Website Post – FILM 3

Through my work in FILM 3 I have learnt a great deal about what goes into filmmaking from a practical standpoint. I had worked on several projects before but with very little emphasis on people having defined roles and goals within the crew. Through this work I have seen the importance of having defined roles with each member having specific affordances and boundaries, this allows for a much more streamlined process with little confusion on what is to be done and who has the say in a given situation. I have also been given a new understanding of the many elements of filmmaking that I previously overlooked to a certain extent. For example, the importance of lighting. I had previously acknowledged the importance of lighting in past works that I had been a part of but not the the extent that I now know is necessary.

With my piece, I set out to create a look inside the mind of somebody who is undergoing some form of intense mental illness. The sequence that will be showcased takes place in a paranoid delusion of the protagonist. The scene is not intended to be an action scene with crisp fighting technique and choreography, but rather a confused, rage-fueled and deluded gentlemen stumbling through an erratic mess. Through the way I chose to shoot the scene I attempted to convey panic and instability.

I found that putting my ideas for this scene into practice were difficult due to the nature of what I was shooting and how it was being shot. The long-take moving from outside to inside posed a lighting issue that I didn’t end up solving that I believe negatively impacted greatly on the final product. The set was also a challenge as the hallways of the house were very narrow and didn’t allow for much room for the camera operator to achieve a wide enough angle for a lot of the sequence, limiting the scenes overall visibility even further. Even though it is not intended to depict real, authentic violence, much of the scene still looks very contrived, limiting it’s plausibility. This is mainly attributed to me and my cast not being professional actors.

Overall, I feel this was a successful endeavor as it allowed me to attempt to put my ideas into practice. Bearing both successes and failures in the process, which allowed me to learn from what worked and what didn’t work.

Supernatural Themes Through Natural Means – True Detective (Season 1)

One of the major aspects contributing to Nic Pizzolatto’s True Detective’s refreshingly unique and intriguing story-line was its ability to create a seemingly supernatural environment, while remaining in the confines of reality.

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What a shot.

The series does this in a number of ways:

Reoccurring ritualistic themes / Religion paralleled:
The majority of crimes that are investigated in the series follow a similar ritualistic pattern. The presence of the consistent symbolism and motifs embedded in the killings are supernatural in nature as they connote a darker and more powerful force at work.

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Dora Lange, the first discovered victim. Bound, antler’d, adorned with symbols and sacrificed.

The presence of truly supernatural qualities within the show is disputed when paralleled with religion. The show takes place in the highly religious southern state of Louisiana and more than often lets you know it. Much of the season is represented through the lens of Rust Cohle’s perception and ideologies, meaning that the conceptual validity of religion is often put under scrutiny. This scrutiny allows the paranormal tendencies of the investigation to be subdued as the stark contrast of  Rust’s ideology in relation to the existence of a higher power or any form of universal mysticism is brought to the forefront.

“If the only thing keeping a person decent is the expectation of divine reward, then that person is a piece of shit.”

Rust Cohle’s hallucinations and ideology:
Carrying a great deal of neurological  damage and stress from the death of his infant child and subsequent years of heavy-hard drug abuse, during his stretch working undercover narcotics. Driven by the desire of escapism to remove himself from what he believed would be his self-inflicted demise, Rust has developed a few knocks and bruises on the ol’ brain.  One of many on the tally of psychological conditions Rust has developed is insomnia. We’ve all seen Fight Club so we all know what insomnia means for protagonists in movie world – visions, hallucinations and wonderful symbolism.

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Rust hallucinates the symbol that occupies his mind in the form of a flock of birds.

Pizzolatto is able to utilize Rust’s fractured mental state to further induce a sense of the supernatural, while still keeping both feet on the ground. Rust’s hallucinations are used as a vehicle to continue to develop the ritualistic symbolism and motifs and also to reinforce Rust’s obsession with the case. Going back to his self-destructive quest for escapism, Rust immerses himself in his work and embraces these moments of abstraction, which he believes bring him insights into the events unfolding.

