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Me and Acting? Not Compatible…
Hey, everyone! So I guess my previous blog wasn’t the “official” last one. This blog post is, however, the final one (I’m not joking…sad I know). When I found out our final was to create our own film, my mind was thinking “YES! No Exam.” I remember last year I made a movie with some friends on the book The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka for my English Literature class. To be creative our group decided to make a parody of the book and it worked! Knowing the amount of fun I had making this movie made me twice as excited to form another film for the play Inhabited. Frankly, I found Garces’ Inhabited to be quite mysterious and full of suspense when I read it the first time. I was thinking, “What on earth is going on in this play?” Furthermore, the name of the characters were interesting, as well. “I mean who calls themselves Spider, seriously?” (yes, I’m quoting from the play, hehe).When we first worked on the film we definitely had some issues in the beginning. For example, since most of the characters used profanity in the play I thought that I should not include myself in the film, since I do not have an affinity for such language. Nevertheless, I discovered that neither Chris nor Kel cursed, so I decided to become Kel. I’m glad I found some way to be in the film! Now let me go into some specifics of our film process.
After we completed our filming for the play, I thought that this definitely wasn’t an easy task. The amount of work we put into making this movie was far greater than the first movie I made. Fortunately, all my group members and I had many chances to meet due to our similar schedules. Subsequent to finishing this film, I gained a greater appreciation for the film-making industry. The tremendous amount of lines these movie stars have to memorize, the repetitive actions performed, and their effort to make the movie as perfect as possible is truly remarkable. Memorizing lines is definitely not a simple task. I recall how many start overs we had to do to just get one scene right. Also, it was tough getting the appropriate camera angles and a lot of change of position was involved. Good news was, we found a friend of ours, whose name is Luis Vega, to play the role of Spider. We think he did an AWESOME job! Thank you, Louis for your kind help! I really enjoyed the amount of passion Luis, Rawan, and Aamir put into the roles of their characters. I don’t know how to act, but I tried my best. Me and acting don’t go together, haha. Thanks to Rui Yan, we were successfully able to edit the film and fortunately we had my dorm for the setting of the film. I feel that the only thing I disliked about the film process was memorizing the lines. Even though the lines for this play were rather short, I remember the trouble Aamir and Rawan had to get their lines perfectly. Even the small lines can be tricky to memorize. Otherwise, I think that the film making project was full of fun and laughter, especially when we made mistakes. Good times. I enjoyed every aspect of it and this project gave me an opportunity to get closer to some of my fellow Macaulay classmates.
For me, the film held much significance because it embodied the indefatigable effort we put into making the film successful. In addition, we were able to incorporate the black and white scenes well thanks to Tsai Shiou’s generous help. This film taught me to think more creatively and utilize my camera better. Moreover, I didn’t know how difficult it would be to find a suitable soundtrack for this film. Took forever! Some music sounded soooo creeepy, some just plain bad, and others just didn’t hit the mark. We tried to find the kind of music that would set the mood for the film. Also, I loved Rui Yan’s actual tenement shots she took for our film because it made the setting seem more realistic. I believe that bonding more closely with my friends during this project was my favorite part. We learned more about each other and had some hilarious bloopers, which made this project really enjoyable. Yes, a lot of work is involved in making a movie, but there is also a lot of FUN! If you put the time and effort into something, the results will be good. Our group knew a lot of work was required and I’m glad we started immediately. Honestly, I really had a wonderful time working with my group and am very grateful to Ms. Healey for letting us do this film. Through this project I gained much insight about the film-industry and will always keep in mind how much work anyone committed to theater and drama has to do. Now that our film is complete, I can’t wait to watch the masterpieces my other peers have produced 😀
Multimedia Project Guidelines
HONORS 125 FALL 2011 HEALEY
MULTIMEDIA FINAL PROJECT ASSIGNMENT AND GUIDELINES
In this project you will be the artist, and decide what role/roles you think your piece should attempt- Social Critic? Preserving your culture? Political Voice? You will use the play text material to create an original film. You will work in groups of four, and you will be evaluated for your work as a group and as an individual for your specific role within the group.
PART I: FILM/THEATER COMPONENT
Using the play text as your script, you must create a short film of the source material. Each of the group members should take on one of the assigned roles:
- Director– Acts as director of the film, works with the designer to choose a palette and artistic scheme for the film, works with the Dramaturg to turn the source material into a screenplay, chooses the shots with the Cinematographer.
- Production Designer– Chooses locations for the film, leads the group in putting together costumes and props, leads the group in transforming whatever space or spaces you choose for your film, works with Director to choose an aesthetic for the piece, helps cinematographer to choose shots at the location, does visual research to supplement the Dramaturg.
- Cinematographer– The person who will be responsible for shooting the footage (meaning they will control the camera during the shoot, this is a good role if you do not want to perform in the film), this person will lead the editing of the film, works with the director to transform the storyboard of the film into life, works with the designer to create the film’s aesthetic, works with the Dramaturg to create the script.
