BSA 203 S2W7 : Subway Sponsorship (?)

This week I asked Subway Liffey, where I used to work, if they would be willing to sponsor our event:

I wish I could have emailed her instead, the headline then would have been "Hey I know I quit but I need money and it's not what you think".

Instead I just messaged her, if I can acquire Paula's email I will do that though.

I got the template off the drive and basically just changed the name:

I am writing to you regarding Think & Create, the Southern Institute of Technology’s annual
showcase of visual arts, film and animation. The showcase, previously—Southsure Emerging
Artist of the Year Awards, was sponsored by Southsure Insurance for a 6-year term. 2017 was
another successful event which included a two-week exhibition across multiple venues in
Invercargill’s CBD featuring over 75 emerging creatives’ works. The always
popular Flicks evening which showcases student film, animation and gaming was also well
attended with close to 200 people thoroughly enjoying the evening.

2017’s judges included:

Filmmaker Allan Baddock and Digital Stock Director Nash Varghese. The Southsure Insurance
Emerging Artist of the Year 2017 was Marcus Beirowski (Marcus was also awarded Excellence
in Film), a first year film student, for his music video The River (https://vimeo.com/246033648),
which deals with issues of grief and forgiveness. Awards presented included the Emerging Artist
of the Year ($2,000.00), Runner Up ($1,000.00), Excellence in Animation ($500.00, Mechanic
internship) and Excellence in Film ($500.00), amounting to $4,000.00. 2017 was the first year
Mechanic Animation (https://www.mechanicanimation.com/) offered an internship that was
awarded to 2nd year animation student Nina Lee-Simpson (https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-
times/news/98825536/sit-animation-student-to-intern-up-north). Mechanic has agreed to
continue offering this internship as part of the awards in 2018.

These awards have become a highlight for the students and many go on as SIT graduates into
various creative industries or further education with these awards featured in their CVs. The
Southsure Insurance logo was featured on all publicity surrounding all events featured as part of
the showcase including advertisements, posters, invitations, exhibition maps, social media,
awards certificates, Flick’s programmes etc. Inclusion in the event has become a goal for
students to reach for at the end of each year and has also brought some high-profile judges and
guest speakers to Invercargill who have definitely provided students with inspiration for their
future aspirations in New Zealand’s creative industries. Southsure supported the event at
$4,000.00 annually. I am therefore touching base to ascertain whether there is any interest in
Apple supporting the awards in the amount of $4,000.00 or by donating product in the form of
merchandises enabling this vibrant emerging creative talent in Southland to be celebrated in a
way that continues to drive students to innovate and compete in a professional real-world
context. In its present form students, (with the support of tutors), coordinate the event as part of
their Professional Practices paper. They manage all aspects of the event including fundraising,
publicity, judges, guest speakers, awards evening etc. which is a significant undertaking, but
which provides them with great experience and insight into coordinating teams /stakeholder to
meet a specific measurable outcome.

It is a priority for us to host an annual showcase and we would love to work in partnership with
Subway to add value to your business through your support of this year’s showcase. Thank you for your consideration, I will be in touch to discuss this partnership further.

Yours sincerely,
Bootje Myburgh

After this I asked Leigh what she thought of it since she has that knowledge and she reworked it for me:

Hi,

RE; THINK & CREATE EMERGING ARTISTS AWARDS – SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Southern Institute of Technology creative students are currently evolving our film, art and animation awards and are approaching business leaders to talk about some mutually beneficial sponsorship opportunities, and in this instance one where we can get your Subway brand in front of lots of hungry students

We’re looking to partner with Subway because we recognise that you value customer relationships and care about community re-investment, whether nourishing bodies or minds.

We’d really appreciate sponsorship help from you for our Think & Create awards, which are the Southern Institue of Technology’s annual showcase of visual arts, film and animation.

The two week event being held in October/November this year will feature more than 75 emerging creatives’ works; and be seen by most students on campus, members of the public, and 200 VIP guests on the final evening.

