final scene: reflection

DP: Brenna Empey

Director: Jase Van Meeteren

DP Reflection: The Neon Demon

I’m so grateful that I was able to be the DP for my final film, and I knew from the get-go that I would really have to challenge myself to make this assignment the best it could be. I chose a script that I would be able to stylize, particularly one with two different spaces that I could define with light. Light was one of the main things I wanted to experiment with in this scene and I think it turned out really well in that aspect. Primarily I used two different color schemes – blue and red for the exterior shots, and saturated tungsten for the interior shots, to set them apart from each other and make them feel distinctly different. I particularly loved how slimy the inside of the office felt because of how the lighting turned out, and we were lucky to end up with some awesome practicals to take advantage of in the office too.

We shot on the Ursa Mini 4.6k because of how it handles low light, something that was especially helpful when we were shooting outside in the dark. We also used vintage Nikon lenses because of how they handle bokeh and lens flare, making it look more natural and less intrusive than other lenses. I can’t think of any specific problems we ran into while we were shooting, other than there were a couple drunk people hanging around outside at the motel, talking and making noise. That made it hard for room tone to be clean for sound, and messed up a couple takes here and there. Also, my original plan to use green light in the exterior shots backfired because green simply isn’t bright enough. I ended up really liking the switch to blue light instead, because it made it look more like night, and contrasted better with the grimy feeling in the motel office.

Overall I really like how this project turned out. It was an interesting experience because I was doing most of the work that the director usually does, because that was the agreement, and I had to figure out how to communicate the emotions of the scene visually. Since I was also editing this, I had to think a lot about how things would cut together, and how to keep color and lighting consistent. Honestly, because I was thinking about this scene on a more emotional level than a technical one, it really helped the piece feel genuine. I enjoyed having Jase direct this scene, too, because it turned into a really enjoyable collaboration where we both contributed to the director’s side of things as well as the DP side of things. This is one of my favorite projects I’ve done in this class and I’m proud of how it turned out, but also really happy that I was able to work with my close friends to create it.

final scene: film

https://vimeo.com/195550007

master + coverage: film

https://vimeo.com/193827474

master + coverage: director's reflection

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.

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scripted master + coverage: script

VIEW LINED SCRIPT + SHOT LIST

photos 12

scripted master + coverage: director's statement

FILM   6

NAME: Brenna Empey

DATE: 11/15/2016

DP: Hannah Harper

FILM 6: SCRIPTED MASTER WITH COVERAGE
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT OF INTENT

This statement of intent is designed to train your mind, eye and heart to shoot purposefully. Prepare it well before shooting. Briefly—but thoughtfully and specifically—answer the following questions.

1.      What film or TV show is this from?

·         Drive (2011) by Nicolas Winding Refn

a.       Have you ever watched this film?

·         No

b.      Do you have the actual script of the film—not a transcript?

·         Yes

2.      After reading the entire script, in 3 sentences, what is the story of the entire film?

·         The Driver, a mysterious character with a hidden knack for violence, wants to disassociate himself with his history of crime and career in getaway driving. He meets Irene, a woman who is raising her son alone while her husband, Standard, is in prison, and the three of them form a close bond. When Standard re-enters their lives after being released, the Driver finds himself involved with mobsters and murderers who threaten (and sometimes succeed) to kill both him and his friends – which turns the story into not only one of the Driver protecting Irene and her son, but also of revenge.

3.      After reading the entire script, what is the theme or message of this film?

·         Being a good person at heart doesn’t necessarily mean you have a one-way ticket to an easy life and wholesome relationships with others.

4.      In 3-5 sentences, what happened in the story immediately before your selected scene?

·         The Driver met with his friend Shannon and Shannon’s associate, Bernie, at a raceway where Shannon set a deal in motion to have Driver become a racer. There is clear tension between Bernie and Driver, although it’s not explained why, and afterwards Driver goes to the supermarket. There, he sees his neighbor Irene (who we’ve seen before but haven’t spoken to) and her son in one of the aisles. Out in the parking lot, Irene is having trouble with her engine and Driver goes over to help her, which results in both of them going home together. Irene invites Driver into her apartment because he’s helping her carry groceries, and that’s where my scene begins.

5.      In 3-4 sentences, what is the story—the beginning, middle, and end—of this scene? In other words, what happens as the scene starts, as it progresses, and as it ends?

