Outline/Storyboard/Breakdown

Character's basic life goals/objectives: (Protagonist) - He's a college-age guy, working, living his life by himself in an apartment. He is quiet, mild-mannered, honest, and typically known to "do the right thing". He just wants to get on with his life, with as little trouble as possible. He isn't nosey or curious, which is why this situation is so strange to him.

(Antagonists) - They are affiliated with the mob/a mob-like organization involved in rings of organized crime (gun-running, drugs, the usual bad stuff). And when they pay a visit to the protagonist's neighbor after a bad deal, they spot the protagonist watching them do their dirty work and figure that 'he knows too much".

Obstacles to reaching objectives: (Protagonist) - He's prevented from living a normal life by becoming a witness to the crime transpiring across the yard from his apartment. He can't remain safe if these two know he has seen them.

(Antagonists) - The protagonist is the main obstacle standing in the way of completing their objective without a hitch, and therefore, must eliminate the threat.

What are the actions the characters will use when reaching their objectives: (Protagonist) - he will run from the problem, not trying to confront it, but rather attempting to rid himself of the problem by abandoning the situation.

(Antagonists) - They will try and get rid of their 'witness', by means of kidnapping, execution, etc. because he has now effectively gotten in their way.

What are the ways and means the characters will use: (Protagonist) - He will use the city streets, alleyways, and his ability to run fast in order to dodge his assailants, darting in and out of establishments(?)

(Antagonists) - They will use skill and weapons to attempt to silence their witness, and control the situation.

What adjustments do the characters make when their actions/means don't succeed?: (Protagonist) - He will keep running, once he has been found out by the antagonists, and will continue to do so, until almost the very end.

(Antagonists) - They will take off after him, finding every possible thread to attain their witness, including where he lives, who is friends are, where he works, etc.

What realistic doings are the actors engaged in?: (Protagonist) - He will be running. Alot. Through alleys, streets, parks, sidewalks, across streets, etc.

(Antagonists) - They will be carrying a body, driving off in a car quickly, and hunting the protagonist down on foot.

Breakdown: 4 actors (total) required (not including extras)

-1 protagonist

-2 antagonists

-1 friend of protagonist

How many scenes each actor will be in:

-protagonist (almost all scenes)

-antagonists (body carrying scene, end chase scene, and final capture of protagonist

-friend (park conversation scene, end capture scene)

# and types of locations:

-Streets and alleyways (downtown)

-Apartment building

-Park

-More streets and alleyways

Special costumes and make-up required:

-'Cat burglar' or suits for antagonists to wear

-Street clothes for the protagonist/friend

Props Required:

-A sheet for the body carrying scene

-Someone's car

-A couple of fake guns

Locations Scouted:

-Streets including (front, main, monroe, madison, union (downtown))

-Alleyways between these streets

-Tom Lee Park

-Park parallel to Mud Island

-The backyard of my apartment, (Buena Vista)

- Court Square

Update on new movie idea: Idea #1

       So sorry guys, I know alot of you have put in your 2 cents and encouraged me to go with the road trip idea (which was as good as the other two) but I think idea 1 just has something for me to explore. And I think as long as I can get my actors to cooperate and scheduling conflicts handled, then  things will go smoothly. 

       With that said, I've given some thought as to the elaboration of the circumstances surrounding the plot to the new movie. My main character will stumble upon what looks or sounds like a few people having an altercation in the apartment next to his, and later, he discovers two people carrying a body, but he is soon discovered in his observations and from then on, the chase ensues. On-foot chases, following in cars and on foot, and as the main character travels through his treacherous night, he befriends people and call upon his allies, some helpful and some who wish to throw him 'to the wolves' so to speak. This is the idea thus far, any suggestions, input on this extremely rough outline - feel free and encouraged to leave a comment, question, or snide remark.

3 Ideas for my next movie...

Idea #1) - Sort of a 'fugitive on the run' kind of movie, with some action, some mystery, and some excitement. Chase scene(s) are something that i haven't done before, but something i have really been considering. As far as the actual content and story line of the movie, I want it to be about a man running from an organization or malicious group who have wrongly accused this man and framed him for something he didn't do. This goes right along with my manifesto and my infatuation with Albert Broccoli and the 007 series of films, as well as Alfred Hitchcock-esque suspense. This will also give me a great opportunity to craft extensive dialogue, which is something i have yet to do in my movies.

Idea #2) - Inspired by my work on the memory piece, I would like to tell the story of a young man who is dying (not sure of what yet), and how he comes to terms with his own mortality at such a young age, and the way he deals with it. I want to show the friends who are supporting him during his last days, and his thoughts on "the end", and what it's like to die young, and to not have the rest of his life ahead of him, as so many others will. Yet another opportunity to involve dialogue and monologue in my work.