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Rust evaluates the crime scene of Dora Lange.

Stemming from his nihilistic and distorted sense of reality, Rust carries many ideas challenging existentialism and the place of human beings in the universe. This dialogue is often metaphorical and aids to shape the cognitive environment of the show further towards the surreal.

“This place is like somebody’s memory of a town, and the memory is fading. It’s like there was never anything here but jungle.”

Cult mentality, expansive indoctrination and mystery:
What I believe is the strongest aspect contributing to the show’s indistinct paranormality is the presence of a strong cult. As the investigation unfolds, we are introduced to what can best be described as a cult. There are seemingly normal people and influential members of the community that have been indoctrinated into this long standing organisation founded on sacrificial ritualism, often pedophilic in nature. Which until now, has been shrouded in secrecy and able to operate freely. We are introduced to multiple characters throughout the show that have been deeply indoctrinated into this ideology. Often beginning to almost preach their gospel when confronted with their involvement or knowledge of the heinous activities associated with the group.

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Old images from activity of the cult discovered by Rust.

The mysterious nature of the evidence of the existence of the cult, i.e. old photographs/video tapes of masked men carrying out ritualistic sacrifices on young girls, as well as the strongly held shared ideology of the members, creates immense intrigue and air of the supernatural. One instance that really intrigued me was when characters referred to the mysterious place known as “Carcosa”, this is where we are lead to believe these rituals take place. Carcosa is held with great esteem by the cultists, referring to it as an almost-heavenly site of wonderment and power. This again, contributes to the idea that there might be something a little bit more than what meets the eye occurring here, yet does not explicity reveal it.

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Marty entering Carcosa.

The lighting of Birdman

Birdman’s lighting struck me as impressive because I had no idea how they did it. The camera moves through the scenes giving the illusion that the film is comprised of a single shot. This means that the lighting needs to adjust and adapt to the movement between each scene and I believe Birdman does this seamlessly.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki’s main concern going into the film was how the lighting could be achieved under the films constraints as there had never really been anything done like it. There have been many films with lengthy elaborate scenes such as Children of Men, Atonement etc. And even films like Russian Ark which are legitimately one 90 minute shot, but none that covered as wide of a variety of settings as Birdman does. Upon further research I learnt that a large portion of the lighting was manipulated digitally in post production, this included highlighting certain areas of interest, tracking objects, altering saturation etc.

Riggan and Jake are conversing by the door, the focus is drawn to Riggan by the overhead soft lighting. The door is merely a background piece and is quite dull and dimly lit.

doornonaomiThen when Lesley enters the door to join the conversation, the lighting is adjusted to draw the focus onto her, this was achieved entirely digitally.

doornaomiMuch of the lighting in Birdman is expressive in the sense that it reveals information or creates environments to separate settings distinctly. For example when actors are waiting to go on stage in the off-stage section, the lighting is a deep blue. I believe this is a good decision as it breaks up the monotony of the grey brick walls throughout the theater. As well as allowing for the scene to be lit enough for clarity but still remain dark enough to be of a strong contrast to the activity on the stage.

edwardbackstageThe same is applied to the audience.

UntitledDifferent areas of the theater are lit with similar saturation but red.

michaelredThe majority of the lighting is provided by sources from in the scene, meaning house lights, lights on mirrors, hallway lights, street lights etc. which were then digitally manipulated in post production. Due to the constraints of shooting the film, a large amount of tactics and strategy went into positioning these lights or blocking the scenes around them.

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michaelbottleoThe transitions from inside to outside were apparently the most challenging and in my opinion the best aspect of the film’s lighting as a whole. In this scene Mike goes up to the roof of the theater via the dim hallway lit by a single light fixture on the wall at the top of the stairs. The scene then opens onto the roof overlooking Broadway, the lights surrounding the marquee, street lights and signage provide the soft light that radiates their faces for the scenes outdoor duration.