It is a great chance for you to support us while profiling Subway’s committment to community “nourishment” through getting behind SIT’s creative students.

We are looking for a main sponsor for the event ($4000), and/or additional individual award sponsorship of varing amounts.

We also welcome backing from businesses within our community (including donations of product) that have a good fit with supporting vibrant, emerging, creative talent in Southland, so if you do join us, you'll be in great company. Any support is appreciated and valued. It encourages students belief in themselves and their ability to innovate and compete in a professional real-world context.

Students are the backbone of the awards. They, along with input from experienced tutors, coordinate the event as part of their Professional Practices paper, managing all aspects of the event including fundraising, publicity, judges, guest speakers and the awards evening. This opportunity and experience is invaluable.

We offer a big thank you to all our sponsors, past and present, and welcome the chance to bring on your support as we continue to grow this exciting event.

This letter is to provide some preliminary information for you before I follow up with you on ???? to get your thoughts about how we might work together for mutual benefit.

On the second page of this letter I’ve included further background information about last year’s awards.  

Thank you for taking the time to read my proposal and if there’s anything else you’d like to know before I contact you, please get in touch.

Kind Regards

Bootje Myburgh

(Bachelor of Screen Arts, SIT)

PH: XXXXXXXXX

Email: XXXXXXXX

 EMERGING ARTISTS AWARDS BACKGROUND:

This year’s emerging artists awards have been renamed ‘Think & Create’ to reflect the creative process. As with previous years, the event will be held during two weeks, across multiple venues in the Invercargill CBD, giving our major sponsor and other backers great brand exposure to a captive audience.

We can offer our sponsor/s excellent exposure within the local community through branding and high profile logo display included with all publicity surrounding the event; advertisements, posters, invitations, exhibition maps, social media, awards certificates, and Flick’s programmes.

Interest in this year’s event is already high. And with the addition of a new Creative Certificate course, entries are expected to exceed those of previous years, increasing participation from students and generating greater engagement from the public. The always popular Flicks evening, which showcases student film, animation and gaming is also expected to be well attended on the final night.

Our awards have become a highlight for students, and many go on as graduates into other creative industries or further education, featuring these awards in their CVs (and potentially the Subway brand). Inclusion of their creative works in the awards is an aspirational goal for them.

The event brings high-profile judges and guest speakers to Invercargill, many of whom inspire students to further pursue their creative passions within New Zealand’s creative industries.

We had an impressive lineup of judges in 2017 who included:
Filmmaker Allan Baddock and Digital Stock Director Nash Varghese. The Southsure Insurance Emerging Artist of the Year 2017 was Marcus Beirowski (Marcus was also awarded Excellence in Film), a first year film student, for his music video The River (https://vimeo.com/246033648), which deals with issues of grief and forgiveness. Awards presented included the Emerging Artist
of the Year ($2,000.00), Runner Up ($1,000.00), Excellence in Animation ($500.00, Mechanic internship) and Excellence in Film ($500.00), amounting to $4,000.00.

2017 was the first year Mechanic Animation (https://www.mechanicanimation.com/) offered an internship that was awarded to 2nd year animation student Nina Lee-Simpson (https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/98825536/sit-animation-student-to-intern-up-north). Mechanic will continue offering this internship as part of the awards in 2018.

She's related a lot with the sponsor and appealed to their needs and desired almost more so than our own, I just had my brother make a small amount of tweaks:

RE; THINK & CREATE EMERGING ARTISTS AWARDS – SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Hi,

We are approaching you on behalf of the Southern Institute of Technology’s seventh annual visual arts showcase ‘Think and Create.’ Our team of creative students is currently evolving our film, art and animation awards and are approaching business leaders to talk about some mutually beneficial sponsorship opportunities. We are interested in collaborating with your business and putting the Subway brand in front of lots of hungry students. We’re looking to partner with Subway because of your reputation in valuing customer relationships and caring about community reinvestment, whether nourishing bodies or minds.

