Edits

Yes a little more editing. I hope this is it! There are just some small tweaks to each. I am trying to make the loop more smooth, and I think it is working better now!

1112 takeheart1-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

1112 takeheart2-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

Revised edits

edit 10:31-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

It was suggested to put in some sound with footsteps at the beginning when the chair stands alone. So I took some free wav. file of footsteps to place in there to see if I like it before I record my own sound. I'm not really sure if it adds anything to my piece??

fall 10:31b-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

Another edit

A few more tweaks!

edit 10:23-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

Final Edit

So I think that this is my final edit! I hope! I feel like I am finally where I want to be with this project. Maybe with a little more tweaking here and there I can call this my finished BFA project! Maybe I will not even need too many more changes.

final edit-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

Visiting Artist Elizabeth Condon

Visiting Artist Elizabeth Condon came to speak on Oct. 11th at 7pm in Callicott Auditorium. She was born in LA and now lives and works from both Tampa, Florida and NY. I was not able to attend the lecture. I viewed the recording of it. I am sorry I missed seeing her work on the big screen, but I'm not sorry about the actual lecture. She spoke what felt like a really long time. Just showing each work and describing it. She has so much work it felt like an overload of information. I was not bored visually but a little by what she talked about.

Although what interested me most was her work early on in the lecture. She kept using the word kitsch to describe the series of dolls. They were not just regular dolls. They had an eerie look to them. She briefly mentioned. That she painted the dolls to describe her childhood. To get to know the dolls better by painting. She said that when she was young she did not speak until the age of 4. Until she spoke she just played with dolls all the time. I would have liked it if she had gone into more detail about her not speaking. I'm not sure if it was something bad that happened to her causing her to not speak, if it was medical, or if it was by choice. I felt like that work was the most beautiful and strongest of everything I saw of hers.

Her other work was inspired from her travels around the US and Asia. She has a technique where she pours her paints on to the canvas and then works from those shapes letting the shapes build her landscape. I thought that was a interesting way to paint. It allows her to be creative and troubleshoot her next most not allowing herself to always be in control. Condon's most recent painting she is working on are influenced by the 60s and 70s from when she was growing up. She is looking at architecture that is still around from when she was young and also night clubs.


Here is the only image of her dolls that I could find on the internet. It isn't from what she showed in the lecture but still has that dark and eerie vibe that I liked from the ones she did show.

     

Edits

Ok here's my most recent edits! I think I am getting very close to the look and feel I originally wanted. The difference between the two is one's edited with just falling while the other is falling with some rebuild. I need help deciding which works best. Then I can tighten and wrap this film up! Maybe? Hopefully! I also decided to only have sound during the fall to just hear the breaking noise. I took out all other sounds of me walking or building. I wonder if that is ok to do? I am still not even sure if I will have sound for the actual BFA screening. I would like for the breaking noise to be heard when people view it but I do not want ugly earphones in my installation. So I guess I will have to see what I can get away with.

fall 10:15-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

fall 10:15d-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

Final Shoot

I believe I wrapped up the shooting part of my movie this last Saturday. I fell a bunch more and got bruises on top of my bruises, and I also shot some coverage of putting the chair back together to give me some more variety. The first edit is made toward what senior studio suggested last week. I like it but I feel like I need to definitely cut it up a bit more. Maybe I should not always show me fully walking in every time. Cut it to the fall quicker? This edit was also to show the two filming days mixed to see if it still blended nice. I only had a tiny bit of color correcting to do to match them.
fall 10:08-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.
This second edit is more of what cinema class suggested.
fall 10:08b-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.
I feel like this one is more interesting to watch because there is a lot of variety. I think the strongest part (and how I originally thought about editing this piece) is towards the end with the cuts of the fall over and over. They are closer together and happen quickly. It hurts me to watch and in a way I think that is how I would like my audience to feel. I need to try and figure out a way to effectively execute that and show my determination to keep going at the same time. I really do not want my viewers to get bored. I would like it if they would actually hangout and watch it for a little while. The editing part is fun because there are so many different ways I could go about this.

Test Shoot

This weekend was the test shoot- I think it went pretty well. Falling in the chair over and over wasn't that bad but I was very sore the next day and had a lot of bruises on the back of my legs. Hopefully I will get some good feedback from the class so I can focus on what I need to get right when shooting again this coming Saturday. I made some really rough edits of the footage to show. I realized when editing that it takes me a long time to build the chair back up. So I need to figure out the best way to show that without it getting boring or speeding it up and making it look comical. I want it to go faster but still show an emphasis of the struggle of putting it back together.

Sequence 1-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

fall-vimeo hd encode from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

Pre-test test shoot

This weekend I went in to get some test shots with the lighting set up and the falling process in the chair to see if it will work. I also planned out a few different outfits to get some stills of to see if they will look right on film.

Image of lighting

...and the chair











Here are some shots of the outfits I have in mind. I think that it will be stronger if there is a variety of changes to show time passing so that the process doesn't read as one day. Varying from dressed up to very casual. Things I would wear from day to day.

