As we were coming toward our extensive period of pre-production within Echoes of Silence, we began making arrangements to kickstart the practical side of our production. One way I have figured that I like to work is by getting test shoots in as early as possible. In the past this has greatly benefitted every area of the film and more importantly every crew member. For myself it gives me a fantastic overview and allows me to see what went wrong and what went right well in advance of the actual shoot. I then have time to rectify these issues with the crew. It's also very good for the crew as academic evidence of their learning experience, something that we all have to provide evidence of as students. Unfortunately test shooting seems to be an uncommon practice amongst students, whether that comes down to lack of commitment or motivation, all I know from experience is that they're essential if you want to make the best film you can.
We didn't have long between the test shoot and the actual shoot, maybe a week or so, and I knew this which is why I started to hurry things up. We grabbed the equipment and with the help of a few of our course mates we headed to location. As we go through this discussion, I will bring up retrospective mistakes. Our first being, we didn't take enough equipment. We took the cameras and grip equipment such as tripods and sliders, but neglected the red heads. This wasn't too much of a problem because the result I wanted was a skeleton edit which we still managed, but the lighting is non-existent. The images are very flat without any sort of lighting technique behind them, but on the plus side myself and the cinematographer had a week to look over each shot in depth and create floor plans for the lights. Another mistake I made as a director was that although I got the blocking of the scene right by communicating the markers to the subject within this test shoot, I didn't get real movement or a real performance. It's hard to gage what you're envisioning when you separate the two. I would not have asked the subject to give an oscar worthy performance, only in the future if I conduct such a test again I will require a real sense of authenticity, not only for technical reasons such as where to place the camera but for allowing me to see what freedom the actor may have to break those boundaries.
To conclude despite the nit-picking of the flaws, the test shoot went very well. I will use this as a platform for improvement in every way by communicating the flaws to the crew and working on positive solutions like we always do.
Last week I visited Paris, where I spent a lot of time wandering the immaculate art galleries and pondering the magnificence that many an artist has left behind as their legacy. As a filmmaker I have always understood the importance of artistic influence, and I have always tried to incorporate that into my own work. I'm very open about this process, and in past projects I have discussed the influence of directorial styles and authorship over my own creative process. One of the things that I have not touched upon as much as I would have liked to is the influence of classical art forms; such as Renaissance and impressionist. In this post I will be taking the opportunity to do so. I'd like to think Echoes of Silence will exhibit a wide range of art styles that pay homage to the artists who have impacted my thought process in a thought-provoking way. The only way I feel like I can accomplish this is through the visual medium. I am of the belief that words do art very little justice at all. The first gallery I visited in Paris was musee de l'orangerie. The upper floor exhibits the work of Claude Monet, whom was commissioned to create a series of paintings with the purpose of exhibiting them in that very building. This was an entirely new concept to me. From my travels in Europe, from Rome to Florence, and from Prague to Budapest, I was used to viewing art that had been collected and sought after. Places such as Galleria Borghese in Rome, a villa displaying the collected works of renowned Italian artists such as Caravaggio, amongst other famous pieces collected over many years. Musee de l'orangerie is therefore made interesting conceptually, as it lends itself to the wish of the artist, Monet, who stated that the space in which these paintings would be displayed would act as a 'meditative' space for individuals. It did just that. The room was silent as people sauntered from one end of the painting to the other which are at least 20 feet long, admiring the immense details Monet went to in capturing the soothing essence of nature. The interwoven greens and blues are something I wish to achieve within the imagery of Echoes of Silence. As the film opens with the main character of Julian seated beneath the cover of trees, I imagine the meditative feeling that existed within that gallery space. The colours tell the story of nature. Of rebirth, beauty and creation. The overshadowing prominence of themes to come.
