Drama no.1 dad

So, the film is finished! And very happy with the result I am too. I think the whole group is. I think that it fur fills the vision that we had of it.

The process of making this film has been long but also enjoyable. As producer, when we got the final idea down I was keen to start planning as soon as possible, wanting to avoid a last minute shoot.  So I spent a lot of the Easter holidays tracking down actors so that we were able to audition them as soon as we got back to Uni. This meant that we had a lot of rehearsal time as well as plenty of time for the actual shoot.  Also sorting out the location was a slight difficulty. The original plans fell through but luckily we were able to shoot in the Bar where Katie (editor) works. Pre production was all done with in the allotted time and we were more that ready to start shooting.

The shoots, four spread over the week all went very well. The planning I think was integral, every one worked well together, to get the shot lists, story boards, props/costumes and schedules ready so that we could be as organised an efficient on the day as possible. I am very pleased with how well everything went. We got all the shots we needed and we were not panicking or in any mad rushes. We were able to be calm about the production and were able to enjoy it.

The edit also went very well. I was not as involved in this side as it was mainly the job of the editor-obviously- and the director. ‘Too many cooks...’ and all that. I went in a couple of times to see how it was going and to discuss ideas and changes that might need to be made.

So in general the process of this film’s fabrication was smooth and I feel that we have created a film that is entertaining and effective.

Our starting point of the script was a great one. It was a very strong and well written which made the whole process easier. It did almost come alive on the page and it wasn’t hard to visualise what it would become. When I saw the script I was very happy and I think that it contained everything we wanted in terms of story, mood, and theme.

The style of the film is very over stylised. For example the sound effects are very pronounced, which gives this idea of hyper reality. This is present in the dream sequences which help to reinforce that they are fantasy. The idea that things are always more amplified inside your own head is something that I think will resonate with the audience. This is one way in which we have tried to create this mood of tension with in the fantasies and to convey how Jack is feeling. The idea that everything seems amplified or worse inside his head shown by the over stylised way in which we have created the film helps to show how worried he is. The snappy editing also adds to this. It shows Jack’s thought process, each time something happens it is very quick and almost methodical, yet still ‘too much’. This shows the chaotic way in which he is thinking, reinforcing that he is scared of what the outcome is going to be. This style of editing is also comic and comes very much from the conventions that can be seen in the works of Edgar Wright. His films are probably the perfect example of over stylisation and hyper reality. However it always works because he uses them well. They have both a comic effect and an impact on the audience much like we were trying to give to our film.

The tone of the film is overall rather comic. The scenarios that Jack imagines are obviously over the top and the way in which the film is constructed lends its self to that. It is as the fantasies he is getting more and more absurd which it’s self is a comic idea. The scenes in the Gallery are also slightly comic. This is due to the relationship between Jack and George and their reactions to the situations. I think this is important or else I think the film could get a little on the dark side, being dragged down by Jack’s worry. Although this worry is completely justified and what a lot of teens would feel coming out, it’s not something that we wanted to convey in a way that was depressing or dark. I think the scenes in the gallery and the banter between the boys keeps the mood light. Again here the over stylising of things also adds to this.

The comic side of the piece I think is very important. Lucy (director) had a friend compose some music for the piece and personally I think that it really adds to the film. It works as punctuation and also helps to keep the mood light. There are a few musical ques, which I think really help to make the piece more effective and which help the audience to be drawn in. It also flows with the mood of the film ebbing and peaking with the scenarios and action on screen.

The mood of the film does have an ark. It builds as the scenarios get more and more ridiculous, building the comic element. However it then comes back down when Jack realises that he could lose his father. This helps the film to stay grounded in reality with out going too far into the realms of fantasy. It also shows that we do have a point to make with this film. That coming out is a serious issue and is not easy for some people.  However I really like that this film has a very positive out come. I would have been all to easy with this brief to come up with something that was dark and grey and depressing. Unanimously this is something that we agreed we did not want for this particular project. We wanted to do something different and fun.

 I honestly believe that we have achieved this. The film is funny and snappy and it still carries a message and has a strong story behind it. For these reasons I am incredibly happy with the result.

The final film

After finishing ‘Liverpool’s Superlambanana’ I think it was unanimous amongst the group that we were really happy with the result. I fell that the tome of it is light and happy. The subject matter is fun and bright. We didn’t want to make a gritty, pessimistic, grey piece that seems to be a running theme through a lot of documentaries. It’s a colourful piece that looks into how people feel about modern art in Liverpool. In some ways I feel the Superlambanana is a vehicle in our documentary. It’s like a gate into the much broader theme of art and specifically contempary art. The piece tends to lean towards people opinions on the Superlambanana rather than its story.
Starting with the vox pops before the titles we introduce this idea of people’s opinions of the Lambanana. This introduces the subject matter but still in a way that is a little ambiguous so that the viewer is intrigued as to what it is. Then introducing the lambananas the viewer’s interest peaks with the strangeness o fit. However before the viewer get confused or bored we quickly introduce Pat who gives who gives the background and general knowledge needed to understand both the documentary as a whole and the subject matter in general.
Now we have given a comprehensive view of the Super Lambanana, we bring in the idea of what is means to Liverpool and what people think of it. We then Carry this through with the Interview with Sophie. She is like a case study of what the superlambanana means to Liverpool’s artistic community. This, for me is a really nice interview. It gives both a personal story which makes the film more engaging for the viewer but also help to reinforce what it means to the city.
Then we go back to the vox pops. Once more this gives the wider respective of what the Lambanana means to the souse people. Also what they think of it. This means we have a broad perspective of what the Lambanana means to Liverpool. All in all I’m happy with the result.
In terms of sound it’s a very speech heavy piece. Therefore the majority of my task was cleaning up dialogue and syncing into the Picture. I have gone in to more detail about this on a previous post.
As for how we worked as a team I think we did well. We all gelled and carried out our roles in a competent manner to the bestow our ability. I think the film we have made reflects this. We did a fair share of the work obviously there was a slight imbalance depending on what stage of the production we were at. For example at the beginning Grace was incredibly busy as producer, but the editor didn’t have anything to do at all really. However towards the end of the process it was all balanced out. The situation Changed around in Post production.
So in conclusion I feel we have made a good piece and worked well as a team.

Critcal evaluation of the finished experimental piece 'The Raven'

In the end I am quite happy with how this piece turned out. I think that it fits the brief and that we made a good attempt at an experimental film. This is not to say however that there are not faults with it.

First the actual content of the film. I feel the films most striking feature is the use of lighting in the scenes where the Character Lewelyn, the voice in side Ben's head, is lit by lights with red and blue filter. The brief, being one that asked for experimental gave us free range to try different lighting structure and colours more than we would have been able to in a standard drama or documentary that would simply ask for three point lighting. We looked for different ways to create meaning in this piece and the lighting is a key example of this. In film conventions it is widely accepted that s character who is dimly lit or in the shadows is either hiding or 'in the dark' or ignorant of something. Similarly a well lit character is usually accepted as a knowledgeable, powerful or a good person. Here we have subverted this slightly. The well lit character of Lewelyn is obviously the opposite of a good person, therefore a polar opposite of what Ben is perceived or sees himself to be. So here we wanted to experiment by lighting Llewelyn well where as Ben is darker and duller. This then symbolises that Ben is receding, into the Darkness whereas Lewelyn is coming into the light. Therefore the message conveyed is that Ben and Lewelyn are in a sort of competition for control and as Lewelyn becomes brighter Ben becomes Darker. This is reinforced by when Ben takes the tablet Lewelyn recedes into the darkness showing that for a short time he is being pushed back into the darkness and quietened down. This however is only temporary. What this also does is anchor that Lewelyn is a fixture of Ben's imagination.
One of the other major experimental elements to this piece is the editing techniques we decided to employ. One of the standout effects is the ‘bad TV’ which creates the effect of a TV with a bad signal. As well as this we used the sound of static over the top of any dialogue. This was in order to convey the message that whatever Ben was saying was being impaired or was weak. The signal was interfered and weak therefore the same can be said for the character of Ben. One thing I really enjoyed with this brief was the ability to experiment so much with the use of editing and lighting it meant we were able to tell a story in a different manner. Instead of it being said explicitly the story is hinted at through our use of lighting, after effects and sound design. Personally I found this incredibly interesting. The chance to experiment in this way was something that had previously not been something I had had much interest in. However now I have a whole new appreciation for this discipline and the scope that it has. There is so much that you can do with it and not be hindered by any of the ‘normal’ filmic conventions.
Another point on our editing is the pace, I think that we achieved a pace that was driven enough to keep the audience’s attention but was not quick enough as to be off putting. We did use flash cutting but it was sparsely but this was in order to create a sense of drama and tension. Conveying to the audience the element of the film where Lewelyn is taking over Ben’s body. Again we were given free rain to do this due to the experimental brief.
The Sound design is also something that makes the piece strong. My favourite element in this is the Bird song. The conations of bird song are of peaceful mornings, and of nature’s beauty. Here it has been manipulated into something grotesque which moves along the story. By going against the cultural connotations of bird song and createing a garbled mess that when linked to the images created a strong message. The idea of trying to block something out but in effect making it worse. It also creates this feeling that Lewelyn is getting angrier. In general the sound is well put together and thought out in my opinion
In General I am very pleased with the outcome of this project; I feel it is a well rounded piece that fits the brief. It tells a story but does not rely on narrative conventions. Instead it uses light, editing, and sound to tell its story. Recounting something with out the need for explicit story telling.
I think the main thing I have taken away from this project is a new appreciation for experimental film and filmmaking. Before I am ashamed to admit I was a little sceptical but taking on the research necessary has made all traces of this scepticism vanish. I now have a wide understanding of Experimental film as a ‘genre’ or category. In addition I feel that this project has shown me a different approach to filmmaking. And in particular story telling. Before I had mainly seen narrative in terms of the familiar theories and conventions. Now I see and understand how to create a strong structure that does not reply on implicit dialogue of conventional narrative conventions.

In terms of my practice on this project, I feel I worked well in terms of the group and in terms of my role as producer director. I made sure we were organised and managed to get all our filming done in the given time frames. I feel I acted in a professional manner with regards t timetabling and organisation. In terms of directing, Stephen and my self tended to both shared the directing and the camera work on set. In heinsight although it doesn’t fir our designated role, it worked well, as we were both able to give our spontaneous ideas that gave us extra footage to work with in the edit suite. This was experimental this was no bad thing and we ended up with about 2 hours of footage over all. Although this lead to a monumental organisational task during the capture it meant we were not restricted in anyway by lack f footage. So overall I feel this was a well managed production.
In conclusion, we were all very pleased with this piece and although the brief at the beginning mat have given us a little bit of a headache in terms of ideas, we came up with many and I feel we executed our final idea, in a well rounded and competent manner. Displaying our skills and knowledge of both the medium of experimental film and the equipment used.