Let's see. This week is the most psychotically stressful week in my college career. I can currently think of little else beside projectile motion, free falling objects, diabetes, how to explain marathon training in spanish, and how I'm going to surely fail life by Friday. The gears and turbines of my mind have iced over-thanks soggy, wintery weather-and I can't seem to find my de-icing fluid. All that to say, I'm hoping that a stream of consciousness approach will be the key to my success with this week's blog post.
What methods from the past few class periods do I believe I might be able to pull off in my short film? Well, I suppose that mostly depends on what we make our film about. A romantic film would certainly use different techniques than a slasher film. There are, of course, a few that I'm interested in doing, but am intimidated by.
#1 I really want to make a talking transition. I was so impressed by Orson Welles's Citizen Kane. The scene that ages Kane and his wife in what seemed like one swoop blew my mind. I'm especially impressed after experiencing firsthand just how crafty you have to be to create a legit, smooth, flawless transition. I'm not sure I was fully satisfied with any of my transitions in my boxed film project. They were either corny-like a powerpoint, or awful and obvious. I have an inkling of an idea how this could be achieved, but in reality I'm like a blind mouse in the dark. I don't know what the heck I'm doing.
#2 I'd also really like to have a few shots where the depth of field is HUGE. I love shots, like in Sunset Boulevard, where you can see foreground as well as background action. I'm imagining a sort of melodramatic situation where a character comes walking up from a long way away, all the while viewers being able to clearly distinguish who the character is....leading to a "Oh Barbara Bush's brassiere, HERE HE COMES!!!" gut wrenching reaction.
#3 Eric said that the rule of thirds and the 180 degree rule were just rules of thumb to keep images balanced and viewers clear as to what action is taking place. I really want to break these molds and deliberately NOT follow these rules. I'm not sure if I'd like the finished result, but I'd at least like to try it out. I think it would make for an interesting, iconic sort of film. Who doesn't want to stand out now and again?
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I was also considering working with a large depth of space. I really enjoyed in in Citizen Kane. It looks sharp and clear. When I first saw a clip from this film it was the first thing I noticed (though I didn't know the technical term for it at the time). The only problem with this technique is that it will probably take a more advanced camera than we currently have access to. But we can always try.
ReplyDeleteThat transition is miraculous. So simple -- it just took the idea to think of it, and the chutzpah to pull it off.
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