R.E.D. 1 Post- Production

R.E.D. 1

Post- Production 

Robbie was kind enough to help me through the editing process with me, in fact it has become a habit of mine to enlist the help of someone else to  do the work and for me to oversee and give directions, Robbie has had a lot of experience with editing and the accompanying technology  so the process was a very smooth one relatively free from stress, I did take over the reins a little bit towards the end of the process more out of necessity than anything else as Robbie was working on his own film elsewhere. I generally find editing the most laborious  aspect of the production, technology in general tends to frustrate me and I am always afraid that the computer will suddenly shut down and I will lose all my work.

During this process I was able to learn a couple of things that were able to help me finish the credits for the film and also make an accompanying " gag reel ". I felt a bit frustrated that I had not retained the information about the edit suites and how to use them as so many other of my peers had done and I really felt that I needed to start learning how to use them properly soon or I felt that it could be to my detriment, for example: there were several instances during the editing process where I could not export the files correctly, due to me not setting up the projects appropriately.

Overall  I felt what was positive about the project were all the aspects of my practices which I had already developed, I just felt that they were stronger on this film than before, I think that my control and my idea of what the film should be made for a short, enjoyable shoot. Although the post - production yet again highlighted the weaknesses  that I developed in my working methods and they had become ever more apparent, this was something that I was to address and confront in the second part of my project, R.E.D. 2.

RED 1 Production

R.E.D. 1

Production 

 I wanted to try and  keep the production to a single day, as I wanted as much time as possible to edit the film.  I had everyone involved in the film meet me at my house where I was able to present the script to the crew members although my principal actor, Martin, had already been sent the script

the easiest thing for me to do was to shoot the scenes in sequence rather than hop back and forth. I understand the benefits of shooting that way on a bigger  and longer production schedule, but since that this was just a short few scenes, I felt it would be best to just go though the scenes step by step.  I  found myself paying particular attention to Martin  as he had no prior acting experience, I tried to communicate exactly what I was after in the performance without pressuring him too much to get it right on the first take. Initially he was very nervous and uncomfortable, he struggled with the material, I had to get a few  re-takes at the start. As we got further into the shoot, he relaxed and found his feet, to the point where some exchanges only required one take.

Unfortunately there was a minor equipment problem as the multi-directional microphone  wasn't working, thankfully the weather was mild with little wind, so as long as  the shots were fairly tight I could get Ciaran,  who was in charge of sound , to keep the zoom  sound recorder fairly close to Martin and myself.  Robbie was operating the camera on the shoot, I had never worked with him before, he made some good suggestions as far as staging  the scenes and finding where to get the best shots. Towards the end he was wanting more and more takes to work with but I was insisting that we get exactly what  was necessary as we were starting to lose the light.

Thankfully I got exactly what I wanted on the day and I certainly enjoyed shooting the film,  I really felt "at home" working this way, It was evident  that I really enjoyed being able to make something that was both simple independent of any  academic requirements, meaning that I didn't have to  create a film in a certain style  or using a method that was decided by my superiors. I understand how this freedom can paradoxically intimidate other film-makers but I really enjoyed it.

RED 1 My Current Practices

R.E.D. 1

My Current Practices

My previous work could be defined as being very conventional in narrative and direction, I  think that I demonstrate a certain directorial presence in my work, that is to say that I think my films feel solid and coherent in terms of story  and I think you can see the level of control that I exert over my projects.

Certainly as my confidence has grown,  you can see my work becoming increasingly idiosyncratic. For example my first project "Jeefs" was much  more of a collaboration between myself and my partner although I would say that I had less input on  story and construction than if did on locations. whereas my last film " Capture the Rabbit " was very much a product of my own design, whether or not this is a positive aspect remains to be seen.

