There are two pieces of music which I will use during my edit to compliment what is happening on the screen, making it dynamic and interesting to watch, and to help drive the narrative.
This is the piece "Nocturne" by Chopin. I chose this piece as it begins softly, and has a melancholy feel as well as a sense of good things to come. It is light hearted, and so adds to the humour of the piece.
To be used during sequences to show the characters' boredom in his own life - at work, home life etc.
This next piece is "Winter" by Vivaldi. It begins slowly and yet feels tense, and the builds more dramatically. I will use this piece for when Clive dreams that his wife cheats on him, leading to her murder.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Lev Kuleshov
When evaluating my edit, I took into account what I learned about Lev Kuleshov and his experiment regarding the order of shots and the effects they can have. For example, relationships between characters and the appearance of those characters to the audience can be manipulated according to how they are editing. This is an example:
Evaluation - Draft
I have decided to enter my 'Come Die with Clive' edit as my final piece. I believe that as an edit this is my best piece of work, as I have developed it from an original idea and therefore it is completely my vision.
When I began the edit, I took into consideration the themes which I wanted to portray. I wished to create a darkly humorous piece which would shock the audience as well as make them laugh. I wanted to create a bored, droning atmosphere for the character of Clive to exist in to represent his state of mind, and also an air of tension between him and his young wife.
I also wanted the piece to be character driven, by our main character, Clive. The genre of the film is drama, however this piece does not conform to the typical drama genre because it does not follow a 'hero' as the protagonist - it follows the villain. I wanted to raise an awareness in the audience that this character should not be liked as he is, in fact, a murderer, but by making the audience laugh at the character this makes the audience want to like him. Therefore, it creates an air of tension and confusion for the audience - as they are confused about how to feel about the main character.
I began the edit by emphasizing the lifestyle which Clive leads. I felt it was important to make his home life as dull and boring as possible, to give a sense of reason behind him killing his wife (as much reason as can be had for murder). I chose to begin the film with a Birds-eye-View shot of Clive, lying in bed, staring into space. This instantly suggests sadness and boredom as he clearly cannot sleep. The shot, as it is head on of the character, also suggests that the story is going to be told through his eyes.
I followed this with a petty argument between Clive and his wife, to introduce their relationship. As I wanted their relationship to be tense, this worked perfectly as it showed them arguing with each other from the moment they wake up. I used close-up's of Clive to emphasize his irritation.
This was the beginning of establishing the relationships between the characters. There are two main relationships in the narrative - the relationship between Clive and his wife, and the relationship that Clive has with himself. As for the majority of the film Clive is alone in his own world, I felt it was important to establish how he acts during this time. I therefore used a variety of sequences, beginning with Clive getting on the bus to work, to establish his bored state of mind. By extending these sequences I feel that it created the feeling of repetitiveness that is important of the character - for example, Clive being bored in the office, his resentment when returning home, and his escape into his music when he leaves the house.
The music that I chose for the piece was an integral part. It served many purposes. Firstly, I wanted to give the audience an idea that Clive is quite an eccentric character - which is why I chose to have him listen to classical music. This seems odd when first heard, as he is such a young man. Secondly, the music adds not only drama to intense scenes, but humour in particular circumstances - for eample, when Clive is in the office, therefore reinforcing the idea of a darkly humorous film.
When I began the edit, I took into consideration the themes which I wanted to portray. I wished to create a darkly humorous piece which would shock the audience as well as make them laugh. I wanted to create a bored, droning atmosphere for the character of Clive to exist in to represent his state of mind, and also an air of tension between him and his young wife.
I also wanted the piece to be character driven, by our main character, Clive. The genre of the film is drama, however this piece does not conform to the typical drama genre because it does not follow a 'hero' as the protagonist - it follows the villain. I wanted to raise an awareness in the audience that this character should not be liked as he is, in fact, a murderer, but by making the audience laugh at the character this makes the audience want to like him. Therefore, it creates an air of tension and confusion for the audience - as they are confused about how to feel about the main character.