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edwardroofMany scenes in the film are often multi-layered in terms of lighting, meaning the back ground is vastly different from the foreground, each layer there for a reason and purposefully produced. This scene shows Riggan entering the theater from the audience entrance after he is locked out in his underwear. Riggan is strongly lit with an intense contrast to the dim, blue-toned environment. The audience is lit just enough to make out their faces as they turn as well as the contours of their heads, establishing the packed house. While the stage lit more than the audience, but nowhere near as much as Riggan, showing that he has taken the ‘spotlight’ away from the production.

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The first thing I ever made

Workbot

A far off dystopian land where the private school system has introduced robotic teachers in a bid to improve productivity and compliance. Their inferior flesh-bag predecessors discarded.

I “wrote” it, “directed” it and “edited” it. I use all those terms extremely loosely. I am also starring as the Workbot.

The Editing of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I have always held a great appreciation for editing in film and television and believe it to be one of the most underrated aspects of a film or episode. The only thing I have edited in the last year have been Film 3 exercises and although they are relatively simple, they have reignited my love of actually editing, as opposed to merely appreciating it from afar. David Fincher’s films have always been some of my favourites (except Alien 3, Alien 3 sucks). His films resonate with me not so much on their subject matter or scripts, which don’t get me wrong, are excellent (except Alien 3), but more so in terms of how his films are so expertly constructed. His films flow as a cohesive piece better than any director I’ve been exposed to, with a clear, well executed vision made obvious by the final product. The cinematography is crisp yet vibrant and engaging, while the editing is seamless and devoid of superfluousness.

Fincher’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is my favorite David Fincher film and one of my all time favourites from any filmmaker. I feel this is predominately due to the editing, of course the other aspects of the film are great but I feel the editing shines through. The pacing of the film is perfect and to somebody who doesn’t obsess over cinematography and editing (like I do) it isn’t even noticeable, which is what I believe good editing should be. I see the role of film editing as allowing the cinematography, script and actor’s performances to really come out in the final product. In other words, the editing should rarely take prominence or attention away from what’s occurring, but should be there to facilitate everything else to excel.
However, film editing plays a major role in shaping these aspects. For example, during a conversation between two characters, the pauses between their responses to one another could be accentuated or shortened through editing. This has a major affect on how the scene would be interpreted by viewers, the same words would be spoken, the same information transferred or revealed, on paper the scene is identical no matter how it is edited. The scene, in which Lisbeth is introduced, centred on a discussion between her and her employers, utilises this editing concept with great success. Lisbeth’s responses are very delayed in relation to the speed of her employers; she takes much deliberation to provide her responses, showing her lack of interest in the discussion, and in terms of her character, social interaction as a whole. This scene is incredibly important, as it is the first look at one of the films main protagonists. The representation of Lisbeth in this scene impacts how her actions and dialogue are perceived throughout the entirety of the film, a representation that is greatly founded upon editing.

Only upon writing this have I become aware that the editors Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter were awarded ‘Best Achievement in Film Editing’ at the 2011 Academy Awards for their work on the film. The pair also won the same award the previous year for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, another Fincher film.

Mini-Research Projects – Proposed Drama

Project 1

The idea I proposed for a project about the sociopath manipulating the naïve pop-star is based on a dream I had which followed a similar path, only without the violent sociopath, which I found to be a more entertaining concept. I had just watched one of my favourite movies, True Romance the night before writing this concept out in class. I feel that True Romance heavily influences this concept in many ways. Perhaps too much, I’m not sure. However I feel this is a strong concept and could definitely stand alone as a short piece. This is due to the fast moving nature of the plot, much like in True Romance; Clarence and Alabama fell in love in what seemed like 2 minutes of screen time. I feel my concept could be presented in a fairly compact time frame without feeling like too much information or events are crammed in or rushed through. I actually believe it would be more suited to a short format due to these reasons.

