Mastery Journal Month 12 - Business of Film

From my original Mastery journal post for this class, I think I did decently well at accomplishing my established objectives. My goals were as follows: make a habit of doing daily research on industry trends and current events, become familiar with how to make a successful press kit for a film, and reach out to industry professionals for meet-ups after graduation.

Specifically, I think the goal at which I excelled the most was that of reaching out to industry professionals. Since month 11, I have mostly been contacting people whom I’ve met either through Full Sail or my undergrad, Ithaca College, to set up phone calls and/or grabbing a cup of coffee so that I can pick their brains about the industry and try to form lasting and meaningful connections with them. I have found that not only have these conversations been insightful career-wise, but they have helped me become more comfortable networking and talking to more experienced folks about my career goals (something I have struggled with a lot, admittedly).

In terms of my entire journey here at Full Sail, there have definitely been ups and downs, which are to be expected in any environment. To speak quite honestly, though, a lot of things that happened in my (and others’) time here were unnecessary and frustrating to say the least. Luckily, I had mentors who were kind, understanding, and always willing to hear me out through my struggles with said experiences, therefore allowing me to finish the year with my head up high. I know in this industry, there will definitely be difficult people to deal with and I think this year absolutely challenged me to be better at dealing with that. While I know this is not intended to be an evaluation of Full Sail, I would still like to point out that I think a school is a perfect if not the intended place to deal with inappropriate situations in hopes of having not only skilled graduates, but graduates that are not genuinely uncomfortable and concerning to work with as well. A learning environment is a place in which we learn to be better, and I don’t know if everyone was held to that same standard (something that I felt took away from otherwise amazing time spent here at Full Sail).

As it pertains to my classes and progress in general, I think I am now a completely different person than I was at the beginning of this program. I have a film background from my undergrad, but I knew after graduating from there that there were still many skills that my program at Ithaca did not really allow me to hone (mainly because of specific courses I had to complete for my degree). Knowing what I didn’t know, so to speak, really allowed me to focus on those missing pieces while I was here at Full Sail. I feel so much more confident on set than I ever have in the past and I feel like I have really strengthened my storytelling abilities, though of course I aim to continue growing in this respect.

In the Business of Film course, I learned an incredible number of things in such a short amount of time. Negotiating specifically is one thing that I never thought I would dare attempt, but after discussing it at length in this course, I feel like I have enough information to try my hand at it. In addition to negotiation techniques, I feel I have learned a lot about how to maintain my brand, how to make strong connections and impressions, how to attend to the business side of making films, and so much more. This class helped me understand how important it is to look at the whole picture when working in this industry instead of just working on set and moving on to another project. For this reason, I think “Future’s Fight for Donna” has grown to be something more than I originally considered possible and I will always be grateful for that.

As a side note: one thing that I think enriched my time here was time spent on the soundstage. Ermir Bakraci truly became a mentor to me and when he helped me on “Future’s Fight for Donna”, I felt both invested in and believed in. His advice was invaluable and I feel that a lot of what I accomplished here was because of his willingness to assist students at Full Sail.

Finally, I have learned to try my best and work hard no matter the circumstances, but I also learned that it is okay to make mistakes so long as I can learn from them and use them to better myself. To quote the great Gary King:  “To err is human so, err….”

Mastery Journal: Thesis IV - Film Assembly/Month 11

My original mastery journal consisted of the following three goals: 1) become comfortable/knowledgeable in audio production, 2) apply for jobs in my field, and 3) collaborate with other crew members to help choose festivals to submit our thesis to.

In terms of the first goal, I think I did a decent job at understanding the basics of audio production. I think with more practice (especially after creating a template in Pro Tools in class, for example), I could become a lot more comfortable using common terminology as well as putting certain audio techniques to good use. In addition to learning the software though, I feel like the way we discussed sound during lectures and really broke down examples of good sound in films helped put a lot of what we learned into perspective. There are many layers of audio that go into any given project (no matter how “small”) and they can make or break a film completely. This class opened my eyes to just how many creative choices can be made in post-production so long as you plan for them in pre-production. Many opportunities involving sound must be planned for or at least considered before shooting so that you really have leeway to make interesting and unique decisions further down the road; audio should never be an afterthought.  

