Stress

It seems like the schedule developed for our short film projects has been abandoned for chaos. Authority has completely slipped away. People come and go as they please. Students turn in work with specific due dates anytime they wish. Film groups sit around doing nothing and wasting time and end up keeping a camera twice as long as suggested to create the necessary shots. I have already been through the filming process, and I do not see where the other groups are getting all of their confusion and scheduling problems. Perhaps they believe that this project, like the online assignments, can be finished whenever it’s convenient. We were only able to shoot for two days, but we were still able to shoot more film than we can probably use. Most people may read this and wonder why I really care. It would seem that the things other groups do will have little direct effect on me, but in a class of that size, confusion reigns. We finished shooting two weeks ago, and we have still been unable to digitize the film we created, because the other groups decide to ignore the clearly outlines rules and not show up to class with the camera we all need. What gives them the right to decide that they just aren’t going to come to class? Shouldn’t there be some kind of repercussion for such things? I’ve never realized how frustrating and unrewarding it is to rely on other people. When it comes down to it, you realize that others don’t give a damn whether their actions negatively affect the goals of others. I hope I can somehow manage to make it through my college life without ending up in another class in which I must so heavily interact with and rely on my peers.

That's a Wrap

So this past week, me and my group finally got our hands on one of those fancy cameras and began to shoot our little masterpiece. That initial excitement that comes from finally partaking in the action you’ve spent all your time thinking about for the past few weeks didn’t last quite as long as I thought it would. It’s hard to describe to people just how stressful and time consuming shooting films can be. Because of the scheduling issues within my group, we were only able to shoot three days total I think. In those three days, I only shot close to an hour of film. That’s doesn’t seem like much of an accomplishment, but many people don’t realize the time it takes to sit up each shot visually, and the run-throughs it takes to ensure that the scene goes off without a hitch when the recording process begins.

I think I’m luckier than the other cameramen in my class in the fact that I was under the control of a director that, for the most part, took care of all the behind the scenes casting and preparations, and knew exactly what he wanted each shot to look like. I felt kind of useless on set and, for the first time in my life, I didn’t really mind. It was kind of nice to not have to worry about anything but pressing the start and stop buttons on the recorder and hauling the equipment around.

There were several instances where the lighting on location didn’t really work for the shot. I was surprised that the camera will only achieve a relatively small level of brightness. Even with the onset lighting we brought with us, I spent a lot of time turning dials and flipping switches just to get the shot bright enough to see what was actually going on. I hope that the people who edit the film can find a way to brighten the scenes a little more.

Going into this project, my only worry came from the fact that we, as honors students, are used to getting our way. The thought of making something from scratch with a group of kids seemed to foreshadow lots of conflict and strife. For the most part, however, my little group was able to put our egos aside and create something that is both a reflection of our unique personalities and completely independent from them. We reached precisely that level of conflict necessary to develop key details and make the plot-line both fluid and to the point. Overall, the process was pretty stressful and left me feeling like I’d just sprinted a long race, but, now that it’s over, I’m proud of the accomplishments we made through it all.

Adaptation

In last week’s class meeting, we screened the film Adaptation. After a rough couple of days leading up to the first of April, I wasn’t really excited about the thought of sitting in a room for hours watching a film. I hovered towards the back like the other slackers do and tried to blend in with the crowd to the point where few would remember seeing me there at all.

The opening monologue of the film was one of the first stream of consciousness scenes that I can remember. I thought that it was definitely longer than it should have been and seemed to be the ramblings of someone who had lost touch with the real world. Donna said she tried to save the best for last, but I must admit, for the first 5-10 minutes of this work, I was ready to run for the doors. Anyone that knows me could tell you that I am far from the world’s most patient person, and when I am as run down physically and emotionally as I was that night, I don’t care for movies that are confusing, or take a long time to develop cohesion and comprehension.

For the longest time, I could not tell you who had written the Orchid Thief. Looking back on it now, it seems rather foolish, but I simply could not figure out what exactly Cage’s character was attempting to do. At first, it seemed as though he was simply trying to write a book. The way that the story of the work was recounted visually made it seem like he was reporting on some events that had occurred in the past. I’m still not quite sure whether the movie was just confusing, or whether I was fighting my impending unconsciousness. It all became clear in the end though.

I rather enjoyed the scenes with the toothless man. Forgive my inability to remember character names. I think I liked that character so much because, in a way, he is much like I am. We both have a unique way of looking at the world that, in most cases, leaves people thinking we’re complete assholes when all is said and done. I don’t know what it is about me or him that seems to bother people so much, but I definitely admire his individuality.

Looking back at the film overall, I’m not quite sure whether I have completely unraveled what exactly took place. I am aware that some of the scenes did not actually occur and that the timeline was rather out of order. There are just some films that you have to screen a few times to gain complete understanding. I enjoyed the film overall, and I would rather enjoy sitting through it again.