Project 2

A possible location to shoot the majority of this concept at would be my close friends beach house in Phillip Island. The house is twenty meters from the beach with only sand and bushes between them and the interior of the house is spacious, offering many cinematic possibilities, as well as aesthetically appealing. I feel this would be an effective location as the beach is clean and rarely busy with many caves, cliffs and alcoves within reach, meaning many cinematic possibilities. The location is privately owned meaning no permits or bureaucratic procedures would need to take place in order to be able to shoot there. The house is in a very quiet area and has a sense of relative isolation; I feel this aspect would be greatly appreciated by the concept. If I were to shoot at this location it would require a large amount of precision and detail to ensure that all footage that is required is shot, and shot right. This is due to the distance of the location being over an hours drive away, making reshoots a hassle to say the least.

Exercise 2A Reflection – Epiphany

Having done no filmmaking of any kind for over a year, this exercise reminded me of the many factors that go into creating a shot that is both visually appealing and effective. I have never been on top of the technical aspects of media production by any stretch of the imagination, I do however pride myself on my creative ideas and approaches towards any project I have been a part of. I felt that the shots my partner and I achieved were compositionally effective, however severely overexposed coupled with a lot of unwelcome lens flare. It reminded me to be more aware of the lens’ position in relation to light sources (in this case the sun) and how it affects the exposure of the shot. I had also never taken notice of when a recording is started and how that can have an affect on the shot itself, I have always thought of filmmaking as knowing exactly what you want and controlling all the aspects until you get it. However, this can either not always be achieved or if it can be achieved it may yield inferior results to something more candid. There are many times in life and specifically filmmaking where you didn’t know you wanted something until you were given it. This small exercise sparked a series of thought processes for me that resulted in my approach to filmmaking as a whole being altered quite drastically. I now see filmmaking more as setting a scene and allowing it to unfold, capturing what’s taking place in this moment you’ve created, rather than maintaining strategic control over every aspect of it and trying to force it to fit your strict idea of how it should be.

Proposed Drama – FILM 3

Well-known famous pop star is on vacation to take some much needed time-off from her busy schedule. She meets a young man of similar age who is unaware of who she is. He is charming and handsome. She is attracted to him more-se as she feels she can let go and be herself with him, as he doesn’t know who she is. She also feels his attraction to her must be genuine and of good intentions as he can’t be purely after her money and fame. They hit it off and she is removed from the strict confines of her coddled lifestyle. However, she knows their time together must come to an end and that she must return to her social and contractual obligations. Or does she? She considers the idea of taking the money she has already earnt and retiring away with her new-found love.
She makes the arrangements and is ready to reveal to him her illustrious occupation and details of her second life. She quickly finds evidence that he does and always has known who she is. He has been tracking her movements, planning ahead so that their paths would inevitably cross. She has withdrawn her savings, cut herself off from her life, making her vulnerable and alone. This is his design.
He catches her upon her discovery of the evidence and almost like a switch is flicked in his mind, he knows he has to act now, it’s go time.
She is brutally beaten but before he can finish the job he is interrupted by an employee of the hotel, he escapes with the money.
The employee of the hotel rescues her, saving her life. Due to her facial damage there is no way he can recognise her. He carries her off into the sunset.

 

Digital Distribution – Mixed Media Essay

Digital distribution is a type of content distribution that takes the form a transferring media content electronically, this includes outlets such as Amazon, Netflix, iTunes, YouTube and many more that all facilitate the purchase and distribution of media content in a non physical form. As opposed to more traditional and somewhat dated methods of content distribution such as DVD rental stores and music/CD outlets. These institutions are fast becoming irrelevant due to the convenient nature of digital distribution methods, which are both convenient for consumer and producer.

I believe digital distribution is the future of content distribution because as the internet advances in ease and fluidity and the new generation is raised not knowing of a time without the internet, these practices will become increasingly popular until they are widely accepted as the norm.
However I believe services can be offered surrounding media content that cannot be acquired or imitated at home without expending a small fortune, such as cinemas, live music events or special interest offers such as deluxe editions for a bands new album featuring bonus items. If I really enjoy a cinematographer or director I’ll want to see their film, on film at the cinema as it is a much more pleasurable and accurate experience. Likewise, if I enjoy a band I may download or purchase their music online and not purchase their CD but will pay for the experience to see them live.