·         Irene, thankful for Driver’s help, sits him down for a glass of water in her kitchen after he’s helped bring in the groceries. She excuses herself and goes to the bathroom mirror – it’s clear that she’s affected by his presence in her apartment, probably because she’s attracted to him. Not wanting him to leave, she returns to the kitchen and makes small talk with Driver and learns about what he does for a living. When he refuses a second glass of water, she walks him to the door and he leaves.

6.      What, specifically, must the audience understand narratively/plot-wise in order to engage in this scene? How will you communicate each piece of information?

·         This is early on in Irene and Driver’s relationship, so here I think it’s just important to see that Irene is clearly attracted to Driver. He still seems unsure, or at least unsure about how to act around her, because he seems pretty intent on getting out of there are the conversations progresses. The two most significant beats for Irene are when she goes to the bathroom and looks at herself in the mirror – thinking about how she’s married, but can’t deny her interest in Driver – and when she stalls him leaving by small-talking with him. I want to use Irene’s blocking to show how she doesn’t want him to leave. It could be as simple as placing her between the door and the Driver, creating a visual barrier in front of the exit. But I don’t want her to seem malicious or weird, either, so I’ll give her something to do (unloading groceries) so she isn’t idly standing in the kitchen talking to him when he probably wants to leave. When Driver asks about her husband, I want her reaction to be poignantly short, because she changes the subject so quickly and doesn’t provide a lot of information about her husband in the script.

7.      What is the narrative and thematic purpose of this scene within the larger story?

·         This scene is all about the blossoming relationship between Irene and Driver, but it doesn’t forget about Benicio (Irene’s son) either. Benicio serves as a reminder that Irene is married, which is only made more apparent when Driver asks about the photo in her apartment. While it’s clear that Irene is attracted to Driver, it’s not really clear in the script whether or not Driver feels the same way about her. I love the beat with Irene looking at herself in the mirror – she’s thinking hard about Driver’s presence in her apartment, while it appears that Driver was just trying to be helpful with her groceries and doesn’t want to take up much of her time, judging by how he small-talked with her only briefly before stating “I should get going.”

8.      What emotion do you want the audience to experience while watching this scene? Why? How, specifically, do you intend to do this?  

·         I want the audience to feel how awkward Driver is in this domestic situation. He’s from a different world, a different lifestyle, where family isn’t really present. Here, however, he finds himself in a situation where he must interact with a mother and son in their home. The thing is, I don’t think Driver is a bad person, I think he has a good heart and has simply been thrust into unfortunate circumstances that make him unapproachable or emotionally barred. More importantly, I think he sees himself as an emotionally distant person, or a person that others don’t want to or shouldn’t be around. This doesn’t mean he’s a bad person, and I want the audience to see that he isn’t standoffish by nature – he’s standoffish because he believes he’s not a good person. He isn’t going to meet Irene’s eyes very much. When he plays with Benicio, howeer, I like to think that he’s inventing a memory he wish he could call his own, maybe a good memory with his father. I want that to be really tender, while interactions with Irene are polite and kind but not very connected.

9.      What is the first image of the scene? What is the final image of the scene? Why do you think the director chose these specific images?

·         The first image is of Irene and Driver entering the apartment with bags of groceries. The last image is very similar, with her walking him to the door as he leaves. This is a really cool use of parallel images – an opening shot and a closing shot that are visually almost identical, but mean very different things. The entering shot is all about Driver coming into a normal space, a domestic space that he isn’t familiar with or comfortable with. But it’s inviting – maybe he’ll be okay, be able to get some good out of this. And as the scene progresses, we see that he is getting something good out of it, but he’s still not comfortable with it. He wants to leave. The last shot, the exit, is not only defeat for the Driver but for Irene as well, who is interested in him but seemingly feels shackled to her criminal husband.

