Week Two at BDFI
My second week at BDFI was one that really had me thinking. On Monday we pitched our ideas to Patrick. These are the ideas that we are eventually going to put into production, so it was important that we got his feedback. I had three ideas to start from and ended up pitching two.
The first, even I admit, was a bit weak and didn’t quite fit with the theme of having two people hold a strong conversation facing each other. Patrick’s feedback on my second idea asked if my characters really had enough back and forth to push each other and create a real dynamic. The more I thought about it they didn’t have as much as I intended. It’s funny because it is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of your own idea that you often overlook the things that potentially give it huge holes.
I decided to work on it a bit more and by Wednesday when we pitched to Fred I had an entirely new idea. It’s a good thing. I definitely picked something now that is a challenge, but otherwise there would be no point.
In our screenwriting class with Fred we talked about how conflict is the essence of drama. We also got feedback on our pitches from Mellissa, our acting coach, as well. Both of them reminded me to give my characters more than just the surface treatment. What they meant was to create a third dimension something that wouldn’t be so clich’ and add a real element to them. I’m going into next week feeling more confident that I have a stronger story and hope to pull it off.
On another note we got our first editing assignment. I am really looking forward to this. We are supposed to create our own music video using any song and any film. Coming into the program I didn’t have any Final Cut Pro experience and hadn’t worked on a Mac for awhile. But I feel pretty comfortable in getting my hands wet with this project. It doesn’t seem like an issue.
In the midst of the week I sometimes forgot that it was our second week. Everyday adds something a little more to the wheels that have already begun to turn. I like talking to my classmates and finding new interest. For example editing is a new love for me and I can’t get enough of cinematography.
So now I’m getting geared up for next week. I’m screening some films that I think would be cool for my editing assignment. I’m writing and rewriting my script. And thanks to our cinematography class I can’t stop noticing the headroom given on some of my favorite shows and movies. I noticed that I’ve been taking a more concentrated approach to TV, and it’s hard not to.
Things are good, and I know it’s going to get crazy once we start production. Thankfully I have a little more time before we get there. Right now I’m just trying to stay prepared and not put so much pressure on myself. Things are a lot easier and more fun when you approach it that way.