I began the edit by emphasizing the lifestyle which Clive leads. I felt it was important to make his home life as dull and boring as possible, to give a sense of reason behind him killing his wife (as much reason as can be had for murder). I chose to begin the film with a Birds-eye-View shot of Clive, lying in bed, staring into space. This instantly suggests sadness and boredom as he clearly cannot sleep. The shot, as it is head on of the character, also suggests that the story is going to be told through his eyes.
I followed this with a petty argument between Clive and his wife, to introduce their relationship. As I wanted their relationship to be tense, this worked perfectly as it showed them arguing with each other from the moment they wake up. I used close-up's of Clive to emphasize his irritation.
This was the beginning of establishing the relationships between the characters. There are two main relationships in the narrative - the relationship between Clive and his wife, and the relationship that Clive has with himself. As for the majority of the film Clive is alone in his own world, I felt it was important to establish how he acts during this time. I therefore used a variety of sequences, beginning with Clive getting on the bus to work, to establish his bored state of mind. By extending these sequences I feel that it created the feeling of repetitiveness that is important of the character - for example, Clive being bored in the office, his resentment when returning home, and his escape into his music when he leaves the house.
The music that I chose for the piece was an integral part. It served many purposes. Firstly, I wanted to give the audience an idea that Clive is quite an eccentric character - which is why I chose to have him listen to classical music. This seems odd when first heard, as he is such a young man. Secondly, the music adds not only drama to intense scenes, but humour in particular circumstances - for eample, when Clive is in the office, therefore reinforcing the idea of a darkly humorous film.
Mark in Time - Presentation
What is the narrative?
Narrative follows main 3 characters:
- Richard Newman
Takes pictures of people, ‘collects’ them. “I’ve always been an observer”
- John Dockerty
Wants to be an entertainer, likes people who are different.
- Woman (unnamed) who was an actress.
From Birmingham, unhappy with where she moved to. “I’m fed up with all these old people!”
2
Key Elements
- The key elements are the events that take place in the main characters parts of the documentary.
- Follows them in their everyday lives
- Focuses on the characters – the narrative is driven by what they do – makes it unpredictable (not staged).
3
Key Relationships
- The key relationships lie between the characters as individuals and the camera, but more importantly the audience.
- Because the characters address the camera directly, they are therefore sharing their experiences with the audience, making the documentary feel much more personal.
4
What works/ doesn’t work?
- The main focus on the three characters. It switches back and forth between them, therefore it does not become boring (as we are not seeing one character for a long length of time).
- However, there is less focus on the woman’s character, and the film therefore does not feel balanced between the three main characters.
- The voice-over tells the audience straight away what it is going to be about. It sets up the story and sets the tone for the rest of the documentary.
- There were several scenes which seemed random and were not fully explained – i.e. The woman researching her family tree at the beginning is never seen again. As is the man out side the ‘Mermaid Inn’ – their appearances are never explained and therefore not only seem irrelevant, but disruptive if the narrative.
- The music works as a transition between the scenes – when a scene is changing to another character, piano music plays, separating the two scenes.
- This is also done with individual shots – for example, while the music plays, shots of the countryside are often used as part of the transition.
- There are also random images flashed onto the screen when the characters are speaking – I did not feel that this worked as there did not seem to be reason behind them, and this was not explained. In the context of documentary as a genre, I did not feel it was appropriate.
5
Character Themes
Being An Entertainer
- The key themes seem to be about ‘wanting to be an entertainer’ in when it comes to two of the main characters, but not to the other. He is more focused on capturing images as a hobby
- Though this is creative, it does not tie in with the other two characters. Perhaps it would have been better to include another character instead of him who also longed to be an entertainer?
Eccentricity
- Each of the characters is entertaining to watch because of their personalities – they are unpredictable and amusing, as well as interesting to hear about.
A Feeling of ‘Not Achieving’
- Each character shares a sense of underachieving, which ties them together.