My second and third goals pertained more to preparing for a job post-graduation. I think this was the case because while I have a background in film from my undergrad program at Ithaca College, I did not take classes on or get to learn anything about audio production (I knew it was important but it had never been too integrated into my specific courses, sadly). Because of this, I think I didn’t know what I didn’t know in a sense, and so my first goal of wanting to become comfortable in audio production really had to encompass a lot. Once I learned the basics, I was able to put everything that came after into perspective and figure out what my strengths and weaknesses in this arena are. 

Furthermore, meeting with Bill one-on-one (albeit before I started this class) about “Future’s Fight for Donna” was an extremely helpful way to think of sound in a way I never had before. I think I was lucky in that when I was still in pre-production and was able to put some of what was said in that meeting into practice, I could really see first-hand just how beneficial planning ahead for audio is.

Mastery Journal: Thesis III - Post-Production/Month 10

My original goals for this course were the following: have a higher level of understanding of editing, research upcoming film festivals to prep potential submissions, and to become comfortable editing on a deadline.

The goal that I want to center on is the first: deeper knowledge of editing. I have a bachelor’s in Scriptwriting for TV and Radio, so I had a minor background in editing, albeit in Premiere and Final Cut. I think this class helped me reach my goal of having a better understanding of editing because I was able to understand other things that go into editing that don’t involve story or when to/not to cut (though I did learn more about that as well). A lot of what we discussed in class involved formats and capture methods as they pertain to editing and post work. This really helped me grasp how everything in editing really does come into play during production and pre-pro because a specific and efficient workflow must be planned meticulously at the forefront of production. I think this goal also coincides with the third goal of becoming comfortable editing on a deadline. This is because before this class, I always heard arguments about which NLE software was “best,” but here I learned that it really just depends on what you are trying to deliver. Knowing the strengths of each software helps narrow down which one to use for the needs you have.

While we didn’t have too many classes on learning how to edit (since we split classes up between watching the edits of the thesis film), I feel like my knowledge of editing has increased and continuing to practice and get the hang of it will be a much smoother process now that I have this basis off of which to work.

Mastery Journal: Thesis II/Month 9

         My three goals for this class (according to my original mastery journal post) were the following: finish the personal duties associated with my position with time to spare, gain an understanding of other crew members’ duties, and add all of my work this year to my existing portfolio and prepare for a job search.

           In terms of my first goal, I think I achieved this to the best of my ability. Being that I wasn’t script supervisor but had similar duties (as Continuity), I think and hope I provided a solid extra set of eyes to the script supervisor. As I mentioned in my video journal for month 8, I think finding a system of organizing notes is extremely important for a job like the one I was given on this production. I essentially had a combination of pictures, notes when certain changes needed to be explicitly stated, and logs on takes in general. I think this worked for me because I knew that there were certain aspects of the production that would need to be written down. For instance, the continuity error of Riley’s hair being up in one shot and down in another was something the art director and I discussed just before the takes were shot, and that was something that I needed to have annotated for future reference. Other aspects of the production just needed to be photographed for the sake of resetting set pieces, props, costumes, etc. I was also able to keep a detailed account of what hands actors used on what lines of dialogue, what time the clock on Riley’s nightstand read, and so on. According to my mastery journal however, I stated that I wanted to achieve this goal by setting a strict personal schedule for myself. This was a strategy that I sort of had down early in the year (keeping up with my planner as much as possible). So while I did use this strategy, I had already been using it throughout the year.  

           My second goal was to gain an understanding of other crew members’ duties by means of shadowing another crew member whose duties differed vastly from my own. This also was not something I achieved the way I thought I would. I think the most I learned about a vastly different crew position was from extra work I did outside of class when I scheduled camera labs and worked on other films in the camera department. It helped me dive head first into the camera department and gave me a much stronger knowledge of who does what on the camera team. Besides camera team duties, though, I thought it might be beneficial to learn what a 1st AD does from moment to moment. I did not get to shadow our 1st AD (with reason, as we were all running around performing our own jobs) and I have a basic understanding in theory of what 1st ADs do, but it won’t quite be the same until I experience it myself.