What I decided to take from my experiences of making " Capture the Rabbit " was  my willingness to direct  and construct, I looked another one of my films " The Walking Test"  and  I knew that I could write something humorous and I could get performances from relatively in-experienced actors especially as I had decided that I would play one of the parts myself, this would give me the opportunity to help support the other actor/actors. My  experience in writing scripts meant that I knew exactly how  the film to come across  to an audience, thus hopefully demonstrating my own  practices and working methods.

https://vimeo.com/33342846

( Jeefs 2011 Dir. Dorian Cozens/Daniel Bache )

https://vimeo.com/41835337

( The Walking Test 2011 Dir. Daniel Bache )

RED 1

R.E.D  1

Proposal and Initial Ideas

My  R.E.D. project  or  Research and Development   project was to be split into two separate assignments. The first, was a film that would demonstrate my current practices and my working methods, the second assignment was designed to challenge these standards by asking me to present work which would show that I had used unfamiliar  tools to create it and worked outside of my own comfort zone.

Given the relatively short time that we had been given to complete the first assignment, I set about writing a script and enlisting the help of a small  film crew almost immediately,  I decided to work with an Idea that I had  earlier in the year, which was to film a short  comedy " sketch "  involving a salesman and his protégé.

The reasons why I decided to work with this idea and not any others were few, most obviously I need to be economic with time and resources to allow for the best possible outcome, but I also knew that I could write a script which kept the cast and crew to a bare minimum and utilised my own address as an ideal location, which ultimately made for a more relaxed environment on set and allowed me to focus on getting the performances I wanted and allow time for any improvisations or changes to the material. Finally, I will add that it being shot near my home minimised risk of harm to the equipment as did the decision to shoot the piece in one day.

I knew that I would still have at least two full weeks to edit the film and address any issues in post- production.

I used very basic equipment for the shoot:

# Canon 600D/ Fixed Lens

# Zoom Recorder

# Multi Directional "Boom" Mic/ Deadcat w. headphones

# "Boom" pole

The Exorcist : A perfect film, An imperfect screening

William Friedkin's 1973 masterpiece " The Exorcist " is my all time favourite film. I have, in my posession,  eight copies on varying format's and editions. It inspired me to investigate and research cinema and to create my own someday. I'm still captivated by the the technical innovations, the subject matter, the many levels of subtext within the narrative, the themes that are presented, the "no holds barred " visual style, the performances, the cinematography..it's endless. One thing I never saw it as was a simple " Horror" film, now don't get me wrong, there is no better example of a horror film and I doubt there ever will be, but this film is so much more than a scary film, it's not just a roller coaster ride or an endurance test, it's not a "body count" film and it's not "quiet,quiet quiet..bang!" film. It's an artitic, innovative film that discusses theology and it's place in the modern world, the meaning of human nature, the concept of good and evil,  the guilt of single parenting, a comment on the perception and treatment of troubled children and the trials and tribulation of puberty seen from both the child and the parent's perspective. It's these things and more, that's what i see when I watch it and I could find nothing more disconcerting when having to sit through my first cinema screening of the film with people, sat behind me, who serve to do nothing but cheapen it by tittering and chuckling all the way through it!

I understand  that not everyone shares the same love for this film that I do, but I think that it's a film that deserves respect for being as iconic and inspirational as it is. "The Exorcist" is a film which , these days seems to inspire laughter and mockery from younger, fresher audiences, I actually don't find this as much of a problem, in fact, it's these reactions which have informed my desire to use this film as the subject of my dissertation. But it's the "boyfriend" sat above me, who has obviously seen this film before and has brought along his girlfriend with the intention of showing her how tough he is for not getting effected by any of the more punishing scenes in the film, in fact every time one of these scenes would be close, I would here a kind of anticipation which could only be described as overly macho tittering, which whilst showing her that he knows what's coming, which also served to evoke some typical high pitching "mewing" from her, thus pushing the levels of peripheral obnoxiousness to an almost unbearable level.