Netflix

Netflix is a digital distribution service that specializes in the on-demand internet based streaming of film and television. Since their IPO in 2002 Netflix now boasts over 57 million concurrent users with $1.2 billion revenue in 2013.
HBO, a major cable television network launched in 1972’s  revenue in 2013 was $1.3 billion, illustrating just how far Netflix has caught up to such an established media distribution outlet in a marginal amount of time.

The Netflix model of releasing programs as one complete piece of a shock for most consumers who are used to viewing a series over many weeks, with one or even two maximum scheduled episodes per week.
This was the way television worked for over 50 years before people realized they didn’t have to conform to a set viewing schedule. The rapid introduction of the internet into mainstream culture gave birth to the concept that you can watch what you want when you want it and in many cases, albeit illegal, for free. Netflix capitalizes on this concept, understanding that almost all media content is freely available online with relative ease in the modern technological climate, they asked the question “how do we get people to pay for media content online?”.

The answer is in their model, they offer full length seasons of quality programs for an extremely affordable price on-demand. Many of these programs including television series, documentaries and films, many of which are exclusives meaning the only publisher who can distribute them is Netflix. These exclusives such as House of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, Better Call Saul and many more are another major draw for potential consumers for the simple fact that they’re good and only on Netflix.

According to Wall Street analysts Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson’s report on the state of the cable TV industry, Cable operators lost over 687,000 subscribers having only gained 574,000 in 2013, resulting in a 113,000 net subscriber loss.

“The pay-TV industry has reported its worst 12-month stretch ever” – Moffett and Nathanson.

This illustrates the how the convenience and modest pricing of digitally distributed content is quickly trumping the entertainment powerhouse that TV has been for over 50 years.

Louis CK

An example of the benefits that can be attained using digital distribution is shown through how comedian Louis CK distributes his comedy specials. The last three comedy specials Louis CK has released have been made available exclusively at his own website for digital download at the flat price of $5. The specials include:
– 2011: Live at the Beacon Theater
2013: Louis C.K.: Oh My God
2015: Louis C.K.: Live at the Comedy Store



This self dubbed “experiment” by Louis CK was a giant leap for the comedy industry, even impacting on the entertainment industry as a whole. The idea of cutting out the middle man is very appealing for artists like comedians as they are very reluctant to alter or censor their content, which many distributers such as Comedy Central or HBO will often require you to do.

The file which is offered for download for these specials is not under any DRM, or Digital Restrictions Management; DRM is a technology that is built into an electronic product or service with the aim of limiting use after it has been purchased, this includes disallowing the copying of the file, the amount of times the file can be viewed and the period of time the file can be accessed under.
The fact that Louis CK’s $5 specials were covered by no DRM meant that the files could be easily pirated and shared after being purchased. Louis CK accompanied “ Live at the Beacon Theater” with this message on his website:

To those who might wish to “torrent” this video: look, I don’t really get the whole “torrent” thing. I don’t know enough about it to judge either way. But I’d just like you to consider this: I made this video extremely easy to use against well-informed advice. I was told that it would be easier to torrent the way I made it, but I chose to do it this way anyway, because I want it to be easy for people to watch and enjoy this video in any way they want without “corporate” restrictions.

Please bear in mind that I am not a company or a corporation. I’m just some guy. I paid for the production and posting of this video with my own money. I would like to be able to post more material to the fans in this way, which makes it cheaper for the buyer and more pleasant for me. So, please help me keep this being a good idea. I can’t stop you from torrenting; all I can do is politely ask you to pay your five little dollars, enjoy the video, and let other people find it in the same way

This example of completely bypassing distributers or middle-men may be the future of media content distribution, offering both benefits to consumers and producers. However lesser-known content creators would have a difficult time receiving as much attention and sales as Louis CK if they attempted his method of a completely self facilitated production and distribution, as they would not have the initial capital or brand awareness to do so. However other avenues like iTunes allow independent artists to get their content online and for sale without the hassle of being picked up by a publisher and being under a strict contract.