The next museum I visited is in close proximity to musee de l'orangerie, named musee d'orsay, which is home to the works of Vincent Van Gogh. Musee d'orsay is very popular at present, as it is the temporary home of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. The museum also displays a vast collection of impressionist and neo-impressionist works with more Monet on show. The museum is divided into sections down a main strip which is home to statues and stonework, which branch out into side rooms filled with paintings. Musee d'orsay opened my eyes to a lot of styles which I was not aware of, or just happened to remain impartial to. One of the main things I took away from my visit is how precisely statues can tell a story through composition. Statue sculpting is an ancient tradition amongst many cultures throughout the world and has been for thousands of years. The statue sculpting displayed throughout the musee d'orsay is that of refined status mostly from the 1600 through to the 1800s. To give a bit more context, it is at this point that artists began to frequently use statues as a form of expression. Michelangelo's David for example, which stands in Florence, and the countless relics made by devotees to Michelangelo which stand in the Vatican museums of Rome, paying homage to the legendary statue of David. Getting back on track, the point I'm making is that the importance of these revolutionizing artistic techniques cannot go ignored, and in exploring these statues physically allows me as a director to envision my characters and compositions in relation to the stories that a particular statue may tell. This statue in particular struck me in how it seemed to deftly portray the concept of burden, and being weighed down by another person. Thematically, this comes very close to what I aim to portray in a certain scene in Echoes of Silence. I pictured this statue as a reference point to come back to. This sculpture is known as L’Âge Mûr from artist Camille Claudel in 1897.
There were many examples of statues within the vicinity that struck me visually and told stories of their own. Below are some more examples of the particular ones that were of interest to me, and helped me have a greater understanding of my own process in visualizing the composition within my own film. The composition and placement of characters within statues is of utmost importance in how we come to understand the interpersonal relationships between the characters, exactly the same as characters who are on screen. This sculpture is known as Edipe à Colone by Jean Hugues in 1890.
This sculpture is known as Monument à Jean-Jaqcues Rousseau by Albert Bartholome in 1910.
Going back to the beginning of this post where I discussed the importance of physical art in capturing the imagination and attention of an individual thus creating creative influence. In the past I have often focused on outlining and discussing in great depth how particular filmmakers have influenced me through auteurship and stylistic choice. At this point I'm attempting to go further in understanding how those filmmakers were influenced themselves. In summary I'm trying to find and understand the root of creativity, which for me almost always resides in inspiration and the love of what came before. When I think of my favourite filmmakers, whom again, I have discussed many times over. Such as; Wong Kar Wai, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Terrence Malick, Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese and many many more. All of the above have a distinct voice, and in their own ways changed the cinematic structure through their work. Looking at their visual styles and their thematic structure, most of what they do comes from previous art movements or individual artists. The films of Wong Kar Wai are heavily influenced by the Japanese woodblock prints, an artistic technique originating in Japan which placed heavy emphasis on time and space within composition. Often a woodblock print would provide the viewer with multiple frames inside of one another, something which Wong Kar Wai is renowned for. Martin Scorsese, an extremely popular and critically acclaimed Western director on the other hand, has confessed his love of the baroque style. This influence can be found in his early works such as Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, which make use of bold dark colours flooding the image with the dark themes shared in Renaissance paintings by the likes of Caravaggio.
