Class Lectures

Joe Gerard

Joe Gerard talked about the importance of the audio department. You can get quality audio recording by aiming the microphone just below the mouth. But you have to be able to anticipate if the actor is going to turn their head or worse, walk around. Holding the boom high and out of the frame of the shot is a must as well. All too often does ones arm get tired and stop aiming at the 'sound spot' or worse, get great audio, but lower the mic into scene thus the shot is unusable. Or at least it should, movies like School of Rock, The Patriot, and The Village show the microphone. Now if we can do amazing and fantastical things with special FX like in Captain America or Iron Man or Thor or The Avengers or basically anything else Marvel has done like Spider-Man. The uh, good one, not those lame ones with Seabiscuit. MY POINT IS WHY CAN THEY NOT ERASE THE MICROPHONE!

Varlow Davenport

Varlow talked about the procedures of casting. The different precautions and measurements taken to make the actors and actresses as comfortable as possible, while moving them through the chopping block. He said the first day, or the first time, the actors themselves provide a monologue that they would dictate. Based on that short rhetorical conversation you would call back the people that you thought were the hottest. Leaving behind all the talent so you could make money with money makers. Or you could just call back the ones that seemed like it was a passion for them, and that they really took seriously the agonizing pain and disappointment that comes with 1,000 auditions just to finally be given a shot as a waitress or bus boy, that of which is probably what they do to pay their bills. The callbacks then are given a script ahead of time in order to prepare for the role and then upon showing up, work with the director in order to get the character somewhere close to where the actors threshold is compared to where the character should be. Our experience in class of casting, although we were noobs and it was most of our first time doing anything like that. was complete shit.

Brian Strasmann

Brian is a boss, he mainly talked about the 3 act structure and the 4 page treatment from Syd Field's screenwriting workbook. He talked about the different styles of screenwriting. Some people like Michael Arndt take a long time, figuring out the right script and only write one. While the other is simply writing the first draft of an entire script as fast as possible and revising and revising and revising. and then once it's finished, start a new one, get it done, start a new one, and get that one done. Why a treatment? To plan. Treatments are used predominantly for your own work planning. Writing a treatment forces you to put your story to paper. Four pages create a narrative synopsis of your storyline, it describes what your story is about and who your story is about. The purpose is to define and condense. This is based on double spaced typed pages. This is based on double spaced typed pages.

½ page defines the opening scene of your movie. specific and focused. ½ page narrative synopsis of the action summarizing what happens during the rest of act one. Loose and free flowing, non-specific. ½ page to write a dramatic recreation of the plot point at the end of act one specific and focused separate sheet of paper, write four obstacles either internal or external that a character confronts in act two.One page narrative synopsis summarizing the action in act two, loose and free flowing, use the four obstacles listed. ½ page to write a dramatic recreation of the plot point at the end of act two, specific and focused. ½ page to write a narrative synopsis of action of act three, loose and free flowing. ½ page dramatic recreation of the ending scene or sequence of the screenplay, specific and focused.

Dan Levine

He was a script advisor and worked in the television field for quite sometime. 

Brit Poulton

She talked about how she went to law school and after she graduated, she decided it wasn't what she wanted to do so she applied to USC and got in. Now she is about to film her first ever feature length film. But before that she is going to direct a short film based on herself and her brother called The Lizard King. She also talked about the importance of networking in the industry because just for the fact that she went to USC she met with a bunch of people who wanted to make a movie, and she ended up getting a job because they liked her. so i guess you have to be attractive AND talented.

Marshal Moore

Mr. Moore talked about the importance of pre production and told a story about his first job delivering the script to Katherine Hepburn. He flew into New York and was told by the production manager to deliver the script to Ms. Hepburn, he left the building, with only an address. as he began to follow the road signs in what he thought was the right direction. He had actually been going the wrong way, and on top of all this, it started raining. he had no money for bad fare, so in a plastic bag and under his shirt he kept the script as dry as possible. when he returned to the production manager ready to be fired, his boss actually felt bad and gave him money, told him he would do it tomorrow, and completely understood. the next day he delivered the script to Hepburn and had tea with her. He also shared with us what a HERO location is. A hero location has everything you need. in 3 or four directions, you could shoot different scenes in one spot. He told us what a location book is, which is a book with hundreds of photos put together to make a panoramic view. And he told us how to actually take photos of a location for the book. you stand in one spot so you dont mess up the point of view. take shot, turn a little bit, take another shot, simple.

