Creative Critical Reflection

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Final Project: Vuoto

Vuoto

After all the suffering and hard work, this is my final product for the film: Vuoto. It was tough but I think the end product was worth it. Enjoy!

Music Copyright:

"Scherzo No 1 Chopin'"
(freemusicpublicdomain.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Stress

Now, I've been going through the videos I took for the editing, but I still have about 20 minutes of video to sift through and it seems that I will take some new shots to get the feel of the introduction I envisioned. Unfortunately, I have to complete this part before around 5 tomorrow, according to my schedule, so that I can get to the creation reflection. However, the rest of my life doesn't seem to agree because I have a competition to complete for my computer science class by tomorrow at 11:59.

Since I've always been aware that I don't plan things well when it comes to my academic life, I did try and space this project out as much as possible so that I would have enough time to do it. Yet, here I am, suffering today and the next three days just to turn everything else on time. SO: here's my seemingly daily life lesson for anyone that may be thinking about following a schedule like mine- DON'T. It will not end well for your personal health and you will be stuck inside during your spring break as you hear about your friends going on trips and basically living life to the fullest. I am having a WONDERFUL TIME in my household working for school.

To sum it up, to whomever this may concern, pretty please with sugar on top, plan ahead for your projects and think of me, your friendly neighborhood blogger, whenever you think about slacking off. I'm off to work. Wish me luck!


Picture:
"Redirect Notice." Redirect Notice. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjMpNHd3ZjTAhXD5SYKHc2NDgkQjxwIAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencemag.org%2Fcareers%2F2014%2F07%2Fstressed-out-postdoc&psig=AFQjCNE7tXMQQueg7Di88eqUhS1qnIGudw&ust=1491873937632297>.

Shoppin' for Chopin

Now, the premise of this film introduction is for it to be centered around a piano player and a an accident that leaves his hands permanently damaged, inhibiting him from playing piano ever again. So, because of the theme and tone of the introduction, I knew I had to have a rather somber piano song playing throughout. So who else has sadder music than Chopin himself?

Now, I used to play piano myself for a while, and I always preferred classical music than modern, popularized songs. Because of this, I got the opportunity to play Chopin quite a bit, and whenever I did, I'd almost always find myself tearing up. So, I had originally planned to have my old Piano teacher, Mrs. Carreño(Much Love), play a piece for me, which I would record and then add to the video. However, due to various circumstances, she was unable to play for me. Because of this, I set forth on a quest to find a non-copy-written version of Chopin's songs.

After some time searching, I came across this website , which had one of my favorite pieces by Chopin and what do you know? It's a ROYALTY FREE PIANO SOLO. So, I will be using the song and crediting it either in the actual video or the blog post including the video. Either way, I'm all set for the music in the introduction.

Picture:

"Chopin." ClassicalRadio.com. N.p., n.d. Web.

Music:

"Royalty Free Classical Music." Free Music Public Domain. N.p., n.d. Web.

First Day of Film + Future Plans

During this week, I plan on looking over the past footage of the day. From what I have seen so far, there seems to be small inconsistencies in lighting, something that can easily be fixed through filming some extra scenes later in the week as well as editing through them.

Besides the film itself, I still need to find a possible recording of music to use throughout the beginning of the introduction. According to this site, classical music does still have copyright infringement, usually by the players of composers. Therefore, I have to find a solution to this problem, and fast. I'm still weighing my options, but I believe if I record a friend of mine playing a song created before the 1900's, I should be in the clear and not have to follow any of the common rules of copy written music.

(Picture of Piano)

Simply Piano by Joytunes. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.joytunes.com/simply-piano

What's that called again?

I wanted to make this a believable story in order to fit itself into the Drama genre, which is known for revolving around real world topics which, in this case, revolved around medical case.

Because of this need to make the introduction seem realistic, I searched for terms and medical terminology for when a nerve is damaged, but not to the extent of being rendered useless. Eventually, I came across Ulnar Nerve Palsy.