10.  Why is this scene personal to you? What specific personal experience(s) does it remind you of?

·         I relate to the Driver for a slew of reasons, the most prominent of them being the fact that I struggle to connect emotionally with people. Oftentimes, if I’m not good friends with a person, I see conversations as something to get through rather than something to enjoy. Based on how the Driver constructed his small-talk and ended the conversation pretty quickly, I’d say he’s the same way. At this point in the story, it’s clear that Driver thinks Irene is beautiful, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he wants it to go any farther – I like to think that in a way, he looks down on himself too much to ever consider moving farther with her. This kind of self-deprecating behavior/mindset comes from an inability to connect with people, and it’s something I understand. You can only struggle to talk to someone so many times before acknowledging and accepting that it isn’t going to work, and eventually, “it isn’t going to work” sticks at the forefront of every conversation and makes it horrendously difficult to envision potential friendship and relationships. I don’t know if I can necessarily tie this mental state to a specific experience, but I can tie it to things I’ve realized about myself the older I get. I’ve realized that close friendships I develop with others begin to crumble after about a year, like clockwork. I’ve realized that I’ve never dated someone for more than a month. And realizing those things is an incredibly distressing and discouraging process – that’s what the Driver and I have in common. The more you realize you’re an emotionally disconnected person, the more it dictates your desire to pursue friendships and relationships. It’s sad, but it’s true. I don’t think the Driver doesn’t want to be with Irene, but I think he can’t see himself with her and that’s what pushes him to end the conversation and get out of the apartment.

11.  How should the lighting feel in this scene? Why? You may include sample image(s). (Not from the actual film!)

·         While I haven’t seen this film, I know that Refn is a big fan of high contrast and extreme lighting. I don’t necessarily want to imitate what he might do with the lighting in this scene, but I really like the idea of stylizing the mood and color of this space. Stylization in a film like this is usually associated with something unfamiliar to the characters, or something that really needs to be punchy and pronounced. Well, the Driver isn’t familiar with domestic spaces. He isn’t comfortable in them. I’d love to really bump up the tungsten in Irene’s apartment, because that’s typically a warm and homey lighting scheme, but if the color is saturated and the contrast is high it’ll still feel uncomfortable. I almost want the lighting to have this conflict of interest on screen – to show the viewers warm colors, but abrasively, with high contrast. I think that’ll embody what Driver is feeling.

12.  Which two specific visual elements—line, shape, space, tone, color, rhythm, movement—do you intend to use to purposefully communicate the emotion of the scene? (You will be graded on your execution of this plan)

·         I’m actually really excited to shoot Irene’s part of this scene because I’ll be using a lot of movement and blocking to show how she’s feeling, as I briefly mentioned before. She’ll be unloading groceries, then cleaning a bit, then maybe reaching for the pitcher of water right before Driver refuses another drink. She needs to look a little flustered, because she’s attracted to him, but not in an obvious way – so I think these movements/blocking points make sense. Secondly, I want there to be noticeable tonal differences between Driver’s face and Irene’s face. I’m going to make sure Irene’s face is shot on the light side while Driver’s face is shot on the shadow side, and I think I’ll be able to do that pretty easily with two light sources and some well-informed placement of actors in the space. As long as Driver’s light is used as more of a kicker than a fill and Irene’s light is used more as a fill than a kicker, I’ll be able to achieve that tonal difference.

13.  In a bulleted list, describe three potential obstacles you may face in creating a successful scene. Describe how can you be prepared to overcome these? Be specific!

·         I’m worried about casting Benicio. Kids are hard to find, and even harder to work with, for me. I’m really hoping that I can use my cousin, Miles, who is a bit of a firecracker but at least I would know him which I think would make things easier.

·         This might be kind of dumb, but Driver shows Benicio a magic trick in this scene, and I’m kind of worried that I won’t be able to make it work on screen. It’ll just take some practice and some tweaking to get it right, and obviously I’ll test it beforehand, but I’m just hoping my actor can learn it quickly.

·         There’s a lot of movement in this scene, and I’m worried about covering it all, but I think to remedy this I’ll focus less on Benicio and more on Irene and Driver. Benicio is definitely present, but I don’t think he’s the most important part of the scene. When I was originally envisioning this, I was thinking about getting coverage from all over the place – in front of Benicio with Irene and Driver in the background, and vice versa, shots like that. But I think the moment with Driver and Benicio is not only really tender and nice, I also think it covers what needs to be covered with Benicio in this scene.

14.  Prepare your lined script including the director’s breakdown as discussed in class; prepare your shot list.

one-shot scene: director's reflection

NAME: Brenna Empey

DATE: 11/17/2016

FILM: 5 (One-Shot Scene)

DP: Howie Burbidge

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?

