This Is So Over

I just finished writing my film journal for our final project. It was basically a recap of this blog. How interesting? Last week in class we waited around for a while to have our captured film digitized-whatever that means. Now I'm just waiting for Austin to finish up on the editing so I can go to town with the sound. I'm really not sure what has to be done with sound. I know i'll have to take sound out of a few parts, but there's really only one or two sounds that need to be plugged in. Easy enough. I need to find those sounds, though. Boo. Not much else to share, really. I'm ready to have all of this done and over.

So, Next Week, Then?

Today marks the third week of attempted filming for group 5. Hooray? Let's take a walk down film making dilemma memory lane shall we?

1) Where's the camera?
2) Where's the camera?!
3) You have to be where on Monday? I have class then. How about yesterday at 2pm?...scheduling...
4) Charge that battery
5) Hmm. No tape? No Eric? No filming?
6) Let's schedule again

Aaand tomorrow marks day one of (successful?) filming. I think I've passed the point of frantic stress into the realm of apathetic filmmaking. I really don't care anymore. I don't feel like our setbacks have really been our fault. I blame it on poor syllabus scheduling, lack of respect from other teams, and poor communication from authority. This is really a terrible time for any of us to be running around town filming each other. I should be locked in a study room soaking up physics formulas.

Also, now that we're not having lecture anymore I'm wondering what the heck I'm supposed to be writing about. Our "film journals" are practically asking the same thing of us as these blogs. It's so redundant. I think I might just copy and paste from my blog.

I'm really looking forward to sitting in the Ethnography lab on the Monday and Tuesday of finals week. Can't wait! NOT.

Also, I've been promoted (thanks?) from sound techy to light operator and prop master.

And Then We Left...

Last week we signed a piece of paper that was posted on the door in order to account for our presence at the non-existant class. I signed. I was there. I'm not even sure if we're supposed to post for last week, so this oughtta be quick...

Group five gathered and got down to the nitty gritty with our filming junk. We were supposed to have gotten the camera that night, but AMAZINGLY we didn't get it until six days later. And it was without a tape. Which means... no filming until NEXT week. Two of the past three days I've had to reschedule because of the mix up. I'm so ready to not think about this dumb project anymore.

I wish we'd been able to start this project at the beginning of the semester rather than 5 weeks before it ends. I have finals to study for. I don't need to be creating sounds for something that has no effect on my future except for one A.

Don't Disect It

This year is wrapping up, friends. Class from here on out isn't really even class. It's let's-get-together-and-pretend-to-talk-about-our-film-while-we-really-stare-at-our-watches-until-it's-close-enough-to-time-that-we-can-sneak-out-without-being-wiley-college-kids. Three hours is waaaaaaaaaay to long to do anything, let alone talk about our movie we're eventually going to make. I guess if we were one of the first groups it would be beneficial. We would be able to use our class time and time already alotted to being together to start editing things. That'd be really nice. I'm dreading taking extra time out of my schedule, especially so close to finals, to make a silly movie.

We watched Adaptation this week. I'm completely undecided about it. At first, I thought,"Wow. This is pretty good. A close second to Singin' in the Rain." But, by the end of it I wasn't so sure. It was fairly entertaining at points. Others, I once again felt really uncomfortable and grossed out. Why, OH WHY, does there have to be nudity/raunchy sex/masturbation in everything we watch? It does nothing for the film. Blow Out, Adaptation, and The Player would have expressed the exact same thing had they not had any obscenity.

Nicholas Cage did a good job. An acting job nothing close to that in National Treasure, but certainly better than that awful skeleton motorcycle movie. EEW. What a terrible mistake that was, Nick. Meryl Streep was as good as ever. I bet she's honors material. She seems too smart for her britches. The toothless guy was pretty legit too, it seems like he always manages to make me laugh.

We always talk about the geniuses behind these movies that we watch. We talk about all of this deep stuff that the directors/screenwriters plan far in advance that have some deeper meaning. For example, this week Camille (not knocking you, Camille) suggested that Nicholas Cage's constant fantasizing/masturbating was as outward expression of not being able to fulfill anything inwardly. Sure, it makes sense. But what if he just did it because it's part of his daily routine? My point is, I don't think everything has some secret meaning. Sometimes it drives me absolutely nuts when we try to find a point or a reason or an explanation for everything. Can't we just relax, be brainless, and enjoy?

Looked at next Fall's honors junior seminar options....definitely NOT taking the film class that's being offered. I think I'll stick to organic things.