Everything Else

Chinatown (1974 dir. Roman Polanksi)

Even though filming has yet to begin, in the awaiting days I figure that I should also put some time into thinking about my CCR, website, and postcard advertisement. Last year I focussed heavily on my film opening and left the CCR to becoming more of an afterthought in the process. This year, however, I will change that! I would like to create a director’s commentary as opposed to a podcast because I believe that the mix of audio and visuals will serve as a more engaging and effective way of illustrating my points as I will be able to specifically reference certain frames and influences on my film throughout.

Furthermore, I have a vague idea of what I'd like to achieve with the advertisement. As both pictures surrounding the text demonstrate, a large component of any postcard is an alluring image. Because drawn movie posters are less and less utilized today, I believe that the drawing will provide a separation of my film from other films and leave a more lasting impression upon potential consumers. Additionally, I would like to somehow incorporate a mirage- like image as was used in the Chinatown movie poster to reinforce themes of distorted perception in the film and also create a visual barrier to reinforce its themes of connection.

Talk soon,

Cassie.

Birds Without Feathers (release date unknown, dir. Wendy Mccolm)

Storyboarding

Storyboard #2

Storyboard #1

In writing dialogue for these scenes I’ve found that because a large portion of my film has to do with a lack of connection I’m leaning more towards something less dialogue concentrated and more visually telling. In this process, I’ve begun storyboarding alongside to ensure that I remember exactly how I picture these scenes. I’ve also changed it so that the opening scene is set at a community pool instead of the beach because I was getting too stressed about transportation, sound, and many other factors that can be (mostly) eliminated in a more controlled environment that isn’t too far away.

Storyboard #3

Furthermore, I’ve been using the notes application on my phone to storyboard instead of a pen and paper. It allows me to more clearly translate what I envision using color and shades which I appreciate. As I mentioned in the schedule I should be done with all of my storyboards by the end of the day on Tuesday.

Talk soon,
Cassie.

Getting Organized

I walked into class on Thursday greeted by the beautiful news that we have since been allotted an extra seven days to work on our projects. I have created a series of deadlines for myself, as accounted for in the photo below, to form my official schedule.

Isabelle (by yours truly)

Isabelle (by Isabelle)

Although I had expressed earlier that I wanted to be done with my script by the 22nd, several doubts came up about my idea that ate away at my time and I realize now that I need to make decisions or else I will get lost in a sea of possibilities. My goal is to start shooting (or at least rehearsals) by Wednesday. My lovely friend, Isabelle Miller, is set to act as the lead character in the film and, although she has never acted in a film before, she is very eager and I trust that she will be able to perform with the subtlety and naturalism I imagine. In addition, she is no stranger to the world of film so I believe that having that perspective will help to guide her understanding during rehearsal as I will be able to reference specific films when going over lines with her, etc.

Moreover, I would like to complete filming by the 6th because I am staying with my brother in NYC for the first four days of spring break. I plan to start editing on the plan ride over and to continue while he's away at work. I gave myself until my return date to finish and from there on out I have to complete my CCR, website, and postcard advertisement. I am not going to lie, I'm a little nervous about getting all of this done but it is definitely more than possible if I stick to the schedule!

Talk soon,

Cassie.

Writing the Script

I am currently working on drafting the film's screenplay. It is very important to me that every moment onscreen is necessary and meaningful to the story, thus I have been dedicating lots of time to the planning process as I believe it is most valuable to creating a successful piece. Typically I don’t write in screenplay format but I think it’s important, not only for my own organization but also for the actors I cast, to have something more concrete. I have been watching these wonderful video essays linked here and presented below by Lessons From the Screenplay on Youtube which have proved to be very helpful in this regard.

Furthermore, I have started set design on my room as I have previously mentioned I wish to create something more visually light this year as opposed to saturated with color and space. My room’s walls are cluttered and so I have been taking down many of the posters and things crowding them to change that. I would like to also work with primary colors so I will be on the lookout for some room decorations that are more delicate and align with red, blue, or yellow in the following week.