Events, NAB, Holland photos

NAB Show is the world's largest electronic media show covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums. With more than 93,000 Attendees from 156 countries and 1,550+ Exhibitors, NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for digital media and entertainment. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, NAB Show is home to the solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and embrace content delivery to new devices in new ways. Post][Production World is doing hands on training of cameras such as the RED EPIC & DRAGON. only costs 1,000 dollars for 3 days, should be awesome! (that statement was thick with sarcasm) They are also doing authorized and certified prep classes for editing software like Final Cut X, Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer 7. They will also be holding workshops for Digital Publishing, Producer/Director, and Director of Photography.

THESE ARE THE HOLLAND LOCATION PHOTOS

Class Project Liberal Arts Film

Phil handed out a sheet that helps us young aspiring filmmakers understand just how integrated budgeting is. Now when he started discussing budgeting, i knew it wasnt a cake walk. but i had no idea how much it takes to do one certain job. if you want lights, you gotta pay for em, you want sound, gotta pay for that too. not to mention the camera and actors and i mean, well you gotta get paid too, for whatever area youre working in. for the Liberal Arts film, we have just about if not a little more than 30,000. and about 2/3 of that is going just to the people that are working on this film. not including any props or special effects or reshoots that we may need. this is what just the FIRST PAGE of the budget sheet looks like.

and here is the link to the actual sheet itself.

http://uscreen.co.uk/uploads/how-to/Film_Budget.pdf

THIS IS THE 4 PAGE TREATMENT

             The school bell rings, and kids pile into their classes while Amelia and Rory reach the door at the same time and get stuck trying to beat each other into the classroom. The teacher yells for them to quit goofing off! And begrudgingly they stand upright, walk into class embarrassed and sit in their chairs. The teacher gets up and explains that the students will be teaming up in order to write a report on the advantages and disadvantages of a liberal arts education. He continues to explain who the pairs will be, and gleefully volunteers Amelia and Rory as partners because they were late together. The school bell rings again and students pour out of the school in all directions. Amy and Rory meet just outside of the library, glare at each other and exchange insulting repartee to each other. They enter the library and being discussing how their paper will sound. Amy wants to show the advantages of going to a business college like the one she wants to attend so she can get a good job. Rory doesn’t quite know what he wants to do for a career yet. But explains that he likes art and psychology and had the highest math scores in the school, but he wants to gain knowledge in a lot of different areas so that he has a lot of different options for jobs.

            In the rest of act one Amy and Rory argue about what college is suppose to do for their lives. Their argument gets louder and louder until the librarian tells them to hush. Quietly, they exchange insults again, growing louder louder until they hear another “SHHH!” they look over to apologize to the librarian but she is gone. “don’t you know you’re in a library?” they look around but see no one. But then a man in a robe appears, introducing himself as Plato. They begin to talk to Plato like he is a crazy person but he ignores them and continues to speak to them in Latin to shut them up. He tells them of the advantages his pursuits in science have given the world.

            The plot points begin with one of the visionaries appearing before Amy and Rory. Plato, Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, and Socrates. Each advocating either the advantages of gaining only the knowledge of their field, or gaining a general knowledge about everything. Then, one by one, they start to appear alongside the others. Trying to make their case against the other, arguing and such until all four of them are in the room shouting at one another. Amy and Rory tell them to shut up and they are all caught off guard. The students explain to them their own reasons for their paths and how they think they can help change the world and make it a better place. The group takes tours around the library searching and describing certain books and show the advantages and disadvantages of a liberal arts education. Showing the students working hard, discussing with some of the visionaries while others discover drinking fountains and facebook and the magical doorway that teleports you to different floors.

            At the end of act three the students wake up, drooling on their desks as the sun rises. Looking at their notes, they see that nothing has been written and they have both fell asleep. But they both remember Plato and Da Vinci, so they must have shared the same dream. As they run to class they are late again and try to push through the door. Again the teacher tells them to quit the shenanigans! He tells them to hand in their report right now, but they do not have it so as punishment he makes them stand in front of the class and give an oral report on what they have learned.