           The last goal I had set for myself this month was to combine and truly establish my ���new and improved” production design portfolio. As I mentioned in one of my discussion posts for this class, I originally came to Full Sail thinking I would pursue a career in production design when I graduated. I still love production design and will always appreciate it, but I do not know if that is really where my passion lies anymore. In this sense, I did not achieve this goal that I had set. That being said, I think this month’s class did give me a lot of room to think about what I might want to pursue after I graduate, so preparing for a job search is still something I think I can accomplish very soon.

           Overall, I liked the fact that we had readings for this class in addition to the work on set, especially since we had a larger class and several people probably wanted to learn about different positions. In my opinion, this ensured that we still were taking in as much information as possible while also giving us time to perform our duties on set. Particularly, I liked The First-Time Filmmaker F*ck-ups reading because it put succinctly things that will save us a lot of headaches in the future. The main lesson I got from that reading assignment was that while it is important to plan, it is also imperative to be adaptable: rework your script, work together with your keys because there is a reason they are there, reconsider how much crew and equipment you may need, etc. This proved even more true when we began shooting thesis, and things either changed or needed to change in order to adapt to the time we had and the level of knowledge of some of our crew members. Essentially, the readings from that assignment in conjunction with putting everything we’ve learned thus far into practice on thesis really made the concept of being adaptable sink in.

           Other assignments that I think really helped this lesson sink in were the discussion posts. From production design to directing and cinema in general, they all provided a lot of good insight into the world of filmmaking. While the Goldberg reading provided examples of ways first-time filmmakers screw up, the videos associated with these discussion posts showed how successful people were when they adapted. One of the videos I watched was about Planet Terror and it really went into the weeds about how they pulled off some pretty intricate shots. As I mentioned in my posts, I think it is really important to note that while they did “fix a lot in post” (technically), they planned everything in pre-production so that production could yield all the results they needed in post. For example, a lot of planning went into Cherry’s machine gun leg even if the final look “happened” in post-production. In another video I watched, Robert Rodriguez - Ten Minute Film School, they talked about planning ahead and then having extra time for more fun shots they wanted to get before wrapping (Johnny Depp smoking in the car). I thought that was a really great example of how to plan efficiently and how to improvise and adapt to get what you need or want, as well. I think that is something we can all strive and work towards as filmmakers.

  Goldberg, D. (2012). First-Time Filmmaker F*ck-ups. Focal Press. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from http://ce.safaribooksonline.com/book/video/9780240819235/cover/000_9781136072055_cover_html

[Jimmy P]. (2009, September 10). Robert Rodriguez - Ten Minute Film School [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9-bGEEa_z8 

 [weinsteinextras]. (2012, May 14). Planet Terror - 10 Minute Film School [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N4rqdznRO4

Mastery Journal Pre-Production

1.     “The Smiling Man” Short Film Review

Link to film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3HHyFygKh0 

           “The Smiling Man” is a short film centering around a young girl who is home alone one night. After balloons with doll parts attached begin appearing around the house, the young girl must find out who is leaving them behind… and why. In this short horror film, it is difficult to detach oneself from the dark, desolate tone of this story.

           The inciting incident of this story occurs when the young girl watching cartoons sees a shadow pass through her hallway. Plot points one and two follow as she sees a balloon appear in her hallway with doll parts in a plastic bag attached to it, and a hand appears to be luring her towards two more balloons, respectively. The midpoint occurs when the girl sees The Smiling Man in her kitchen and the climax occurs when the girl realizes it has killed her mother. While the “ending” is that The Smiling Man smears the mother’s blood on his face in the shape of a smile, there is no clear resolution as far as the young girl’s fate is concerned. The Smiling Man appears to be luring her once more towards him (breaking the fourth wall) and takes on a more sinister attitude, though, so it would seem that The Smiling Man intends to kill the little girl as well.

           The production design as far as the set and props go was rather simplistic: modern, clean, and pure looking (i.e. wooden floors, white accents on the walls, etc.). The house seemed to belong to a higher middle-class family (if not high class), and the home was well-kempt and tidy. The props mainly consisted of the stuffed animals in the bedroom and the balloons with the bags of doll parts, which take on a sinister twist compared to the toys the little girl starts off the film sitting next to.

