Term 2, week 3

The first few days of this week we didn’t have any classes. I decided that this would be a good time to go home, the trip mainly involved seeing my friends and family, shopping, seeing a protest with lots of policemen, watching TV and a little bit of blogging, so all in all a very productive trip.

Thursday started off with our first ever shoot, I was excited about this because now it finally feels as though we are progressing on the course by being allowed to use the equipment and actually film something. I was assigned the role of an editor within the shoot so I knew that I would not have a very large role on the day of the shoot. However I still wanted to go along as I think it is important to see how a professional shoot is actually conducted, as I have never been on one before. I also wanted to get a sense of what the band we were filming would be like, as I am hoping that I will be able to edit the Bumclocks music video more successfully as I will have a better idea of their style after watching them live. I am really looking forward to doing more shoots in the future, particularly those that are scripted. I think that the overall vibe on Thursday evening was that the shoot was a success Kelsey and me had managed to learn the lyrics to some of the Bumclocks songs, and it was nice to get to know some of the people from TPA better.

I also had a tutorial with Adam on Thursday where we talked about an idea for a television program that I had pitched before Christmas. I found this tutorial really enjoyable and after discussing a few ideas with Adam I left feeling really excited about my idea and could barely wait to get started working on it.

On Fridays lesson we watched the film Sunrise. I had heard a lot of good things about this film; Andy even mentioned it during our three-day induction at the start of term so I was really glad we were finally getting to watch it. I think that Sunrise was defiantly the best out of the silent films we have watched. I think that a good marker to indicate the quality of a silent film is the amount of titles used to tell the story. Sunrise had barely any. This reflects the strength of the film that they didn’t need words to tell the story; it was simply explained by the visual narrative. I think that Sunrise was a beautiful film, not only were some of the visual images striking, but the film also managed to be so sweet and thoughtful. The relationship between the couple was really nice and I like others in the class really liked the scene where they were at the photographers kissing. The acting was well done within the film, the female star was so vulnerable and reminded me of a porcelain doll. I think the audience would automatically empathies with her because of this. I did feel that some of the scenes within this film were slightly unrealistic, I do not think that most women would forgive a man so quickly for trying to kill them, accept maybe Gail Platt in Coronation Street. I felt that the ending would have been more successful if the woman did die. I think that a romantic happy ending would suit the 1930’s audience, however a modern day audience are more intellectual and have seen a much wider variety of films. Therefore I think that if the woman was to die it would make for a much more sophisticated end to the film which would be less predictable and please a modern day audience. However I do think the film was very strong and I really enjoyed watching it, I did not miss the dialogue and I think that by not using words you got a greater sense of the emotions involved in the scene and paid much more attention to the subtle physical gestures present throughout the film.

Term 2, week 2

I was very excited on Monday, as I was aware that we were getting to meet one of the new tutors Kim Millar. I was not really sure what to expect from this lesson but I really enjoyable. It was really great to talk to Kim as she is obviously very successful and I found it really interesting to hear her talk about the television industry and liked the fact that we were able to ask her whatever we wanted. It was interesting to hear about Kim’s career path, as it was not the typical path you would expect to follow. First working in journalism then gradually moving through to television. However I did find it slightly reassuring that when Kim started out working in television she did not have definite idea of what job within the industry. This makes me feel slightly better as sometimes it feels like most people in my class have a very clear idea of what job they want to do when they graduate. I am still unsure of what exactly I want to do when I leave the academy. When talking to Kim it made me realize that there are so many jobs within the film and television industry that I haven’t even heard of yet. I think that once I progress further on the course and get experience within the industry it will hopefully help me find my niche. Another reason why I really enjoyed the lesson was because we got to hear Kim talk about story lining for Coronation Street, River City and Hollyoaks. This was really interesting to me because I have previously watched both Coronation Street and Hollyoaks and it was really insightful to hear Kim talk about writing for characters and creating storylines that I have previously watched and enjoyed.

