These blog titles are getting cheesier by the day...sigh...
Well, it was another mad week but I will try to recall most of it in sparkling, vivid detail. I had a meeting with my directing tutor (Steve) on tuesday, where we came up with some great ideas to enhance the 'look' of the film. He encouraged me to experiment with black and white, and I decided to do so in the edit, but not while shooting. Most of the crew agreed to the changes and felt it would add aesthetic value to the film, as well as an interesting theme. I watched a few films from the era he suggested, like 'Repulsion'. I also now openly admit buying several fashion magazines for research. This is highly believable, as many of my classmates will testify that I would rather be out of fashion than buy a copy of 'Vogue'. But the magazines surprised me. I got some interesting ideas from them. One had an article about models being dangerously skinny (as if that is a new issue, but anyway) and another had a diary-esque article about a woman trying to live for a week without any mirrors. This intrigued me and I read the entire thing. What I at first dismissed as a silly piece of writing by a fashion-obsessed beauty editor turned out to have many points I identified with. I understood how difficult it must have been for her in some situations, such as getting a haircut or dressing for a formal event, without a mirror. I wondered about mirrors in people's lives and what they mean to them. This led to a few minor changes in the script, which is now on its fourth draft.
On Thursday, we had a camera class with Paul, where we discussed specific issues about films we were shooting. We tried to light the very dark location for 'Toilet' and thought of viable solutions to manage this. We decided that changing the bulbs on the ceiling lamps or using a bright key light bounced off the ceiling would be best. We also looked at locations for 'Silence' and I suggested blocking lights in the hallway with black poster paper, in order to create shadows. I later met my AD and discussed locations and props for the film, as well as some script details. We planned a meeting with the whole crew for the coming Sunday. I also got some books from the library on directing, hoping to find inspiration.
On early Friday morning, I received the news that Jon would be unable to work on our film. We hurriedly asked Mishaal to take over as assistant camera and he readily agreed. We had one set of auditions on Friday, where a few people turned up. I even resorted to walking around campus and approaching young women with "Hey! You look exactly like the kind of girl I am looking for! How would you like to be in a student film?". I have never picked up women before in my life and now wholly understand why my male friends complain about it. :) We found a few women we liked and are waiting to see some more, but the casting situation in general is looking positive. We also looked at the tapes from Zoe's audition and liked a few people whom we could call for the London audition. At the end of the day, it was a well-organized and productive casting session. There were no mistakes or moments of feeling unprepared. A big 'thank you' to our producer, Shafia!
Saturday was (finally) a day of some rest. I went out and finalized the first storyboard with Lou and then bought some essentials to survive the coming week, such as long-lasting food and a flash drive! :) I looked over the storyboard myself and made notes for the meeting tomorrow. I also contacted a friend who works in theatre, about some actresses.
The budget has been planned to accommodate vintage clothes and posters for the set. I am all set to make a trip to London next week for buying these items and to conduct a final audition. It will be a hectic week but hopefully a productive one. The script I was writing for my MA film is currently on hold, as are all the other scripts I was churning out swiftly. 'The Mirror' has completely taken over my working hours and the only spare time I have is spent resting, to gather energy for the rest of the work.
I must run along now and get some (much needed) sleep. The week ahead is going to fry my nerves and I must be prepared. Ciao!
gk*
listening to-Franz Ferdinand
February 24, 2007
February 17, 2007
writing frenzy
Hello again readers!
I spent the week looking for locations again. We also decided to make some major changes to the script for 'The Mirror' and now have a third and final draft, which I typed out yesterday and sent to the entire crew. I now understand what my tutor meant by a Director's interpretation of the writer's script. I think I am finally progressing towards developing a directorial 'style'. Imagine...one day, people will watch a film and say "Oh, but that is such a typical GK film! How dull!" Sigh...big dreams!
I did a shoot for Hallam Volunteering on Wednesday aka Valentine's Day. It was at a class for senior citizens, to keep them fit. The toughest part of it was that almost all of it was handheld and I tried my best to be as stable as possible. Also, there were windows on every side and plenty of daylight coming in. We coped by moving as close to the people as possible, which was easy, because there were quite a few intimate interviews.
I also watched dozens of short films over the week for inspiration or ideas, in terms of plot structure. One film which struck me as an extreme form of what we are trying to achieve in this film, is 'Meshes of the Afternoon' by Maya Deren. It was shot on film, in black and white. It was a landmark in American film, one of the first Psychological films to ever be made. I decided that 'The Mirror' would not push the psychological angle that far, but would certainly explore it. I also did some research on the condition we are exploring in the film. Here's an extract from Wikipedia:
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental disorder, which involves a disturbed body image. It is generally diagnosed of those who are extremely critical of their physique or self image, despite the fact there may be no noticeable disfigurement or defect.
Most people wish they could change or improve some aspect of their physical appearance, but people suffering from BDD, generally considered of normal appearance, believe that they are so unspeakably hideous that they are unable to interact with others or function normally for fear of ridicule and humiliation at their appearance. They tend to be very secretive and reluctant to seek help because they are afraid others will think them vain or they may feel too embarrassed to do so.
Ironically BDD is often misunderstood as a vanity driven obsession, whereas it is quite the opposite; people with BDD believe themselves to be profoundly ugly or defective.
BDD combines obsessive and compulsive aspects which has linked it to the OCD spectrum disorders among psychologists. People with BDD may engage in compulsive mirror checking behaviors or mirror avoidance, typically think about their appearance for more than one hour a day and in severe cases may drop all social contact and responsibilities as they become homebound. The disorder is linked to an unusually high suicide rate among all mental disorders.