iTunes

Piggybacking off of the colossal popularity of apple products, mainly the iPhone and for the inception of iTunes the iPod, iTunes has been able to make itself the hub for digital music sales. Everybody who uses an iPhone has iTunes, whether it be a version on their computer or the application version within the phones OS. Apple requires iPhone and iPod owners to use iTunes in order to put media onto their device, whereas competitors like Android freely allow almost any form of media to be transferred to the device from any source. By limiting the freedom of their consumers, Apple is able to profit from many avenues including the sales of the devices, purchases from the App Store and purchases from the iTunes store as users must purchase content through these avenues to have it on their devices. Due to the fact that 25% of U.S cellphone owners own an iPhone and that 575 million iTunes users, Asymco analyst Horace Dediu estimates that iTunes covers around 3 quarters of all digital music sales in 2013 amounting to over $6.9b. iTunes also accounted for $380m in film and $1b in television programs.

The process for publishing content to the iTunes store is fairly accessible and streamline for those with a US Tax ID meaning that it is widely available for independent artists to distribute their content with relative ease and no real risk. Whereas a few years ago bands would need to be signed to a label and/or spend up to thousands of their own money to produce physical copies of their music for sale and distribution, which would go unsold if they were unsuccessful resulting in a substantial loss.

Digital distribution is a much freer alternative for independent content creators to expose consumers to their creations and perhaps make some money from them with a lot less risk than was previously required. However could this ease and accessibility flood the market with sub-par or low grade content from independent creators who have no business offering their content for sale? or will good content still rise to the surface through the mountains of shit by the power of the internet and word of mouth, rather than being backed by millions of dollars of mainstream marketing and brand awareness?

MUSLIMS ARE DANGEROUS

Muslim, whether you pronounce it correctly or struggle to scoot one of its many ignorant distortions by your ciggie and through the gap between your two “chewin’ teeth” the meaning in the same, people who follow Islam.

Islam, like every religion has many ideas and systems that I strongly disagree with and believe are potentially harmful to peoples development and lives. However, the way I live my life and my beliefs are held in equal disregard by those whom I oppose.  Personally, I am accepting of all cultures, beliefs, ideologies and actions as long as they do not negatively impact on others or myself. I also believe that Islam in particular has many outdated and archaic ideals that make for an unjust society and an overall unpleasant existence for many involved. Ideas like this are not exclusive to Islam, however, based on my limited knowledge it is where they are the most prevalent. This allows a lot more negative attention and onus to be placed on those who do perform negative acts.
This does not mean that all Muslims or even a large number of Muslims support these ideas or govern their lives by them, but they still exist.

The vast majority of Muslims pose no threat to the concept of a free society or the safety of others. However, a small number do. This minority group is like a fat kid shitting in the ball pit of a McDonald’s birthday party, he isn’t really sure what he’s supposed to be doing there but he’s fucking it up for everybody else.

A small number of:
Red haired people are rapists
Asians are serial killers
School teachers are child porn enthusiasts
Chilean miners are methamphetamine addicts
Muslims are dangerous

If you remove the “A small number of” on any of these statements you are left with a lie. Although, some less propagated by the media than others. The majority of the publicity is left with this small minority, as the non-invasive peaceful majority is rarely shown in western culture. Vilfredo Pareto, the influential Italian economist has a theory best suited to situations like this, the 80/20 rule.

The 80/20 rule relates to uneven distribution of commodity within an economy. For example, 20% of Muslims receive 80% of the media attention. The number of Muslims who pose these threats is most likely no where near as high as 20% but the theory still applies. A minority receives the majority of publicity that is the issue.

The purpose of this post is not to defend Muslims but defend people who have done nothing wrong and deserve the same level acceptance as you wish to receive.

If you were offended by anything in this post I apologize profusely that you have to live such a depressing existence.