On Tuesday we had a technical class with Ray. The focus of the lesson was lighting and we explored white balance in more detail. Although I find Ray’s classes the most challenging out of all the classes, I still enjoy the lessons. Usually we are being told a lot of information and sometimes it is difficult to piece all the facts together and apply it to actually using the camera. It is still slightly nerve racking when using the camera however I am hoping to take the camera out within the next couple of weeks which should help me get some more hands on time to practice everything and give me more confidence when using the equipment.

Andy’s television class took place on Wednesday and I have to say that I found it to be one of the most interesting classes we have had with Andy so far. We mostly discussed reality television. This was something that I found very interesting, as it is a very popular phenomenon at the moment, and I am also a fan of some programs within the genre. At the start of the lesson we were asked to write down the names of two people, one had to be a celebrity and the other should be someone who is famous. I wrote down Paris Hilton’s name as someone who is a celebrity and Barack Obama for a person who is famous. It was interesting to see that when everyone was asked to read out the names they had written down the same peoples names emerged again and again. For example almost the entire class either said Jordan or Paris Hilton for the name of someone who is a celebrity. I think that the difference between a celebrity and someone who is famous is that a celebrity is someone who gets lots of attention from the media and is widely recognized by the general public. They are typically seen on television and in tabloid newspapers and magazines. However I think this is different than someone who is famous. I would regard someone who is famous as someone who has achieved something, and so are better respected. For example Paris Hilton has never actually achieved anything of substance and so would not be regarded as being on the same level as a famous person such as Obama, who has achieved a great deal by becoming the president of the United States.

We then went back and looked at some of the major reality TV shows that have made an impact on television. It was interesting to discuss the authorship of reality TV as it linked back well to our lesson the previous week. I think that one of the big appeals of this genre of television is that the audience feels involved; they think they are in control of the destiny of the participants. This is could be a reason why reality TV is watched religiously every week by the viewed. Because the audience is voting to save someone, maybe they feel more of an emotional attachment to program and will watch with others that also like the program. For example the Xfactor is often watched by groups of friends or families, as it is a very interactive medium. However I found it quite sad to learn that the producers have a lot more control of a program than the audience thinks they do. They allow the audience to believe they are influencing the outcome of a show despite the fact they are actually giving them very little control. Obviously I was already aware of this before the lesson, but I think when you are watching a reality show that you like, for example “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” you don’t want to think of the celebrities being taken out of the jungle at night and being taken to a fancy hotel or being given extra food without the audience knowing. It would spoil the program for me slightly if I acknowledged this, because it means that the audience has lost control and no longer have that investment within the show. Overall I really enjoyed the lesson, as there seemed to be quite a lot of discussion, which I enjoy, and I found the topic to be really interesting.

On Thursdays lesson some of the group had tutorials with Adam, however mine was not scheduled until the following week so I had the day off. A group of us also went to see the opera ‘War and Peace’ in the evening. This was a totally new experience and I found it interesting to watch a piece of entertainment totally than what I am used to.

This was followed the next day by watching the German expressionistic film Nosfreatu on Friday, which I really enjoyed.

German and Russian Cinema

It has been an interesting two weeks of film screenings since starting back at the academy. We finished off our first week with the silent film Battleship Potemkin. I was interested in watching this film as I had never watched Russian cinema before so I thought that it would be a positive experience. We were told before watching the film that it often makes it to the top of the lists of the greatest ever films. However after watching the movie I have to say that I do not necessarily agree with this view. I found the narrative quite dull and unlike other silent films that I have watched recently I did miss the dialogue being present. I do appreciate the fact that this film was made along time ago and so the film may have been very successful and well made in 1925. However I do not think that most modern audiences would enjoy the film very much, the film seemed to move at a much slower place that modern audiences are used to and it bored me slightly. However I think for the time period when the film was creating the editing was very good and clearly the film has made an impact on generations as the Odessa Steps sequence is still replicated on television today. Overall although I did not enjoy Battleship Potemkin I was still able to appreciate it for what it really was, a successful piece of propaganda.