A German study has shown that between 1-2% of the population meet all the diagnostic criteria of BDD, with a larger percentage showing milder symptoms of the disorder (Psychological Medicine, vol 36, p 877). Chronically low self-esteem is characteristic of those with BDD due to their value of oneself being so closely linked with their perceived appearance. The prevalence of BDD is equal in men and women, and causes chronic social anxiety for those suffering from the disorder.
Phillips & Menard (2006) found the completed suicide rate in patients with BDD to be 45 times higher than in the general US population. This rate is more than double that of those with depression and three times as high as those with bipolar disorder.
You may find more information on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder
We did several test shots over the week, experimenting with white balance and F stops. On Friday, we had a class with Paul, where we listed some of the main problems with shooting 'The Mirror' and possible solutions. That is where we hit upon the idea of a manual white balance for the bathroom shots. We also learnt about using a spider dolly. Afterwards, we lit and shot a few scenes with a portable blue screen. We experimented with the shots and people used and are waiting for the results next week. I just got back from another test shoot in the bathroom on location. Most of our locations are confirmed and we are working on a storyboard and production schedule, to keep everything on track. Casting is on the 23rd and we are hoping for the best! I hope it goes well...
I have spent a lot of time this week working on my script for my MA film as well. Even though it is very early, I can never sit still when it comes to writing and am currently working on 4 scripts. I don't know when I will eventually make them, or if they will ever be produced, but I am giving them all a fair chance for now. I am off now, to watch a few films and enjoy an early night, for a change!
Au revoir!
gk*
I spent the week looking for locations again. We also decided to make some major changes to the script for 'The Mirror' and now have a third and final draft, which I typed out yesterday and sent to the entire crew. I now understand what my tutor meant by a Director's interpretation of the writer's script. I think I am finally progressing towards developing a directorial 'style'. Imagine...one day, people will watch a film and say "Oh, but that is such a typical GK film! How dull!" Sigh...big dreams!
I did a shoot for Hallam Volunteering on Wednesday aka Valentine's Day. It was at a class for senior citizens, to keep them fit. The toughest part of it was that almost all of it was handheld and I tried my best to be as stable as possible. Also, there were windows on every side and plenty of daylight coming in. We coped by moving as close to the people as possible, which was easy, because there were quite a few intimate interviews.
I also watched dozens of short films over the week for inspiration or ideas, in terms of plot structure. One film which struck me as an extreme form of what we are trying to achieve in this film, is 'Meshes of the Afternoon' by Maya Deren. It was shot on film, in black and white. It was a landmark in American film, one of the first Psychological films to ever be made. I decided that 'The Mirror' would not push the psychological angle that far, but would certainly explore it. I also did some research on the condition we are exploring in the film. Here's an extract from Wikipedia:
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental disorder, which involves a disturbed body image. It is generally diagnosed of those who are extremely critical of their physique or self image, despite the fact there may be no noticeable disfigurement or defect.
Most people wish they could change or improve some aspect of their physical appearance, but people suffering from BDD, generally considered of normal appearance, believe that they are so unspeakably hideous that they are unable to interact with others or function normally for fear of ridicule and humiliation at their appearance. They tend to be very secretive and reluctant to seek help because they are afraid others will think them vain or they may feel too embarrassed to do so.
Ironically BDD is often misunderstood as a vanity driven obsession, whereas it is quite the opposite; people with BDD believe themselves to be profoundly ugly or defective.
BDD combines obsessive and compulsive aspects which has linked it to the OCD spectrum disorders among psychologists. People with BDD may engage in compulsive mirror checking behaviors or mirror avoidance, typically think about their appearance for more than one hour a day and in severe cases may drop all social contact and responsibilities as they become homebound. The disorder is linked to an unusually high suicide rate among all mental disorders.
A German study has shown that between 1-2% of the population meet all the diagnostic criteria of BDD, with a larger percentage showing milder symptoms of the disorder (Psychological Medicine, vol 36, p 877). Chronically low self-esteem is characteristic of those with BDD due to their value of oneself being so closely linked with their perceived appearance. The prevalence of BDD is equal in men and women, and causes chronic social anxiety for those suffering from the disorder.
Phillips & Menard (2006) found the completed suicide rate in patients with BDD to be 45 times higher than in the general US population. This rate is more than double that of those with depression and three times as high as those with bipolar disorder.
You may find more information on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder
We did several test shots over the week, experimenting with white balance and F stops. On Friday, we had a class with Paul, where we listed some of the main problems with shooting 'The Mirror' and possible solutions. That is where we hit upon the idea of a manual white balance for the bathroom shots. We also learnt about using a spider dolly. Afterwards, we lit and shot a few scenes with a portable blue screen. We experimented with the shots and people used and are waiting for the results next week. I just got back from another test shoot in the bathroom on location. Most of our locations are confirmed and we are working on a storyboard and production schedule, to keep everything on track. Casting is on the 23rd and we are hoping for the best! I hope it goes well...
I have spent a lot of time this week working on my script for my MA film as well. Even though it is very early, I can never sit still when it comes to writing and am currently working on 4 scripts. I don't know when I will eventually make them, or if they will ever be produced, but I am giving them all a fair chance for now. I am off now, to watch a few films and enjoy an early night, for a change!
Au revoir!
gk*
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