Footage:

This first video is the building of the chair as it was the very first time we put it back together, but the more we did it the better we were able to figure out how to keep it stable. 3 toothpicks are better than one!


building from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

The next two videos are of me falling. In the first one the chair started to break before I even fell down and because of the angle it still looked pretty believable. Which got me thinking that this could be a way to execute the shots. If I can get the chair to start falling and I fall just after I may be able to land without hurting myself or the chair but it could be tricky.

fall 1 from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

The problem in this film is that I hesitate when I sit down. Pretty much every time I sat down I did that. So, I am glad that I figured this out before the real test shoot coming up next weekend. I think I am going to try to tape some padding under my clothes. Most of my outfits are not fitted so I am pretty sure that I can conceal it so it doesn't show of film. Maybe with a little extra padding on my body I will be more confident when sitting down on the chair. It needs to look as normal and natural as possible!

fall 2 from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

At the end of the shoot there was an unexpected student that came into the studio, Jonah, we asked him to sit on the chair that was already set up. He did and it was good because the chair didn't break right away. He knew there was something wrong with it but for a brief moment I think he thought he was safe. The chair did break and he said it hurt but that he was ok. Sorry Jonah! I did discover what I was already thinking which is that he landed on the back of the chair with his back. Once again I need padding!

unexpected from Angelique Gonzalez on Vimeo.

Artist Lecture- Matthew Robbins

Matthew Robbins a former MCA student came to do a lecture on Thursday 9/20 in Callicott at 6:30pm. Matthew Robbins is a blogger and editor for Martha Stewart Weddings as well as the Huffingtonpost.com and StyleList.com. He give lectures around the world and has been on the Martha Stewart Show and the Today Show. He is known for his extravagant event planning and party arrangements.

I thought it was great to see a former student doing commercial art work and getting paid well to do so. He is still able to tap into his conceptual and artistic side but he is doing it with flowers and party favors. I was very impressed by the images of his work from former parties and weddings. During the lecture he spoke of inspiration. I found it interesting that he would take something as simple as a piece of candy or a vintage tin and use that object as his inspiration and color palette to decorate a whole room.

He was a great speaker because he is used to doing so for large crowds, media and the wealthy, but he did not go into a lot of detail about his process of getting to where he is now. He talked about his time at MCA as a painter, then he transferred to San Fransisco. While he was in school he worked in a flower shop and he also said something about doing events for a company when the big boss was away, who later found out that Matthew was behind the wonderful arrangements. After that he moved to NY and started his own business where Martha Stewart ask for him to be on her show based on a flower arrangement she saw in a magazine.

I guess that is it, it takes a lot of work and ambition. I just wanted more. I realize he worked his way up. He probably had a few connections from his places of business while he worked in college and he was just good at it.  

Here are some images of his work and a link to his website.
     

Test shots in lighting studio

Over the weekend I went to the lighting studio to plan on where I would like to set up and get some shots of the chair documenting the way it breaks at this point. I am still trying to figure out a way to make the chair fall apart a little bit better so that it isn't a surprise at what direction it goes each time. I'm getting a little worried about making it happen. Ideally I want the cushion to fall straight down so that I am not falling on to the back or legs of the chair. I do not want anything to snap on the chair to the point where I can not use it anymore or snap anything on me for that matter.

The chair is in 3 pieces: the ladder back, cushion, and front legs. My helper and boyfriend, Randall, and I rigged the chair up with toothpicks because that is what we had conveniently at the house. After trying that out in the lighting studio we realized that it was working but something a little thicker would be better. So, we went by the home depot and got the smallest dowel rod and stained it to match the chair.


Here is some footage of what we did. This was all shot on my iPhone with a tripod.

 

I did not mess with lighting just yet because I am still trying to figure out the construction of the chair. I have to admit that I was a little scared to test out the chair myself due to either hurting me or breaking the chair too much before I even start shooting the project.

Here is a picture of the dowels stained.

Revised Pitch

"Elevator" Line- Visualization of perseverance through constant struggle and defeat in a seemingly hopeless situation

Explanation of Theme- As a metaphor, I will use falling from a chair to show how life is a constant battle.

What is the central point you are trying to make with this film? The point is to show a person’s emotional determination toward an obstacle by not giving up no matter the level of difficulty.

What is the central goal of the film? The goal of this film is to give the viewer a sense of sympathy toward the main character, as they will be able to relate to the emotional feelings of overcoming obstacles in their own lives.

Why should we care??? This project will allow me to create a short film using a portable camera to have freedom in experimenting with hands free camera angles, as well as allow me to focus on performance, installation, and most importantly allowing time to improve my editing skills to fully be able to execute my vision.  

What is your project about??? This project will elicit feelings of sympathy thru struggle but bring attention to determination.  

Does your film have a premise? The premise is to not let interruption stop you from moving forward. In life there will always be a hurdle to conquer.  

Short synopsis- The film will show the repetition of a person, myself, sitting in a chair that will collapse causing me to fall each time. I will keep going back to the chair rebuilding it and sitting again only for it to break. I will focus on the frustration and defeat but highlight my commitment to keep trying. The footage will be presented in its usual display on a computer screen, but I will place the same chair from the film in front of the screen as an installation, giving the viewer the option to experience the uneasy feeling of the unstable chair.

Place- a nondescript setting indoors, clear, empty, blank walls and floor. There will be one low focal light source to cast a heavy shadow on the side of the character’s face. 

*Note: I have been thinking about the location and the way my character should look. I am still pretty set with the idea of the location being as plain and nondescript as possible. The location will be in my home in a plain corner. It will be lit dramatically to one side casting a shadow on the character and assisting to darken the room giving attention to the performance by not distracting from its surroundings. As for the character (me), I think it is best to keep the clothing simple, neutrals- gray top and black pants maybe blue jeans. I do not want the audience to read into what she is wearing. I do not want the clothes to distract either. 

     
Time- unidentified time  
Atmosphere- lonely/ empty  
Character- Late-20s female- dressed simply/plain   
Tone- sympathy, empty and lonely

Execution- To execute this, I will be using my iPhone camera. The size and weight of the phone will allow me to rig it on different parts of the body as well as let me strap it to overhead objects and furniture that I will be using in the film to help me achieve different angles and perspectives. In correspondence, I will use the Canon D60 locked down on a tripod moving around the subject on all sides shooting only at angles and perspectives that the camera and tripod will allow. That way I can accumulate footage in both abstract and focused form to see which works best for the aesthetic I am trying to achieve. The video will be edited in Final Cut Pro set on a loop and presented in digital format on a computer monitor screen.

