The film I’ve watched was the ‘Grey Garden’ which is documenting the 80 year-old mother and 56year-old(around) daughter living in East Hampton which is in the U.S. They were the upper-class in the past but it’s just used to be and they are living in this country-side house for more than 20 years already. During the hour and a half film, the mother and the daughter are mostly talking about their past, luxurious life and their relationship with the famous people like filmmakers and musician etc. Also, they argue a lot that the daughter is always complaining she will leave the house to New York city again and never comes back, but then just reveal her worry leaving her mom here. Always dreaming she’s the best singer and dancing so does her mom. Mainly, this documentary shows how these two women living in their own world and never face the reality that they are already disconnected from the real life. Basically, they seem like two mad women living happily in their unreal world. For me, the whole film is quite disturbing and unpleasant to me as they are having quarrels a lot and always talking about something which makes me so done with it. However, it’s exactly how documentary shows the truth and reality, representing something what people would like to ignore and not to pay attention as human-being, we will always prefer seeing things which is delectable rather than something undisguised.
We’ve got one more scene that Paula she’s having meal with her Spanish friend. During the filming, we focused on deep focus of her chatting with the Spanish friend as well as using close-ups/ extreme close-ups to show her body language e.g. hand gesture and facial expression. She looked really happy during the chat and cooking with her friend. We were playing their favourite Spanish music in order to let them feel more comfortable and feeling homey. We could see Paula was dancing with the music and we’ve got the shots what we expect to have.
Hopefully, we would finish filming and start editing on Wednesday. Honestly, we are definitely left behind already but I will try my best to perk up with my group to get it done by deadline.
In this week, due to my illness, I couldn’t attend class for the first time.
What we did during last week was reshot those 2 interviews in Brighton and Paula’s flat. Due to the schedule issues, there were only me and 1 of the other member could do the filming but we’ve got some good source anyway. 2 men and 2 women by the seafront have participated our interview, we’ve reshoot Paula’s introduction and having a FaceTime with her family as well.
Our member Alex has set up a google drive file which is useful for us to share everything on it. From Wednesday to Thursday, I was trying to do the editing but none of my group mate gave me a hand. Plus I was sick so then I didn’t finish editing and also absent for the Friday class.
Anyway, after this weekend, we have to finish the rest filming and show our full cut for next Friday lesson to our tutor and ready to write our 500 words critique.
This week is to show our rough cut and footages that we’ve got so far.
During week 7-week 8, we’ve been to Brighton and Paula’s flat(her room as well) to interview the local and our subject herself. We’ve received more than 8 rejections in Brighton but we’ve got enough footages at the end. After the day we have interviewed Paula as well, however, 2 members including me couldn’t make it. There were only 2 boys filming which means 2 of us couldn’t see how the interview was filmed. Before Friday’s class, me and the absent member did the editing for the class and it was almost the first time I watched all the footages. Two of us were quite struggling to start the edit as not all of us are around, it’s relatively hard to discuss how the editing should go on. Anyway, we spent about two hours to do a short editing about Paula’s interview and bring to class on the second day.
Tutor’s feedback:
Basically, we have to reshot everything.
I wasn’t feel quite good about working with my team. Feeling quite tired and a bit annoyed that I’m the only member who could borrow the camera kit + tripod. I have to carry both of them for the shooting every time which makes my shoulder pain after the day. Not complaining about my shoulder, but sharing work in a team including borrowing equipment, doing camera work, editing and directing is so important. All members are still not having a Siso account until this week. In my opinion, this is everyone’s responsibility to at least sign up an account. Second, I’ve mentioned before that we’ve got a group chat to communicate, however, my group mates seem like prefer doing work individually than doing as a group. What I mean is when telling other members that I’m going to do the editing, there’s only one member replied which seems they would like me to do it alone. After the day, even no one came to class which upset me a lot. To be honest, I don’t feel the team spirit or dynamics doing this project as well as feeling exhausted. What I hope is that the whole group or most of us can show up working together. Apparently, I’m not the best or smart member in the group. I would also like to share opinions with group mates and experience with them together.
The workshop in this class wasn’t that long so our tutor basically introduce ‘Montage’ to us which is a great skill to represent progression. Not only this, she also showed us a sample of it in the class.
The part I am leading is ‘The system model of creativity’ by Kerrigan, S. & McIntyre, P’s ‘Journal of Media Practice’ (2010)
Individually focused approaches to creativity failed to explain the question about documentary: Why some highly skilled individuals achieved notoriety while others did not?
There’s hypothesis suggests that multiple components must converge for creativity to occur, this approach opened the way for researchers to investigate the social and cultural aspect to creativity. It is claimed that the idea that it’s the product of single individuals is wrong. Instead, social systems does make judgments about individuals’ product.
3 components of the model in this system involved in creativity, which are:
– Domain
– Field
– Individual (interaction)
Mihaly: rules + practices must be transmitted
From domain –> individual –> novel variation in the content of domain
*variation: must be selected by the field for inclusion in domain
This model(above) using the understanding, knowledge to create ideas, products(films) and processes
*understanding + knowledge: individual draw on knowledge from specific domain, using it to interact with social organization
This model illustrates how film-maker can acquire knowledge through mediating social & cultural conventions(formal rules). Then, demonstrates their creative understandings.
– Tutor has introduced Adobe Premier to us, roughly talk about some basic techniques about it. As I’ve learnt it from last year’s foundation already, it seems like a review for me. It’s useful for all of us anyway.
Our first and second meeting was on 7th and 8th Nov.