In addition, I have created a little schedule to help keep me on track for the deadline. I aim to be finished with the screenplay by this Wednesday and to have it casted as well. This weekend I wish to rehearse and film the opening scenes and by next Saturday I should have all of the shooting done so I can edit. After mapping out my time I do feel a bit more collected but also overwhelmed with how much there is to do! It’s truly time to get grooving.

Talk soon,

Cassie.

An Idea!! (finally)

As I mentioned in my last post I have been having trouble formulating an idea that feels special and also feasible with my resources and the time allotted. However, I think I found something now. 

I am not exactly sure how to go about presenting this but I want the film to essentially be about a girl who longs for connection and finds none in her everyday life. When she starts hearing noises and dialogue coming from the apartment next door she imagines an entire storyline about the man and searches for him in real life. Although this sounds complicated I can envision it falling under a five minute time frame and I think by writing a script I’ll be able to shave down the film to its most important scenes.

I imagine it beginning at the beach with the girl and her friend, but the protagonist is obviously still feeling isolated in her friend’s company. I plan to use the divide between the water and sand to illustrate the two's separation literally. At home she continues to keep occupied but in the middle of an action she begins hearing talking coming from the other side of the wall. She presses her ear against it to get a clearer listen and feels an overwhelming sense of connection. I am unsure of where exactly I want the film to go after that but I know I want her to see a person at a store, or someplace, and convince herself that that’s the person from the apartment over, out of longing. This is in the very early stages but I thought I should give a little update on where I am currently at. I hope I made some sense!

Talk soon,

Cassie.

Brain-rain, Brain-storm

Amores Perros (2000, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu)

For weeks now I have been trying to imagine ideas for this project but none have felt special or important enough. They have either lacked substance or been far too convoluted and could never be done correctly within a five minute time constraint. Incidentally, as I mentioned in earlier blog posts, two main things that have been recurring in my concepts have been the beach (or more specifically water) and dreams. In addition to that, I have found that central to my schemes are themes of longing and a search for connection.

Initially I wanted to create something that took place within a dream state, following a girl as she searched for someone she thought she recognized. It would begin with her in the middle of a busy sidewalk, spotting a man farther up the way who seemed familiar. She would push past walker-byers trying to get his attention but he would never hear her. Instead, as soon as she got close enough to tap him on the shoulder she would be transported into another dream, an entirely different setting and context, and be plunged into a cycle of chasing as the man would appear again in different forms and she would feel compelled to find him. At the end I imagined looping back to the opening scene but as she looks up he is already on the other side of the street, the two never speaking. In formulating the structure I was largely influenced by the winding and woven nature of Iñárritu's Amores Perros (2000). The film chronicles three different stories but brings them together in a way that resembles the broken down nature of dreams.

Even though I can clearly see this idea in my head, many issues present themselves when actually conceptualizing how to go about creating it. First, I have no clue how I would show audiences that the protagonist is sleeping without at some point presenting her awake or going to bed. Peers suggested that I could include audio from the real world, such as the tap running or her parents talking, but I think that without the context that she is in a dream this could further confuse the viewer. Moreover, because it would take place over a wide variety of environments I would not only need to assemble a larger cast to play small characters but also a variety of locations. I am worried that the process would require more planning and shooting time than I have left. However, this is not all bad news. I have recognized that at the core of this are themes that are important to me that I can work with on a separate idea, and I am definitely feeling inspired!

Talk soon,

Cassie.

Aesthetics

Pierrot le Fou (1965)

Aesthetically and contextually I have spoken about wanting to create something more light and airy than my past creations this year. I continue to think back to the idea of shooting at a windy beach and I would like to play around with primary colors as was done in Jean-Luc Godard's Pierrot le Fou (1965). The film is very visually pleasing to me and the desaturation of color in certain scenes that occur throughout their adventure is something I'd definitely like to attempt to recreate.

Pierrot le Fou (1965)

On a different note, due to the film's time constraints of five minutes I am struggling to come up with an idea with strong pacing while maintaing a beginning, middle, and end. To help out I have been watching many, many short films on Vimeo but I find that the majority that fall around 5-7 minutes rely heavily on music and montages to progress their plots. I would like to steer away from the use of montage to develop time in my film, making something that unravels under a short period of time, instead. In trying to draft a beginning, middle, and end I have also been researching the three act play and have found helpful videos such as this linked here. Although in the video it is applied to a full length film, I believe I can draw guidance from some of the points mentioned.