            This piece actually turned out to be one of my favorite projects, and I think it’s because of how blessed I was to get an amazing cast and DP. When I was blocking this out in my head, and trying to figure out ways to keep the audience engaged and interested, I decided to try and make the cinematography snappy and try to get quick, definitive performances out of my actors. I wanted each character to feel distinctly different so it wouldn’t just feel like three clones interacting on screen. Like I said, I was blessed with actors who really took that idea to heart, and each character ended up with their own way of speaking and their own body language. I think that translated really well and made for an engaging piece.

            If I did this again, I would probably change the location or add things to the location. It was great that the gas station was abandoned, so we wouldn’t have to worry about cars passing through, but the empty white exterior wall of the gas station felt boring and underdressed. We talked about this in class, but because there was nothing happening on the exterior, there was no motivation for a lot of things, like the hitchhiker walking towards the wall and even Thelma talking on the phone near the wall in the beginning. There was no payphone in sight at this location, but I wish there had been. We would’ve used it and it would’ve helped things be more motivated. In another vein, for the most part I felt like all the performances were really solid and I felt like most of the class agreed in their feedback. My only setback was the few moments with Andrea that felt too much like acting a character rather than being a character, which I’ll talk about below.

Briefly answer the following:

What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not?

            I wanted to really focus on the emotions of the two women in this piece, partly because they seemed more interesting to me, and partly because the hitchhiker character was more of a catalyst for tension between them rather than an individual (at least that’s what it seemed like in the script). So, before we began shooting, I briefly discussed “who is this character?” with each of my actors. I think we were very successful in giving each character his/her own presence, and making those presences distinctly different from one another. The piece ended up being very back-and-forth, very eventful. I really wanted to communicate what it feels like to be attracted to someone, those first few moments of realization, and then the subsequent primping and “acting” that comes with trying to impress that someone. Going back to the definitive personalities and actions of each character, I think it worked nicely that Andrea (as Thelma) was uncomfortable/ flirtatious, Solomon (as hitchhiker) was smug and suave, and Shiloh (as Louise) was – pardon my French – a total cockblock. My only complaint is that Andrea felt like she was overacting a bit, not to a fault, but in comparison with the other two performances hers wasn’t as believable.

How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you use?

            Thelma has just told her husband Darryl to “go to hell,” as we see in the very beginning, and she’s going through a lot of emotions after that. When she runs into the hitchhiker, then, we begin to see that flirtation, that new impression of possibility with a new love interest. I really tried to favor Thelma’s face in the cinematography, because she’s the one going through the biggest change in emotion in this scene, and I really wanted to see that. For instance, we move into a close-up on her face when she tries to get the hitchhiker to stick around, emphasizing that she’s attracted to him. Whenever possible, I also used the lines of the car and building to lead the eye to the right places, and used the blocking of the actors to communicate things about how each character was feeling. A good example of this is when Louise walks directly in between hitchhiker and Thelma, a visual representation of her desire to keep them apart.

What did you learn about storytelling:

            With this project in particular, I learned a lot about point of view. With three characters in the mix here, I knew the camera wouldn’t be able to capture all of their faces all the time, so I had to pick one character to really favor. That character ended up being Thelma, who I think is the most emotionally interesting one of the three. To tell the story from her perspective, as I mentioned before, I made sure the camera was on her during times where there was an emotional beat. In other words, we don’t see as much of the hitchhiker or Louise because I chose to make the story about Thelma, not them. That’s something I wasn’t really thinking about when I first picked this scene to do as a one-shot, but now it seems obvious – you have to pick a perspective.

Working with actors and getting performance:

            Like I said before, I really was blessed to get this cast. Shiloh, Andrea, and Solomon are all fantastic, professional actors with convincing presences and an innate ability to become. I talked to all of them individually about who their characters were, and what emotions they go through during this scene/encounter. We came up with words to assign to each of the characters – Solomon’s label was “smug hunk,” Andrea’s label was “rebellious wife,” and Shiloh’s (my favorite) was just “bitch.” Sure, we probably could’ve spent more time fleshing out the intricacies of these characters, but I think these simple labels aided themselves to the punchiness of this scene. After watching it on screen, though, I do wish I’d spent more time with Andrea in getting to know Thelma. We went through basic emotions – at the phone, she’s distressed about telling her husband to go to hell; and in the car, she’s concerned about how she looks when the hitchhiker begins to walk over. We didn’t talk much about how this situation with the hitchhiker functioned in the context of her marriage, which I should have done. I think the emotions she gave me would have been more genuine and seemed less fake, if that makes sense. Watching her, it felt like she was saying to herself, “Okay, this is how I show being upset,” or, “And this is how I make sure I look okay in the mirror.” Rather, she should’ve been thinking about specific things rather than general actions. I love Andrea, and she gave me some fantastic stuff in this scene, but she does have the tendency to overact when she doesn’t understand a motivation’s complexity. That’s something I should’ve addressed on set.