Finally, I had reached the exact term I wanted. In this disorder, severe trauma to the Ulnar Nerve renders various hand and arm movement useless, particularly finer movements. Therefore, if a piano player were to be unfortunate enough to contract this, he would mostly likely have to cease to play the piano, due to the fact that it is an intricate art form, require both basic and fine movement.

(Medical Site)
Medically Reviewed by William A Morrison MD on December 21, 2015 — Written by Rachel Nall and Lauren Reed-Guy. (2015, December 21). Ulnar Nerve Palsy (Dysfunction). Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com/health/ulnar-nerve-dysfunction#overview1

(Picture)
Cyclist's palsy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.physio-pedia.com/Cyclist%27s_palsy

Filming Self-Instructions

Since I decided to film for the first time on Sunday, April 2nd, I laid out a scene organization for how I currently imagine a scene in my mind: 

• ·       Begins with high angle shot of the piano
• ·       Cut to an angle behind the piano, you can see through the back
• ·       Pianist enters shot from left
• ·       Extreme close-up of finger turning on the piano
• ·       High angle shot of hands playing on piano
• ·       Cut to low angle shot off to the left of the piano
• ·       Feet move slowly along with the rhythm
• ·       Shot of trophy emphasizing the skill in piano playing
• ·       Close-up from left of hands playing song
• ·       Continuation of High angle shot of hands playing on piano
• ·       Same high angle shot, this time without the hands playing piano music fades away
• ·       Mid shot of piano from in front of it
• ·       Over the shoulder shot with a focus pull from the piano to the person
• ·       Close-up of doctor saying his condition (no audio/very distorted)
• ·       Pianist still looking at piano, turns to face the doctor when his name is spoken
• ·       Over the shoulder shot of doctor “Do you understand your condition sir?”
• ·       With an Expressionless face: “Yes, Ulnar Nerve Palsy. My nerves are permanently damaged. My fingers are practically useless now.”
• ·       Doctor: “Well not exactly- you just won’t be able to use them for any fine movements. No typing, no texting, no…”
• ·       “piano…I know”
• ·       Pianist Turns to look at piano with contempt
• ·       Doctor turns to leave the room
• ·       Pianist is still looking at the piano when you hear the door close and a black screen comes up along with it, with the title screen within it

Hopefully, if all goes to plan, my filming should include some, if not all of these ideas.

(Picture)

FILMING WITH CHILDREN. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mullaproductions.com/filming-with-children/

A solution? Huzzah!

After going through my various drafts for the introduction there was one thing that was going through my mind when taking a look at my ideas for the symbolic shots of medicine and such objects: boring.

 To look for inspiration on how to make a scene more interesting, I went to the Internet's gold mine of amateur filmmakers: YouTube. During my search, I came across a relatively humorous video on simple focus pulls that anyone can do. While some of the focus pulls were simply lackluster of did not fit what I was looking for in my scene, I was very fond of other shots, particularly the one including the bottle of sauce. 



Here, the person's face is looking away from the object, in this case the bottle, and then turns towards or near the camera. This allows the viewer to see both the object long enough without taking away from the true focus of the scene: the emotions of the character. Also, instead of having a simple, boring shot of the person and then the object, this keeps the viewer interest in the scene while maintaining the structure of the scene throughout the duration of the shot.

(Focus Pull Video)
(2011, November 26). The best 17 focus pulls you will EVER see!! Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byoKfN5hIJ0

(Bored GIF)
Bored, boring, 30 rock animated GIF. (2016, April 15). Retrieved from http://popkey.co/m/jZwQY-bored-boring-30 rock

(Bored Solution)
What to do when your bored. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/nandie0627/what-to-do-when-your-bored/

The Purpose of Elements

In class this week, our teacher gave us a brief yet important feedback session about our projects. When I was called up, there was a question I simply could not answer about the individual parts of the introduction: "What's its(the part of the scene) purpose in relation to the bigger picture?". The music was easy to explain because of the idea of loss and emptiness. However, other parts were not so easy to explain. For example, showing the hands transitioning in two different places really did not mean anything in terms of adding to the scene and tone of the scene I was attempting to set. Also, I came to realize that I did not have too much motion, that I would be depending on my editing far more than I would like to admit.