This week I had some thinking to do and some discussing to do with my producing partner between the two projects, Echoes of Silence and Trick of the Dark. This year is quite unique in the sense that we have never before seen the structure of the crews that have emerged for Final Major Project. Usually there is a director, then a producer, and those roles were mutually exclusive. Seemingly, our year group as a collective have upset the status quo in the past year or so, with some of us being attached to the projects of other year groups either lower or higher as 'co-producers'. This job title caught on, and in the pitch process of the current FMP module we took this even further. Instead of sticking to the previously noted system of 'one director, one producer' we instead changed this so that each director also took on the role of the sole producer. However, at the same time we found ourselves attached to other projects as 'co-producer'. From the off we had to establish the responsibilities that each role would have and that would ultimately decide the dynamic of the role. So, I myself am directing and producing Echoes of Silence. I am co-producer of Trick of the Dark. The director of Trick of the Dark is co-producer on Echoes of Silence also. As both projects have recently been green lit and are set to go ahead with pre-production and filming within the coming months, we had to iron out any confusion. This was for numerous reasons, the first being that any confusion regarding contacting actors, locations would negatively impact the creative process of filmmaking. Those kinds of hiccups cause major set backs, as we have found out in the past. The second reason being that establishing our roles would greater contribute to our academic learning and allowed us to reach our learning outcomes which we set ourselves at the start of the module. So we each sat down as both directors and producers of our own projects, and co-producers of each others, and established the duties of the role. We agreed amongst ourselves, and through discussion with the other co-producers within our group, that the main producers (also directors) must work toward shoot organisation. This includes finding the locations and the actors, and confirming dates for shoots. The co-producer will then produce the shoot on set. The role of the co-producer here being to keep the shoot on track, understanding the context of the shoot, overseeing the needs of the cast and crew in terms of comfortability/health and safety, and also filling in all of the production logs and necessary 'on set' paperwork e.g. acting release forms.
This week my project(s) for Final Major Project were green lit. The main focus of mine is Echoes of Silence, a passion project of mine which I have actively pursued creating since the beginning of level 6 back in September. Since that point, I have dipped in and out of both the conceptual and screenwriting processes of bringing the film to life. The first draft of the script was completed in November, which was then sent out for feedback in time for the pitching process in January. Based on all I have just discussed, it is clear that I set a long term goal for myself. This was an intention of mine, as I wanted to really push myself and test my capabilities over a long period time in the filmmaking process. I have set out on this project to push myself as a director and to take a risk in doing so. This post will be dedicated to the decision making process around why I want to make this film, how I want it to be and what this will mean for my future. The first point to make is that Echoes of Silence will be an evolutionary step in the process of me becoming a director, just as Alice and Nemesis (my previous films at CCAD, 2016 & 2017) were in the past. The only way I can ever see myself becoming a director is if I accept the need for improvement and change. I have learned in my time as a student that you can learn from mistakes even if they aren't your own. I have witnessed people stay in the same place, and in acting from a comfort zone they cease to improve. I want to go against this, even if it means risking a film falling apart due to the size and scale of the production. Echoes of Silence will hopefully be testament to all I have just said, acting as a platform for artistic growth. If I am to envision myself directing in the future, the only way to prepare in my eyes is to present myself with challenges. I also feel that if we collectively get Echoes of Silence right in our individual areas, this can be a calling card for our careers. Now that we have a talented crew behind the film, we can push for awards and recognition. That can benefit us in the long run, having numerous accolades behind us that display our work ethic and talent. The next few months are going to be incredibly difficult for everyone involved, but it is a challenge we must all face head on if we are going to make this film a success. As both Producer and Director I take full responsibility for the film and in doing so I hope to inspire the crew and keep the production thoroughly organised. Echoes of Silence means a lot for my future as a filmmaker. This is a chance for me to both establish my skill and technique, but more importantly to establish my potential to future employers. I want Echoes of Silence to be the film that wins the crew awards and gets us attention. I hope to apply for a MA degree after I finish my degree at CCAD, and I'd like Echoes of Silence to be testament to my work at degree level and my growth as a director.