Blocking — camera and actors:

            This was the craziest part of the shoot. Three characters, I discovered, is a lot to block. Like I’ve said a couple times already, I wanted this scene to be engaging, punchy, and quick. Since I couldn’t cut, I just made sure the camera moved into a variety of shots, wides and close-ups and what-have-you. To make all these framing moves seem motivated, I had to block the actors in a way where they were almost always moving. And by “always moving,” I don’t necessarily mean walking – little things like Andrea leaning forward to look out the car window is movement enough to change the framing. We had to practice the blocking a lot, but thankfully my actors have done this a million times and only had to practice twice to get the blocking down. Once we threw the camera into the mix and made a few tweaks, we got the scene in six takes. Andrea, Solomon, Shiloh, and my DP Howie all did really well with the blocking even when we had to make small changes here and there. My favorite blocking moment is when Shiloh walks between Andrea and Solomon, essentially punctuating the fact that she doesn’t want them talking to each other. One blocking thing I wish I could’ve changed is when Solomon and Andrea run into each other – it doesn’t feel very motivated since Solomon doesn’t have anywhere to go, he just runs into her for no reason.

Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements:

            I wanted a variety of shots in this scene to make it feel punchy and intriguing, but I also wanted to make sure I was using the location’s lines and shapes to keep the shot varying and artistic. I think I was successful in this regard. A couple framing choices in particular: when Andrea leans out of the car to watch Solomon, the black line on the car doors leads straight from her gaze all the way to him. When Solomon leans on the car to talk to Andrea, his body and arm frame her in a half-moon shape. To establish location, I made sure there was a moment where we looked toward the gas pumps, when Andrea is walking back to the car. One thing I wish was different, though, is that I wish there weren’t as many sun flares. We were really fighting the setting sun on this one, and even though it’s “not that bad,” as was said in class, the flare is really distracting to me and I wish we’d either shot at a different time of day or re-framed.

Design & Art Direction:  

            This was a tough one because we didn’t have much to work with at this location. It’s abandoned Sinclair gas station, so the green roof was nice, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the blank white wall. I do like, however, that it has vertical lines on it to break it up a bit. I wish there had been a payphone or one of those newspaper dispensers outside – just something for my characters to interact with would’ve been really nice. If anything, I wish I had thought to pull one of the small construction trash cans over into the negative space of the wall, so at least Solomon would’ve had something to do when he went and stood by the wall after bumping into Andrea. Other than that, I liked the car choice, the matte silver worked well and wasn’t distracting – it kind of blended into the background to keep the focus on the characters.

The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of making this piece:

            Like I’ve said many times already, I was really blessed with my cast and crew. Spencer and Howie were fantastic as my sound and camera. My biggest worry, honestly – and this might be silly – was letting my actors down. I’m not very confident as a director, it’s difficult for me and I don’t really want to make a career out of it, so my biggest worry was making a fool of myself in front of three very professional actors that I highly respect. I knew it would be a hard piece, because my I feared my blocking was going to be too complicated and there was the risk of getting kicked out of the location, all things that would’ve made me feel embarrassed. When we got to the location, though, things couldn’t have gone more smoothly. While I talked with the actors and began blocking things out, Howie and Spencer were quickly setting up their equipment, so by the time I was ready for a full blocking rehearsal everybody was good to go. The cast and crew offered suggestions when we ran into blocking problems, and it turned out to be very collaborative and not stressful at all. Even when the owners of the property came and asked us what we were doing, they were very kind and let us finish filming without any problem.

                  

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?  