- Dramaturg– This person does research on the background information for the script, works with the Designer to choose visual research, works with the Director to help shape the script, is the primary force in shaping the script into a screenplay.
COMPONENTS OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
- 1. CHOOSE YOUR GROUP
- Choosing your group is an important part of the assignment. The best groups will not just be friends joining together, you should try to be in a group with individuals who balance each others strengths and weaknesses.
- Once your group is chosen, assign roles within the group. If more than one person wants a role, try compromise or discussion, and if that fails try taking a vote. If you cannot come to an agreement then I will help you to decide.
- 2. READ YOUR SOURCE MATERIAL
You have been given a 10-minute play called inhabited* by Michael John Garcés. You may not change the dialogue as it is written in the play, but you should brainstorm with your team about how to interpret the material and turn it into a screenplay.
*PLEASE NOTE: This is an unpublished work, which we are using for free with the permission of the author. You are not to share this script with people outside this class, and we do not have permission to perform it OUTSIDE of class without paying royalties to the author. Please respect these principles of intellectual property and use the script only for the purposes of the project.
- 3. SCRIPT and STORYBOARD
- Your script and your storyboard are the first part of your project, and they are DUE ON 11/28. These are group components, so you need to work on them together, and you need to divide up the work equally. The script should be reformulated as a screenplay, and then it should be laid out visually as a storyboard.
i. STORYBOARDS
- Your storyboard is almost like a comic book or graphic novel, laying out the shots and the story visually so that you can all look at and agree to your plan of action. You don’t need to lay out every single moment of the film, just the major action.
- Your storyboard can be hand drawn, created through photography, animated, or created on photoshop. Examine the skills of those in your group to determine the best method. Make sure that you all participate in creating the storyboard, in one way or another. For example, someone who likes to draw could draw the plates, someone else could photoshop them, someone else could take location photos to add to the storyboard, and another person can make sure that they follow the script.
- You will be asked to specify each person’s role in the creation of the storyboard.
- You may find that your finished film is different than your storyboard, and this is okay. Part of the creative process is discovering that what you thought would work doesn’t and adjusting to that process.
- 4. CASTING AND SHOOTING YOUR FILM
- You will receive feedback on your storyboard, and then you can start shooting your film.
- Make sure that you work out your shooting schedule and scout your locations in advance. You do not need to wait for storyboard feedback to cast and arrange your location or to start shooting the film.
- You can cast other people in your film who are not group members. At least 2 group members must appear in some way in the film.
- You are allowed to have an animated film, or to use puppets to create the film if you choose.
- There must be some sort of music in your film. It does not have to be a soundtrack.
- You can have the same people play multiple roles, or you can find other people to be in the film. Make sure you think about this when choosing your project and brainstorming your concept.
- You are not being judged on the acting ability of your performers, I will be mostly interested in the overall quality of the ideas and the originality and clarity of the expression.
- Make sure that if you need Tsai Shiou to assist you in learning how to edit the footage on your Mac that you make a meeting with her ahead of time. Please don’t ALL start asking her the week before finals or she will not be able to help you. Working with her and experimenting with iMovie or other programs can be done well in advance.
- You can also choose to shoot your movie in one continuous shot, if that is the easiest method based on the skills in your group. IF you do this, you’ll have to be creative and think of other ways to create movement and interest in your film.
- 5. FINISHING YOUR FILM
- The finished films will be presented on the date and time of our final exam in our usual classroom
- We need at least one group member to have a copy of the film on their Mac, as well as the cable that connects your Mac to the smartpodium so that we can view your film. Again, check with Tsai Shiou to make sure you have the right set up or to test your film in advance.
- I would be happy to watch early cuts of the film and give feedback on the film. This should be a good incentive to get it done early.
- Your film will be given one grade for the whole group.
- Make sure your film is done at least a week in advance so you have time to look it over and tweak it.
- f. If you do not have a copy of your film at the exam you will receive a 0 grade.
PART II: DOCUMENTING YOUR FILM
- Each group member should document the filmmaking process through photos. Take behind the scenes photos of your shoot, and the work you did creating the film. This is the second component of the project and will be graded individually. Please burn these photos to a CD or flashdrive expressly for this purpose. It will be handed in at the final exam.
PART III: BLOG! OF COURSE!
- Create either a verbal or a video blog where you discuss your feelings about the filmmaking process. This is ONE blog, not a series, and it should sum up what you liked and didn’t like about your experience. What did the film mean to you? What was the most difficult task? What was your favorite moment in the process? You can post this on your blog under the heading “FINAL PROJECT BLOG” This must be posted before the start of the exam.
GRADING GUIDELINES:
FILM- 50 pts.
STORYBOARD- 20 PTS.
PARTICIPATION IN YOUR GROUP- 15 PTS.
DOCUMENTING YOUR FILM- 10 PTS.
FINAL BLOG- 5 PTS.
Your multimedia project is 20% of your FINAL grade in this course