  
Structure Breakdown-
The film will be on a loop:
Fall
Rebuild
Rest
Fall
Repeat 

 




I am having trouble thinking of a movie to show as a good example of how I would like the movie to look but a interrogation scene is kind of what I keep thinking about when I picture the look. Maybe not as dark as this picture but close.

Chair Reupholstery Step 1

So I got started on the reupholstery process, and I recorded the steps along the way. I only finished the stripping down of the old material. I still need to figure out how to properly add the new cushion which is a lot thicker than the old cushion since I will be falling on it. I do know for a fact that the new 2" thick cushion is going to save my bum because I was falling on it in the store before I bought it. :)

Also, I realize that I could have left the staples in the underneath part of the chair but there was something kind of satisfying about pulling them out. I got all of the staples but three which is pretty good considering that the wood seat has been covered twice and who ever stapled it up went a little staple happy.

Here are all the pieces, the middle fabric is what I will be covering both seats with. I like it because the print isn't as loud as the original. It's just a cream and beige pinstripe.

Back of seat- look at all those staples.

Layers of dirty old materials.











Layers and thin cushion.








 

Rusty staples.











Finished! Yay!











My next step will be to do a little research on reupholstering so that I do not mess up the ten dollar cushion that I purchase. 

Researching the fall

I took karate when I was real young, I sort of remember learning certain ways to try to land and brace yourself when falling, so I decided to save a few links to refer to when I start filming. I realize that I should not look prepared in the film when I am falling over and over but there are ways to safely land without looking too obvious.

http://www.wikihow.com/Fall-Safely

Falling Down Without Breaking Bones - These bloopers are hilarious

Revision to pitch

I am not changing much to the original outline of the pitch except for the way that I plan to execute my film. I would like to try shooting in my original form with my Iphone so I can get creative with perspective but also shoot with the Canon D60 to bring out the focus on the person and the chair. I think it will benefit me to have two versions that I can edit and decide which will work best for the project.

I also have been thinking about the location and the way my character should look. I am still pretty set with the idea of the location being as plain and as nondescript as possible. The location will either be in the lighting studio or at my home in a plain corner both places will be lit dramatically to draw attention to the performance and not distract from its surroundings. As for the character (me), I think it is best to keep the clothing simple, neutrals- gray top and black pants maybe blue jeans. I do not want the audience to read into what she is wearing. I do not want the clothes to distract either. 

"Elevator" Line- Visualization of perseverance through constant struggle and defeat in a seemingly hopeless situation

Explanation of Theme- As a metaphor, I will use falling from a chair to show how life is a constant battle.

What is the central point you are trying to make with this film? The point is to show a person’s emotional determination toward an obstacle by not giving up no matter the level of difficulty.

What is the central goal of the film? The goal of this film is to give the viewer a sense of sympathy toward the main character, as they will be able to relate to the emotional feelings of overcoming obstacles in their own lives.

Why should we care??? This project will allow me to create a short film using a portable camera to have freedom in experimenting with hands free camera angles, as well as allow me to focus on performance, installation, and most importantly allowing time to improve my editing skills to fully be able to execute my vision.  

What is your project about??? This project will elicit feelings of sympathy thru struggle but bring attention to determination.  

Does your film have a premise? The premise is to not let interruption stop you from moving forward. In life there will always be a hurdle to conquer.  

Short synopsis- The film will show the repetition of a person sitting in a chair that will collapse causing them to fall each time. She will keep going back to the chair rebuilding it and sitting again only for it to break. I will focus on the girl’s frustration and defeat but highlight her commitment to keep trying. The film will be presented in its usual display on a computer screen, but I will place the same chair from the film in front of the screen as an installation, giving the viewer the option to experience the uneasy feeling of the unstable chair.

Place- a nondescript setting indoors, clear empty, blank walls and floor.  
Time- unidentified time  
Atmosphere- lonely/ empty  
Character- Late-20s female- dressed simply/plain   
Tone- sympathy, empty and lonely

Execution- To execute this film I will shoot with my Iphone camera but also with the Canon D60 locked down on a tripod moving around the subject on all sides shooting only at angles and perspectives that the camera and tripod will allow. That way I can accumulate footage in both abstract and focused form to see which works best for the aesthetic I am trying to achieve.
  
Structure Breakdown-
The film will be on a loop:
Fall
Rebuild
Rest
Fall
Repeat

The Chair

Over the long weekend I set out to find the perfect chair for my project. I spent all day on Saturday driving around town looking for garage sales, Goodwill, and thrift stores. I was hoping to find a cheap set of four identical wooden chairs. I wanted the chairs to have a standard "chair look" to them. I did not want them to read kitchen, office, or lawn chair. Believe me there were plenty of lawn chairs on clearance but not exactly what I am going for. Well it is pricey to get a set of 3 or 4 chairs and there were not any chairs just hanging out in the cheaper places like Goodwill, but I did find two chairs that have the overall look that I want. They were at a thrift store that I went to early on in the day. I did not purchase them right away because I was hoping to find a larger set but after running around to more places I ended up getting the two that I found because at that point I just felt like it would be better than nothing. They were ten dollars each so twenty for both. I am ok with that considering that I know I have spent way more on a school project before. I just hope I do not break the already broken one too much to where I can not use it again when filming. I know I need to get started on this project to make sure to work out all the kinks.