            I think the overall response in class was great. I couldn’t be prouder of my DP, Howie, who really blew everyone away (including me) with his ability to smoothly carry out my vision for camera movement. I loved the time we spent in class talking about what could’ve been addressed and fixed in Andrea’s performance, as the complex emotions her character was experiencing didn’t translate onto the screen in the way I had hoped. That was a great discussion and I think it’ll help me a lot when I direct things in the future.  

one-shot scene: film

https://vimeo.com/192134668

one-shot event: director's reflection

NAME: Brenna Empey

DATE: 11/1/2016

FILM: One-Shot of an Event

DP: Brenna Empey

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?

            Going into this film, I wanted to capture a skeptic of palm reading being, well, skeptical. I got a palm reader and a skeptic whose palm was going to be read – everything was set up just fine conceptually. But when we got into the space, a lot of unexpected things happened. I had expected the palm reader and the subject to have more a conversational experience with the palm reading, but that didn’t really happen. My palm reader, Rachel, did all of the talking as she read my subject, Allison’s, palm. Allison’s skepticism translated into polite nodding and small one-word responses because even though she wasn’t super interested in having her palm read, she wanted to be polite. I think that’s nice but it made for a pretty boring piece in the end. What Rachel was saying was interesting, but a conversation should involve participation and engagement from two people, not just one person talking at the other.

            Even though my two “characters” didn’t really do what I wanted them to do, I think the look of the piece turned out nicely. There are a lot of things to look at in the space, not only things that establish what’s going on in the scene, but the space is big enough and diverse enough that I was able to get a variety of interesting shots. Since the characters weren’t moving much, not many of my camera moves were motivated, but some of them were – like when Rachel leans in to get a closer look at Allison’s palms, and I pushed in with the camera. That worked nicely. I also liked my ending frame, which was a wide shot of the whole room, and oriented the characters in the space even further. If I were to remake this scene, however, I would start by finding a more vocal/reactive subject for the palm reading, and I might do it outside or in a place where there is more to look at than just two people sitting down and not moving.

Briefly answer the following:

What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not?

            I wanted to capture a skeptic’s reaction to having her palm read. Well, I guess skeptic isn’t the right word – I wanted someone who isn’t familiar with palm reading, and doesn’t really believe in it, to react to palm reading. I don’t think I was very successful because the person I got to have their palm read didn’t react hardly at all. They were more polite, nodding at the appropriate times and such, rather than verbally interacting with the palm reader.

How, specifically, did you try to say this? What visual elements, techniques, etc. did you use?

            It was kind of my fault that the subject didn’t interact much with the palm reader – I should’ve maybe chosen someone more reactive, someone who is willing to be open about confusions and how they felt about the situation. So casting was my biggest thing, I thought that if I casted a “skeptic” I would get all the dramatic material I needed. It didn’t turn out that way. But I do like that the palm reader’s apartment was quirky, so I was able to capture the mysticism aspect of palm reading by filming various things in the room, like the colorful tapestry, the candles, the incense, and the palm reading book. 

What did you learn about storytelling:

            I learned that documentary can be very hard when your “actors” don’t do what you want them to do. I didn’t tell Allison to talk more, or interact with Rachel more, and I probably should have to actually provide a story at all. The story ended up being something like: A palm reader gives a bored, unengaged, and uninterested customer some back-and-forth info about her palm. That’s not what I wanted, but such is the nature of documentary.

Working with actors and getting performance:

            Well, I’ve already talked about this a ton, but since I wasn’t able to really direct my actors this scene was difficult for me because there was nothing emotionally reactive or dramatic going on. The drama would’ve come from conflict, from Allison voicing her doubt or disbelief, but rather we just got a lot of Rachel talking about what was going on with Allison’s palm and not much else. I really appreciate everything Rachel said even though it was going over Allison’s head, but I wish Allison had been more engaged in the situation.

Blocking — camera and actors:

            This is something that I actually think worked really well. Because they were sitting still on a couch the entire time, I was able to “practice” my framing for the first few minutes of the palm reading, and then really go through a nice progression of shots toward the middle. The entire palm reading was 12 minutes long, and my documentary starts about three minutes in, after I’d already practiced some different camera angles and moves so I got a feel for how I wanted the piece to move. The blocking of candles to palmistry book to characters in the beginning, to establish the situation, worked nicely.