As a result, I decided that the scene with the hands would be removed. Instead, the constant would be the piano, with the lighting around it changing from a light, happier shade of yellow to a cool blue or white light, showing the change in tone. Also, the movement would be compensated through slightly more complex and symbolic shots, such as close ups of medications or the aforementioned empty piano. Also, to make the viewer feel more involved in the conversation, I am debated whether or not to include an over the shoulder shot when the doctor is talking to the protagonist. On one hand, the shot would have the audience feel like the are more involved in the conversation, as if peering in from behind. However, the shot can seem very out of place since most of the shots are either close ups or mid shots. I'll have to fix that doubt soon thought because I plan on filming this weekend, either on Friday or Sunday, depending on when my actors will be available for the most time.

(Doctor Photograph)

Kathryn A. Hughes, MD | Physician | February 25, 2015, Roozehra Khan DO | Physician, Nilesh Kalyanaraman MD | Policy, Bob Doherty | Policy, James M. Dahle, MD | Physician, Erica Kaufman West, MD | Physician, Taylor Brana | Education, Pamela Wible MD | Physician, Pamela Wible MD | Education, Niran S. Al-Agba, MD | Policy, Anne Toledo MD | Physician, Niran S. Al-Agba, MD | Physician, Charles Ornstein | Policy, Edwin Leap MD | Physician, Fred N. Pelzman, MD | Physician, and Maria Yang MD | Physician. "Health systems are designed to help patients.  But what about doctors?" KevinMD.com. N.p., 25 May 2015. Web. <http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2015/02/health-systems-designed-help-patients-doctors.html>.

Feedback Time

This week, our teacher placed the students in my class in groups of 6 or 7 people to receive feedback from the students themselves. Unfortunately I presented my idea last in the group, so expectations were already set for how the presentation should seem. Despite my nerves and the aforementioned expectations, I think I was able to describe my movie introduction well enough for the rest of the group to understand what I had in mind.

The main problem that was clear was that I didn't have a clear detailed plan for what I was going to show in the film. While I did have very basic ideas and parts of the scene but they were very loosely related, which means that although I considered some of my ideas to be good, they didn't sum up to anything, resulting in a very poor production. 

So, in order to fix this, I've taken a look at some of the main points in my original outline and have begun to create the final outline of my introduction. Initially, I was going to have the piano play all throughout the project, but a fellow table member mentioned that this might be too cheesy and might take away from the main focus of the piece: emptiness. Instead of keeping the piano playing, I would have the piano only in the beginning and silence the rest of the time to further emphasize this idea of emptiness in the pianist's life after his accident. 

I believe this small chance will make all the difference

How Magic Changed the Scene

Next weekend, I plan on beginning the filming of my scene. However, I had no previous experience on how to create a realistic injury. So, after searching for a while on how to do so, I found a relatively old homemade video on a magic trick,popularized by magicians like David Blaine(below). Within the video, the creator shows how to stick a needle through their arm by simply brushing a sticky, see-through material over in (in his case he used rubber cement, but it could theoretically work with other materials). 

In the beginning of my scene, the piano player has his fingers injured to the point of being unable to continue his musical career. So, by using this rather crude yet effective form of a magic trick, I am able to make typical magical illusion into say something like stitches, which are commonly seen after surgeries. However, there are still various topics of which to resolve, like the overall setting, the casting, and even to just simply schedule when the filming will begin. With some luck and effort, that will be finished before the end of the week so I can begin to get this show on the road. 