The two week event being held in October/November this year will feature more than 75 emerging creatives’ works; and be seen by most students on campus, members of the public, and 200 VIP guests on the final evening. It is a great chance for you to support us while profiling Subway’s commitment to community nourishment through getting behind SIT’s creative students.

We are looking for a main sponsor for the event ($4000), and/or additional individual award sponsorship of varying amounts.

We also welcome backing from businesses within our community (including donations of product) that have a good fit with supporting vibrant creative talent emerging in Southland. If you do join us you'll be in great company. Any support is appreciated and valued. It encourages students believe in themselves and their ability to innovate and compete in a professional real-world context.

Students are the backbone of the awards. They, along with input from experienced tutors, coordinate the event as part of their Professional Practices paper, managing all aspects of the event including fundraising, publicity, judges, guest speakers and the awards evening. This experience is an invaluable opportunity for our emerging creatives.

We offer a big thank you to all our sponsors, past and present, and welcome the chance to bring on your support as we continue to grow this exciting event.

This letter is to provide some preliminary information for you before I follow up with you on ???? to get your thoughts about how we might work together for mutual benefit. On the second page of this letter I’ve included further background information about last year’s awards.  

Thank you for taking the time to read my proposal and if there’s anything else you’d like to know before I contact you please get in touch.

Kind Regards

Bootje Myburgh

(Bachelor of Screen Arts, SIT)

PH: XXXXXXXXX

Email: XXXXXXXX

EMERGING ARTISTS AWARDS BACKGROUND:

This year’s emerging artists awards have been renamed ‘Think & Create’ to reflect the creative process. As with previous years, the event will be held during two weeks across multiple venues in the Invercargill CBD, giving our major sponsor and other backers great brand exposure to a captive audience.

We can offer our sponsor/s excellent exposure within the local community through branding and high profile logo display included with all publicity surrounding the event.  Advertisements, posters, invitations, exhibition maps, social media, awards certificates, and Flick’s programmes will all serve as promotional opportunities.

Interest in this year’s event is already high and with the addition of a new Creative Certificate course entries are expected to exceed those of previous years, increasing participation from students and generating greater engagement from the public. The always popular Flicks evening, which showcases student film, animation and gaming is also expected to be well attended on the final night.

Our awards have become a highlight for students, and many go on as graduates into other creative industries or further education, featuring these awards in their CVs (and potentially the Subway brand). Inclusion of their creative works in the awards is an aspirational goal for them.

The event brings high-profile judges and guest speakers to Invercargill, many of whom inspire students to further pursue their creative passions within New Zealand’s creative industries.

We had an impressive lineup of judges in 2017 who included:

Filmmaker Allan Baddock and Digital Stock Director Nash Varghese. The Southsure Insurance Emerging Artist of the Year 2017 was Marcus Beirowski (Marcus was also awarded Excellence in Film), a first year film student, for his music video The River (https://vimeo.com/246033648), which deals with issues of grief and forgiveness. Awards presented included the Emerging Artist of the Year ($2,000.00), Runner Up ($1,000.00), Excellence in Animation ($500.00, Mechanic internship) and Excellence in Film ($500.00), amounting to $4,000.00.

2017 was the first year Mechanic Animation (https://www.mechanicanimation.com/) offered an internship that was awarded to 2nd year animation student Nin Lee-Simpson (https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/98825536/sit-animation-student-to-intern-up-north). Mechanic will continue offering this internship as part of the awards in 2018.

Didn't end up using any of these because stuff happened, I did end up handing in a letter to Sue though.

BVA 203 S2W8 :

Media Release

1)

- Facts about your event
- Published on a media platform
- Reach target audience through media
- Make sure is easy for media to digest and release
- Promote your event
- Who, what, where, why?
- Cost and why target audience should attend
- Sell the event
- Contact info e.g. bookings, sales, queries

2)

- Overview of event and first thing media audience will see

3)

- Point of Difference : Student Run Event. Re-brand. Something Fresh and New.
- More Community based project e.g. multiple supporters

4)

- Overview of Event
- Credibility, opportunity to sell event. Journalists can't change
- Personal Connection
- Chairman? Students
- Past judge, speaker, winners

5)

- Third person : unbiased, no editing, professional

6)

- Has to be dated in case any changes happen
I have to be careful with my words now....
7)

- Include image/how to source an image

8) Kind of images?

