NAME:
Brenna Empey
DATE:
11/29/2016
FILM:
Master with Coverage
DP: Hannah
Harper
TMA 285 DIRECTOR’S REFLECTION
Overall response (2-3 paragraphs):
In 2-3 paragraphs, write an overall response to
your film: Were you successful at achieving what you set out to achieve? What
are you proud of? What would you do differently if you could remake this piece?
What did you learn?
Considering
the worries I had when I made this film, I think it turned out pretty well. I
was disappointed in myself for not creating a convincing atmosphere of sexual
tension, though, and I wish I had played up the presence of the little boy more
than I did. Rather than sexual tension, I think my film came off more as
awkwardness, which worked but isn’t what I was going for. I think the
awkwardness illustrates a certain aspect of
sexual tension, but I wanted to portray the whole nine yards. I’m not very
confident as a director (I don’t necessarily feel like I’m bad at it, I just
get really anxious when I direct), so I’m still proud that I was able to
capture awkwardness in a convincing way because that’s definitely an element of
the emotion here that I wanted to get out of the performances.
I
did really like how the location worked in the film but I wish I’d used it a
little more cleverly. Across the counter, with the door in the background (the
spot where Driver performs a magic trick for Benicio) is a really nice space
that I wish I would’ve used more. I do like how I blocked it out, for the most
part, I just wish I had shifted it to that area by the sink rather than the
corner of the kitchen. This is small, but another thing I wish I’d done is
punch in to Irene’s face at the end, when she’s leaning on the door, so we
could’ve seen her emotions more clearly.
Briefly answer the following:
What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you
successful? Why? Why not?
I wanted to communicate sexual tension, but not
necessarily from Driver – I wanted to make it pretty clear that Irene is the
one who’s attracted to Driver, not the other way around. I wanted Driver’s
emotions here to be almost nonchalant, like he recognizes there’s potential for
a relationship but isn’t particularly interested. I think I did pretty well
capturing Driver’s emotions, but not really Irene’s. I don’t think she needed
to be more flirtatious, but I think the moment in the bathroom could’ve been
changed to really define how she’s feeling. I wanted to see her really thinking
– in my version she kind of just looks sad, like something is on her mind, but
we can’t tell what it is.
How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you
use?
I
pinned Irene and Driver together in this confined space in the kitchen, more
specifically the corner of the kitchen. They get closer and closer together as
the scene progresses, very subtly. I intentionally placed Irene in flatter
space than Driver because I wanted to make it visually apparent that she
doesn’t want him to leave – that flat space is like a wall, whereas Driver is
often shown in deeper space, giving him escape as a visual option. This is also
a dramatic scene, not a comedy one, so I used lower-key lighting to create
shadows and ratios on the character’s faces.
What did you learn about storytelling:
I
learned that storytelling can really take advantage of blocking to show
characters’ emotions. The way they move around the space, and how they move
around each other, shows how they’re feeling. I also learned, however, that
blocking is difficult, especially in “boring” spaces. I made sure to give a lot
of “away” moments to Irene, where she leaves the kitchen space, and then Driver
is allowed to be alone with his thoughts for a moment – I was lucky that Kyler
and I worked so well together to get these emotions onto the screen. To overcome
the boringness of the space, too, I gave the characters things to do with their
hands, like Irene unpacking the groceries and Driver drinking his glass of
water. The magic trick is a unique moment, so I moved it to a different counter
space to contrast his interactions with Irene.
Working with actors and getting performance:
Working
with actors was difficult this time, and it’s not because of them or the scene.
I want to talk about this a little more extensively is I get the chance – but
it was really about the fact that I felt pressure to pay attention to the image
and to the actors at the same time.
For some reason, since this space was difficult to light and we weren’t using
the camera I had originally envisioned, I got overly concerned about the image
and wouldn’t stop tweaking lighting and camera and what-have-you, which in turn
gave me insufficient time to really talk to my actors. Luckily I’d had the
opportunity to talk to Kyler the night before about the scene and his
character, but I felt terrible after shooting that I hadn’t spent enough time
with Heather to really dive into who Irene is and what she’s feeling. Considering
this, though, I think she did a nice job even though we only talked about Irene
for a short while before we started shooting.
Blocking — camera
and actors:
I
already talked about this a lot but to create that sexual tension I kind of
wanted Driver and Irene to do a sort of dance around the kitchen, with Driver
existing in deep spaces and Irene existing in flatter spaces, always apart from
each other, even though that’s not what Irene. I think my proudest blocking
moment is at the very end, when it’s clear that nothing is going to happen between
Driver and Irene, and they’re separated by the sink for their last interaction.
Visuals — composition,
framing, visual elements:
I’ll
admit, it was pretty hard to light this scene. My DP had only gotten one light –
a china ball without a stand – so I brought along a floor lamp, a table lamp,
and my circular diffusion. We didn’t have much to work with, which really
contributed to my anxiety about how the image looked. I think we did all right
with what we had, even though things got even more difficult after the sun
started going down and we lost our natural light. Hannah and I worked well
together when it comes to framing, always using the rule of thirds to place the
characters, and I don’t think we ever broke the 180 rule because we were paying
really close attention to it.
Design & Art Direction:
I
focused more on art than I usually do in this project because I wanted to make
sure that Irene and Driver had things to do with their hands. I knew that would
prevent the space from becoming too boring, or the performances too flat. I was
able to get a lot of groceries and grocery bags for the characters to interact
with, keeping the image interesting. I’m so happy that I found a location where
the front door is close to the kitchen, because it kept all the action in one
confined space that was very easy to work with even though the blocking was a
bit challenging.
The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of making this piece:
The
only reason things were tough this time around is because we had to film the
project over Thanksgiving break, which was hard for actors and crew. I’m super
blessed, though, that I was able to find my actress for Irene on short notice,
and she was fantastic. It really comes down to the generosity of friends and
family giving their time to be able to make this film happen. Pretty much every
aspect of this film, besides Kyler being casted as Driver, was last-minute
because it was so difficult to plan around the holidays.
What was it like to watch your
film with an audience? Did they understand it? Miss the point? Why did they
respond the way they did?
My biggest surprise was
how the audience interpreted the small moment with Irene looking at herself in
the bathroom. My intention for that scene was to see her really thinking about
her feelings for Driver. She is married, so she has an inner conflict as to
whether or not she should stay loyal to her husband, who is a criminal. It’s
like she’s having a conversation with herself, but the audience interpreted it
as a primping session before she went back out to the kitchen to talk to
Driver. I really wish I had made it more clear that looking at herself in the
mirror meant she was thinking intensely about her situation, not just gussying
herself up for this hot guy in her apartment.