- For example, Richard Newman says later in the documentary “Some people are successful early, some later” – he does not feel that he has done as much with his life as he would have liked to.
- John Dockerty also says “I don’t think I’ve achieved” – hence his desire to be recognised as an entertainer
- The actress discusses how she “used to go out” and “had fun with friends”, but since moving feels that she lives in a “grave diggers’ wedding”. She longs for what has already passed
They all want to leave their mark, be recognised.
6
How would I change it?
- Black. Piano music begins, fade into shots of fields.
- Narration begins – introducing characters.
- Shot of Richard Newman in red light, developing pictures. “I’ve always been an observer”
- Shot of actress, putting on make-up. “I’ve always been an entertainer....theatre is in my blood.”
- Shot of John Dockerty playing the keyboard. “I want to become an entertainer”
3. Cut to Richard Newman, back to developing pictures. Music has ended. Then cut to him showing the camera pictures. Quote “Time flies...”
[Ref. To old people connects to next scene.]
4. Cut to actress on beach, explaining how she got there. “I’m fed up of all these old people!” Putting on make-up, talking about how she has “always been an entertainer....theatre is in my blood.”
[Being an entertainer connects to next scene.]
- Cut to John Dockerty. Playing the keyboard/singing. “I’ve always wanted to be an entertainer......I like people who are different.”
[Piano music an transition to first character starts again.]
7
- 6. Cut back to Richard Newman, now in car. Discusses being “technophobic”
[Not as necessary to link the scenes together here, as the characters’ similarities has already been established.]
7. Cut to actress, now dancing on stage. Scene dancing alone, singing
8. Cut to John Dockerty, station chippy. Discussing being on song and dance shows
[Transition of random shots, images, over piano music.]
9.Richard Newman in market, taking pictures of the elderly.
10. Cut to actress, make-up mirror. Getting dressed
11. Cut to John Dockerty, in hotel
[Piano music begins, voice-overs indicate the documentary is coming to an end.]
12. Richard Newman, voice over clips of him showing pictures, taking pictures in market, in red room etc. “I’ve always been an observer....I’ve always been a people person.....Some people are successful early in life, some later....”
13. Actress, voice over clips of her in front of mirror, dancing, singing, on beach. “It’s like a grave diggers’ wedding....I’m sick of all these old people...Theatre is in my blood....I didn’t make the most of opportunities...”
14. John Dockerty, voice over clips of him playing the keyboard, singing, in the chippy, in the hotel. “I like people who are different....I have a normal life....I want to become an entertainer....I don’t think I’ve achieved....”
15. [Piano music continues, over shots of fields. Ending on characters discussing how they do not feel they have achieved, wraps up meaning of documentary.Fade out.]
8
Summary
- I would give the documentary linearity – for example, keeping the order of character appearances the same.
- The time given to each character will be equal.
- To maintain the audiences interest, every time the scene changes back to a character, they will be in a different scenario.
- Left out unnecessary scenes - characters who are never mentioned again, John Dockerty discussing his childhood, also in garden. Did not contribute to overall film, and would have made his section of the film longer, therefore making the characters unbalanced.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Notes on Musicality
A Bout de Souffle
How has sound been thought about?
During the era of the French New Wave, filmmakers like Godard and Truffaut wanted to escape the boundaries that held down mainstream films. The point of their films was that they did not have to conform to the specific filmic laws that Hollywood had created for them. They therefore valued script and camera over everything else.
For example, during the opening sequence of the film, the main character is shown reading a newspaper. The next shot is a CU of a woman's face. This disregard for the 180 degree rule made it disorientating for the audience, and it was not apparent until a few frames later that the woman was in fact gesturing to the main character. This was the first time audience's experienced cinema that was not the norm.
The sound in the film A Bout de Souffle reflects this. During the opening section, when the main character is being introduced, soft jazz music plays. This reflects his character.