- Past artwork, people happy, big team photo

We then did an activity in class where we had to set up our own media releases for this event, it was a very unproductive meme.

BSA 231 W7 : Creature Design

I've started developing the design of my demon, the first stepping stone to this was coming up with a solution to representing its presence. In the story I open by having the character describe how he can feel when the thing is around and I was wondering how I would represent this on film.

The solution came to me in the form of horror sounds that are commonly heard in these types of movies, I did some research and found this instrument online:

If the demon in my film is accompanied by these sounds it would serve its greater purpose in the plot (it's too weak to steal souls properly so instead scares people to death, so it makes sense that it would fashion itself tools to help do this) and it is also a clear motif of when the supernatural entity is knocking about.

This machine above is an instrument used for sounds commonly heard in horror movies, I thought it would be a unique design choice to give my monster one of these. I haven't seen it in a horror movie before, breaks the fourth wall to a degree, is visually interesting yet narratively coherent and adds more texture to this world.

I am also thinking of incorporating the weaker aspects of the demon's persona into its design, the idea is its lesser than its peers and this could be presented in a variety of ways, like certain unpronounced features (weak jaw, small shoulders) or a physical disability (spinal dysraphism - which is weak but also somewhat unsettling). 

So key features of my design:

- Suit

- Scary Face, usually painted (like Sinister, Insidious or old viral jump scare videos)

- The Apprehension Engine

- Weak physicality/deformity

This also has repercussions on my sound design. 

BSA 231 W7 : Car Rigging Boi

We did a workshop with Ash about rigging a camera to a vehicle safely, this is most benefit to Izaiah and Matthew who intend to do shots like these for their films.

One of the issues we ran into was that the reflections were too strong and the actors were hard to see, when light fell onto the talent it helped a bit, but when making our own films we'll have to light them appropriately - something as simple as a mini flow can do the trick. We're also shooting at night so the reflections will not only be more visually interesting but will also not blow out the actors completely.

 

BVA 203 S2W7 : Video Promos

So Tyler had a pretty good idea to put video promos before the actual films being shown, a short clip interviewing the person who's work is being displayed along with some behind the scenes footage, reason I like this idea is because 1) it'll be fun to do, 2) it gives audiences a tease before the actual film and 3) it acts as an artist statement of sorts.

This weekend I am on Daisy's shoot so I am going to get BTS on that, this is how we'll get the footage for most of these, with interviews coming later. The animators are a bit trickier to get footage for, their process isn't as interesting and we can't quickly do it on set. Instead we'll go visit them during them doing their work and film that, I've already contacted Rachel and each of the third year animators in next Friday's class to ensure that it'll be fine with them. Need to probably take talent release forms along with me. We are also considering doing a second bit of filming separate from class time, but I'll organize that next week when I film them anyway.

BVA 203 S2W7 : Branding and Perception

We looked at a talk by an advertising guru called Rory Sutherland:

https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_ad_man

- Intangible value
- Value of goods can be changed

Something that seems valuable can be made to seem undesirable (he gives the example of making it compulsory for women to wear veils or pedophiles to drive environmentally damaging vehicles),

Something not very valuable can also be made to seem so by changing the perception - the chief example he uses being to make potatoes seem valuable by making it seem exclusive and royal.