Idea #3) - A 'road movie' - two, or three friends on a trip into the big city. Showing their trials and tribulations as they pass from state to state, seeking adventure, and coming across an assortment of characters along the way. this idea isn't as strong as the other two, but i like all three of them, because they would feature things i haven't yet done with my filmmaking, and have been itching to try.

Memory Pre-Production1: Rough Storyboard

After a nice week-long hiatus from classes, and with my attention focused internally, I began to think about elements of my memory, and the quality & symbolism of these elements. I spent time around the places where this memory occurred, and took in the atmosphere and environment of early spring in Texas. Although it occurred in May, March would have to do. Unfortunately it rained 90% of the time I was back home, so pictures and would have been almost useless. The sun was shining at the time my memory had happened, and weather permitting, it will be when I begin shooting. Although no photos can aid the observer at this time, I have provided a few sketches and visual ideas of what kind of sequence I have in mind.

Video Response: Kenneth Anger's Kustom Kar Kommandos

The mood of the piece was nostalgically 1950s-esque, with strong sensual undertones. From the metallic curves of hot rod, to the white fluffy polishing cloth, even down to the female singer, singing "Dream Lover" throughout the course of the video. It had a vintage feel to it, but i think that may have just been the quality of the film, and the soundtrack coupled together. Either way, the film was intriguing to watch, and was slightly eerie to me, but i do not think that was the intention of Mr. Anger. I liked the comparison in sensuality and the automobile, almost as if the car was a woman itself.

Planning to shoot the memory piece

- I want to have a strong narration (either my own voice or the voice of someone reading words i write, as if they were me), and i want the narration to guide us through the movie, reciting the memory; not necessarily what i had written, but something along those lines.

- I want some sequences to involve real scenes, but i really want a lot of it to be a montage of imagery dealing with the subject matter, and not necessarily the people who are included in it.

- As far as sound goes, i want sound effects, but throughout, I'm considering writing and recording my own score on guitar, and through the magic of garage band, making it fit into the movie.

- Blurry, out of focus shots, i hope will emphasize the memory aspect on some scenes, but i won't over-do it.

Response: Feedback from the reading of My Manifesto

From reading my manifesto in class, the feedback i have received has led me to the following.

_ I need to refine my ideas, my beliefs, into a more distilled and commanding statement, more of a declaration of these ideas, rather than just a list under each category.

_ The class told me that the verbs and adjectives i have chosen to use in describing my work, my ideas behind that work, and even my loves and my hates are all good things to include, and that they help illustrate my point as well as indicate my passion for the things i have written down, and most importantly, the thinking behind my work.

_ I believe i should use my list of the things i love as well as the things i hate to further develop my filmmaking (including making something that uses all of the things in my love list, and also making something that uses all of the things in my hate list.) I'm learning that both lists can offer a new direction to my movies; whether it's something i add or take away, both lists could be extremely useful.

_ I should watch "Myra Breckenridge" with Sophia Loren.

_ I should challenge myself.

_ I should make something i love as well as something i hate.

_ This critique has helped immensely in the thought and consideration of my movies, but I'm still uncertain about how it will effect the outcome of my essay piece. I have ideas for how i want to shoot, and plan out some scenes, but the majority has yet to be fleshed out. One dilemma is that I'm not exactly sure how much of my characters i want to show, and how that will impact the piece as a whole. i do know however, that the use of a voice over has been a huge consideration as far as the actual telling of the events goes.

Manifesto

Loves

-Interesting, arresting, and unconventional camera angles
-Cityscapes
-Wet pavement during night sequences
-On-location shooting
-The work of Stanley Kubrick; following shots, across the room sideways
camera trucking, long distances between camera and subject(s), sterile
environments.
-Chase scenes
-Loose ends
-Characters who have the same names of the actor portraying them.
-Horror movies, westerns, mob movies, spy/James Bond movies, movies based
on historical events and novels.

Hates

-Love stories
-Lame soundtracks (strings and overly sweet scores)
-Boring, overly complex, go-nowhere plots
-Ridiculous, and complete lack for realism.
-A heightened, and saccharine sense of romance and love – see also 'love
stories'.
sound stage shooting (unless its absolutely necessary, or completely
practical.)
-sentimental chick flicks (not too sound like a complete male pig, but you
know what I'm talking about)
-An unattainably perfect and flawless character (especially as a
protagonist); humanity is important, and all characters must remain
human–thus imperfect and flawed, capable of being deceived, happy, sad,
sick, etc.