Talk soon,
Cassie.

Fellini and Crafting a World

Charlotte and Bob watching La Dolce Vita: 
Lost in Translation (2003, dir. Sofia Coppola)

Federico Fellini was a master of filmmaking; his pieces left impressions on such influential directors of today as Quentin Tarantino, Sofia Coppola, and Martin Scorsese. Beyond his use of Magical Realism there are quite a few techniques that bind his films together in approach.

A common action of his is to create long winding and chaotic scenes. This is exemplified most clearly in the wonderful, Nights of Cabiria (1957), which follows a prostitute who has been stomped on in life, searching for love but always in vain. Cabiria is a puzzle to the audience until one scene where light is shed. She stumbles upon a magic show at night and is summoned to the stage. There, the magician hypnotizes her and in a moving long take she is guided in revealing her longing for connection while the magician leads her to believe she is speaking to a new love. The scene shows the character in a manner that she never has been seen in before, soft, and because of that it is very impactful. When she snaps out of her trance the audience laughs at her as the world often has and she stomps out, furious. A man from the audience follows her out and later tells her that his name is also Oscar and he feels that fate has brought them together. Fellini's weaving of elements of reality and illusion combined with his large ensembles and grand settings not only add to the backdrop of Magical Realism in his movies but also help to create a world that is full of dimension and filled with chaos in the same way that ours is. This is littered throughout his career and can also be recognized in an earlier scene where Cabiria wonders if she is in the 'grace of God'.

Although I am limited to five minutes for this project and won't be able to assemble an ensemble, I believe that only using one setting or even showing a character's or plot's progression through a short period of time can help to emulate this feeling that Fellini crafts.

As a side note, I mentioned in my last post the important roles that dreams played on director, Ingmar Bergman's, work. Incidentally, I found that in my research on Fellini dreams also had an enormous influence on his creative process, coming as no surprise when evaluating the many dream sequences of 8 1/2 (1963) or the general dreamy quality of his films.

Talk soon,
Cassie.

Bergman

Upon research I found this wonderful video essay by the Criterion Collection on Ingmar Bergman's philosophy of dreams in relation to cinema.

Bergman is said to have equated film to a dream state as both are bottomless worlds existing without walls or limits. The essay commences with his quote "sometimes when I'm dreaming I'll think... I'll make a film of it." His films wash in and out of reality, most clearly demonstrated in Wild Strawberries (1957) where clocks lacking hands mock the protagonist, raising questions about mortality and age. Many of the film's images derive from Bergman's own dreams which has inspired me to start drawing inspiration from mine. I have very vivid dreams and I think in my quest to create truth from a bended mystical perspective it would be resourceful. Moreover, I like the idea of incorporating a dream sequence in my short film or dreamlike imagery.

Talk soon,
Cassie.

We're Back

Hello again! This past year has truly flashed by. Although in retrospect I am very proud of the way my project turned out last year when I rewatch it the first thing that comes to mind is that it feels very heavy- its oversaturation, style of music, and tight shots all attribute to this. This year I would like to create something that's a bit airier, playing around more with thematic issues as well, as opposed to character.

Y tu Mama Tambien (dir. Alfonso Cuaron, 2001)

Mood Indigo (dir. Michel Gondry, 2013)

As of late I have been surrounded by the concept of Magical Realism. This first came about upon my enrollment in Italian Cinema and has extended into the curriculum of my other classes, studying novels such as Beloved (Toni Morrison) and 100 Years of Solitude (Garcia Marquez) in AP Literature. The idea of reality being most clearly displayed through the blurring of it is something that definitely inspires me and I hope to apply in my creation of this year’s piece. Thus, I believe films such as Y tu Mama Tambien (dir. Alfonso Cuaron), Le Notti di Cabiria (dir. Federico Fellini), and Mood Indigo (dir. Michel Gondry) will be key influences in my process.

Although I am not sure I want to fully commit to the style of Magical Realism I would very much like to experiment with camera movement, an ominous narrator, and long takes which are techniques the genre often employs. 

Talk soon,
Cassie.