R. (2007, June 28). Needle thru arm explanation. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwarxzLzBXI

Crazy: David Blaine Sticks A Needle Through His Arm! (2015, January 22). Retrieved from http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhM93V09t88Xu1b8d1

Walter White's Realization and My Own

In order to figure out how I will portray the main character's pain, I turned to the show that I believed portrayed a medical diagnosis the best: Breaking Bad. 

In this scene, (Possible Spoiler Alert, but if you haven't watched the masterpiece that is Breaking Bad yet, I don't know what you're doing with your life) Walter White is told he has terminal cancer. The diagnosis is not the most interesting part of the story though, rather, the way Walter reacts is not the way a person would expect the patient to react to a diagnosis in magnitude: he doesn't respond. However, this doesn't mean he is feeling nothing. Walter is in shock. The diagnosis was so rapid and sudden that he simply does not have time to comprehend the full significance of what he's just been told.

So what can I get from this scene? Well, originally, I was stuck on how to introduce the topic of a life destroying event or diagnosis in my film intro. So, through this excerpt from Breaking Bad, I was able to find a different way to portray the internal conflict of one of those events. However, I still need to figure out how to bring the other parts of my scene to life. Hopefully, with some further digging, I may be able to find some inspiration in some interesting an unexpected places in order to create a different and creative piece I'll be proud of for years to come.

Redirect Notice. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjekPqGheTSAhXGOiYKHWz3AaYQjhwIBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amc.com%2Fshows%2Fbreaking-bad&psig=AFQjCNHDAYae-xhtRCoVstEOKXE2zEB-MQ&ust=1490063418708590

Decision+Outline

Despite the very crude picture, what is shown above is my rough outline for how I am going to film the introduction for a film. I have decided to make a Drama film about a young piano prodigy who has sustained an accident that does not allow him to play piano ever again. In this opening, i want to create a feeling of shock and emptiness within the piano player, hence his name, Mr.Vuoto. For those that do not speak Italian, the name mean emptiness. Also, within the opening, I plan on using a piano soundtrack in which the piano strikes a deep and heavy tone, marking the end of the scene. 

In order to add a feeling of loss, I also wish to create a segment in the beginning of the introduction where Vuoto feels he has lost a part of himself, hence the part where he looks down at his hands playing the piano in one shot and just laying on top of his legs in the other. Dramatic films usually involve the main character entering some form of external and internal conflict, coming into contact with many of the mixed emotions that may come from the conflict and the events surrounding it. Unfortunately, I am still trying to find a fitting title for the film. With luck however, I should have figure it out within the week. Wish me luck!

Thank You, Danielle

In earlier projects of mine, I neglected the importance of mis-en-scene in film, particularly lighting and character/costume design. I would always focus on story, character development, editing etc. And I thought I would continue this way of thinking. That is, until I came across a Ted Talks starring Danielle Feinberg, the director of photography at Pixar Animation studios.


Within this Ted Talks, Danielle talks about her favorite part of her job: applying the lighting. Using her own examples from Pixar original films like Brave, Finding Nemo, and Wall-E(Those of you that have read my previous blog posts will know I have a soft spot for Wall-E and other films from my childhood). Danielle talks about how by simply applying different lighting to her scenes, she is able to create entirely new worlds, bending the animation to her will to create and develop her stories. 

Here,I was able to realize how the small bits of a film make up the larger picture, and are sometimes just as important as the story and characters themselves, as seen throughout all of the Pixar films. So, this fundamental lesson in filming or simply stories, was staring at me all along in my memories. So, I plan to apply this lesson learned to the film by bring setting and design to my attention, which will hopefully open my eyes to more opportunities in film, shaping how I go on in this project.

So thank you, Danielle. Thank you for this wonderful lesson in my life. I can only hope to apply this to the amazing art of film making.

Feinberg, D. (n.d.). The magic ingredient that brings Pixar movies to life. Retrieved March, from https://www.ted.com/talks/danielle_feinberg_the_magic_ingredient_that_brings_pixar_movies_to_life#t-553850

Why Not?

