TMA 285 DIRECTOR’S REFLECTION: CHASE SCENE
- Turn in a hard copy of this statement the next class session after your film screens
- Upload the statement to Learning Suite the day after your film screens
- Post this to your blog with your film the day after your film screens
Overall response (2-3 paragraphs):
In 2-3 paragraphs, write an overall response to your film: Were you successful at achieving what you set out to achieve? What are you proud of? What would you do differently if you could remake this piece? What did you learn?
I believe that I was mostly successful with Deathrun. I wanted to take a lot of my feelings and make a film out of them, which I think I did. I am proud of the lighting and the blocking of this film. I think that it looked really nice. My actresses did a great job, and I really appreciated their dedication to this project. I believe the performances were believable and engaging.
If I could remake this piece, I would probably have shot in some different spots on campus. I liked shooting on campus, but some people in class thought that it was a little confusing. I also would have been a little more consistent with angles and directions. I learned that fake blood could get everywhere really easily! I also learned that having good communication with your DP is also vital for success. I learned that it is difficult to shoot on campus when you want nobody else but your actors to appear onscreen!
Briefly answer the following:
What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not? I wanted to communicate that life can be overwhelming and terrifying but that we can overcome it. I felt I was pretty successful: many of my classmates felt the fear. I do not think the overcoming aspect was strong enough.
How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you use? I tried to use muted colors and darkness to represent the fear. I used deep space to symbolize the vast world and problems at our feet, and I used flat space to show the somewhat claustrophobic situations we can find ourselves in. Originally, I did not plan on showing the monsters being defeated, but I decided to show it to have more of a resolve.
What did you learn about storytelling: An audience likes to see how things happen. Ambiguity can be useful, but in many cases it is best to be clear about the story.
Working with actors and getting performance: Some actors are very natural and comfortable. Sometimes you really have to explain what you want to an actor to get the desired result.
Blocking — camera and actors: Sometimes it is hard to capture certain movements without seeing a character’s face! Hailey and I were able to figure out the best ways to keep the monsters a mystery by moving the camera.
Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements: I liked the framing and composition of this film. I felt like the different spaces provided a lot of interesting shots. I felt like some of the shots were not straight. I tried to fix some of them in editing, but I still was not completely satisfied.
Design & Art Direction: I had my actresses wear grays, blacks, and other muted colors to add to the feel of the film. The main character wore red shoes, which set her apart from the monsters in a small way. However, the monsters had red blood all over their faces, so she was also connected to them. I tried to shoot in places on campus that were mostly empty of distraction; I was not completely successful with this (the poster).
The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of making this piece: Hailey was a great DP during this process. We had the difficult time at the beginning with the camera (lack of a CF card), but we were easily able to step around that problem. We were working against time, and we did have some people on campus that we had to wait for. That presented some challenges.
What was it like to watch your film with an audience? Did they understand it? Miss the point? Why did they respond the way they did? I enjoyed watching this film with an audience. I think they got some great things out of it, including some things that I had not thought of. Like I said earlier, I do not think that the resolution of the problem was clear enough or strong enough. But I am glad they felt fear; that was one of my main goals.
Other observations: Upon watching the film in class, I decided that I did not really like the music very much, and I wish I had used something else. I actually had a hard time finding good music for this scene. Originally I wanted to record some music myself on the piano, but I did not have time.
For Josh’s film, we shot mainly in the dark. I was worried at first because of the lighting issue, especially when we aren’t around outlets, but it worked out great. We ended up using all natural light sources around campus that gave us some eerie shadows to set the mood of the film. I learned that using a shoulder rig isn’t the best thing while running, but it did ok. It wasn’t easy trying to keep that thing steady while holding the camera too. I kind of wish we used a steadicam, but I would need to practice balancing beforehand. I think I did a good job at framing shots to make them as good as they could be. Josh and I worked together to arrange things in the frame the way he wanted and I think it turned out nicely. I can definitely improve on preparing for a shoot. When I met Josh on campus, I realized that I didn’t have a CF card for the Canon 7D and that was a huge bummer. We had to make do with my Panasonic GH4 which set us slightly back in schedule. Next time, I will check to see if I have everything I need before I come to set.
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