Here are some images of what the chairs look like:

Today I dismantled one of the chairs to help me start thinking about how I am going to rig it to make it fall when I sit on it. I am thinking that I am going to carefully remove the fabric from the seat and replace the wood bottom with some foam board, cushion, or something a bit softer. Also, I will be adding more stuffing. I made sure to save all of the screws that were removed as well as the wooden pieces just in case.

       
On order are four of those foam mats that interlock to make a big piece. I have been wanting some for the house anyway but thought that I may be falling on those to help cushion my fall as well. They are black on one side and gray on the other. 40 dollars so far on this project! I hope I can make everything come together the way I see it in my head! I am excited and anxious about the breaking and falling part of this process!

This is the mat:

Semester Statement of intent

For this class I plan to work on constructing a film that will result in the outcome for my senior project.

My main intention and focus will be improving and sharpening my editing skills in final cut pro. The film that I would like to create for my BFA project will have a similar aesthetic to the final project completed last semester in cinema 1.

"Elevator" Line- Visualization of perseverance through constant struggle and defeat in a seemingly hopeless situation  

Explanation of Theme- As a metaphor, I will use falling from a chair to show how life is a constant battle.

What is the central point you are trying to make with this film? The point is to show a person’s emotional determination toward an obstacle by not giving up no matter the level of difficulty.

What is the central goal of the film? The goal of this film is to give the viewer a sense of sympathy toward the main character, as they will be able to relate to the emotional feelings of overcoming obstacles in their own lives. What is the movie about in abstract terms? Perseverance towards obstacles.  

Why should we care??? This project will allow me to create a short film using a portable camera to have freedom in experimenting with hands free camera angles, as well as allow me to focus on performance, installation, and most importantly allowing time to improve my editing skills to fully be able to execute my vision.  

What is your project about??? This project will elicit feelings of sympathy thru struggle but bring attention to determination.  

Does your film have a premise? The premise is to not let interruption stop you from moving forward. In life there will always be a hurdle to conquer.  

Short synopsis- The film will show the repetition of a person sitting in a chair that will collapse causing them to fall each time. She will keep going back to the chair rebuilding it and sitting again only for it to break. I will focus on the girl’s frustration and defeat but highlight her commitment to keep trying. The film will be presented in its usual display on a computer screen, but I will place the same chair from the film in front of the screen as an installation, giving the viewer the option to experience the uneasy feeling of the unstable chair.

Place- a nondescript setting indoors, clear empty, blank walls and floor.  
Time- unidentified time  
Atmosphere- lonely/ empty  
Character- Late-20s female   
Tone- sympathy, empty and lonely

Execution- To execute this film I will be using my Iphone camera. The size and weight of the phone will allow me to rig it on different parts of the body as well as let me strap it to overhead objects and the furniture that I will be using in the film to help me get different angles and perspectives.
  
Structure Breakdown-
The film will be on a loop:
Fall
Rebuild
Rest
Fall
Repeat

Digital Cinema 2

Fall semester Digital Cinema 2 starts here!

Katzenjammer Final

I was really happy that the final project's assignment was "anything goes." It gave me the opportunity to focus on some themes that I wanted to experiment with in film for a long time. I decided to work with the subject matter of alcohol which I try to incorporate in my work and different medias often. This film started as an experiment with creating the visual effects of being intoxicated. My goal was to start out in a drunken state and move through slowly sobering up as the movie progressed. I had a lot of fun and freedom filming because I was able to use my iPhone and not the school's expensive equipment. The iPhone allowed me to film in all kinds of ways. I attached it to my head, to a drill for spinning, I used additional lenses and I rigged it to my tripod. Also I could place glasses on it for when I was pouring my booze (tea) and I even put it in a ziplock baggie so that I could throw up on it. It was honestly a good time thinking of different ways I could get interesting shots and angles, but a bit messy at times. I did not feel as stressed because I could shoot at anytime day or night. When I started editing I came to the conclusion that it was very dull seeing the progression of sobering up. I enjoyed more of the disorienting effects I had created, so I changed the ending to be more of a shocker, which I think was successful. I swear I am not a weirdo, well maybe a little, I am not all hung up on my mommy issues, it just comes out. I guess it is a good way for me to express myself freely, an outlet. I enjoyed this project a lot and I feel proud of it, in a way slightly embarrassed that it came out of me. I plan to work on it a little more over the summer just to have more time to play around with it some more and possibly add some music. Here are a couple of stills from production.

Self-Critique

We never turned in this last week and I wasn't sure if we needed it on the blog so I just put it to be safe.


A) Impact and Intent- how did you want to affect your audience? We wanted our audience to leave the film understanding how important it is not to judge someone, but that even still one can overcome and move on.
1. On a scale of 1-10, what was the story's overall impact? 5, I think that our message was not very clear.
2. What did the story leave you thinking? I understood what we were trying to say but I felt that it was not fully expressed the way that we envisioned it.
3. What did it leave you feeling? Honestly, it left me feeling kind of bored because it did not give the full effect that we wanted, and it show a lot of repetition that could have worked if shot differently but made it dull since it wasn’t.
4. Discuss the source of the main idea that you started with and its importance to you. The main idea of this film was about a person who was pro-life, that after losing her husband was making the decision to get artificial insemination. Her peers found out and were quick to judge her and shun her from the group, which allowed her to make the decision to move on from her normal routine. Although I do not have the same views as the protagonist in this story I liked the idea of someone overcoming an obstacle and seeing things differently.
5.Discuss the Theme or premise of the piece as you discovered it after finishing the film. I feel as though the theme/premise is not as clear from when we were planning out the movie, but I think that we still stuck with the same concept through out the production of the film.