This is my first post in regard to my next film project; Echoes of Silence. So early on in the pre-production stages my attention has taken me to the theoretical and conceptual study of acting, and more specifically, directing the actor. In my previous experience as a director, knowledge and understanding within this area has admittedly eluded me. My attitude was very much a stand-off-ish one, simply believing that the actor had their duty to act, and mine was to direct, and to see to all the technical aspects of production. As Echoes of Silence is in part a character driven story, I felt I owed it to the project and myself to take a considerate approach into learning how to get a performance from my actors. The fundamentals of directing the actor are often said to be in 'building the character internally'. The opposite of this would be to detach the actor from the character, and by giving general and vague direction. To avoid this, it is recommended by acting and directing coaches that the character be built up so that the actor can belong to that moment. An example of what not to do would be to state to the actor that the character must "feel more anger". Instead, the healthy alternative which would enhance the performance, would be to build the feeling of anger inside of the character by interrogating them, and asking them questions in regard to their motives, and even to doubt them. These are just a few examples of ways in which the character is built to hold the actor within the scene, rather than the other way around. Another widely suggested aspect of the actor/director relationship is prior planning, in which the character is built and brought to life before the actor gets to the set. This is something I believe will be highly beneficial to me, as a student director working against time restraints. The more time spent off set ensuring that things go right when we are there, the better. I plan to sit down with the actors who will be playing characters in the production well in advance, so that we may discuss the various aspects of their characters and to begin building a subtext. I hope to built a trust and a rapport with the actors so that they feel comfortable with my direction and my expectations of them. The initial meetings will most likely to be to discuss the content of the film. Following that I can move into ways of bringing out the characters with subtle characteristics, and all of these things in relation to particular scenes prior to the shoot dates. My theoretical line of enquiry began with a lady named Judith Weston, and her book 'Directing Actors' which I purchased and began reading into.
This book was very helpful and insightful as a starting point in understanding how to direct actors. Judith Weston, the author, is both an actor and director herself as well as being an acting coach to actors and directors. Her insight is extremely valuable as it comes from a place of experience but also passion. Judith clearly demonstrates a passion and love of the art of acting, and filmmaking too, which makes her a great teacher. One of the first major concepts I came across within the book is how to avoid flat direction. This means things like telling an actor to 'be angry' with the other character, or to 'feel lonely'. This is flat direction and is too on the nose, and also completely ignores the process of 'acting' altogether. Judith rightly points out that in telling someone to feel a certain way, you are overlooking one of the enigmatic aspects of the human condition - we don't always know why we're feeling a certain way. Emotions are elusive and hard to pin-down. One minute we can feel sad, then for no reason we can be confused, although no external factors have changed. A way to avoid this amateur and uninspired style of directing is to offer simple objectives or adjustments to the character. Notice I said CHARACTER. Another fatal flaw is directing the actor. To get an authentic performance from an actor, Judith states that you must go inside first, inside the character rather than to blur the lines between the two. Here are some examples;
'Be angry' can be transformed into 'get her to hit you' or 'get her to leave the room and slam the door'. This gives the character a playable objective. To make it more interesting, instead of 'feel threatened' or 'to leave when he shouts' you could tell the other actor to 'stand his or her ground', thus making the other character more enraged at the fact that they won't bend to their anger.
'Feel lonely' can be transformed into 'No one has returned your calls in days. People have most likely forgotten you exist'. This gives the character an internal adjustment rather than a straight objective if they are alone in the scene. It allows the character a reason to feel lonely - which perhaps they can build upon by bringing in the sensory details of whenever they've felt lonely or isolated within their own life.
These two examples are very quick and very brief, but help to explain the aspects of directing actors that I have learned from Judith. These concepts can be expanded upon and can become very elaborate, or can remain simple objectives that remain the same throughout an entire scene. This gives the actors something to play with internally and externally, they get to play with their own emotions and simultaneously interact with the world around them. You could throw in a prop as a third character in between a two person conflict or argument. Perhaps a framed family photo. These kind of things give life to the image, and I strongly believe that this is the kind of understanding of acting that I have been missing as a director. Going back to what I previously said about my style as a director, in that I have always been very visually orientated. This learning experience has propelled me into a love and understanding of the process of acting, and directing actors that I will continuously build upon. Getting back on topic, the process of internally directing a character is very complex and there are an incredible amount of options, Judith wisely states that the only way you're ever to get anywhere is to simply try them out. In my upcoming production of Echoes of Silence I am going to be experimenting a lot with giving actors playable objectives within the scene, whether that means to have both involved in the same objective, or by giving each actor a separate objective to use against one another. I am a firm believer in creating a world around a character with production design and props, so that the character can have authentic sensory reactions to real things around them. One of the quotes within the book struck me as it related to my own beliefs as a director in a new way was this - "You're actors, damn it! Not feelers!". This quote comes from an acting coach much like Judith. This quote struck me so much because it explained a lot. It stripped away all of the nonsense and elongated explanations of what it means to be an actor. Many may disagree, but the actors ability to act upon impulse and with the physical reality around them trumps the concept of sitting around and attempting to feel a certain way - the act of moving around or acting upon an impulse can create the feeling on its own. Another great way for me to learn was to watch free online masterclasses on YouTube. Years ago, these masterclasses would have set you back a significant sum, but now they're online for free. This video helped further my understanding of the process of going inside the character to bring a performance out of the actor.