THE ENDING SCENE shows the two students, with all of the knowledge and experience they think they have gained from talking with the historical figures. Give their own interpretation of a liberal arts education. (because that is what this film is suppose to be about anyways.) Amy still advocates the pursuit of a specific and focused education because she wants to be an English professor and nothing else, but now with a more perfect knowledge and understanding of that concept. But Rory understands just as well the advantages of obtaining a broad knowledge of subjects, learning math, history, science, art, and psychology. Things that will probably not help him find that perfect career choice, but at least he would be fulfilling, as Socrates stated, his whole self. As Rory and Amy give their speeches they notice outside the classroom window their visionaries proudly watching over them. The film ends with the teacher very impressed and posing the question to the class directly into the camera “well… what do you think?”

Personal Project/Senior Capstone

so. here I am. wondering what I should post on this blog. I do not have any pictures. I do not have any sets, or actors, or even crew members. but I must do this for a grade, because that is what is important in life; making the cut.

my capstone project for my bachelors degree in Digital Film and eventual world domination, is titled SINGER/SONGWRITER. technically it is a working title, if something better comes up i will use that. but nonetheless that is what I am going with right now. Singer/Songwriter is a drama, filmed in a way that makes everything about the story look like it was shot inside a documentary. Full of interviews, photos that fade onto the screen, and actors that can act like regular people with no acting experience.

The story is about a boy who grew up very musically inclined and loved to play instruments. but around his 4th grade talent show, he discovered that he had much more than a gift, it was a curse. When Lauren would play music, mainly a guitar, people within earshot would soon become unconscious, slipping into either a coma, or death. by the time Lauren was 17 he had killed 11 people, now this was by accident on two separate occasions, and Lauren was found not guilty. but growing up like that, with such a passion for something. an affinity that could not be sated by any other thing on earth, and being unable to enjoy it, was hard for Lauren.

Lauren befriended a young girl named Wednesday who had non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the two became attached to one another. they shared their lives with each other, the good days, and the bad. their triumphs, as well as their trials. this is where the camera crew, the director, and the producer come into the story chronologically at least. hearing about the case, and researching the strange happenings, they decide to make a documentary on poor Lauren. There is one instance where the producer, kind of wants proof of this, and through his cunning, convinces Lauren to play him a song. the sound is turned off for safety of the audience (I.E. you) and Lauren plays a song. Soon, the producer slumps over and falls to the ground. the film cuts and opens back up to his film crew visiting him in the hospital where they take the rare opportunity to interview their boss, asking him things like, is he a believer now? and, what did it sound like? to which he replies "it's the most beautiful arrangement of sound he has ever heard in his 63 years of life..."

that would be the BEAT...

At the end of the documentary Wednesday falls ill, and is rushed to the hospital to keep under surveillance. Lauren does not leave her side. And the nosey camera crew tries to set up and film, but Lauren takes the act as disrespectful and kicks them out. But not before a crew member places a small camera in the corner. No audio, just video. aaaaand scene

you will just have to watch it to find out what happens in the end.

THIS IS THE CURRENT CAST LIST

LEAD: Dan Fowlks for the role of Lauren Williams

Dan has worked in many of our student films and is an invaluable member of our little film industry here at Dixie State University. He has a wife and one child, and really hopes to make it as the next Tom Cruise.

OPPOSITE: Melanie Camire for the role of Wednesday

Melanie is single handedly taking on her acting career, not only is she passionate about what she does, but she has what it takes to get to where she wants to go.

ALSO STARRING: Kori Dutton for the role of Lauren's sister, River

Kori is going to school to be a nurse. honestly, she has no acting career aspirations or experience, but she is willing to learn and thinks that it will be an enjoyable experience.

Ami K. Porter for the role of Lauren's mother, Debbie Williams

Besides Melanie, Ami is the only other person among 3 people I saw had real talent in them during the casting session. As soon as i saw her i knew that she was the one i wanted for Debbie.

Featuring Eric Durrant as Lauren's friend Matthew

My old mission companion is just a straight up stud. Not only can he play the guitar, which his character is required to do. But with him, there is no acting required, Eric Durrant himself is a character and i am excited to see how well he does as the successful musical artist friend Matt.

And Phil Tuckett as The Producer

Phil has got to be the producer, he has a way of talking that is both soothing and comforting. But at the same time, firm and assuring. the scene where phil is in the hospital bed needs show a wonderful sense of vulnerability. And i believe Phil is the only one to do it.