B) Clarity of Tension/Main Conflict
1. How clear was the story? Could you see all the scenes equally clearly in my mind's eye, or were some hazy? As I mentioned before, not all of the scenes were as clear as we had hoped. It feels as though some main ideas were missing. We shot our script as it was written but I think that not all of it was clearly thought out for our viewers complete understanding.
2. What parts could you easily and pleasurably retell, and what parts are difficult to recall? I feel like I can retell most of the film since I spent so much time with it, but pleasurably I think the scenes with dialogue such as the argument between our main characters and the dialogue between the picketers are the scenes I enjoyed the most. I definitely had some jokes of the intenseness of the argument scene while editing the movie.

C) Potential
1. Does the story feel complete? Not entirely complete, I think there were some ideas that were not completely expressed through the lens. It would have been nice to have had the time to reshoot or even just add a little bit more showing Elizabeth’s state of loneliness, so that our audience could really grasp why she wanted to fill that void by getting insemination. Also some more scenes showing how much she was involved as an activist.
2. On a scale of 1-10, rate each scene. Are they all functioning to full potential?
Scene 1- I give it an 8, I think we did a great job showing how organized and prepared she was, but there are some scene we could have added to show her as a clean and neat person.
Scene 2- deserves a 7- we got most of the scenes within but there are some missing scenes. We needed more showing them protesting as well as leaving Elizabeth at the end of the day. Better coverage on the mother and daughter.
Scene 3- Alone gets a 5- I think this is our weakest scene. We should have shown more variations of just how lonely our character was without her husband.
Scene 4- Same to scene 1, I would have liked a little more variation in her morning routine as well.
Scene 5- I think this scene did what we wanted it too, beside some lighting issues. I would give it a 9.
Scene 6- Needed a little more coverage on the argument but otherwise a good scene. 9.
Scene 7- I enjoyed this scene the most, I thought the lighting was a little blown out but otherwise a vibrant and intense scene! 10.
Scene 8- This scene could have used a little more coverage. I felt that even though we shot our ending the way we wanted, it would have been nice to have more variations to experiment with to figure out the strongest way to go.

3. Which elements were strong, which were weak? I basically described these above. The weakest scene was 3-Alone. There was not enough coverage. We should have shown Elizabeth alone in her house. Not just bored but morning her husband. We have her looking at her ring but maybe it would have helped to show her looking at images or his clothes.
The strongest scene is 7, I think that it shows the intensity of the groups judgmental state toward Elizabeth. I also think another strong element is in scene 6 when Jeff drops the red marker.

D) Feedback-- Discuss “What you want to learn to do better.”
1. Report what is working well, and what is not. With the scenes that I described that were not working, scene 3 and picketing scenes.
2. Suggest what might clarify and strengthen whatever is weak. I think the biggest issue was time. It would be nice to have a full semester to work on making a movie so that we can revise the script during the shoot and have time for more coverage on scenes or even to be able to go back and shoot more.

Mitra Abbaspour- Visiting Artist Lecture #3

Mitra Abbaspour did a lecture in Callicott, She is a curator for the Museum of Modern Art in NY. The lecture was titled, In the Studio: Photography, Modernity, and the Middle East. I guess I did not realize that this was not going to be about artwork that she made because she is not an artist, but an art historian. Her presentation was very boring and hard to follow. She basically read some sort of thesis while stumbling over her words and not keeping up with her slides. I followed her a little bit at the beginning. She was speaking about how important it was to stay with current events of the Middle East and how there are gaps between documentation and narratives. She went over some images starting at 1845 that were the first documentations of people and buildings through photography. Around that time is when I got lost in what she was speaking about. It was difficult for me to get back into what she was saying. I felt bad for her because I could not tell if she was nervous or just not rehearsed. It made me not want to see another lecture from a curator or an art historian. I just felt like she was reading a paper that I had no interest in to begin with. If she had a better way to go about her reading by showing the images and stopping to explain them before continuing on with what she was reading then I may have enjoyed it a little more.

Final Final Pitch

"Elevator" Line- A vivid, in your face exploration of inebriation through altered perspective.

Explanation of Theme- The contrast between drunkenness and sobriety.
What is the central point you are trying to make with this film? The point is to show how much more clearly we perceive things when we are sober.

What is the central goal of the film? The goal of this film is to make the viewer feel uncomfortable through the use of camera movements, angles, lighting, and effects then slowly bringing them to a clear and sober state giving them focus and relief at the end.

What is the movie about in abstract terms? The movie is a study about the effects of alcohol seen visually through the lens of a camera.

Why should we care??? This project will allow me to experiment with the camera and editing effects, where I can creatively show the increasingly disorienting effects of heavy drinking.

What is your project about??? This project is about using the film to elicit feelings of discomfort and disorientation and contrasting them to focus and clarity.

Does your film have a premise? The premise is intoxication versus sobriety and the realization that it feels better to be sober.

Short synopsis-
Place- a nondescript apartment setting.
Time- unidentified time indoors.
Atmosphere- lonely/ empty
Character- An unidentified female

Tone- from empty and lonely to relief

Execution- To execute this film I will be using my Iphone camera. The size and weight of the phone will allow me to rig it on different parts of the body as well as let me strap it to small moving objects like glasses or bottles to help me give the viewer different angles and perspectives. I purchased a few different apps for my phone and some lenses that will help to give the effects that I need.



Here is a music video that is similar to what I am trying to do. My film will not be in first person but this is a good inspiration on showing intoxication.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7UnVHTwQOE&feature=fvwrel

Final Pitch

"Elevator" Line- A vivid, in your face exploration of inebriation through altered perspective and disorientation.

Theme- The contrast between drunkenness and sobriety.