However my feelings about the 1922 film Nosferatu couldn’t be more different. I had watched this film when I was 16 and was looking forward to watching it again. I felt that this film was of a higher quality than Battleship Potemkin. The narrative kept me hooked throughout, I felt you got to know the characters quite well and it was interesting to see how the representation of Hutters wife Ellen changed throughout the film. At first it seemed as though Ellen was going to be a stereotypical female, she is shown playing with a kitten and holding flowers, she also acts in a passive way. However by the end of the end of the film Ellen is sacrificing herself to Nosferatu and is represented as the active female. I think that this is possibly a very modern representation seen as the film was made in 1922 when it was not as common to see woman taking control and being the active force on screen.

Another thing that enjoyed about the film is that it is visually very interesting to look at. The use of shadows and light and dark are very successful and I think that during several moments in the film shadows are used in a very sophisticated fashion in order to scare the audience. For example when Hutter is lying in bed in the castle the audience can see Nosferatu’s shadow lurking over his body. I think this fear of the unknown is far scarier than actually seeing the monster sucking the victim’s blood. I also think the appearance of Count Orlock would also scare a 1922 audience. For example they have given him a large nose and dark hair and eyebrows that draws similarities to a stereotypical Jewish persons appearance. This is important as it is aimed at a German audience and because of the war going on at the time. Another factor about Count Orlock that would put fear into the 1920’s audience is the fact that his costume is not something that the audience would be used to seeing, he is wearing a strange hat which makes him appear as though he is from another country, this would play off the audiences fear of immigration. Although I myself do not find Nosferatu to be a particularly scary film I can defiantly see why the 1920’s audience would be very scared by this film. Unlike Battleship Potemkin I do not miss the dialogue as I think that Nosferatu possesses strong iconic images that help to drive the film and keep the audience interested.

Screenwriting

It is great to be back at the RSAMD after the Christmas holidays, I was surprised how much I missed being at the academy over the couple of weeks I was away. I actually felt envious of other class members who were able to attend lessons in the last few weeks of the previous term whilst I was at home sick. Surely this is a good marker to reflect how much I am enjoying the course. It is really great to wake up every morning and not dread going into lessons; in fact I actually look forward to it. I have never really felt like this before. During school and sixth form I did look forward to some lessons, however there were also some lessons that bored me This is in direct contrast to life at the academy now. There are no classes that bore me; in fact I think that in general they are all very stimulating and engaging.

Obviously there are classes that I enjoy more than others, one of these being script writing with Richard. I find this class very interesting and feel as though writing is one of my strengths. We have accomplished quite a lot within the class, although some of the idea’s and theories such as character functions and an equilibrium followed by a disruption and then a resolution equilibrium are familiar idea’s to me, I also feel as though I have learnt a lot of new things. I like the fact that we have had lots of practice at writing premises, I had never written one before coming to the academy and I feel as though they are not only helping focus and edit my ideas and help me to communicate them more eloquently, but also to develop ideas quickly and think more creatively. It has been quite a challenge to come up with ideas that could be used to make three to five minute short films, as all my ideas seem to gel better in a larder time frame. However I think that this clearly just takes practice and I feel that being set the task to write a five minute short film over the Christmas holidays has made me realize just how small the idea and how clearly and concisely it has to be communicated to the audience.

Writing the script has been a really enjoyable experience, at first I found it difficult to simply get started and put my ideas onto paper. I think that this was because I was not sure just how much of a story I could fit into only five minutes. However when I wrote out a plot from start to finish and a rough idea of the important dialogue within each scene, it then became much easier to get started and from then on the dialogue simply seemed to flow more naturally. I still feel slightly apprehensive about my script because even though I enjoyed writing it I have never written a script before and therefore am slightly unsure of the quality of my work. I am looking forward to getting feedback on my writing and improving it in the future.