At the end of this sequence, a dissolve is used to show the scene transition, with light hearted music. From here, the music changes every few minutes, changing in relation to the speed of the clips used, and the action on screen. The music is driven by the action, rather than the music being used to give a greater dramatic effect.Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Final Edit
When deciding which edit to use as my final edit, I have taken a few factors into consideration.
JOURNEY THROUGH THE NIGHT
Whilst I enjoyed this edit, I do not feel it was my strongest. I found it hard to come to terms with the fact that it did not necessarily have to follow a linear narrative, so i was slow at first to decide how I would structure the edit. However, once I understood that I could interpret the piece in my own way, I began to develop the piece to what I believe was very effective. However, I do believe that I am better at constructing edits with a clear narrative, for example from a drama genre.
RELATIVITY
This piece I found easier to structure than the former. I also found it more interesting as whilst editing it I discovered that I could change the relationships between the characters and how the audience perceives them according to which shots I choose to put where. However, I had some trouble with this footage in relation to sound, which is not my strongest subject, and so I felt it best to use another piece to submit for my final edit.
VITAL SIGNS
Vital Signs was a 2 minute piece which I created for my drama module. It followed the story of a doctor is unhappy with his career, and also has family issues with his brother. One day, the character has an argument with his brother, before discovering that he has died in a car crash. He then discovers that his brother, contrary to what he thought, was in fact attending college to make a better life for himself. This results in the character being inspired to do something different with his life.
Although the piece was well received by my tutor and peers, I felt that there was more that I could have done with the piece to make it make more sense had I had more time to do so. I enjoyed editing it as I could follow the linear narrative from start to finish, which is my preferred style of editing, but I do not feel that it would work well enough to be submitter for my final edit.
COME DIE WITH CLIVE (working title)
This is the piece that I am working on for my 10 minute drama production. I feel very involved with this piece as I have written the script for it and am the editor. I have been with the project from the beginning so I feel very confident with my knowledge of the characters, which I find is very important when editing in order to convey the correct message to the audience.
I am therefore hoping to take a section from the film to submit as my final edit. I feel the most confident with it and can document my progress as it develops.
JOURNEY THROUGH THE NIGHT
Whilst I enjoyed this edit, I do not feel it was my strongest. I found it hard to come to terms with the fact that it did not necessarily have to follow a linear narrative, so i was slow at first to decide how I would structure the edit. However, once I understood that I could interpret the piece in my own way, I began to develop the piece to what I believe was very effective. However, I do believe that I am better at constructing edits with a clear narrative, for example from a drama genre.
RELATIVITY
This piece I found easier to structure than the former. I also found it more interesting as whilst editing it I discovered that I could change the relationships between the characters and how the audience perceives them according to which shots I choose to put where. However, I had some trouble with this footage in relation to sound, which is not my strongest subject, and so I felt it best to use another piece to submit for my final edit.
VITAL SIGNS
Vital Signs was a 2 minute piece which I created for my drama module. It followed the story of a doctor is unhappy with his career, and also has family issues with his brother. One day, the character has an argument with his brother, before discovering that he has died in a car crash. He then discovers that his brother, contrary to what he thought, was in fact attending college to make a better life for himself. This results in the character being inspired to do something different with his life.
Although the piece was well received by my tutor and peers, I felt that there was more that I could have done with the piece to make it make more sense had I had more time to do so. I enjoyed editing it as I could follow the linear narrative from start to finish, which is my preferred style of editing, but I do not feel that it would work well enough to be submitter for my final edit.
COME DIE WITH CLIVE (working title)
This is the piece that I am working on for my 10 minute drama production. I feel very involved with this piece as I have written the script for it and am the editor. I have been with the project from the beginning so I feel very confident with my knowledge of the characters, which I find is very important when editing in order to convey the correct message to the audience.