What is the central point you are trying to make with this film? The point is to show how much more clearly we perceive things when we are sober.

What is the central goal of the film? The goal of this film is to make the viewer feel uncomfortable through the use of camera movements, angles, lighting, and effects then slowly bringing them to a clear and sober state giving them focus and relief at the end.

What is the movie about in abstract terms? The movie is a study about the effects of alcohol seen visually through the lens of a camera.

Why should we care??? This project will allow me to experiment with the camera and editing effects, where I can creatively show the increasingly disorienting effects of heavy drinking.

What is your project about??? This project is about using the film to elicit feelings of discomfort and disorientation and contrasting them to focus and clarity.

Does your film have a premise? The premise is intoxication versus sobriety and the realization that it feels better to be sober.


Short synopsis-
Place- a nondescript apartment setting.
Time- unidentified time indoors.
Atmosphere- lonely/ empty
Character- An unidentified male

Tone- from empty and lonely to relief

Execution- To execute this film I will be using my Iphone camera. The size and weight of the phone will allow me to rig it on different parts of the body as well as let me strap it to small moving objects like glasses or bottles to help me give the viewer different angles and perspectives.

Here is a music video that is similar to what I am trying to do. My film will not be in first person but this is a good inspiration on showing intoxication.



Structure Breakdown-

Editing

Like I thought I really enjoyed the editing part of making a movie. It is a very time consuming process which I do not enjoy but only because it makes it stressful to spend the time on it that I want and have. I am a little worried about the quality of my edit compared with everyone else in the class. I ended up with 12 minutes which I think is a little dragged out but I felt like I would rather have a little more than what I need rather than not enough. I could totally see myself getting a job where I sit and edit all day long. I hope to learn a lot more on final cut so I can use all the tools that it has to offer!

Filming over Spring Break

Our group filmed all day on Monday and Tuesday, the beginning of the break. It was a long couple of days but I would say that we got everything completed and our script came to life.


I'm not going to lie, It was difficult... There are so many things to remember. I know that we forgot to do one thing and then remembered to it later and then forgot to do something else. Even with notes near by it was always something.

Our actors were great and stayed patient with us during the process. We were definitely lucky to find all of our actors outside of MCA so our viewers should not recognize any faces. The main two characters were a friend and a co-worker of mine. Aminah found the extra people to be picketers from the Actors in Memphis Facebook page. It was almost surprising that these actors were willing to help us for free. They followed directions so well and came very prepared. They were all very professional.

I know our biggest mistake was that we did not slate correctly the whole time. Which will make syncing our footage very difficult. Since we did not slate correctly, I went back and wrote out the video to it's matching audio. Some of it was a little confusing but I think I got most of it matched up. There are some other issues where that is concerned but I will wait till I understand how to do the editing part first before I go into that.

I think that I would have enjoyed the filming part a little more had it not been so stressful as a class project. If I could do something like this on my own time, I think that it would be better. I do know I learned a lot by just filming. I really hope that the next film will go much smoother. I think and I hope that I will like doing the editing part. I am very much a computer person. I wouldn't mind sitting at the computer making everything come together. I have never used final cut pro so I am a little worried about that. I hope that I can understand it well enough to make my movie the way I picture it.


Here are some stills of the movie! :)

Assignments 03/07

We met a lot this week to get the pre-production pack completed as well as the lighting assignment.

We have spoken to the actors and plan to shoot on Monday March 12th and Tuesday March 13th. I am excited to get this process going. I am getting worried though because it looks like it may rain those days and we need to get our outside shots then. So I guess we will be praying to the rain Gods that they hold off for us. If not we will have to just do the scenes in the apartment.

This coming weekend will be spent gathering supplies for the file. We need a few small wardrobe pieces, a tea kettle, and materials to make signs.

2/29 Readings on Lighting

I have taken a few photography classes, but I have never learned how to use lighting as a way to enhance my image. I found these readings to be very useful. As I was reading, I thought about the film we are about to shoot. I tried to think about where we will need lights and how we will use them to help the image. I think that the 3 point lighting technique is a straight forward method to use when starting out on a set. I am looking forward to learning more about the ways to light up a set.

I thought it was interesting about the tip on how to light women versus men. I have noticed that the lights are a lot of the time almost blown out on a lady's face. I wonder if this is just more flattering because it takes away some of the flaws? I like to watch old movies and I have noticed this before.

Compositional Shots Assignment

Our group decided it would be best to study our locations for this assignment. Saturday we spent 4hrs at the outside location downtown and 2hrs at my house which is the second location. I felt that it took some time to feel comfortable with the camera. Actually as I was shooting I became more aware of what I was doing the more I did it. It was fun to plan where to get good compositional shots. It is not so fun having to move the camera and tripod around the site to get the position that you want. After the long and cold outdoor shoot, we got to my house where we realized that we had the camera's white balance setting still on the florescence. This was a horrible discovery, but on Monday we redeemed ourselves and did more shots around the school so to see the difference of the settings from the WRONG to correct white balance. It truly does make a difference!!! Monday we spent about another 3-4hrs re-shooting, and before that we did a little meet and greet with crew and cast, we are trying to figure out everyone's schedule so that we can organize our pre-production packets. After all that time with the camera I am starting to feel more comfortable. I just worry that there is so much to remember and think about when setting up and shooting. I do not think that our group will forget to set the white balance after that mistake! I really hope that we do not make another big mistake like that again!

Here are a couple of my favorite compositioanl images I took on our shoot.