Visuals — composition, framing, visual elements:

            I guess I already kind of covered this in the “blocking” question above, but I really liked that my two subjects weren’t moving so I could get nice and close. I had the freedom of getting close to their faces and hands to capture emotions and “plot points,” if you will, regarding the palm reading rather than having to capture big movements. The only problem was that, since they weren’t moving, a lot of my camera movements weren’t motivated and I think that harmed the piece a little even though the camera moves were well-executed.

Design & Art Direction:  

            I love the look of Rachel’s apartment and I’m so glad we were able to film in it. There are candles and incense burning in her living room, lanterns and exposed bulbs hanging from the ceiling, and a huge, colorful tapestry behind her couch. I think everyone in the audience responded really well to her apartment because it felt kind of mystical. Then, when we widened out in the end and saw her desktop computer, it kind of pulls us out of the illusion that she’s this mystical palm reader. She’s just a normal person, a normal student. I’m glad people brought that up in class because it’s something I didn’t really think about, but I’m glad it happened that way.

The Production Process — collaboration with crew, the logistics of making this piece:

            Honestly, the hardest part of this piece was finding someone to get their palm read. I needed to find someone far enough removed from anything to do with mysticism that they wouldn’t have any idea what they were getting into. To add to that, I wanted someone who was skeptical, not curious, about palm reading as a legitimate practice. I asked friends of friends and finally found Allison, who I thought would be perfect because she was not only unfamiliar with palm reading and didn’t believe in it, but she was also a visual foil to Rachel with her blond hair and light-colored clothes.

                  

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?  

            I think the overall response was good, but everyone brought up really good points about this piece’s flaws, which I have already discussed. There weren’t enough dramatic beats, Allison wasn’t engaged enough, Rachel was talking a little too much and too fast, and camera moves were unmotivated. While some of these flaws were out of my control, like the subject’s levels of reactivity, I agree with a lot of the criticisms and wish I had done things differently or staged it differently. I’m really glad that my establishing shots of the candles, incense and palm reading book made it very clear what was going on, and the audience understood immediately what they were about to see.

one-shot of a scripted scene: script and shot list

VIEW THE LINED SCRIPT

VIEW THE SHOT LIST

one-shot of a scripted scene: director's statement

NAME: Brenna Empey

DATE: 11/1/2016

DP: Howie Burbidge

FILM 5: SCRIPTED ONE TAKE
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT OF INTENT

This statement of intent is designed to train your mind, eye and heart to shoot purposefully. Prepare it well before shooting. Briefly—but thoughtfully and specifically—answer the following questions.

1.      What film or TV show is this from?

Thelma & Louise

a.       After reading the script, in 3 sentences, what is the story of the entire film?

Thelma and Louise live pretty normal, unexciting lives at first, with Louise being a waitress and Thelma being a housewife. When Louise shoots  a man who tries to rape Thelma, they jump into Thelma’s Thunderbird and drive off to who-knows-where (later they decide to go to Mexico). They’re relentlessly chased by the police, and when all hope seems lost at the end, they decide to die together and drive the car off a cliff holding hands in defiance.

b.      After reading the script, what is the theme of this film?

I’d say the theme is that freedom can be achieved by rebellion.

2.      Do you have the actual script of the film (not a transcript)?

Yes: http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/splaylib/Screenplay-Thelma_and_Louise.pdf

3.      In 3-5 sentences, what happened in the story immediately before this scene?

Thelma and Louise have already taken off in the Thunderbird, fleeing from the police for a few days, and the entire time Louise has been trying to get Thelma to tell her husband off. Thelma’s husband, Darryl, is a controlling warden of a husband and Louise can’t stand him. When the two women stop for gas and food after driving for a while, Louise tells Thelma to call Darryl and tell him off.  Thelma uses a pay phone to call him and has a pretty long, getting-nowhere conversation with him, where it’s mostly him getting upset and her trying to calm him down. But then she realizes that she just needs to tell him how it is.

4.      In three or four sentences, what is the story—the beginning, middle, and end—of this scene? In other words, what happens as the scene starts, as it progresses, and as it ends?

Thelma has mustered up the courage to tell her husband off, and does just that before hanging up on him at a payphone. She’s a little shaken, so she’s emotional as she returns to the car and accidentally bumps into a hitchhiker, who basically asks her for a ride. She says she’ll have to ask Louise, who then comes out of the gas station, and doesn’t approve of the hitchhiker coming along for the ride. Thelma and Louise then drive away, leaving the hitchhiker behind.