- Interface determines human behaviour

BSA 231 W7 : Open Heart Surgery

The biggest set piece in my film is probably the tense open heart surgery sequence, in which the main character goes through surgery to get the curse removed as the monster attempts to put a stop to it. It's an important scene because it's honestly one of the most exciting parts about the idea, a big step up from the shaving scene and a very important part of the plot. I see it as one of the big differentiating factors of my film and would be very displeased if it was absent from the final work. It also seems hella fun to do so:

I did some research -



The thing that bothers me about this kind of footage is that, while real, it's hard to see and shot very close, which makes sense I mean it is real surgery, but still, would have liked a better quality vid. In The Killing of a Sacred Deer there is a heart surgery bit that is shot better than this, but still so uncomfortably close. Not doing it in this fashion could be a big part of making my film unique.

I looked at some diagrams of open heart surgery as well  -







This photo's not too bad:



I have to make a note that my story isn't entirely set in the real world though, I mean I've got the doctor doing heart surgery, not sure that's the way it usually works. I don't really care much though, it;s a movie and when people watch it I'm hoping they'll be too invested in the story be taken out of it, might even have him do the surgery with the patient upright since that's a more interesting visual.

Found these weirdos making hearts from clay, one of them even has it pumping (which is exactly what I want):





The surrounding tissue and blood and stuff shouldn't be too hard to do, fixing it to the body should be easy to hide to since surgeons always use that blue fabric to cover the patient.

This will be difficult location wise though, I am considering the use of a dentist's office, there are a lot of dentists in Invercargill, one of them is bound to let me film in there. It gives the surgical vibe, but has a unique aesthetic of its own.

I'll give the clay heart thing a go next week, we've already done fake blood in the past so that shouldn't be too hard.

I probably should plan this sequence pretty well before hand so that we get everything we need on set, plan it almost like I would a VFX sequence.

Already just for this one scene I am stacking up a lot of things that I need, like scrubs, the blue fabric, the surgical tools and of course the surroundings...

BSA 227 W7 : Struck By Lightning, oh and BLOWING UP

Today in class we did a tutorial where someone is struck by lighting and then BLOWING UP!, it's another of the video co-pilot tutorials, which I've attached below:

The first thing we did was insert the footage, then we changed the time code to twelve seconds, which is a bit longer than the clip we got:

Then we duplicated the "Run" layer (CTRL + D)

We freeze framed it (right click > Time > Freeze Frame) and then put it underneath the first layer.

Then we created a third layer, this one above the first and freeze framed it towards the end of the clip (5s-6s of  a 6 second clip)

We created a mask around just the feet and then feathered it slightly.

Again we duplicated the original clip and renamed this one pop or explode. Then put it above the feet layer.

We freeze framed this one again 

From this freeze frame we created a mask down to the person's feet, this will be blown up leaving only his feet standing (pun?)

Made this into a pre-compose, this mean it can have multiple layers onto itself, and selected Move all attributes into new composition. 

The new timeline above specifically for this layer now.

We used an effect called Pixel Polly, it like breaks the image apart into different segments and you can edit it to be bigger or smaller pieces, to make it red I added a Tint effect

To add the lightning we used an effect called Advanced Lightning under Generate

This can be edited in different ways as well. 

Here you can see we've just got the feet left.

We added an adjustment layer and added the curves effect which we could use to adjust the overall colour grading of the image. The brightness was turned up quite a bit when the lighting strikes to give that effect.

To add a glow around the character we added a new light blue solid and masked it to be only around the character, then change the opacity

We added in the sky as well, simple act of adding it in and masking appropriately. 

The most emasculating image put to celluloid.

FINAL TRASH:

BSA 231 W7 : Title and Design

For my manifesto and for anywhere that my film needs to be presented in text or image I am going to have to create a specific visual identity. The first thing is the title, which is already very clear in my mind:

"Jump Scare"

Moodboard:

BSA 204 W7 : Jump Scare Development

The actual jumps scares are something I need to start thinking about now, a lot of the generic horror movie jumps are already present in some form with the ex-patient character and his methods of escaping death. Because of this I am thinking of making the scares that happen to the main character a bit more creative than the standard fare:

One idea is kind of present with the ex-patient character but still is something that can be juiced and hasn't really been seen in another movie of this sort. this being the fact that the ex-patient doesn't shave. I could have a scene where the main character shaves and really stretch out the tension. This also incorporates a mirror, which is one of the things I wanted in the first two scares.