However I will say that writing the second script has defiantly not been as challenging as writing the first. We were asked to write a two-minute comedy script. This time around I think it was an easier task because I had a better idea of the standard format of a script and new how to replicate this in my own work. The fact that I had a better idea of the timing within a script also helped as I did not set myself too large an idea and I feel as though I was able to remain more focused.

I think that one of the factors that I enjoy most about our script writing class is that it is one of the most diverse lessons we have at the academy. From one week to the next I am never sure exactly what we will be in store for us within the class. One week we are pitching premises and learning about the three act structure of films and the next week we are debating our views torture. However by far the most memorable script writing lesson for me has been the one where we shared two of our secrets anonymously on postcards similarly to the community art project Postsecret. This task automatically appealed to me as I have three of the Postsecret books and avidly check their website each week to see the new Sunday Secrets that have been published. However when it came to actually producing my own secrets it became a much more daunting task. I was unsure what secrets I actually wanted to share with my classmates and ended up making about six secrets. It was interesting to present these secrets visually in a creative and artistic way and I actually found it enjoyable producing them. Despite of this I was still very nervous when it came to actually sharing the secrets with everyone else. Judging by the behavior of the rest of the class before we shared our secrets I was not the only one who was nervous or at least apprehensive about the task. However Richard was very accommodating and in order to help keep the secrets truly anonymous we ended up coming up with the procedure where we all shut our eyes, then one by one would put our secrets into a black bag, we then opened our eyes and picked two different secrets out of the bag and read them to the rest of the class. I found this to be a very emotional experience and I think that the group as a whole felt closer together even though we didn’t know whom each secret belonged to. I think that this task also helped me in terms of thinking creatively of ideas for films as it showed that everyone has a secret to tell, and more often than not, another person can identify with that secret even though it does not belong directly to them. This thought indicated to me that this could be applied to films. Sometimes the best films share an intimate secret belonging to the protagonist, and such films are often the most influential if the audience can identify with the main character. I think that these are the films that are the most real and inspirational. It also made me think about how everyone has a story to tell and how interesting peoples secrets can be. After we shared our secrets we the proceeded to share three things we believe in. This was also a very interesting task as before now I didn’t realize how everyone in our class has such different beliefs about the world around us and it was a positive experience to discuss these views. Doing so made me think about how important it is to reflect your beliefs within your films and make it clear to the audience what your morals are.

Overall I am really enjoying the scriptwriting module and think it is my favorite out of all the lessons. I am slightly disappointed that we don’t get to have regular lessons every week but I cant wait until Richard to come back so we can advance even further on the course. I also think that its really good we are given the opportunity to write regularly and I am enjoying the experience.

What I watched over christmas

One of my favourite new programs that I watched over Christmas was 'Modern Family'. This has been a recent find for me as it is broadcast on SKY1 and I do not have the ability to watch this channel when I am in halls. I had heard really good reviews about this program within the media and also from my family. Because of this I knew that the program had to be good if my Mum, Dad and my 14 year old brother could all agree that they enjoyed the sit-com.

Modern Family is interesting to me because it really does acknowledge the changing face of families within society. Instead of simply reflecting the lives of a traditional family, made up of a husband and wife and their children, which can be seen in many TV shows such as 'Everybody loves Raymond' and 'The Secret Life of the American Teenager', Modern Family reflects the complexity of the relationships within a modern day family. The tagline reflects the main concept for the show, reflecting "One big(straight, gay, multi-cultural, traditional) happy family. The show appears fresh and modern, with no laughter track it seems to step away from one of the generic conventions of a situation comedy. I think than the show would not have been as interesting to watch if it contained a laughter track, simply because many of the humorous moments come from awkward or uncomfortable situations that the characters are placed in, therefore the silence would be spoilt by a fake laugh. Letting the audience choose when to laugh as opposed to being told when to laugh is a much more contemporary technique.