Chris Irick- Visiting Artist Lecture #2

Today’s visiting artist was Chris Irick. Irick as a child moved around quite a lot, which gave her different views on cultures that she found very interesting at a young age. Her family landed in Texas where she was able to go to a larger high school and take her very first jewelry class. She was hooked instantly. From high school she went to receive her BFA in metalsmithing at Texas Tech University. There is had encouraging professors that allowed her to experiment with different techniques and assist them in the studio. Irick had made the decision to teach so she got her MFA in metals from Dartmouth. She currently lives in New York and is Professor of Metal Arts and the head of the jewelry program at Pratt MWP.

I felt that the lecture was boring in the way she talked and presented her work, but what kept me awake was how beautiful her pieces were. The presentation was well organized almost to a fault. Occasionally she would say something funny to make the crowd laugh which helped. She was definitely a complete opposite from Mel Chin’s lecture earlier this month. Her work that she did was very inspiring because she took her love for old industrial and Victorian items and incorporated it into her own work. One of my favorite pieces was one she did from grad school titled Submerge. It was a necklace inspired from an old timey submarine that was supposed to be used as a way to bomb enemy ships, but never made it to production. She liked the idea of making these small industrial wearable items because adornment is very important in our society. It means a lot to wear something and carry it around with you. Irick presented her work in very nicely taken photographs that gave it a professional and clean feel. Even though her presentation was just straight fact and details spoken in a very monotone voice, which made me sleepy at times, she still kept my attention with the wonderfully sculpted jewelry.

Readings for 02/22

Our group met over the weekend a couple of times to revise our script. We have been able to meet so far every week on Fridays and Mondays, which has really helped me out at keeping a schedule. Friday we worked on adding a few more details to certain scenes and we came up with some dialogue. We all felt it would be best to put some dialogue in to not make the movie without or a silent film. Yubu and Rah spent the rest of the weekend tweaking the script and dialogue so that it would sound more natural. On Monday they did a reading of what they had changed. For tomorrow Animah should have formatted the script and highlighted the parts. I staked out a few potential places to shoot our protest scenes downtown and took images (posted on the blog earlier). I also worked on a diagram of my house along with some images so that the group could see where Elizabeth lives.

The readings were slightly familiar to me because I have taken a couple of photography type classes. I went through them to make sure I remembered everything and to made sure I understood it all. I still sometimes get the DOF a little confused no matter how many times I read it, but I think I have a better understanding and I took good notes so I can refer to them if I do get mixed up again. I think that the equipment for the focusing is really neat and I know that it will be useful so that the filmed image looks smooth. I am getting excited about actually starting to shoot! I really hope that all of this planning helps us have a less difficult time when we are out shooting the movie.

Locations

My House/Elizabeth Fulton






Here are some places downtown that could work for protest sites. Let me know what you think!

Group rough layout of scenes

Rough layout for scenes to help with scripting

Scene1: Shows Elizabeth waking up very early in the morning. (dawn)


Scene2: Elizabeth preparing for the day; protest signs in hand as she walks out the door.

Scene3: Arrives at the protesting sight. Shots of her protesting with her group showing her really into it. Spends the day out there on site.

Scene4: Comes home to an empty house.

Scene5: Lonely, she she watches a sappy romantic film, and she is fidgeting with the wedding ring on her finger.

Scene6: She reminisces of her life with her deceased husband. Shows her longing to have a child of her own.

Scene7: She gets the idea to look up some of her options, runs across artificial insemination, prints up information on it, sets on table.

Scene8: Fellow, noisy protester friend stops by to say hello to Elizabeth.

Scene9: Noisy protester friend sees information of artificial insemination on table.

Scene10: Next day Elizabeth shows up to protest and the group is acting strangely toward her.

Scene11: Elizabeth feels defeated and starts to realize that there are other views on the situation.

Scene12: When protesting she becomes less hardcore with her actions. Unsure on what path to take.


Ok, I broke this down a little more than we discussed in class. I think that we need to elaborate on the middle. More importantly the ending still needs something, not sure what. Hopefully this is a good start for writing the script.

See you guys Friday@335. Please try to have each scene developed as much as you can and some ideas of back stories on husband and noisy protester(he/she needs a name)


Here are some scenes from two movies that go along with the aesthetic we want with our film. The tone and execution of the film will have little to no dialogue/actions through body language and camera angles. Wide angles will be used to emphasize the main characters loneliness. The appearance/aesthetic of the film will be real, down-to-earth, not a lot of make up or harsh lighting.

American Beauty




Slackers

Assignments 02/08

Well, the readings were all pretty much the same as last week so I decided to quickly go back over them to try and keep them fresh thoughts in my head. I also added a few more notes that can help me later.

Our group met up on Friday and Monday again this week. Monday, we finalized our pitch, and I think we are all feeling much better and clearer on our idea. I hope! We will find out for sure tomorrow I guess. We made up a blog that we can all go in and post to: Click Here to View


I am getting both nervous and excited about how all of this is going to turn out. I can picture our film coming to life but I wonder if what is in my brain will translate through the camera and editing. It seems like there is so much to do with very little time to do it in.

Mel Chin- Visiting Artist Lecture #1

Mel Chin is Chinese, born in American, and was raised in a poor neighborhood in Houston, TX. He is a conceptual artist using mixed media as a basis of his work. He has done sculptures and installations, made clothing, images, animations, etc. Chin stated that he “places art in strange places” like popular television shows and abandoned houses. Most of his work had a lot of political views that took him time and years of research. The first image he showed was from 1989, a sculptural piece of two large columns replicated and scaled from the White House with the horn of plenty sandwiched in between which represented “crushing policy.” He also did work as homage to people whom stories impacted him in some way. During the lecture he said “work can be made a tribute to people.” I think that Mel Chin’s goals with his work is to help out the community, to make an impression, to get people thinking and involved. He works to have meaning even if the viewer has to dig a little deeper to figure it out. One of the comments that Chin said during the presentation is “its time to critique myself” I found it to be a strong and honest statement. Even though this man is obviously talented and known, he still wants to take time to regard his work and be hard on himself. I honestly had never heard of this artist before today. I really did not feel like going tonight because I had a really long day, but I am very happy I did. I thought that the lecture was informative. He was really engaging with us and he kept things interesting by cracking jokes, singing, and changing clothes. He was well organized and if he slipped up he just cracked a joke. It seemed like he really loves what he does and completely appreciates every single day.