This shaving scene would have to take place after the first jump scare of the film, so that the audience really knows how the entity operates.

BSA 204 W7 : Character Development, Action and Objectives

Development and character arcs aren't exactly the same, development is the journey from the start to finish, the arc is a broader overview of where the character is at point A and where they're at at point B.

A---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------B

There's also the term "growth", which as I understand it is more of an upward change where they end up in a better place that they started in.

They don't have to become "better" by the end of the film as long as they learn a lesson and change by the end of the film.

There's a loop in storytelling where a character informs action and action informs character, and so on. There could also be a third element to this equation, that being values - which could inform character and could be changed by actions.

There are two things motivating our characters:

External Objectives ("Outer Want")

Internal Objectives ("Inner Need")

The use of need and want display that the internal need is more important than the outer want, they can be both achieved at the same time (hearkening back to last week's stakes intersecting), in Star Wars for example where Luke achieves his outer want (destroying the death star) and at the same time fulfills his inner need (to follow in his father's footsteps).

There is something that Patrick coins as a Lose-Win Character Arc, where the character loses at their external objective but satisfies their internal need, like Rocky. Or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where he loses the holy grail but connects with his dad, and what we looked at last year with Little Miss Sunshine.

These films feel more realistic in a way. I've noticed this trend before but had a hard time describing it then, to me these types of movies were always bittersweet films, a term I think perfectly describes the nature of the emotion present.

Movies like Nebraska (2013), La La Land (2017) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

It can also be very unsatisfying if a character achieves their outer want but not their inner need.

We did an activity in class where we had to create a Lose-Win scenario:

1. Devise a protagonist

Sabbath

Born into a cult where men hunt bears, he finds himself the victim of a poor genetic makeup and feels weak. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

2. Tangible short term objective

Kill the bear

3. Potentially long term objective

Wants to become independent - his own man / Be accepted by his father

4. A Location

The Woods, wooden village in middle of the woods

5. Establish an antagonist (gender/occupation/background) at this location with a competing external objective


Viktor Brutus (his Dad) / The Bear

6. Develop the conflict

He goes out to kill the bear, he doesn't do as well as the other kids, he finds a bear - it's a mother bear - it has cubs. He considers killing the cubs, can't do it, the mother bear wakes up and attacks him. Injured, he scales a tree and hides there - I don't know what exactly happens but he forms a friendly relationship with the bear and takes it back to town.

7. Resolve the conflict: what concession/sacrifice does your protagonist make in their pursuit of their external objective/outer want that ultimately fulfils their internal objective/inner need?

He comes back to town, riding a bear - naturally - and kills his dad - with the bear, naturally - and then says "I'm my own man now".

8. Create a Beat Sheet

We didn't get the time to get past beat 4 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Patrick also mentioned this general:

Pyrrhus of Epirus
---->I'll look it up later

BSA 206 S2W7 : Life is Beautiful (1997)

In class this week we watched Life is Beautiful (1997) an Italian comedy set during the holocaust.

We were tasked with writing our reviews on it:




I loved this movie. Straight of the bat the concept is very unique - a "holocomedy", what a disastrous but undeniably ballsy idea.

I think it paid off. Out of the gate the film proves its proof of concept by having the main characters drive through a Nazi parade and accidentally salute. The reason the movie works though, I think, is because it doesn't colour the war as anything that it wasn't. The events are all treated with respect and seemingly accurately represented. It is simply through the eyes of such a colourful and fun character that these situations become comedic and enjoyable.



One could say that if  this character did exist he would have gone through the events depicted in the film, the same argument used by Tarantino for his WWII semi-comedy Inglorious Basterds (2009). I think that film could be seen as much more offensive than Life Is Beautiful because it does actually change major events of the war, but that film also isn't set within a concentration camp - it's played much further away from the true horrors of the holocaust.