Strangely  though, I did find my own reactions interesting, It hasn't bothered me before when this has happened when watching other films. It really made me reflect on my own reactions towards the audience that night. Why should it matter to me, what they think of the film or how they treat it?. i suppose that maybe part of the reason is that i wanted this screening to be perfect , for me. I wanted the right seat, the right screen, the right accompanying beverage and i wanted this screening to be a life changing experience, an event that reassesses the film for me, after all, this should have been the perfect way to view this film and i have been waiting to see it this way all my life.

When i came out of the cinema, my first feeling was that i had ticked something off  my list of " things to do before I die " rather than reflect on the film itself. What does this say about how my experience informs my reaction. for example I don't think anything will ever beat the first time i viewed it alone at fifteen years old on a beaten up bootlegged VHS tape. It was an occurrence which has influenced every viewing  and every mention of that film. It's true that I did'nt really start to see all the aforementioned aspects until much later, my curiosity and my knowledge deepened with each and every viewing. In fact, my favourite memory is from the brilliant documentary "The fear of god" in which Mark Kermode describes his own initial experience with the trailer for the film, which by his admission scared the life out of him, yet all these years later it's his own personal favourite film leading him to not only put together a documentary buit wirte an accopanying book and campaign to get find the original cut of the somewhat maligned sequel " The Exorcist III ".

I had no idea that when I first saw this film that it would lead me to fall in love with it years later or that it would inspire me to really research and study cinema and film so seriously that I would end up studying a degree based on the subject. This film really made me look at all other films in a completely different way, I looked for things that I wouldn't have necessarily have seen or appreciated before, I began to really love films on a much deeper level. Maybe It's wrong of me to expect that others find that same sense of inspiration when seeing that film, maybe they've found there own touchstone which they can lavish with their love and adoration. Either way I think that this will be an interesting subject to tackle and I look forward to seeing where this takes me.
                                                               

Back from the dead

R.E.D.

So here we are in the third year, more importantly my B.A. year. This is when I'm supposed to start demonstrating my technical ability, my knowledge of modern film-making  practices, my willingness to create, direct and produce my own work. To be honest I'm still not sure whether or not I can do that with as much ease as I would have liked. I see how others around me have grown and I don't see the same progression in myself. I still annoy the crap out of Stu every time I don't know how to work "Final Cut" but then I shouldn't be using final cut anyway apparently!.

At the end of last year, I presented what would be my major piece for the year, entitled " Chasing a Rabbit " and while it was a moderately successful it was a far cry from what I had intended to make. I had failed to create the work which i had originally set out to make, which considering i had so many nights waiting in the cold to interview people outside the nightclub where the film was set. after that was a break of almost four months where I could do nothing but reflect upon what I got wrong in the last few years. In this time, i feel like I lost touch with what i had learned during the last two years, I spent much of my time dealing with the politics of a horrible part-time job, the financial strains of a mortgage and the temptation to let my degree fall into the bracket of " Just get it out of the way ". 

I started this course because i wanted to be able to immerse myself in something that i feel passionate about, to create something, to discuss film with others around me and maybe achieve a qualification in a subject that I really love. the future prospects, the grades, the demonstration of technical knowledge was and still is an afterthought. I was so happy knowing that i would be able to get a break from my previous vocation which i had seriously, for many reasons, become disillusioned with. I never wanted this course to be all about me just meeting the learning outcomes and passing, I really want to have actually achieved something even if I just enjoyed my time taking part. 

Which brings me to the creation of my R.E.D. 1 project which to most people will go by the name of " Door to Door ". This was a chance for me to re-evaluate my position and truly try and see what I have done in the first two years that has dictated my approach to this first project. what have I learned?. What are my habits, What would I consider to the characteristics that inform my current practice?. Where do I go from here?, how do I develop and How do I get to a place where I can create a final piece of work next year that I can present as I prepare to leave my education behind, safe in the knowledge that i am happy with what I made?.