However the main thing that appealed to me about 'Modern Family' is the variety of families and interesting characters within those families shown within the program. The show features the lives of three families who's relationships are all intertwined with one another. The first family to be featured is the most traditional of all the families. The Dunphy's made up of a husband and wife called Claire and Phil, who have three children and live in the suburbs of america. They can be seen dealing with many of the typical problems with having children, such as their daughters first boyfriend, family arguments, miss behaving children and trust issues. The next family is the Pritchett-Tucker's, they are a gay couple called Cameron and Mitchell, and have an adopted baby daughter called Lily. They are dealing with the stress of raising a young baby, and trying to fit in with the suburban life as a gay couple whilst still being themselves. Mitchell is Claire's brother and their dad is Jay Pritchett who is married to a much younger Colombian woman named Gloria, and acts as a step-dad to her pre-teen son Manny.

The show manages to represent a whole variety of characters which are interesting and dramatic without being turned into the overused stereotypes that are so often present on television. I like the fact that the show shows flawed people, for example Phil is a loving husband who has a crush on his sister in law, however this would never cause him to cheat on his wife, whereas in other tv programs this may have been a storyline. It is also nice to see a big family that love each other unconditionally despite all of their very apparent flaws and shortcomings. I think that this is the key for any show that is centered around the family, because when the conflict begins the audience need to be aware that the characters love each other, in order for the story to stay humorous.

One final thing that I like is the fact that it incorporates the mockumentary genre into the sitcom. Even though this technique has been used within other successful TV programs it still appeared to be a fresh technique and provide the opportunity for many comedic moments with a home movie feel to it. I really enjoyed watching 'Modern Family' over christmas and will make an effort to watch the show online now I am back in Glasgow.

Outnumbered

The family orientated sit-coms have been popular for years, however one of my favorites at the moment is 'Outnumbered'. Although I did watch some episodes of 'Outnumbered' when it first aired on BBC1 I found it difficult to keep up with watching it as the schedule seemed slightly odd. The first series aired over a period of two weeks, one episode a night after 9pm. Series two however had a slightly more conventional schedule which I found easier to keep up with. However I was really happy this Christmas when I received series two of Outnumbered on DVD. I watched all seven episodes within two days and enjoyed it even more than I remembered.

One thing that i think is really interesting about 'Outnumbered' is the fact that it is semi-improvised. Most of the improvised aspects of the script are given to the three children, who in my opinion are what gives the program its major strength. The improvisation gives the children the ability to speak in a natural way rather than talking like an adult who writes the script. Many funny moments can be seen to arise through this improvisation, it is interesting to watch the two parents interact with the children as you can sometimes hear the surprise in their voices when the kids say something unexpected. I think that the children in Outnumbered seem very natural, they do not behave like typical children in other sit-coms. For example in 'Everybody Loves Raymond' The three children are barely present, and are all well behaved. This is in contrast to the realistic representation of children in outnumbered who are loud, talkative, fight with each other, spill things, get dirty and chew their hair.

One reason why the children are able to display a natural and realistic performance may be due to the fact that they are relaxed in their surroundings. Instead of shooting in a TV studio the producers of Outnumbered have opted to shoot in an actual house. This would make the children feel at ease, along with creating a more realistic, cramped and mundane setting instead of a brightly lit studio which does not actually look like a real house.

It is also interesting to see a couple who are not in the middle of a battle for power. They represent a modern couple, most dated sit-coms would see the father of the head of the family, in charge and demanding the power in the relationship. However after the feminist movement many more TV programs represented the woman's more dominant role in the family, not always as a housewife answering to her husband, but also as a working woman. However now in 2010, it feels as though men and women are portrayed not only more accurately, but also more equally on television. For example the character of the mother in Outnumbered called Sue is not only a housewife, but can also be seen going out to work and doing other tasks that would have previously been shown being done by males. The same is apparent for the father Pete, who can be seen cooking in the kitchen and taking care of the children, a task that would only have been done by females on television.

