, learn to better control/create cadence through Editing, and develop my understanding of the delicate relationships between producer, director, and a production team with the Producing-Directing class.
On Monday, Patrick, our Producing-Directing instructor, kicked-off this first semester with a short game that definitely broke the ice that could have prevented some of us from diving in…“What is the most embarrassing moment that comes to your mind from before you were 12? Quick! Don’t think! Just write it down” The exercise can be reminiscent of the section in some teenage magazine: “10 most embarrassing moments, etc…” but what came out of it was otherwise. Story after story, Patrick extracted the universal themes contained in them, and quietly, slowly, made one point loud and clear: “The story is everything, the story is in you, and it’s up to you to tell it your own way.”
Tuesday
Allan, the Cinematography instructor, also dove right into the matter. Even though this first class + presentation of the HVX200 mostly covered things I knew, I was happy to see that it gave to everyone, in a few hours, the basic knowledge needed to operate the cameras. I’m curious to see how the first project’s limiting parameters (booth setting, seated actors -> angles, lighting, etc…) will inform which areas of cinematography we’ll delve into first.
The hands-on camera exercise in the afternoon, which had to be conducted in AUTO mode, was painful (“good-bye control over the image”) but in the end, I got a good sense of the camera’s characteristic curve in auto-mode…conclusion: “100% manual-mode forever, baby!”
Wednesday
Fred’s long experience and the story of his work as a screenwriter was full of advises and cautionary tales. The process of screenwriting is long, demanding, and sometimes ungrateful…no news here. But let’s see what it’s like to take a real bite at it. One thing’s for sure, with my tendency to talk too much, putting words into the screenplay format will do me the greatest good…: “time to be laconic”.
Thursday
Editing covered a lot of bases that half of the class already was familiar with. Hopefully, with John, our TA for the class, we’ll be able to split into two separate groups and move at different speeds/different depths through Final Cut Pro’s ocean of possibilities. Also looking forward to BDFI’s approach to teaching rhythm control and the creation of the arc of a story through editing. Let’s go.
Friday
Improv/acting class: what a trip. Our instructor Melissa is a non-stop stand-up comedy. Really enjoy her humor. But she’s also straight forward in her criticisms and advise. She doesn’t give us that: “you’re all so special” crap. Really impressed by the breadth of her experience too. The short improv exercises with the rest of the group were a good way to finish the week. Having some experience in theater, I thought improv would be easy…but I’m stiff like an old plank of wood…it was nice to see the skills of other students come out: Nicholas should definitely write some comedy.