Style and Techniques in the past

-camera-following shots of main character
-sped up/time lapse footage in order to illustrate the passage of time
-shooting in a car from the windshield perspective
-hanheld shooting
-tripod shooting
-trucking on a wheeled device

Content of my past work

-single-person narrative
-documentation of the passage of time from the side of a highway, and from
a car on the actual highway itself
-how-to video
-montage of buildings, structures, attractions in Memphis
-forced human interaction

How I want my work to grow, change, transform

-I want to use more people, more often, yet I'm still drawn to the idea of
single person storytelling, but perhaps featuring others interacting with
that main character.
-in continuing with the statement above, i want more human interaction.
-i want my movies to be more and more about real life, and all the
bullshit that comes with that. (money, bills, work, school, bosses,
girlfriends, friends, family, etc.) In other words, things that we all
have to deal with.
-I want to shoot more angles, every time.
-I want my movies to be able to reach eveyone, no matter where you come
from, i want you to 'get it'.
-I want to use people in my movies that i think are not only "good for the
part" but people i like to work with and who are passionate about the
work, like i am, and who are willing to help in anyway they can.

How I want my Work to function

-I want my work to be a vehicle through which i explore and examine
various circumstances and situations most of us find ourselves in and
around throughout our lives. The familiarity of real-life events, only
with small exaggerations from time to time.
-I want people to feel like they know my characters, or could know my
characters–love them, hate them, it doesn't matter to me, as long as you
feel something while watching them.
-My work should function as a narrative, as a story, and although i wish
the work to be about real subject matter, or the events of real-life, my
movies should be an escape, a detour from harsh reality; not always taking
itself so seriously.
-With that said, humor should be a subtle device, used sparingly, and with
finesse.
-When watching my movies, i don't want people to focus on aesthetic
choices so much, as i want them to focus on the mood of the story, and the
way the characters carry that mood throughout the course of the film. Is
there feeling in the characters' eyes? What is that feeling? How does the
movie in general make you feel?

My role as a filmmaker

-To tell a story (no matter how small, out of order, complex, simple,
stupid, clever, it may be.)
-To organize real life into smaller, clean-cut pieces so that this story
can be told with relative ease.
-To communicate my feelings, thoughts, and ideas about a certain subject,
character or event; and subsequently present that to a larger audience
than myself.
-To interest, please, captivate, baffle, anger, or arrest my audience with
the things i put on screen.

Memory Essay

After a week of the bedside visits, through tears, frustration, anger, and a shifting memory of those that surrounded him, my father passed away at the age of 59 in the spring of 2003. He had been sick for eight long years, and the time we did have with him, we were more than lucky to have. But on that Tuesday, in the wee hours of the morning, my mother came into the blackness of my bedroom, and with the flip of the light switch, she bathed the room in the harsh 60 watt light that told me immediately and without any doubt, what had happened. i could hear it in her voice before i even opened my eyes to look at her standing in the doorway. As she called my name, i could hear the desperation in that voice of hers, growing shorter and closer to breaking down with each word. 

 

I sat up in bed, and when our eyes met in the still of the morning, she could hold back no more. She told me everything. He had passed no longer than thirty minutes before, and she had just got off the phone where she had heard the news. I hugged her tight, not wanting to let go for anything, and began going through my mind, the things i would have to endure in the days to come; telling my friends, dealing with the end of my sophomore year of high school, the funeral, and just coping with the immense loss that had just ripped through us. At the time i heard the news, i was too tired to cry, as was my sister. And i wouldn't until the viewing, but when i did, it came cashing down hard.

The weather was hot and balmy in the days leading up to the funeral. I had to buy a suit, because i had never owned one. What an occasion. Spring had been kind with the rain, but it would prove miserable on that friday, the day he was buried. Sitting at the burial site, we were surrounded with family and close friends my father had known since his younger days, who would pull me aside and tell me the stories of their youthful conquests and all the awful trouble they all used to get into as young men – war stories my father had been an important part of, and that these men thought i would like to hear – they were kind and respectful of him, they loved him. Older men now like my father was, they had known him in a different time. I thanked those who had taken great care of my father in his final years, and one thing i saw that day i have never forgotten. Circling the casket, flying in and around the bouquet of flowers on top of it, was a bumble bee. Trying as it might to get to the pollen that was to be had from them, at first i was annoyed at it. Maybe it was my sad state, but i thought to myself "can't you leave well enough alone?"

