I've decided that, since I keep seeing many films in a week and never really speaking about them at all, I may try doing a set of mini-reviews at the end of the week. Worry not, however, as I shall keep up with my current ways of blogging too.
Mama Mia - An enjoyable and entertaining film which, as I've heard from pretty much everyone, has little technical merit. In terms of musicals, it still suffers from an awkwardness when songs begin. I have a theory about a better way of doing this on film, so I may need to experiment. But I certainly think that it must be a fantastic stage show!
HSM3 - Yes. I saw it again. But you can refer to my dissertation below if you want to hear my thoughts on this. But, for the record, HSM3 > Mama Mia.
Dogma - A very enjoyable film, with a really strong cast. Alan Rickman is always great, and I really liked the way it dealt with religion and beliefs. Whilst one may not realise this, Kevin Smith actually made the film about his own his Catholic beliefs. He makes some very good points about religion that I agree with, even though I'm not religous myself, and I'd recommend this if you ain't seen it!
May Payne - Ugh.
The Kid - Awesome. Much more gripping and exciting than Max Payne! And it was made more than 85 years earlier! Chaplin = Great. Coogan = Great. Chaplin + Coogan = Much Greatness. A really nice story, with a strong narrative, which had me laughing quite a lot.
Big Fish - Whilst a very enjoyable film, it didn't quite feel like it was Tim Burton's. It didn't have the visual style we're used to from Burton. It was a very visual film, but it lacked something. But I did enjoy it - particularly seeing Albert Finney (from Erin Brockovich) in another film. I really liked his performance. Changeling - Go and see this film. It's a really gripping drama, and I can't even think of it critically because of my strong emotional response (see, I have been learning!). The film made me angry - angrier than I think any other film has made me. And, as has been reported, Angelina Jolie is astounding. Go and see this film.
That's it for this week. Stay tuned for more Mini Reviews!
Just as I had foretold, the past week was mad. Very mad in fact. But I'm not half as exhausted as I feel I should be. If I just force myself to have a reasonably early night tonight then I'll hopefully be fine for the rest of the week!
So, firstly, let's talk Attenborough. That was a truly inspiring masterclass with an incredibly lovely and respectable man. It had crossed my mind that he may not be quite as nice as his characters in Jurassic Park and Miracle on 34th Street - but he was Hammond, Santa, and much, much more! To comment a little more on the structure of the masterclass, it was brilliant that Andy had such a nice chemistry with Attenborough. I've been at an "in-conversation" masterclass with Sharon Osbourne which was being conducted by the ruddy editor of Heat! Of course Sharon was tight-lipped and awkward! This man has no doubt spread all sorts of rumours about her family, and could quote her on anything as an exclusive! Nice to see that Attenborough was clearly comfortable. Also, well done to Andy for not only dismissing that strange-man's pitch, but also turning it into a question that was a little more appropriate!
As if one star wasn't enough, we then had the chance to sit-in on a workshop between actors and DFTV4s, at which James McAvoy was present. James' presence was nice, but he was by no means essential to the class. Whilst it was only covering the basics, it is important to keep in mind that this was only for the benefit of the actors. I hope that the democratic way that they had input into each shot has not made them think that they have the same creative power on an actual film. I don't mean that in a nasty way at all, but I just hope that they don't bounce onto a set and tell the DoP how to shoot them, cause that's what he'll do: shoot them. But I think that James clarified this himself. It was just to let them understand why such decisions are made - not how to make them!
That brings me to the shoot at the weekend, which is really hard to summarise. I was asked by a Young-Person film-making group that I used to attend in Edinburgh to direct their latest script. I had been around for some of the conception, and I agreed on the basis that I was only directing the filming, but am not really the "director" of the entire film. The pre-production and post-production duties are all democratic and theirs to deal with. I've learnt several things from this shoot, however:
I don't like commuting from Edinburgh every day. (Thank god I moved!)
When working 8 - 12 hour days, I need more nutrition than just crisps, peanuts and jam sandwiches. Also, I need plenty of water.
I don't mind 12 hour days, but not when they have so much to be filmed in them.
I like shouting "reset". Makes everyone move.
I don't like working on scenes with loads of people in them - particularly extras. I found it rather stressful, and completely hit a wall when we had quite a few people (friends of the cast) who don't really know how a film set is run... or how to be quiet between takes.
HDV is pointless if it's not 3CCD.
You can make a salad dressing out of pumpkin seeds.
Whilst this list consists mostly of bad things, I did have fun shooting it. But I've no idea if what we shot was any good. Whilst I won't be around for the repercussions, my name will still be attached in some way, so I have a bit of an investment here.
That's all for now. As a reward for my work over the weekend, I've the latest Doctor Who Magazine to get reading!
The title? No, I didn't have a terrible assessment with Ray - that actually went pretty well - I am of course referring to the film that myself, Murdo, Paul, Phil and Charlotte made over the weekend for the Stanford Innovation competition. Thanks to you guys for the efforts you made, by the way. It was loads of fun! Anyway, you can see the film below if you haven't already seen it!