5.      What, specifically, must the audience understand narratively/plot-wise in order to engage in this scene? How will you communicate each piece of information?

Thelma and Louise are running from the law right now, and they have to keep their identities a secret, so Louise is wary of anyone who isn’t either her or Thelma. Thelma, however, has just told her husband off in an emotionally taxing way, and when the hitchhiker approaches he seems to be a nice alternative to her distress.

6.      What is the narrative and thematic purpose of this scene within the larger story?

Even though they don’t pick up the hitchhiker in this scene, they do happen upon him again and Louise finally lets him snag a ride. He ends up falling in love with Thelma, but he eventually betrays the two women to the police, even though he’s a professional thief himself. This is setting up Thelma’s desire for another man, a good man, someone who actually cares about her and actually makes her happy, after she’s told off her terrible husband Darryl. I’m not necessarily saying the hitchhiker provides those things for her, but that’s what she’s looking for, so when this handsome hitchhiker shows up it’s no wonder he peaks her interest.

7.      What emotion do you want the audience to experience while watching this scene? Why? How, specifically, do you intend to do this?

There’s a lot of stuff going on here emotionally with Thelma. She’s defiant against her husband, then she’s emotionally distressed because of the weight of what she just did. When the hitchhiker shows up, she’s curious and enthusiastic about talking to him and giving him a ride. Louise, on the other hand, exhibits annoyance and wariness. This is going to have a lot to do with the blocking. I’m going to make sure that, as much as possible, the hitchhiker is standing in between Thelma and Louise, separating them. I’m also going to spend a lot of time on Thelma’s face to make sure the audience can see how she’s reacting to certain things she’s feeling/experiencing.

8.      What is the first image of the scene? What is the final image of the scene? Why do you think the director chose these specific images?

The first image is Thelma at a pay phone, holding it tight and very close to her mouth. It’ll show that she’s a little tense about telling Darryl off, but she’s strong and it’s taken a lot to get her to this point. The last image of the scene will be the hitchhiker watching Thelma and Louise drive away. This is to show that he’s curious about them, just as much as they are him, and he’ll probably show up later in the story.

9.      Why is this scene personal to you? What specific personal experience(s) does it remind you of?

I’m all about ladies helping ladies. This movie is all about that. We’ve got Thelma and Louise, friends but felons, making their way to who-knows-where on the run from the law, and all they care about is keeping each other safe and helping each other make the right decisions. For me, I’ve been lucky to have strong female figures in my life pretty much since day one, whether it’s been my mother or teachers or friends. This seen is all about Thelma overcoming her terrible husband and trying to pursue what she wants and deserves, which is a good man (the hitchhiker). Louise, on the other hand, is there to keep Thelma safe and I love their dynamic. It really showcases a friendship that is at once both free and codependent.

10.  Which two specific visual elements—line, shape, space, tone, color, rhythm, movement—do you intend to use to purposefully communicate the emotion of the scene? (You will be graded on your execution of this plan)

My biggest element is going to be movement – movement of the camera, and movement of the actors. It’ll take a lot of blocking to get this right. I always want the hitchhiker to be moving in between Thelma and Louise, even if Louise isn’t visible for part of the time. He’s blocking them from one another. I’m also really hoping I can use a red car for this scene, because the more the car stands out, the more it’ll communicate the crazy situation that Thelma and Louise are currently finding themselves in. In contrast, I want the hitchhiker to wear pretty dull colors, so he kind of blends into the background of the space.

11.  In a bulleted list, describe three potential obstacles you may face in creating a successful scene. Describe how can you be prepared to overcome these? Be specific!

·         The blocking is going to be insane on this one, especially since we have a car in the scene. What I’ll probably do is start by blocking out and rehearsing the scene without moving the car so it doesn’t take as long to reset every time.

·         There’s a mirror shot in this scene, where Thelma is watching the hitchhiker from the rearview mirror. We’re also going to have to rehearse this part a lot, because if the camera appears in the mirror at any point, we’ll have to start over.

·         Location might also be a problem because even though we’re exclusively outside the gas station, we still have to get permission to shoot at one. I’ll have to start looking pretty soon here, especially because I want a non-chain gas station.