Another big area of learning for me whilst reading 'Directing Actors' was in the area of scriptwriting. This surprised me coming from a book which is primarily geared toward improving your hands on knowledge of working on set and working around actors. Judith expanded on those aspects by including and evidencing ways in which the director can further explore the characters of the script through something known as 'script analysis'. This is something I had never even heard of, so I was eager to learn more about it and put it into practice. The area focusing on script analysis within the book has helped improve my understanding of scriptwriting as both a writer and a director tenfold. I now understand the morale ambiguity the writer must inject into the script, almost forgetting the visuals and telling a simple objective story around the characters. The director on the other hand, must come in with their own script analysis and allow their imagination to conjure up every possible situation and scenario which allows the characters to act the way they do, and to make the choices they make. This is where I had to learn to separate the two separate entities inside myself as a filmmaker; the writer and the director. Script analysis for a director is an essential preparation tool which must happen during pre-production, and it is also the perfect exercise of the imagination.
An example of simple script analysis is to look at the characters within a section of a script, be it beginning middle and end. From this the director looks at all the important elements of the scene. The characters, what they say, their relationship, the characters internal motivations, the props, the setting and so on. All of these kinds can create an imaginary backstory for each character, which is an important part of script analysis. Judith looks at a specific section of a script from 'Red Ryder' in which STEPHEN and ANGEL, converse inside of an empty diner. The scene is set up as a conversation between the two, Stephen static and Angel moving, getting him coffee and a donut. Stephen claims he wants to leave the small town which the diner is in, and Angel indulges him. Judith encourages us to stimulate our imaginations by asking ourselves all of the possible motivations of each character. Listing them below as examples are;
Stephen says he wants to leave the diner, but stays seated. Maybe he doesn't want to actually leave. Why? Maybe he's in love with Angel? Maybe he wants to make her jealous? Maybe he doesn't actually have the bottle to get up and leave?
Angel gets Stephen a donut and does what he asks. Maybe she's doing it quickly so he leaves quicker? Maybe she pities him?
During script analysis, these are the kind of questions which pop up, but at the same time they're questions which don't really need answers. They're a way for the director to explore motives outside what the writer has written, to broaden the horizon of the characters and to continuously keep the actors engaged with the material. The director can bring with them all of these questions asked of the script to the set, as a way of adjusting the through-line of the scene, and a way of stimulating the actors to go new places with the characters. I have also learned the power of adjustments with this book, as it allows you to understand how scenes are acted based entirely off underlying emotions and tone, rather than the words that are actually said. Maybe in the scene, Stephen and Angel had been on a date the night before. Stephen didn't want to call her back, but realised he had work with her the next day, as they both work in the diner. Angel on the other hand, really wanted another date. Giving these adjustments to either character allows them to play the same scene in a unique way to the character, but simultaneously lets the characters bounce off of each other.
Due to the volume of information I have taken in from this book, I will continue my homework into directing actors by reading more books and watching more online videos and masterclasses. Judith Weston has another book which I plan on buying, and as I progress these books are annotated with notes in which I'll be able to return to during shoot days or when I run out of inspiration whilst directing.