The plan was: 2 characters in the film: parallel story which can emphasise or compare the life of different international students would have in UK, two of them are from Europe and Asia. After the meeting with our tutor Carolina, we’ve given up using 2 characters instead of one as 4 minutes is pretty short. Then we will only focus on 1 character
Paula is our character in this film, we’ve met her once by the office hour meeting. She’s very nice and good looking After an hour talk with her, I feel like she is suitable for our film as she’s an outgoing girl who would not have any camera shy and try to hide in front of people. However, she did say she has problems getting alone with the local sometimes and she would like to spend more time being around with her Spanish friends. That’s an interesting fact that we can explore.
Our member Nabila has started a powerpoint and share to us so that we could put our plan on it. We’ve discussed about the technical, aesthetic and narrative elements of our film, since we are running out of time, not really planned them very deeply.
Technical aspect: Observational documentary, using tripod to film
Aesthetic aspect: Will be using close-ups/extreme close-ups to present Paula’s facial expression and body language(hand gesture), mostly used when she’s having interaction with others, will be also using medium shot and over-shoulder shot; long shot will be used while doing establish shot and revealing information such as the surrounding in her bedroom. Definitely using eye-level angle the most.
Narrative: Begin with the interviews with local people asking about their thoughts of international students or the impressions that international students’ve given to them. At the same time, there will be some b-role shots of international students in Brighton and campus. Then, our subject Paula will introduce herself and showing b-role shots as jump cuts on screen. Talking herself then go straight into her issues we want to know about. Then, that Paula having meals with her Spanish friends and English friends separately can emphasise the differences of how more comfortable she would be with one group of them
Theme: Intercultural differences, adaption and social integration
Point of view: International students do have difficulties integrating into British culture or with English people.
This week is a reading week. We had to redo the 1minute-interview exercise since we are the only group didn’t do for week 4. Unfortunately, me and the other member who is Nabila were the only 2 members be around Brighton. We have chosen ‘The Pitfalls of Independent Living’ as our topic and there was a Malaysian girl to be our interviewee.
In our interview, there were 3 questions which are: The reason to study abroad; 3 best and worst points of living independently. The film was totally 1.5 minutes and she did give some quick and fundemental answers. Also, we took some b-role shots for our jump cuts.
Unfortunately, there were quite a lots faults we have made. They are:
Reflection: This is my first ever experience of doing an interview, making mistakes is possible and reasonable for me but I will avoid making these mistakes for my actual 4-mintue documentary for sure and hope that I can get some really nice responses from people.
As many of our members were out there in reading week, we mostly discussed on the group chat. Most of us did participate and gave some really good points.
We’ve decided our topic: Difficulties of International Students Adapting To UK life
The plan is: 2 characters in the film: parallel story which can emphasise or compare the life of different international students would have in UK, two of them are from Europe and Asia. Than we would interview them about: the reason why they come to study aboard(goals/achievements); what do they find out studying here, is that meeting their expectation and do they have any difficulties while studying and also living independently in UK. We are able to carry out the film once they talk about their struggles or their aims to achieve here.
We’ve got 1 Spanish character who is Paula and sure for doing this already, we are going to meet her next week by the office hour meeting.
Exposition, theme, Arc, Plot and Character, point of view and detail
Features of ‘Exposition’: Enrich understanding and raise stakes in stories
– narration (voice-over)
– visual: establish shot of places or sign
– footage: telling what’s going on
– element of humour or surprise (sometimes)
-shorter films present ‘slice of life’ portrait of people or places
-longer films’ structure need to be more overarching(including every part of events)
– unexpected point- force audiences take a new look at familiar subject
– filmed by the subject themselves e.g. ‘The War Tapes’ by Deborah Scranton
– telling detail: a specific detail may indicate characters’ habit or life-style(sometime can be misleading)
– storyteller: eyes & ears should be open to detail, specifics (focus on narration)
A good documentary = express the way in which audience experience the story
– about somebody we have empathy with
– somebody wants something badly
– something is difficult, but possible do, get/achieve (most for Hollywood)
– maximum of emotional impact + audiences’ participation (makes story move compelling)
– must come to satisfactory ending (=/ happy ending)
– ‘somebody’ = protagonist, telling somebody’s story
– characters’ mission = audiences are compelled to care about the result
– central character =/ person, e.g. city (having a character(human) is better)
– active: characters in charge of their own, making decision what to do (to achieve goal)
– passive: film-makers do care about it more, making it worth to be sympathetic
-It’s really hard to define documentary’s genres
Categories like TV, advertising, cinema fiction, news and presenter-led TV, cookery, travel, motoring, sport and reality formats, games challenges, test etc.
1921’s, pioneer filmmakers
1932’s John Grierson distinguished the forms of documentaries and factual information
Grierson: ‘Documentary is not only mechanistic observation or reflection BUT revelation
– Contextual/pragmatic factors(no assumptions)
– Time (working with the producers)
– Influence of technology (how much reality/actuality shown on screen)
– Needs of many equipments (camera, lighting, sound equipments)
We’ve practiced how to do an interview in this section and which angle we should address our subject. Also, we’ve used the sound kit including the shot gun and Lavalier. Tutor has taught us the range of sound the microphones can received and how we should point shot gun to our subject. As we were running of time, we could only film a 15 sec interview. Since the voice of interviewers aren’t suggested to appear on screen, asking the interviewees bring the question into the answers is very important.
My pitch was about international students adapting UK life, as a international student, I do feel like there’s barrier between international student and the local. Thus, I want to produce a short documentary film about it and explore this issue and seek the truth.
olivia0613 