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PDSFV: ch 16-19 (postproduction)
Film Directing fundamentals ch 12

Project assignment for nxt week: shoot and begin editing final project

Pitches
pre-production, choose teams, production schedule, casting
Directing workshop

Reading
PDSFV: Ch 8 (art direction), 9 (Location), 10 (rehearsals), 15 (the actor), app c (script sample)
Film directing fundamentals ch 7-11

Chapter 7: Detective Work On Scripts

The director should read a script again and again, set it aside, forget it and let it work on him before he works on it. Check.

Like a theatergoer, the director will be amused, laugh or cry, shudder or thrill – these reactions are valuable, but they do not suffice as guides to the directorial problem, which is to translate the script’s words into the language of the stage (film) where men and women of flesh and blood who move in 3 dimensions among real objects are to replace description.

If the name of my piece is called “UnFiction,” what would the first image be?

In the example script in the book, the first image is a piece of apple pie since the name of the film is called “A Piece of Apple Pie.”

Layers. Bleu Monday heartbeat. Overlay eyeballs on chests?

Walking thru hallways = time traveling thru vortexes.

Shot 1: Close Up. Kemila’s Eyeballs blinking. What does she see? TO AWAKEN.

Shot 2: Pan Down Kemila’s body to belly. TO CONNECT.

Shot 3: Ceiling fan spinning. This represents a chakra. Which one? TO POWER.

Shot 4: Solar plexus. Close up of Virtual Gypsyz’s belly. The Power Center. Audio of a car starting. TO PROJECT.

Shot 5: Kemila walks down the hall and into a door. Cut in Gysela walking down hall in Bolex piece. The door leads to Lost Society. TO ANTICIPATE.

Shot 6: DJ Chakrabooty spins beats. What is the music? Heavy dubstep? TO STIR.

Shot 7. Gysela’s feet dancing. TO AVOID.

Shot 8, 9, 10. QUICK CUTS. Gysela looking out the window. TO ANTICIPATE. Gysela sipping cocktail. TO SCRUTINIZE. Gysela looking at Kemila’s Boob Tube. TO COVET.

Shot 11: Leaking Faucet. TO BEG.

Eyeballs.

Ceiling Fan.

Eyeballs.

Ceiling Fan.

Kemila sitting on the countertop facing the green light.

Escalator lights flashing across.

Contrast Gysela sitting at the bar and big shadow with Kemila sitting at the bar pushing buttons on the laptop.

Is there Voiceover? Maybe what I wrote to Chico today:

morphing mish-mash of lists to do and forget
Water people
to be seen and un-met
O ya
And
My brain to let
thumping blood overflowing
wondering
waiting
waxing
praying poetic
Where r u, my love?
disconnected
disassociated
dis
Punctuation.
Hipster
Am I?
Posers are we?
Literal
so boring

Whose film is it? Kemila’s. She represents “Spirit.” She thrives in the Right Brain.

One of the most powerful dramatic devices that we have in our storytelling arsenal is EXPECTATION. What is Kemila expecting?

Gysela is the antagonist. She represents “Mind.” She thrives in the Left Brain and is characterized by a huge, dark shadow behind her, making her look like a monster. Why is she a monster? She will stop at nothing to make money.

Is “UnFiction” the trailer for “Kiro and Kemila?”

Should the piece be called “The Urban Ashram” instead of “UnFiction?”

Who are the Virtual Gypsyz? They represent “Body.” Why are they important to the story?

Before we decide on the spine of the three characters, we must first decide on the spine of the screenplay — the main action of the film. There is no one answer. It is the director’s interpretation of what the writer has written, but whatever the decision as to the main action of the film, it must be able to incorporate under its umbrella the spines of the characters.

Examples of spines:

• Film’s spine: to connect Mind, Body and Spirit in order to live a balanced life
• Kemila’s spine:
• Gysela’s spine: to make more money
• Virtual Gypsyz’ spine:

Aside from the unifying aspects of the screenplay’s spine, it will help lead us to our style, tone, mood, atmosphere, and emphasis.

Dynamic Relationships:
How does Kemila see Gysela? She is a sell-out, soulless.
How does Gysela see Kemila? Naive, stupid, wasting time instead of exploiting her talents
How do the Virtual Gypsyz see Gysela?
How does Gysela see the Virtual Gypsyz?
How do the Virtual Gypsyz see Kemila?
How does Kemila see the Virtual Gypsyz?
How do the Virtual Gypsyz facilitate the relationship between Gysela and Kemila?

Wants

Actions

Acting Beats

Activity

Tone: Dramatic comedy? Yoga noir. Surrealist. Magical Realism.

Designing a Scene

Visualization

Identifying the Fulcrum and Dramatic Blocks

Staging

Blackboard: Doc interview techniques

Project assignment: treatment, scripts, storyboards, shot lists, location pix, casting, pre-interviews, start shooting final projects

Screen re-creations
Advanced sound with mixers
Mixing studio, foley, voice over – visit audio tech facility
Final projects, from idea to viable film – screen award winning shorts
Art of the pitch, proposals

Reading: blackboard
Documentary & dramatic proposal samples, treatment samples
PDSFV:

ch 1 (script)

The script represents the vision of the filmmaker in practical form. It is also your guide through production. From it, you know the story, the characters, the locations, the approximate budget, the final length, and your target audience. With a script, you can finance the production and attract the creative team that will transform the script into a final product. The first member of that team is the director. Her job is to bring a personal vision to the material by either rewriting the script herself or collaborating with the writer until the script best suits a production based on her design.