After a while of searching, I was able to find a style of introduction I feel interested in. Strangely enough,it was not from a drama film rather it was from crime movie called Reservoir Dogs, directed by Quentin Tarantino, my all-time favorite director. 

Reservoir Dogs Opening       

Here, the director is able to introduce every single one of his characters as well as their interest what they think and how they act. Using quick cut the directors creates a quick, upbeat, and entertaining introduction to his film. The scene begins the characters having an argument over the meaning of a popular song at the time by Madonna. The characters are also known to be well-dressed even though they are in a simple coffee shop. This rather humorous conversation about the song's meaning also allow introduced the characteristics of the characters as well as sending an initial time for the movie. Following this initial conversation, the character introduced as Mr. Pink also refuses to participate in the customary tipping for waitress in a restaurant. The scene is there for both able to portray a humorous yet deeply philosophical conversation about society and its various views. Herein lies the reason why I'm so intrigued by films in the first place. The ability to both entertain an audience yet maintain a strangely philosophical perspective on socioeconomic tendencies of the American society fascinated me all throughout this scene. This style of dialogue and directing would also be seen in a later film by Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction. 
The two characters shown ,Honey bunny and Pumpkin, are seemingly continuing a previous conversation they've had about their lackluster, yet dangerous lifestyles. Here, Tarantino continues an upbeat conversation about something as simple as robbing a store. Even so, throughout the conversation, the two characters, mainly Pumpkin, talk about the businesses across the nation, such as liquor stores and banks. At the end of the scene, the two characters go on to rob the restaurant they've been sitting in for the duration of the scene. 

Pulp Fiction Opening Scene

I've fall in love with every moment of these scenes. The humorous dialogue and the sheer ridiculous of every moment are so rare within a Drama film. However, since Drama is able to introduce so many topics I suppose the director thought "Why not?". So that is simply what I plan to ask myself throughout the duration of this assignment, through every obstacle and difficulty in my way: "Why Not?"

Reservoir Dogs - Opening Scene. (2010, September 25). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBzj61KvTrk

Pulp Fiction - Opening Scene. (2012, September 23). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jomr9SAjcyw

Pictures from:
Pulp Fiction (1994). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110912/

Reservoir Dogs (1992). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105236/

Intro. To: Joaquin

To whomever this concerns,

This is a Blog for any reader to understand the process gone through to create this short two-minute introduction to an original film as well as all my research and thoughts on this journey. But before all that, I'd like to introduce myself.

My name is Joaquin Perez Nogueiras(yes it is that complicated). I live with my parents and sister along with my adorable little companion Dulce(Spanish for sweet), my wiener dog. My fascination for film began when I was just 8 years old: Wall-E had just come to a theater near me. It was here where I first told my mom: "I wanna make movies someday too". Little did we know that I would soon be striving to enter in the industry via a school project. 

For this project, due to a fairly low budget(I am in high school after all) ,as well as great personal interest in the genre, I have decided to create the introduction to a Drama film. 

While looking for articles on the Drama genre, I found an page on Filmsite that I think perfectly describes the genre. In their words: "A dramatic film shows us human beings at their best, their worst, and everything in-between." This means that the director and the script and the acting and even the setting much all come together to present the viewer with the intended portrayal on the characters' positions in life and perspectives of life. The article also describes the subgenres within "Drama", which goes on to prove that the Dramatic genre is able to reach out and appeal to a much larger audience than its other genre counterparts. Furthermore, the article describes the different topics that can transcend the films themselves, such as racial divides, drug abuse, corruption of power and many other troubling real-world issues. 

This ability to display real-world messages is really why I think film has the ability to be the purest from of art: it is a blank canvas and every little part comes together to form a piece of art among many in history. In my film, I think I want to do more than just create a project worthy of artistic approval. I want to create a piece that it able to represent a controversial topic I may have come in contact with before. However, with all the possible subgenres found in Drama, I have yet to choose which one to do.


Drama Films. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.filmsite.org/dramafilms.html