The movie is unrealistic and comical though, with coincidences that would be very hard to see play out in real life, especially so frequently and in the life of one person. The film doesn't cheat where it counts though, the coincidences are for gags, the serious plot points all play by the rules, not making it overly easy on the character.

The character is almost perfect, which could be seen as a flaw. He is an unrealistically fun and charismatic man with no flaws and the inability to do wrong, yet we root for him throughout. His intentions are good and he's always fighting an uphill battle, a battle that he wins by consistently outsmarting his opposition and the unfair world which he occupies. It's an extremely talented underdog, its also a film told from his son's perspective, making it very possible that it is a subjective look at the man and not objective, a fictionalized and accentuated version of this man. Whatever it is, it's fun to watch. It could also be seen as an "angelic" story, where the main character doesn't change and instead changes those around him.

Robert Benigni starred, directed and co-wrote this film, for which he won an oscar for best acting as the film won the oscar for best foreign picture, I can't imagine how big his ego must have been after this, especially after getting such critical acclaim for portraying a man with virtually no faults.

The film reminds me a lot of the films by Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin, one man walking through the world and making it entertaining. This is a genre that was very popular during the silent era and hasn't seen much re-visitation since. This is an excellent example of that type of film working to the best of its ability, being extremely similar to the tone of Charlie Chaplin's mixture of drama and comedy in films like The Kid (1921). Since I think properties like Mr. Bean has touched on that style but I think Life Is Beautiful might be the best of example of how it can be used extremely effectively.




While I was watching it I did realize that this is the type of film I would love to see in theaters as well, crazy that it released the same year as Titanic. These movies capture a magic of what its like to go out and experience a movie at the theater. It's filled with romanticism and magical moments that are few and afr in-between in real life that makes it feel almost like a fairy tale (like the love of his love falling into his arms upon first meeting or when he plays music for her in the concentration camp).  One of the best things of this movie, that Titanic also does, is its relentless pacing, it tells its story and once it starts it doesn't stop, always entertaining and the hours fall away without the audience even noticing.

Admittedly the two halves of the movie feel very different, the weird thing is I actually found myself closer to crying during the extreme positive emotion found in the first half. During our break in the middle I was sure I would be bawling by the credits knowing how the movie plays out, it is odd then that I found myself much less emotionally worn by the end of the second half.

 Maybe it's just that sad stuff isn't as sad as when not contrasted with happy stuff, I thought there might have been a flash back at the end of the film of when the father was still alive, a poetic clip of their family life we never got to see, but there wasn't. If there was I'm sure I would have shed a tear and that's probably the only thing I would personally alter about the film. Everything else is neat, tight and very well made. It's one of those movies that makes me feel like I should just quit film-making right now because I would never reach the peaks that this film has an therefore there is no use in trying anymore (others like this are Titanic and La La Land).

BSA 206 S2W7 : Tests

About a week or two back we did some filming, some of that was for this class wherein I tried out the Jonathan Demme style:



Tracking Shot

Demme uses zoomed in shots of characters walking through an environment, usually one that they are familiar with, and has foreground elements pass over them. There is usually layers to these scenes as we follow the characters from a distance.

In my experiment I filmed a person walking from one side of the street to the other, the camera work was shaky and there's not enough elements passing in front of the character as he travels, this leaves it feeling less dynamic than it could have been otherwise. I notice with Demme the subject moves more towards, or perpendicular to, the camera.

The thing is that this actually turned out pretty well from a blocking perspective, everything clicks somehow and even the focus pull at the start is on point - surprisingly it only took us three takes.


Following Shot 

Demme uses these in two ways - 1) to show a character is familiar with a location (we move in front of the character, looking back at them as they travel) and 2) to show a character is entering an environment they are less familiar with (we follow behind the character as they travel).

I only did the latter one and not to the same effect.



Close-Ups

Demme uses close-ups a lot, specifically Big Close-Ups (or American CU's, wherein the face takes up most of the frame), these along with their directness to the camera are a staple of his style and one of the biggest techniques I had to try out: