Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Documentary location

This is one location that we can film at. This location could be utilized for the main interview portion of the film. Separate footage of the subject in her studio can also be used to break up the interview and make things more interesting. 






Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Phrases:

-       It is what it is
-       I’m not getting any younger
-       Playing with fire
-       Get faded
-       Good on you

Script:

1.     Night time. Wide establishing shot focused on a garage exterior. The garage connects to a small house. The only source of light comes from a small window on the side of the garage. A slight breeze makes silhouetted tree branches sway in the shadows. Audio of a lighter flint flicking and someone smoking helps to bridge this shot with the next.

2.     Reveal interior of garage. Shot focuses on the only source of light, a small bulb hanging from the ceiling. A cloud of smoke is exhaled toward the bulb and the camera tilts down revealing a young man and young girl standing together. She is Natalia, he is Noah. She has hands in her pockets and is looking down.

Noah
You alright?

She doesn’t respond. She seems distracted.

3.     Cut to close-up of her face. Her eyes seem to follow something.

Noah (in background)
Tali? Hello?

4.     POV sequence. Cut from Tali’s face to a small insect crawling on the floor and then back to Tali’s face. Her eyes look up and she turns her head toward Noah.

5.     Over Noah’s shoulder, Natalia faces Noah.

Natalia
Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be an insect? So small and powerless…

6.     Medium shot of Noah, eyes focused on Natalia, he listens to her. He raises the cigarette to his mouth and inhales. There is a moment of silence while Noah enjoys the smoke and contemplates her question. He looks away momentarily.


Noah (while holding in smoke)
I don’t know about powerless. Insects kill people every day (he exhales the smoke). Other insects aren’t harmful but affect human lives in positive ways.

7.     Return to shot 5.

Natalia (while laughing)
How so?! It must be terrifying to be a bug in such a vast overpowering world.

8.     Reverse shot. Over her shoulder facing Noah.

Noah
Majoring in phycology was your fault. Don’t punish me for it.

9.     Return to shot 5. She chuckles dismissively and shakes her head.

Natalia
I don’t know what I’d do with such little power and agency to control things…

10.  Cut to Noah while she speaks. He pinches the cigarette with his thumb and index finger and takes a final drag and proceeds to crush it into an ash tray.

Natalia
… I like to think I can change the world some day. If I were a beetle or whatever, I couldn’t change the world.

11. Medium shot of Noah walking toward the garage exit.

Noah (while laughing)
You’re weird. Come on, let’s go get faded.

12. Exterior shot of Noah and Tali leaving the garage. Camera cranes up and tilts down simultaneously. The shot turns into a birds eye perspective of the house and zooms out gradually revealing more and more of the surrounding area until finally the house is but a small speck and the shot isn’t much more than a mosaic of city lights.






Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Brainstorm #5

Film Noir


Film noir offers such an interesting and emotional visual aesthetic. This semester it would be good fun to inject some of this unique style into one of my video projects. It would be interesting to use this visual style where one might not expect it. For example, a documentary or music video inspired by the visual rules of film noir could be different and challenging, yet rewarding if successful.