 

But the more i thought about it, i began to realize that maybe it was something greater than i could have ever imagined. I had heard sometime before that bumblebees were supposed to be physically incapable of flying, yet they do anyway. So i watched this creature, whose only drive in life was to get the sweet nectar of flowers zipping around the flowers on my father's casket, thinking about how even though nature had given the bumblebee an unfortunate set of circumstances that should have prevented it from doing the only thing it wants to do in life, it did it anyway. I had stopped crying just long enough to realize this, and i began to laugh to myself at the beautiful irony that nature, God, or whoever had put in front of me, and i think that's the moment i started dealing with my loss in a positive way. And all because of one bumblebee.

Quiz - lighting

1)  key light, fill light, back light

2) Back light

3) Key light

4) Fill light

EC) Atmospheric, or area light. To give the background and surrounding area around the subject,  soft light.

a) The protagonist's life goals are that of lounging, relaxation, and watching television. All of the people coming in and out of the scene will have varying relationships with the protagonist, and thus different interaction with the character himself. They're goals will also vary (friends wanting to borrow money, his girlfriend coming to pick a fight with him, friends wanting to eat his food, etc.)

b)The obstacles the protagonist has to overcome, is the constant violation of the guest/host relationship by his peers. There aren't many obstacles for the other characters and extras, just going into and out of the apartment.

c)The protagonist will overcome the objective of having rude friends through his unwavering patience, and oblivious nature throughout the story. The characters shuffling in and out of the setting, will have to interact with the protagonist however that particular character should act, given their relationship to the protagonist. And whether they're hungry, thirsty, angry, sad, happy, tired, high, etc., will determine how they behave in a living room with they're best friend.

d) The protagonist will do nothing, but flip channels, maybe appear to speak one or two words, but for the most part, just kind of sit there, zoned out in front of the tv. The characters will talk to, insult, compliment, thanks, apologize, and beg for the food/beer/hospitality of the protagonist, and will either succeed or fail.

e) The extra characters will either leave or continue to press they're luck with the protagonist, some will give up quickly, others will not. The protagonist will just keep on in the same manner as before.

f) The actors are engaged in drinking beer, smoking, shouting, moving all over the couches at times, yelling at the protagonist or another extra, yelling at the television, running around, horse-playing, etc.

Stills for location, main character to follow...

1st storyboard

Synopsis, Logline, and Genre for 'Time' project

Synopsis: For one man, the afternoon is a time for friends, trash tv, and beer. As he sits, vegetating on the couch, he encounters a number of visitors. Friends and co-workers pop in and out of his living room, and the protagonist remains unchanged and constant while those around him move by in the blur of an hour. They constantly change through the course of the story, as well as details in his environment, yet his unmoving and relatively unmotivated demeanor illustrates the time honored practice of passing, and killing of time.

Logline: It's a story about time we spend with our friends, and the impact (or lack their of), those people have on our lives, our afternoons, and our life. 

Genre: Drama, Dark Comedy, Stoner Movie.

Response to the film: Meshes of the Afternoon

Mirrors, reflections and the repetition of actions and the self are some of the main tropes throughout Maya Deren's film. A dislocation of the self, takes us out of the normal stereotypical and linear narrative, and i find that to be interesting and continuously engaging. Disorientation such as this, as well as through the cinematography (i.e., the tilting of the camera in order to disorient and alter the perspective of rooms, hallways and door frames) works to distance the viewer from standard time and space, and from standard "point A to point B" filmmaking. "The Gaze" is also prominent in this, and is also disrupted, or at times even enhanced by mirrors, and the reflections shown through these mirrors, in one piece, or many.

Outline - 3 ideas for capturing passage of 1 hour

For these ideas, I have considered cross dissolves and the integral device to show passage of time, however, i have also considered jump cuts, in order to show change in a more abrupt and clear manner...

1) Either a popsicle or ice melting in a glass in a hot room. Maybe on a table or on the counter of a kitchen, but a place where the room temperature is higher than average. 

This is a simple idea, but with the help of consistent and equally spaced jump cuts, wide angles, tight angles and multiple viewpoints, the passage of time will be illustrated and documented by this one, single glass, the ice inside of it. And the only noticeable progression in time, will be the ice itself, melting and succumbing to the constant, unforgiving movement through 60 minutes.

2) The movement of cars in front of a gas station or supermarket, a place where people spend a considerable amount of time, but also where the vehicles and their owners will be consistently changing within an hour.

I would like to focus one person, object, or spot in the gas station or grocery store, in order to better illustrate the contrast between the moving, and unmoving throughout the course of one of the busiest hours of the weekday (5-6 p.m.). With all other things moving around this one specified element, one will be able to see time in the form of the rush of people during this hour.