A director/writer can develop the idea and bring on a producer (most film school situations). In the latter case, the producer serves as more of a production manager than a creative force. This scenario can lead to certain complications. For example, even if the director is a good writer, the process may reach a point when the producer feels that the script needs a fresh set of eyes. Negotiating this and other issues can be sticky unless the director is able to put her ego aside and focus on what is best for the project. Aha!!!

We believe that a productive synergy develops through checks and balances. The give-and-take over all creative and financial decisions from script to screen is not only healthy but essential in creating the best film from the material. Keep this in mind. However, whatever approach is taken, there is one fact that cannot be disputed — without a well-crafted script, you cannot have a good film.

You will be living with this project for quite a while, so it is important that you feel passionate about the material and its message.

The Creative Producer

Developing the Script – What starts out as a simple notion might go through many evolutions before it is ready to go before the cameras. No magic on the set will correct any unresolved story or structure problems. Be prepared to work and rework the material.

“When I sat down with each of my actors, I knew the characters inside and out. I had one actor in particular, the only woman in the film, who had come to trouble trying to figure out ho her character was and how she fit into this whole story as the wife of the judge. But because I had spent so much time on the rewrites, she had an entire character bible that I had worked out so I was able to basically tell her who she was.” – Be’Garrett

“Experimental” is not even considered a specific genre because the range of ideas for experimental projects is so enormous – from abstract images to installations to nontraditional narratives (see Appendix B for more information of genres).

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Student Academy Awards has a specific category named “Alternative.” If you want to understand what “alternative” can represent, it’s best to review past winners of this award.

The short film idea doesn’t hve the time to explore more than one topic. It needs to be focused and specific. Simple is best. The six examples provided in this book are good scripts because they are simple stories told well.

“Probably the biggest influence — besides all the films I’d ever seen in my life — was looking at student films, what was working and what wasn’t. One thing that I thought wasn’t working was that the stories went all over the place and that there was an emphasis on the technical rather than substance.” – Adam Davidson

Do Your Homework – Before embarking on a production, see and study as many shorts as possible to get a feel for the form and what can be accomplished in its time frame. The length for shorts varies from 2 minutes (Bambi Meets Godzilla, 1969) to 34 minutes (The Red Balloon, France, 1956). Novices often struggle to develop stroies for shorts because they are not familiar enough with the kinds of ideas that translate well into smaller packages. Shorts and features have dramatic principles in common, but in the same way that short stories are different from novels, there are specific limits to the dramatic scope and range of stories. A character can fall in and out of love, discover the meaning of life, or conquer a nation in two hours. In 10 minutes, a character may only be able to get up the courage to ask someone for a date.

Comedies lend themselves to the short form more comfortably than melodrama (film noir, Western, murder mysteries, sci-fi), which usually requires the development of a more complex plot.

“I made a list of the films that really affected me as a child. One of them was An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (which most people have seen). Then, of course, so did The Red Balloon. In film school, I saw many other films, such as Truffaut’s Les Miston (The Brats). This film didn’t influence me in a conscious way but filled me up emotionally. It was so melancholy and beautiful that it made me want to run out and make films, even though I ended up making a film like Truman.” – Howard McCain

What Is a Script?
What Does a Script Look Like?
Where Do Scripts Come From?
How Are Scripts Developed?
Adaptation
Legalities
Basic Guidelines for the Short Form
Collaboration
What Do You Do Now?
True Stories and Events

Director
Supervising or Performing Rewrites
Working with the Writer
Director as Storyteller
Story Questions
Scene Analysis
The Shooting Script
How Do Scripts Affect Budgets?
Animation
Documentaries
Developing a Web Presence

Key Points

Chapter 2 (finance)

Producer
Raising the Capital
Basic Fundraising Problems
Funding Options
Do Your Research
The Prospectus
Spending the Money Responsibly
The Digital Prospectus
General Fundraising Suggestions
Sources for Students
Student Fundraising Strategies

Director
Pitching the Project
The Elevator Challenge
Steps to a Successful Pitch

Key Points

Chapter 3 (breakdowns)

Producer
Breaking Down the Script
Production Book
Proper Script Format
Breaking Down the Script

Director
Storyboards and Floor Plans
Developing a Shooting Plan
The Final Word

Key Points

Chapter 4 (schedule)

Producer (as Production Manager)
Building a Stripboard
General Guidelines
Beginning the Schedule
Creating the Schedule
The First Day
Making the Day
Shooting During Preproduction
Locking the Schedule
Call Sheet
Scheduling Documentaries
Student Scheduling Tips
Web Presence for the Project

Director
Determining the Visual Plan
Coverage = Time = Schedule = Budget
Contingency Plans for Overages
Things Change

Key Points

Chapter 5 (budget)

Producer

Creating a Budget
Production Value
Script and Budget
Who Creates the Budget?
Budgeting Software
The Budget Form
Beginning the Budget
Learn by doing

Director
Shooting for the Moon

Key Points

Chapter 6 (crewing)

Producer

Hiring the Crew
Who Hires the Crew?
Whn Do You Need a Crew?
How Big a Crew Do You Need?
Selecting the Crew
Key Crew Members
Developing the Right Chemistry
Web Presence

Director
Hiring the Crew
Director’s Disease

Key Points

Chapter 7 (casting)

Producer
Auditions
The Casting Director
The Basic Casting Steps
Added Benefits of Casting
Web Presence

Director
Auditions
Casting
Audition Guidelines
Casting the Documentary

Key Points

Project assignment for nxt week
Write a 1-2 page, double-spaced proposal for final project (doc, narrative, experimental). Practice pitching idea no more than 4 min. Pitch with passion!!!