The first week back was a laid-back return. Although we were told that the project for this term would involve the creation of an opening sequence to a hypothetical movie, we didn't learn anything beyond that, since the crux of the session was refreshing our memories in operating the Z1 cameras, with some additional advanced techniques and features. Although I had helped shoot a film using a Z1 over the Easter holiday, and thus already knew most of what was said, I still learnt what some of the more obtuse functions did and how to use them, as well as learning all new options.
The next week was where things really took off. We were given the brief, talked about movement, and were shown the opening of Once Upon a Time in the West. We discussed how it was essentially a short film in and of itself, forming a three act structure within the scene. Other famous opening scenes were shown and discussed, from Star Wars to Touch of Evil. Later that week, we were given a more comprehensive induction on the Steadicam, as well as a handheld model called a Merlin. This was important, as Paul the camera operator decided that, although operating a Z1 on a Merlin which was designed for much smaller and lighter cameras would be tough, it was preferable to him compared to how bulky and difficult the larger vest-based Steadicam would be. Only making the decision easier was the fact that there were several Merlins compared with the single large Steadicam, so not only would there be no Steadicams if someone else was shooting at the same time, but no-one else (to my knowledge) would be willing to use a Merlin with a Z1, leaving more for us.
The third week was where the ideas were finally beginning to be discussed. Nicole was absent, but I discussed at length with Sam the preliminary ideas. The first element to be put in place was the idea of the world of the film looking ordinary at first glance, only to reveal that this world is very different to our own. We began listing films that did this well: The Dark Knight's bank robbery, the entire first hour of From Dusk Till Dawn, the child in bed in Monster's Inc., Andy playing with Woody in Toy Story, pulling over the immigrant van in Men in Black, the diner conversation in Pulp Fiction, and the dialogue between Rogue and her boyfriend in X-Men. An idea that was dropped was for a chase scene of some kind. I've always had filed away in my mind for some future use an opening scene in which a character runs through a town, panicked, while bystanders and the people the character pushes out of their way look on in confusion, when suddenly objects in the street behind the character begin to buckle and crush as if a massive, invisible force is chasing the character. Obviously, this would have been near-impossible to make, let alone make well, so it was quickly dropped. I wanted to avoid the cliche of a random group of characters (usually a couple mid-coitus) being killed from a monster's PoV. When we decided that the characters would be used to the weirdness around them, we hit upon the idea of going through the cliched "waking up" montage you see in a lot of unoriginal student films, but have the job that the person is going to be bizarre and extraordinary. We didn't decide what that job would be, however, and in the end hit upon the idea for it the following week.
But before we move to the fourth week, that was not all we did that day. We also had an in-depth discussion of the opening to 2001: A Space Odyssey, in which my own prior knowledge kind of ruined an interesting interpretation made by Dan Bache. He suggested that the prolonged black screen with music before the film proper started represented a kind of struggle for life, with the story attempting to birth itself. It doesn't make much sense the way I put it, but the way he articulated it was very intriguing. However, my musical knowledge sort of ruined a great theory, as all I could think of as he spoke was "no, actually, that's just the overture to give people something to listen to as they took their seats and waited for the film to start. A lot of films did that." On the other hand, I wrote some interesting notes as I watched, like how the film proper is about the evils of technology, whereas the prologue is more positive towards it. The ape group that meet the monolith were previously the underdog pushovers, and in a do-or-die environment, that's lethal. Were it not for the monolith enabling them to use weapons, they would likely have died. I also highlighted the importance of the music, with the experimental choral track being the first piece of underscore in the movie, its dissonant nature further establishing the alienness of the object. Also, music is tied with the idea of evolution, since the only times music is used is for the monolith which advances the apes, and the 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' performance as the apes learn the concept of weaponry, both of which are the major steps of evolution taken in the prologue. Later that day we also had a workshop with the dolly and crane. While I took copious notes, we knew that we would probably not end up using either due to their overly complex nature and the time constraints of the project. Had we had three or four months to create the project, and thus experiment with the equipment extensively, we would probably have ended up using them.
In the fourth week, we began with a lecture on production roles. While it did help clarify the exact responsibilities of roles like 1st/2nd Assistant Director, Executive Producer and Cinematographer, mostly we knew in our group who would be doing what for each production task. I would be directing the actors and camera op, Sam would do everything relating to sound, Paul would concentrate on everything to do with the camera, and Nicole would be logging shots, keeping track of what to do and so forth. What we did do was make a preliminary schedule and begin sorting out the paperwork. But, this wouldn't have been possible were it not for what we did immediately before that.
Firstly, we nailed down what we were going to do. Although Sam was absent, Nicole was present, and we discussed the details together. It isn't clear who came up with which ideas, but it was here that we established the outline: it would feature werewolves, during the "waking up" montage we would randomly cut to a shot of the character loading a handgun before returning to normal montage fodder, creating the kind of jar in tone that hopefully would hook an audience and assure them that this isn't as cliche as it first appears. The character would then head out into the night, and arrive at a house in the countryside. They wait, before someone else comes in and begins trying to make idle chit-chat with them. As the new character talks, they put their hand on the windowsill, exposing it to the full moon and it begins growing hair. The first character gets up, and casually shoots them, ending the sequence.
As Nicole worked on the logistics and paperwork, I began writing the treatment, which is reprinted below. As what happened next comes under production, the story continues after the script is discussed in the next post.
1.
An alarm
clock rings out in a darkened room. A light comes on, and ERIN shuts it off.
S/he groans, and slowly gets up.
2.
MONTAGE.
Erin goes through the morning routine, cleaning his/her teeth, getting washed
and dressed, loading a handgun, making breakfast. Now ready for the day ahead,
s/he heads out the door, and takes a breath of fresh air...
...as s/he
walks out into the dead of night, a full moon in the sky.
3.
At a house
in the deep countryside, a car pulls up. Out of it steps Erin, who pushes the
unlocked door to the house open.
4.
Inside the
house, Erin quietly looks for anyone around. Seeing no-one, s/he takes a seat
in the living room and waits.
Later,
TAYLOR arrives. He makes idle chit-chat with Erin, who remains silent.
Eventually, he leans on the windowsill, and his hand starts to grow hair. Erin
stands and speaks at last, before suddenly shooting Taylor dead.
"Night Shift" is © 2012 Ashley Watts. Unauthorised reproduction or distribution is prohibited.
No comments:
Post a Comment