I am therefore hoping to take a section from the film to submit as my final edit. I feel the most confident with it and can document my progress as it develops.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Relativity
How you have approached the edit
When I began the edit of Relativity, I quickly began to enjoy it because it was so different from editing Journey Through the Night. The latter was much more open to interpretation with how is can be presented as the narrative is not as hard-set.
For example, when I began the edit of Relativity I recognised that the genre was drama. Since I am also taking Drama as a module, I recognised the key themes which needed to be applied to the piece to make it make sense to the audience. This included the linearity of the piece, as well as rules which must be applied to the order of shots in order for them to appear smooth-running. (I also took this theory from my editing presentation on Pudovkin - i.e. how putting together different shots can determine audience perception).
So, I therefore began by considering the genre. I wanted to make the edit as smooth-running as possible, to give the all-important impression to the audience that what they are watching is reality. For example, in the first shot, the woman walks past the man in the kitchen, and he grabs her arm. The next shot is in the same instant but from his POV. I therefore made sure that I timed the two shots accordingly so that they ran from one onto the other, rather than the two shots overlapping and having the same action happen twice.
How you’ve established the characters relationships
I felt that the relationships between the characters was what was driving the piece forward, so I decided to develop these as far as I could. I also realised that depending on how I edited the piece, I could change the feelings and motivation of the characters (again in reference to my Pudovkin presentation). So, once I had decided how I wanted my characters to feel about each other, I could begin choosing which shots to put where.
For example, the script suggests that the character of the mother would rather spend time with her daughter and feels guilty about giving in to her lover's demands. However, I manipulated the shots to tell a different story. I decided that Cielle, the child, should be the main focus of the piece, as her longing for her mothers attention seemed much more effective when the mother would rather be with her lover. I therefore took the shots and moved them around in a way which shows Cielle's despair when her mother leaves her to be with her lover.
For example, in many of the other edits I saw, when the man approaches the mother, she looks reluctant to go to him. I therefore changed this so that when he approached, using a different shot, she looked happy.
How you’ve built tension
I felt that a sense of tension should be in two places - firstly, between Cielle and the man. Secondly, between Cielle and her mother. This was achieved by having the man tell her to 'make up her mind' at the beginning when she is choosing her cereal. I also showed a lot of shots of Cielle's reaction to when he approaches her mother - looks of remorse, etc.
The sense of tension between Cielle and her mother was achieved by the way that her attitude towards her mother changes. In the beginning, she and her mother talk and laugh. When the man approaches, she looks remorseful and sad that her mother has left her. This I felt incresed the audience's empathy for Cielle and made her situation seem even more sad.
What are the key moments
The key moments in the piece lie with the reactions of Cielle. She drives the narrative, I wanted the story to be effectively told through her eyes. Therefore, the key moments are her reactions to when the man enters to ask her mother to the bedroom - it lets the audience know of her feelings towards him and her despair that her mother would choose him over her. Also, similarly, earlier when he yells at her about her cereal - she and her mother share a look which suggests that Cielle dislikes him.
How it differs from the script
I feel that my edit differs from the script as I chose to have the story told through Cielle's eyes - but I changed the relationship between the mother and her lover. In the original script, it is suggested that the mother feels guilty for leavng Cielle, and that she doesn't really want to - but in my edit, I changed this so that she wants to go with her lover and leave her child. I believe that this makes Cielle's character seem more sad and changes the audience's attitude towards her mother and lover - therefore we empathise with Cielle more.
How you’ve thought about sound
Sound was not an element that I chose to focus on especially for this piece. In Journey Through the Night, sound could be used to create tension. However, this did not seem relevant in this edit, as the narrative is drama. I therefore chose to just keep the dialogue and ambient sound, reinforcing the idea of the story as reality.
How it changed over time
When I started the edit, I did not originally plan to have the relationship between the mother and Cielle so different. However, I think it looks more effective overall as I really wanted the audience to empathise with Cielle. Looking back, I now feel that to make it better I could have used more shots through her eyes to reinforce this. I also could have made the character of the man more absent, to make his intrusion seem even more annoying.