The little girl’s costume was a perfect counter to that of The Smiling Man. She was wearing the epitome of a youthful outfit: pink tee shirt under overalls and pink glittery shoes. This of course was topped off by a very fitting hairstyle: pigtails. The girls’ entire aesthetic was bright, colorful, and fun; she was the most colorful thing in the house until bright balloons started to appear. Furthermore, she was well-juxtaposed with The Smiling Man’s black and white, chalky appearance, and assuming he is using those bright colors to attract the little girl, he uses her mother’s deep red blood to make himself look like a clown, once more using bright colors and “fun things” like balloons to lure his next prize. The Smiling Man’s make-up was also interesting because he was very clearly a man of some sort (for instance, facial hair is visible through make-up, and he has the body of a grown man), though he looked very much like a monster as well. This gave a very confused, disoriented feeling as the film continued. The viewers most likely are left wondering, “Is he human? And if so, what made him like this?”

           In terms of cinematography, there is a decent balance between shorter and deeper depths of field. Shorter depths of field occur at moments such as revealing the doll parts in the bags or towards the end when The Smiling Man is “playing” with the little girl. Again, this is another tactic wherein the viewer is probably meant to feel very isolated as disoriented in the space of the film, like they are no longer dealing with reality. Deeper depths of field occur when the girl needs to retrieve another balloon or is traveling down the hallway. This is most likely because the viewer realizes how much open space there is, in other words, whatever is in the house has a lot of opportunities to grab her. In combination with a specific editing style, having these deeper depths of field combined with fatter cuts leaves the audience wondering when something will jump out and from where. Contrasting this with quicker cuts (like when the hand suddenly appears to be playing with the girls’ pigtail) lets the audience know that there is no use in guessing where the next scare will come from, because there are no rules for them to follow that will give them the answer.

           The composition of shots was intriguing as well because strange things would appear in unlikely places. One example of this is when the girl enters the kitchen and the bird’s eye view shows quite a bit of The Smiling Man for the first time. What is important to note is that many of the shots with powerful composition also tend to have a long, sweeping movement attached to them. The bird’s eye view of the kitchen is almost twisting in the air. Another example is, when we see The Smiling Man’s full face, a steady pan reveals him entirely, or when the second balloon appears on the staircase landing. Combined with some handheld shots (like when the third balloon appears downstairs), this short film intelligently yet jaggedly lures viewers (much like its antagonist) to The Smiling Man.

           The lighting of the film begins very low, angling light in a way that exaggerates shadows on the walls. While the girl is watching cartoons, a large shadow moves across the left wall. When the girl walks across the hallway towards the first balloon, her own shadows drapes across the left side of frame as well. In addition, the light emanating from the downstairs area makes the railing in the hallway create a shadow, too. As she moves closer and closer to the kitchen, the girl seems to be walking right into darker and darker shadows. That is, until she arrives at the kitchen where the “rule” of darker, grittier horror cinematography is flipped on its head and The Smiling Man is in plain sight. In addition, the almost fluorescent lighting of the kitchen is in itself uncomfortable and unsettlingly bright.

           Finally, sound (and lack thereof, depending on the moment) guides the viewers’ subconscious to follow the plot along its ominous path. Some mundane sounds actually resemble ripping even if the object in question makes no sound of the sort. For example, when the girl grabs balloon strings, they make a stretching sound, making the plastic seem almost decadent in its creepiness. Other mundane sounds reflect the same idea as the fat cuts in editing or the sweeping pans in camera movements and are rather dragged out. Some examples of this include the creaking door in the upstairs hallway and the can rolling out of the mother’s grocery bag in the kitchen.