Assignment readings for 02/01

I am enjoying the readings so far. I feel like they are easy to following and keep me interested and engaged. It's definitely more fun to read about film-making and movies rather than it is to read art history. To me anyway...

I think I am starting to finally understand what a theme is and genre. I do not know why that always confused me. I have a small notebook that I have been keeping good notes in so that I can refer to them if need be when I start shooting. I liked how some of the readings had the actual scripts from the movies that I love. It was fun to read it in that way after I had already seen it(It's a wonderful Life)

The 3-act structure is a good way to help me think about and break down what I need to include in my film and when.

Group goals and meeting

So far, we as a class met on Friday where we were able to split up into our groups. The groups were split by who wanted to help Tyler with his vision for his BFA and the rest of us that are planning on doing something different.

Groups are:
Tyler
Carolina
John
Amanda

Yubu
Rah
Crista
Aminah
Angelique


Friday our group decided to meet on Monday with some character ideas to discuss. We have come up with some ideas, not completely worked out yet.

Our goal is to blow people's minds by enlightening them. We want our audience to leave the film having knowledge of both conflicts or issues within the story.

Here are a couple of film ideas

Ok I have a hard time writing and coming up with full stories but here are a few ideas that have been swimming around in my head.

A reality Show- or maybe in our case it would be a fake one.
Basically I have had this idea to make a reality show where a crew of professionals in different fields go around town and get homeless people off the streets.
-first we would get the bum's life story of who he was before he was on the streets and how he came to be on the streets.
-second we would get him consoling and AA if needed.
-third we would get him all cleaned up while finding out if he has any strong talents or interests.
-fourth we would get him classes based off what he likes and then we would help him find a job.

I think this may be a difficult task to do for this class but it is something that I think could be really interesting. I like some reality shows but most of them are stupid because we are just watching people ruin their lives. This is positive in that we get a little be of drama of how the bum is at first and his sad story but then we get to give him a heart warming ending or maybe it is a beginning???

I am also thinking about doing some kind of silent film/ no dialogue just music or sound effects. I am not sure exactly what I want to do but I know I do not want a Charlie Chaplin type happy film. I do like those but I think it would be interesting to bring out some sad or dramatic elements without words. For this class I really want to learn how to do a time lapse. I have this idea for a scene of a young, pretty 20-something girl sitting balled up on the floor or in a corner- drinking a lot of alcohol- over and over and over, but I am thinking that occasionally I would cut away to her trying to get dressed such as putting on make-up, curling hair- but as time goes on her hair gets ratty and her make up runs. This is a vision of mine and I am not sure if I am explaining it well but I hope to have some footage of this before the semester is over whether I get a chance to use it or not.

-I also have a tiny idea about a superhero/or maybe she is a villain. I haven't worked out the kinks yet... This is Opossum or is it, Possum Girl. She would be this cute teen- that wears ears, a hoodie with a large pocket, and a tail. She is shy- She would play dead when her evil doers are about to attack which would confuse them give her time to wake up/surprise attack her villains biting them and giving them rabies. Her predators would be eagles, hawks, owls, foxes-in human form with features of these animals.

I am not sure if any of this made sense but it is a start at least!

A movie that had an impact on me...

American History X



I had a little bit of trouble narrowing it down to which movies had a big impact on me. Growing up movies were kind of my babysitter. My parents were young parents, I honestly do not think they really knew what they were doing, but maybe they did... They were still young and hip. They loved the pop music of that time and every movie. They never really had any restrictions for us when it came to viewing a film (except they would make us close our eyes during the sex or violent scenes). Anyways, I had seen lots of movies, when American History X came out I was about 14 or 15, This is still pretty young for this intense movie but because of my upbringing it wasn't an issue for me to watch it. I also have an older sister that shared movies with me and that is who I saw it with.

American History X summarized by IMDB-"A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did."

So here is where it got me, one a young brother that loves, admires, wants to be like his older sibling (my sister and I) but the other was the issue with race. As we know a skin-head is someone whom basically despises every race beside their our white race. I am a half-Italian/half-Hispanic, which was never an issue until I moved to Memphis, where I was picked on for being Mexican by both white and black children. Before moving here though, in 1991, My grandfather was murdered in Memphis. He owned a liquor store in a not so great part of town and was robbed and shot five times in the chest by three young black males. My family(mother, aunts and uncle) all struggled with excepting and befriending blacks for a while after that tragic event. I never understood why they all felt that way because I know that we can not judge, and any race could have done this to my grandfather. Would they have hated an Italian man if he had shot my PoopyJoe? I don't know. It wasn't until after I saw this movie that really made me think that we need to give people a chance and should not judge them by the color of their skin. My family has overcome their feelings toward black people and I know that their were just hurting and had to blame someone.

This movie does have a horrible sad ending but it made me think about how you can affect someone else, that you should really treat people like you want to be treated. If you treat someone badly they may not handle it the way you expect. As surprising as the ending is in this film I think I liked it because I, in a way could relate. I felt that this could have been a real life story, could have really happened. It made me think and was definitely memorable, and I can honestly say that I have seen it several times and I would watch it again.