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