In general, the short film is paced slowly, luring us in a similar fashion to The Smiling Man, himself, and the music is no exception. It spikes curiosity when appropriate but lets viewers answers questions for themselves at times, too. One instance in which the music suggests the viewers might be curious is just before The Smiling Man first smears blood on his face. The music slows and heightens in pitch just before falling into an almost dissonant chord. An example of when the filmmakers allow the audience to feel very much part of the scene and answer questions themselves is when they leave the girl’s walk to the second balloon on the staircase landing almost completely silent; the very beginning of that walk has no music and the very ending also seems to build to nothing (music-wise). All we hear is the ripping sound of stretched plastic.  

   2.     Potential Production Elements in Film

Judging on the short film, “The Smiling Man”, I think a surprising number of things can be pulled off in a low-budget film.  Most likely, the make-up was one of the harder aspects to pull off since it was full body make-up. Make-up can have a lot to do with pulling off a central theme or feeling in a film (especially horror), no matter the budget. For example, while The Smiling Man’s make-up wasn’t too stylized (meaning, no special effects make-up was used), it probably would have been the first aspect of the film to ruin the menacing feeling the entire film led us to have up until that point. For our thesis film, we also do not have stylized make-up, but “The Smiling Man” is a good example of the fact that if something is done well, your audience may not notice it. That is definitely a lesson that can be applied to our film.

Practical challenges facing our thesis film can be overcome by good planning. Of course, I cannot predict what will happen on set (though that would be great); however, challenges facing our film can be tested in the time leading up to production. Any possible outcome or mistake should be proven impossible or at the very least unlikely once principle photography begins. This includes testing make-up, props, camera movements, lighting, etc. Once an idea seems to be set in stone, there should also be a plan set in stone to experiment with it shortly after and change it to something stronger if need be.

Entertainment Law Mastery Journal Entry

In month one of this program, my three goals were to gain a deeper understanding of copyright laws, to become more knowledgeable about law (not necessarily in the scope of entertainment, but in general), and to work on my personal brand. 

I definitely believe I achieved those first two goals in a much stronger way than I originally anticipated. While I definitely do not consider myself an expert on any topics we discussed, I feel like I am actually pretty conversational about them. With regard to copyright law specifically, I found several instances outside of class where, as opposed to my usual “oh, they’ll probably get sued for that” statement, I’d actually be able to distinguish what the issues in that scenario might be. In my original mastery post, I did however say that I’d be retrieving information from the online databases and I did not do that... instead, I tried my best to keep up with class readings and apply them to personal projects and class discussions. I still feel like I understood a lot more than I thought I would, though, so I am very confident in moving forward with my projects and this new information under my belt. 

The second goal (understanding law itself a little bit more) is another goal on which I feel I have a stronger grasp. Being in a non-profit training and lobbying group, I feel like I have a decent understanding of how certain aspects of laws change, but in terms of actual proceedings and appeals and things of that nature, I am not as informed. After our mock appeal assignment and the readings associated with it, I felt like I actually comprehended why and how decisions in entertainment law are made. Thinking of previous projects I’ve done, I am first and foremost nervous that I have accidentally infringed upon someone’s rights but what’s more is that I know how to not do that in the future. While I obviously do not have a grade for the Film Documents Binder assignment yet, I feel like creating that binder was a great way to put my knowledge from this class to the test, too. 

Finally, I said I wanted to begin working on my personal brand. The most I did in this regard was make new business cards for myself. The reason I chose this goal for month 7, though, was because I felt that knowing more about the legal/business side of film might give me some insight on how to frame my work when trying to find my place in the industry. In other words, I am going to work on the aesthetics of my personal brand but I am also going to be able to back it up with the ability to discuss and negotiate legal matters pertaining to my work. This was something I never thought I’d be able to say. I know I will only learn more as time goes on, but this class was the best introduction to this side of business I could have asked for. 

Finally, I really enjoyed this class! I wish it was earlier in the year but it will have been extremely helpful to at least have taken it before thesis. I thought this month was going to go right over my head, but class discussions and lectures were had/presented in such a way that everything felt like it clicked, even if I am still learning how to apply these concepts as best as I can. 

Thanks for an awesome month, Davey! 

VST Mastery Journal Entry

Visual Storytelling was one of the courses I was most intimidated by. That being said, I learned a lot about the things that made me come to Full Sail University in the first place; I’ve wanted to strengthen my knowledge of lighting and cameras in general and that’s exactly what I got from this course with both the labs and class discussions. I also learned a lot about time management, teamwork, communication, and conflict resolution.  