3) A view of the sleeze and slime around lunchtime, or another busy space of time (dinner?), but a crowded place such as this, to illustrate the passage of an hour and the coming and going of students and faculty.

Again, the focus here would be on one person, sitting with multiple people throughgout the hour in the cafeteria, restaurant, cafe, bar, whatever. With the interaction of people together, I'm hoping that the feel of the video will move from one end of the spectrum of crowded to deserted, and that the one person, although not always alone throughout, is unchanged, and unmoved, as others pass through in that one hour.

Critique Questions

Material Choices or Processes:

Paper, Micron Pen - held up to the iSight camera for about 16 seconds.

Your Conceptual Processes:

Not heavily conceptual, but rather more informative and straightforward than anything. I couldn't come up with much useful and understandable symbolism for my sentence, and the words i had chosen, and i wanted to get my point across clearly.

What you want to communicate through your piece:

I want to express my ideas behind good filmmaking, according to my own opinion. And specifically the emphasis and importance i put behind my movies, and ideas i have for scenes, shots, etc. The sentence i chose to write, i feel, illustrates just that, and whether you agree with it or you don't, at least you read it.

Is this your first try, or were there other attempts made?

The first attempt had the four words i chose on separate pieces of a different kind of paper then the sentence, but i felt that this took away from my message and the simplicity of the statement, so i stuck with just the sentence.

Are those attempts in the final work, or are they erased?

They're erased, but i really think it's for the better.

Quiz #1

1. Mise-en-scene are the elements which comprise a scene in cinema. Such as background, lighting, position of subject, costumes, and scenery.

2. A (scene) in cinema, is a sophisticated and structured interaction between a character or multiple characters, action, and dialogue, and can be made up of many different (shots), which are continuous and uninterrupted sequences of one part of the scene.

3. Editing is the cutting, pasting, and final arrangement of a collection of filmed scenes and sequences, which are carefully 'cut' in order to tell the story as it was originally intended.

3 transitions:

-Dissolve

-Pan Away

-Cheat Cut

By Any Means Necessary

4 words

 - character building

 - experimental 

 - narrative

 - cinematography

"Experimental film may be able to utilize the elements of narrative and character building, but must rely on the adventurousness of cinematography."

Freewriting

I'm partly interested in the continuation of some of my ideas and practices from last semester. Where as i focused on city life and the passage of time (some instances were narrative, others not so much), this semester will bring about perhaps a deeper exploration into the elements of a narrative, namely character building and interaction, with or without dialogue, because dialogue is truthfully the least of my concerns as a filmmaker. I believe enough can be communicated by body language, mood, setting, and even camerawork, without having to hear people bitch and moan along scripted lines.

And speaking of camera work, my love of cinematography will be further emphasized and developed this semester. Having a few directors whom i admire for their unconventional camera work, i intend to broaden that list and view things that have either changed, broken or set new rules in classic and contemporary filmmaking. Some might say the word "experimental" could describe breaking this ground, we will see.

Ideas for this semester's films

- documenting the homeless
- housing in Memphis (from the projects to the burbs)
- one to two person narrative (not certain of specifics)
- trapped in a bathroom (from a short story i wrote)
- zombie movie (with special fx)

Response and Reaction to Inaugural Coverage

This week's Inauguration and the super-saturated media coverage of the event made it difficult to miss for just about anyone (unless you happen to not own or watch a television). The event was, to say the least, historic and monumental. And this, to me, was not necessarily just due to the election of the nation's first African American president, but rather it found many Americans (whatever their ethnicity or social background) together, in one place, all looking forward to the bright new future ahead of them.
And for the first time in a long time, after 8 long years of idiocy, ignorance, and deceit, I felt as if we the people that day were able to take a collective breath, a sigh of relief as a much-needed changing of the guard unfolded before our eyes. And it is with confidence that i say that this day was perhaps the first in almost a decade that utter hope and wide-eyed optimism were both rampant and contagious. A feeling that I'm not even certain I have felt in the span of the three administrations i have seen in my short life.
However, because MLK day was observed on the previous day, many correspondents were persistent in bringing up the names of those who had fought almost fifty years ago for the cause of civil rights, and many also kept begging the bigger and more difficult question: "Do you think Martin Luther King's dream has been fulfilled with the election of the first African American President?"
This question by itself is flawed, and the mere fact that news anchors and on-location reporters kept referring to the incoming American President with the prefix, "First African..." is problematic when simultaneously talking about the ideals and hopes of Dr. King, who's dream included first and foremost, the notion of equality. This issue stuck with me for the better part of the day, and made the news affiliates who insisted upon the title of First African American President look like fools.