When I began the edit of Relativity, I quickly began to enjoy it because it was so different from editing Journey Through the Night. The latter was much more open to interpretation with how is can be presented as the narrative is not as hard-set.
For example, when I began the edit of Relativity I recognised that the genre was drama. Since I am also taking Drama as a module, I recognised the key themes which needed to be applied to the piece to make it make sense to the audience. This included the linearity of the piece, as well as rules which must be applied to the order of shots in order for them to appear smooth-running. (I also took this theory from my editing presentation on Pudovkin - i.e. how putting together different shots can determine audience perception).
So, I therefore began by considering the genre. I wanted to make the edit as smooth-running as possible, to give the all-important impression to the audience that what they are watching is reality. For example, in the first shot, the woman walks past the man in the kitchen, and he grabs her arm. The next shot is in the same instant but from his POV. I therefore made sure that I timed the two shots accordingly so that they ran from one onto the other, rather than the two shots overlapping and having the same action happen twice.
How you’ve established the characters relationships
I felt that the relationships between the characters was what was driving the piece forward, so I decided to develop these as far as I could. I also realised that depending on how I edited the piece, I could change the feelings and motivation of the characters (again in reference to my Pudovkin presentation). So, once I had decided how I wanted my characters to feel about each other, I could begin choosing which shots to put where.
For example, the script suggests that the character of the mother would rather spend time with her daughter and feels guilty about giving in to her lover's demands. However, I manipulated the shots to tell a different story. I decided that Cielle, the child, should be the main focus of the piece, as her longing for her mothers attention seemed much more effective when the mother would rather be with her lover. I therefore took the shots and moved them around in a way which shows Cielle's despair when her mother leaves her to be with her lover.
For example, in many of the other edits I saw, when the man approaches the mother, she looks reluctant to go to him. I therefore changed this so that when he approached, using a different shot, she looked happy.
How you’ve built tension
I felt that a sense of tension should be in two places - firstly, between Cielle and the man. Secondly, between Cielle and her mother. This was achieved by having the man tell her to 'make up her mind' at the beginning when she is choosing her cereal. I also showed a lot of shots of Cielle's reaction to when he approaches her mother - looks of remorse, etc.
The sense of tension between Cielle and her mother was achieved by the way that her attitude towards her mother changes. In the beginning, she and her mother talk and laugh. When the man approaches, she looks remorseful and sad that her mother has left her. This I felt incresed the audience's empathy for Cielle and made her situation seem even more sad.
What are the key moments
The key moments in the piece lie with the reactions of Cielle. She drives the narrative, I wanted the story to be effectively told through her eyes. Therefore, the key moments are her reactions to when the man enters to ask her mother to the bedroom - it lets the audience know of her feelings towards him and her despair that her mother would choose him over her. Also, similarly, earlier when he yells at her about her cereal - she and her mother share a look which suggests that Cielle dislikes him.
How it differs from the script
I feel that my edit differs from the script as I chose to have the story told through Cielle's eyes - but I changed the relationship between the mother and her lover. In the original script, it is suggested that the mother feels guilty for leavng Cielle, and that she doesn't really want to - but in my edit, I changed this so that she wants to go with her lover and leave her child. I believe that this makes Cielle's character seem more sad and changes the audience's attitude towards her mother and lover - therefore we empathise with Cielle more.
How you’ve thought about sound
Sound was not an element that I chose to focus on especially for this piece. In Journey Through the Night, sound could be used to create tension. However, this did not seem relevant in this edit, as the narrative is drama. I therefore chose to just keep the dialogue and ambient sound, reinforcing the idea of the story as reality.
How it changed over time
When I started the edit, I did not originally plan to have the relationship between the mother and Cielle so different. However, I think it looks more effective overall as I really wanted the audience to empathise with Cielle. Looking back, I now feel that to make it better I could have used more shots through her eyes to reinforce this. I also could have made the character of the man more absent, to make his intrusion seem even more annoying.
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