In regards to my original goals for this course, I think I achieved some of them. My goals were as follows: 1) have a full understanding of how to light a set, 2) write at least one new scene per week, and 3) create short films on a regular basis to utilize industry trends/new aesthetics.

I definitely feel that I achieved that first goal of learning how to light a set. I had a basic understanding from my undergrad, but since I majored in scriptwriting, I got very few chances to actually get my hands on lights and gear. While I still think I need to seek out more opportunities to actually get my hands on gear, I have a better knowledge of how to pull certain ideas off specifically in terms of lighting. Furthermore, I have already spoken with Ermir about setting up lab times next month to get more familiar with the equipment.

Admittedly, the second and third goals proved a little more difficult to pull off this month. The closest I came to achieving the second goal of writing one scene per week was that I was trying to come up with multiple ideas (as backups) for both my emotion video and my story in a photo. I thought these exercises were useful in the sense that, in a way, I was writing a scene, just executing them in a different way than I initially imagined. I also feel like this helped me push my own creative boundaries. In my opinion, all of this applies similarly to my third goal of creating short films on a regular basis. All in all, I feel like I achieved these goals to an extent but with the discipline we needed to have during this month’s course, I feel confident in my ability to hold myself accountable and stay true to those original goals perhaps next month as well.

Another project I’d like to reflect on is “Future’s Fight for Donna” and that is because I’ve already learned much more about the production process from this month alone, particularly as it pertains to directing my own script. I have learned about other areas of production that help me as a director articulate my vision better than before. In addition, I feel able to understand why parts of my original vision may have to be altered (though not necessarily weakened). I am very excited to keep moving forward on this project and I think the pre-vis that my group and I made for this class will help us move forward even more smoothly.

Finally, I really enjoyed this course. While it was rigorous, I know I learned a lot and I feel better prepared to move forward in this program and eventually into the film industry in general. Thanks, Van!

Experimental Filmmaking Mastery Journal Entry

My goals for Experimental Filmmaking were to: 1) produce one short film per weekend, 2) become knowledgeable and conversational about AR/VR trends, and 3) connect with people outside of my major who are involved in AR/VR creation or technology. I can confidently say I have achieved two of these goals, those goals being to produce one short film per weekend and becoming knowledgeable in AR/VR.

           While I technically made one short film per weekend, it did not happen the way I thought it would. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. The Flipagrams were, in fact, short films and they showed me that producing content regularly can be that easy. Furthermore, it can be a great way to gain a following and to create a brand (for instance, I think Kenny’s cooking video Flipagrams could definitely get him a strong following). I don’t know if I will personally use Flipagram for this purpose, but using it definitely showed me the importance of putting out a steady stream of content. It forced me to be creative in new ways and it kept me on my toes.

           I think I could talk more in depth about AR/VR technology if for no other reason than because of the samples of VR we have seen in class. Without having seen anything like it personally, AR/VR had always been a very nebulous concept to me. I was not sure of what it was or how it worked, and I definitely didn’t know enough to form an opinion on it. After one of our class discussions regarding VR, I can definitely see how VR might actually have a bigger effect on the future of entertainment than I had ever realized. Not to mention that after we learned about Slow TV, it is obvious that there will be several types of audiences that enjoy various kinds of content. With the way that society seems to rely on technology, VR might not repel so many people like I originally assumed.

           Sadly, I did not get to connect with too many people outside of the Film MFA program this month like I had planned. That being said, there are many skills that I do not possess, like creating content for VR or 360 shorts, and it could be really beneficial to meet people outside of my own Film bubble, not to mention interesting.

           Finally, I really enjoyed this class and was glad I got some hands-on experience with equipment. I’d had a basic knowledge of how to set up lights and a camera from my undergrad, however, it had been so long since I was able to use any equipment and thus, I sort of lost my touch. This month was a great refresher on skills I know I sometimes lack and would like to regain.

Directing Talent Mastery Journal Entry

My goals for this month were set not really knowing what the actual curriculum was going to be. That being said, I did achieve those goals even if I didn’t necessarily achieve all of them in class.