This experience was exactly what I needed. Not that I felt anything was wrong before-hand, but the making of this film reminded me of why I'm on this course. It was the least stressful shoot I've ever been on, and the editing was far simpler than it should have been. We had quite a lot of crazy random happenstances that worked out perfectly for us, giving us more time for tweaking and animation. But I really enjoyed the whole time doing it. Maybe I'm too fond of the final film, but making it was the first time that I've felt at home in Glasgow... or perhaps more like I have a purpose in Glasgow. I know that sounds strange, but that's how it felt! You see the actors acting, the musicians music-ing, the TPA people TPA-ing, so it was great to finally be DFTV-ing! And I will never forget my favourite moment so far whilst here - Vasso running up and down Buchanan Street, shouting about bottles in front of the public. It was priceless. I've watched the full recording so many times, and it's so very, very funny having been there when she did it. She was fantastic! This clip is a part of the out-takes that I've put on YouTube. As to not clog this blog with too many embedded-videos, you can click here to see it. (It has some bad language, but who gives a f**k?).
Sorry, that was tasteless.
Anyway, we talk so much about films - both in and out of class - that what we want to do (the actual film-making) can seem almost forgotten. What we do in class is essential, of course, and we have to remember that we are working towards the practical. But if patience is a virtue then I'm not particularly virtuous! It just felt great to make something! It was also nice to see everyone enthused more about film-making than films on Monday, with those who didn't enter the competition planning a potential film-making scheme... Is it a scheme? Or a project? Well, no need to be so specific; it's a thingy. Yes, much better. A film-making thingy. I think maybe a YouTube channel would be a good idea if it all goes ahead. But we'd need a name! I quite like "Rogue Directors"... and a quick google (in the verb-sense) shows that it's not already taken, on YouTube or otherwise.
So, what was this particular post about then? Well, there is no real point to this one. A bit of reflection, a bit more of my personal thoughts. I'm just trying to encourage myself to post more often, as I'm really into this whole blog thing but I'm so terribly busy that I've barely posted about things in class, let alone my own thoughts! So I'm just letting myself type what I feel like, rather than my normal way of doing things, where I slave away over the whole thing! Unfortunately, this week is my busiest yet; I've got to be in Glasgow during the day on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but in Edinburgh in the evenings!! So most day's I'll be leaving straight from the Academy to a bus or train (depending on where in Edinburgh I'm to be, and how fast I need to get there), and coming back in the mornings. Expect a very tired Gavin.
Also, do you think I can ask Richard Attenborough if his brother was jealous that he got to work with dinosaurs? Though I've read rumours that he may be reprising his role in Jurassic Park IV. That'd be great, if the script was right! That way he could get his brother a cameo! The Attenbrothers! Ba-doom.
PS - Sorry for the long post and lack of pictures. Just google (verb, again) something relevant yourself!
Choke is one of those films that defies expectations. For those easily offended, it is the most explicitly disgusting film of the year. For those who are not, much like myself, it can be an enjoyable film.
I found myself laughing at times, but still being caught up in the story. I admit that it had a rather confusing string of flashbacks – but these scenes gave the film some depth. It became about the mother-son relationship, and the progression of this over the years. The memory-loss of the mother was moving, but it also reached a great climax of comedy and tragedy coupled together. Angelica Houston was well cast, and I really enjoyed watching her scenes.
Unfortunately the style of the film meant that you questioned if a scene was real, or if it was a dream – the first scene in the church stands out particularly. Additionally, there is a twist that is not prepared for, and has a few plot-holes.
But, whilst it had its problems, it’s an entertaining film – though I can’t help thinking that the trailer is targeted at an audience who expect a comedy with sexy scenes, when it is really a drama with un-erotic sex.
I've yet to post anything about the past week - it's been a bit busy - so I'll just reflect on the most important matters since my last post.
Tuesday morning was the technical assessment with Ray. Whilst I did everything properly, I wasn't as good with answering his questions as I perhaps should have been. I didn't anticipate that as much, but I guess I should have read all the notes, not just my notes on how to set things up. But I think it went okay. Editing with Gavin saw us learning how to log clips and organise our projects. I didn't find it as boring as I probably should have, but having edited on projects that lack structure (not my own, I hasten to add!) it's really good to see the correct way. It's much more efficient, and will certainly save time and preserve sanity.
Wednesday was fun. I woke to hear that Obama had been voted President - hooray! - and I had two screenings to look forward to. The first was the elective screening of Chaplin, which I really enjoyed. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance was really good, and I was overall impressed with the direction from Lord Attenborough. The second screening of the day was Donnie Darko. As I've said before, I first saw this when I was 11, so back then there was a lot I didn't understand. Whilst there's still a lot that lacks explanation, it made more sense than before. I think it did appeal to me more now, and I don't mind it's lack of explanation. I didn't realise how similar it was to The Butterfly Effect, but I think they're both really good. I'm a sucker for a bit of time-travel (as my yet-to-be-posted review of Back to the Future will tell you), and they're also very similar in terms of tone.