 The goal that I did achieve in class was learning different directing techniques. I think a combination of the leadership styles conversation and the course leading up to that day let me really understand how I operate as a director. I have directed short films before during undergrad (and since I've acted basically all my life, I understood some dos and don’ts beforehand), but after this class, I really feel like I know several different ways to ask for what I’d like to see. I also feel much more confident in doing so. I also took time outside of class to look up interviews with directors and actors of all backgrounds, which helped me open my mind to how other directors/actors have formulated their own personal techniques.

 Another goal I had was learning how to budget for a film. I learned this a little more through working on “Operation Coffee,” but through that and working with talent for class, it’s easy to see how everything sort of blends into each other/why every moving piece is necessary. On my original mastery journal, I had found a Lynda tutorial on budgeting but unfortunately, I did not complete it. I don’t think I am totally in the dark on the subject, but technically I could have met this goal better than I did.

 My final goal for this month (again, not knowing the exact curriculum), was blueprinting how I might direct for thesis if I were chosen. This was also a shot in the dark as far as specific goals go, but towards script submission time, I was definitely trying to figure out how I might direct my script should mine get chosen and I needed to prepare for pitches. While writing scripts, I think it’s easy to say, “I know what I want to see from this character,” but it’s another thing entirely to articulate it. Because of the readings, discussions, and exercises in this class, I feel like I am ready to do that better than I could before.

 Finally, I just really enjoyed this class! I have learned a lot about different routes I might take to make my visions work and I appreciate that there was always an open dialogue in or out of class to really help students succeed.

Mastery Vlog Post

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZC8pRcuF_4&feature=youtu.be

Mastery Journal Entry-- FCP

“Your Lucky Day” vs. “Blank Space”

 In the short film “Your Lucky Day” written and directed by Dan Brown, an elderly gentleman discovers he’s won the lottery while shopping at a mini-mart, and a young punk decides to take this matter into his own hands. The theme of this suspenseful film seems to be the corruption of money leading to the inexistence of god. The overall aesthetic of the film appears to act as direct commentary of this theme. In regards to “Blank Space” a more lighthearted tone makes way for a story more about the experience of having a seizure than just a plot.

“Your Lucky Day” begins with two paramedics talking about the existence of god as it pertains to winning the lottery. Like the rest of the film, it is desaturated and shot at a shallow depth of field, thus showing that when one obsesses over material things like money, we lose focus on the real world around us. Suddenly, a barrage of images that are very much in-your-face with their quick cuts and blaring sounds, establish an off-putting mood from the start and possibly even act as a build up to the inciting incident of the elderly man winning the lottery. It would appear that most of what the film aims to analyze can all be seen within the first two minutes of the film where the images are all dark and sickly-looking. In addition, there are several images throughout that set the grimy tone: the pulsating milk carton with a bullet hole in it, the topless women inserts that cut in when the old man realizes he’s won the lottery, and the images/sounds of a lion’s roar when the young man who attempts to rob the old man jumps over the cashier’s counter. These images show the animalistic, carnal desire people have for money and success, even when it costs them their lives.

“Blank Space” on the other hand, while also shot at a shallow depth of field, is much brighter in tone and color. The film follows a young woman as she goes about her day so the “normal” feel was chosen to allow for the climax to take on a visual effect (over-exposure) as well as just heightened emotions driven by dialogue.

In addition to the random images/inserts, the production design helps set the tone of “Your Lucky Day.” It is dingy, almost dirty-looking, and old-fashioned (i.e. the television). This appears to be a small town where people would in fact be desperate for money. Even the clothing seems outdated; however, the characters that eventually make a deal to cover up the murder of the police officer (and thus the only hope of humanity in this extended metaphor) all wear some shade of orange or pink, symbolizing their connection to each other and likeminded desire for money.

In “Blank Space” the production design was chosen mainly from a standpoint of realism: what would a young woman have in her bedroom? What would she wear? That being said, there were pops of color, specifically purple, that also appeared throughout the film. Purple is the official color for the epilepsy awareness, so it was a color intended to be heavily incorporated.

It is clear by the music and sounds that there is a corrupt yet dream-like feeling to the plot of “Your Lucky Day.” There is often happy, old-timey music and random positive dialogue despite the fact that there have been two murders up until this point. This reflects the irony of placing more importance on money or pleasure than on human life. One example of this is near the climax of the story, when the robber, the couple, and the manager have made a deal to split the money and hide the evidence of the shootings, and the robber talks about his plans to make a high-budget porno. As he describes his plans more in depth, it is revealed that the police officer is still alive and attempts to shoot him. There is a constant juxtaposition of positivity/brightness and negativity/darkness, thus exemplifying the theme even more so.

In “Blank Space,” the music really drives the plot as there is very little dialogue. Again, the music reflects the realism of the plot as well as the emotions of the protagonist. The beginning of the film contains a nice shift from non-diegetic to diegetic sound, when we hear the upbeat music that shifts to sound coming from the young woman’s radio. It has a cinematic feel to it as does the dramatic shift in music after the protagonist has her seizure which immediately affects the tone of the film.

While I do believe “Your Lucky Day” had a much heftier budget than “Blank Space” I think that shooting at a shallow depth of field as well as using strategic editing choices could help cheat the system, so to speak. If there is less in the shot but the shot still has strong composition, movement, and intention, then the shot can still look good. The main creative solutions needed for lower budget films would probably be for lighting purposes. Bounces and flags are very good solutions for crews without lighting kits that can totally change a film’s look. In addition, the strength and cleanliness of the audio can make or break a film. In “Your Lucky Day” it heightens the anxiety of the viewers and in “Blank Space” it adds to the effect of what it might feel like to have a seizure.

“Your Lucky Day” exhibited several strong choices in terms of editing, cinematography, audio, production design, and dialogue on a higher budget than that of “Blank Space.” That being said, “Blank Space” was able to pull off more than expected by making strong choices in terms of lighting and music, specifically, that allowed for the quality to the film to shine through in the final cut even with a zero to low budget parameter.

Link to “Your Lucky Day” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW7l2T_wDCU

Mastery Journey Timeline

I personally love Edgar Wright because of his stylistic choices. In my opinion, he is extremely clever with his quick cuts which not only condense the script but add to the flavor of his films. He adds a comic book-like quality to his work, making them seem full of action and adventure. These quick cuts also add to a sense of urgency or comedy of the scene at hand depending on the film.  One example of where Wright might use quick cuts is a preparation scene. If a character must anxiously prepare for an event, quicker cuts with quick zooms are often used. 

I chose Edgar Wright for this week’s inspiration post because I appreciate his uniqueness. His sense of direction is very clear and deliberate to me, and I would like to eventually establish my own style that makes audiences aware that they are watching my work. 

Sparks, G. (2016, April 22). Edgar Wright Quick Shots [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16A-P75nux4. Wright, E. (Director). (2004). Shaun of the Dead [Online video]. United Kingdom: Rogue Pictures. Retrieved September 24, 2017.

Wright, E. (Director). (2007). Hot Fuzz [Online video]. United Kingdom: Working Title Films. Retrieved September 24, 2017.

Wright, E. (Director). (2010). Scott Pilgrim vs. The World [Online video]. USA: Universal. Retrieved September 24, 2017. Wright, E. (Director). (2013). The World's End [Online video]. United Kingdom: Focus Features. Retrieved September 24, 2017.

To me, this movie is a great example of thinking outside the box to create an entirely intimate and original piece of work. After reading the script during my undergrad, my professor talked about how utterly out-of-format this script was. A lot of what we consider standard practice for scripts were just rules to be broken for the writer, but the message and the characters’ motivations and plot still came across. 

This movie inspires me because it is so raw, honest, and it captures emotions in which we often feel alone such as wanting to erase someone or something. It is not a classic romance tale because there is a lot of darkness to it but often times, love has those darker undertones that a lot of movies involving the topic of love do not always examine. One day, I’d like to write a script that challenges audiences in this way. 

Kaufman, C. (Writer). Gondry, M. (Director). (2004). Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [Motion picture]. USA: Focus Features.

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