I enjoyed revisiting our favourite films on Thursday morning. Interesting to hear people trying to sell their choice to the rest of us! There are a few I'll need to add to my to-view list. Whilst our voting system didn't make perfect sense, it's true that there is no better system for creating a top list of films. It's entirely subjective. Following this class we watched The King of Comedy, which was quite a strange film. It was a comedy, and yet it wasn't really funny until the last half an hour. Until that point it had just been rather uncomfortable viewing. The ending was just as uncomfortable, but it was also funny - as if the ending were the punchline of the film. Extra points to Sandra Bernhard for an impressive performance! I know her from something else, I'm sure...
Friday was the School of Drama open-day, so not a lot worth saying - though I did realise that I'm still rather unfamiliar with parts of the building whilst helping with a tour. Nice to see where TPA lives.
So that's this week in a blog. I'm off to watch something now. Not sure what yet, as I'm a little spoilt for choice!
I'm aware that I've not really reviewed my own progress in classes yet, and so I've decided to do just that.
I was happy with the premises I had come up with for today's screenwriting class, and people seemed to respond well. I guess people like superstition, divorce and incest. All is right with the world! But seriously, I was very impressed by the levels of creativity and originality amongst the class. It was also good to get some feedback from Richard on our short-stories. I agreed with his main point for my own development, which was about the lack of character. Richard's theory that perhaps I knew about the character and just didn't describe him enough is quite true in hindsight, and I'll look at how I can avoid this in the future.
I'm enjoying the technical classes. I'm very happy with the pace at which we are learning - there's no point in rushing into anything - and I think I'm really understanding everything. I've been reading over my own notes in preparation for tomorrow's evaluation with Ray, and I think that it'll go swimmingly. I also really enjoyed the editing that we did in Gavin's class last week. I've used Final Cut Pro before (a few years back), and I'm very familiar with Premiere Pro, which is pretty similar. The footage we had to work with was really nice: stunning scenery, very high quality, and incredibly well shot I thought. A very good choice for our first editing session.
In both the classes with Andy and those with Adam I'm happy with my contribution to discussions. I feel comfortable enough to express my opinion and discuss the issues. I'm really enjoying the topics in these classes, too. I've been fascinated with massively over-blown and ever-escalating media-scandals since the Celebrity Big Brother Racism Row in 2007, and there have been many since then that I've made an effort to follow, including the Phone-in Scandals, Rigging Scandals, and Crown-gate. Discussing Manuel-gate (as I've heard it's now known) was therefore really interesting for me. Additionally, in these classes I've really loved discussing the strange and curious ways in which TV programmes are made, scheduled and broadcast. This Industry is just so very bizarre in many ways, which helps keep things interesting!
I put off talking about Dead Set until I had been a zombie myself. Now that I've had that experience, at a Halloween party this weekend, I can properly delve into Charlie Brooker's latest TV show. And, just because Andy got to name-drop earlier in the week, I'll just casually point out that I met Charlie Brooker earlier this year. Whilst at the time I knew very little about any of his work, he was a very funny guy.
Whilst I've seen very little horror, perhaps because I'm not really scared very easily by films, I quite enjoyed Dead Set. I agree with those who think that it didn't quite work as a mini-series. It felt like it was a film that had been chopped up rather uncomfortably (like any film on ITV when they need to squeeze in the ads!). There was probably just over one-episode's worth of unnecessary rubbish, and if they'd got rid of that and played it over fewer nights it would have been a little more special.
I thought Davina's cameo was fantastic. She's always up for a little fun, and she doesn't take herself too seriously. I also admire that Endemol didn't have any problems with doing it. Their biggest show, and yet they don't mind people within their own company using it to make a point about reality TV. Though had it been a fictional Big Brother-like show it wouldn't have been half as effective as them using the real Big Brother.
I loved the role the Producer played, too; particularly when he abused the Big Brother control room (flashing lights, putting down the shutters and sounding annoying alarms) to get those in the house to come and save him. And the character's demise was, as I had speculated, a satisfyingly-gory mauling by a herd of zombies.
Mama Mia - An enjoyable and entertaining film which, as I've heard from pretty much everyone, has little technical merit. In terms of musicals, it still suffers from an awkwardness when songs begin. I have a theory about a better way of doing this on film, so I may need to experiment. But I certainly think that it must be a fantastic stage show!
Dogma - A very enjoyable film, with a really strong cast. Alan Rickman is always great, and I really liked the way it dealt with religion and beliefs. Whilst one may not realise this, Kevin Smith actually made the film about his own his Catholic beliefs. He makes some very good points about religion that I agree with, even though I'm not religous myself, and I'd recommend this if you ain't seen it!
The Kid - Awesome. Much more gripping and exciting than Max Payne! And it was made more than 85 years earlier! Chaplin = Great. Coogan = Great. Chaplin + Coogan = Much Greatness. A really nice story, with a strong narrative, which had me laughing quite a lot.
Changeling - Go and see this film. It's a really gripping drama, and I can't even think of it critically because of my strong emotional response (see, I have been learning!). The film made me angry - angrier than I think any other film has made me. And, as has been reported, Angelina Jolie is astounding. Go and see this film.