Overall I think that 'Outnumbered' is a witty, unique and very funny sit-com that I can see appealing to a wide demographic due to its focus on everyday problems and activities and clever dialogue. The characters are all very endearing and each episode has a very light-hearted vibe whilst dealing with some darker undertones such as a granddad suffering with dementia and money problems. I think that 'Outnumbered' is one of the best modern sit-coms which I cant wait to see more of i the coming year.

A Woman of No Importance

As most of you know I have been ill for the past couple of weeks, and as you can imagine I have watched a lot of TV programs in that time. I mean what else can you do when you are not able to leave your house for about a month?

One of the best television programs that I have watched recently has been the 1982 BBC drama 'A Woman of No Importance'. This was the first television monologue by Alan Bennett and stared Patricia Routledge who is well known for playing Mrs Bucket in 'Keeping Up Appearances'. Her role was entirely different to the one most people are used to seeing Routledge play on television. Instead of being an extrovert, bossy and over dramatic character she plays Miss Schofield, a lonely old woman with a desperate need for order and routine within her life. This piece of television was very different from most programs that I would normally watch as it only featured a single character delivering an ongoing monologue, as opposed to the typical conversations taking place between several characters within a normal TV program. 'A Woman of No Importance' seemed to break most of the rules established within television, so much so that it appeared more similar in style to a play that you would watch in the theatre rather than something on TV. This is due to the fact that the fourth wall seems to be broken down several times throughout the piece. Sometimes the character of Miss Schofield talks directly to the audience, and occasionally she will stare directly into the camera, thus making the audience feel as though they are in the same room as the character and she is talking directly to them.

What makes this piece of television stand out from most other programs is the fact that within this program nothing actually happens. In most TV programs a lot of action takes place, you witness characters moving around, talking to other people and changing locations. However within 'A Woman of No Importance' everything is described to the audience after it has happened instead of letting the audience actually witness the action take place. The main storyline within the program is Miss Schofield and an ongoing illness that she develops. At first she is shown in her own home taking about her life and her job as an office worker, it is also made clear that she idolizes her boss Mr Skidmore. The second time we see the protagonist she is still in her own home although she does not look quite as healthy, she is talking about a stomach pain and her visit to the doctors. The use of language within her ongoing monologue is particularly interesting, she goes into incredible detail, describing everything from the decoration of the room, to her doctors appearance, to the flavor of biscuits she was offered. I find it very impressive that even though subjects that would normally appear mundane are delivered in a way that makes them, and the character talking about them, appear interesting and engaging. Miss Schofield later talks about how she has to be admitted to hospital for treatment. The next scene then shows her in a hospital bed before the operation, she is chatting away and talking about her doctor, Mr Penry-Jones who seems to be replacing her boss in the role of her number one idol.

From here on however the piece develops a much darker tone. Miss Schofield seems to be finding it hard staying in the hospital, she describes her daily rituals and routines. This helps the audience to see that she is not a totally mentally stable person and as they program progresses you see her mental agility decreasing along with her health. She is shown to repeat her self within sentences and she keeps on murmuring the phrase "Oh we did laugh" at first this appeared to be quite a typical characteristic among older people, but by the end of the piece this sentence appears to be almost haunting.

The make-up within this program was used very well as you could clearly see the character growing sicker and more frail with every scene that past. I also feel that Patricia Routledge is a really wonderful actor, I did not realize that she had the capabilities to act in a dramatic role so well as I am so used to seeing her in a comedic role. I dont think that this piece of television would have been so good if another actor was used, she made the character appear realistic even though the way she was portraying her emotions was not in a typical style found in everyday life. I discovered that when rehearsing Patricia Routledge had to sit only a matter of inches away from the director, this was so she would get comfortable when the camera was so close to her face on set. I think that the close-ups on her character really help to capture her emotions and in the end, the inner turmoil going on inside her.

I was really surprised with the quality of this program and i thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Although it did not end on a positive note, I think it was still very effective. I also think that the fact that this program was shown on BBC4 and would possibly only appeal to a small audience is the reason why the writer felt it did not need to finish with a happy ending. Maybe if this were aimed at a different or more broad audience then the ending would have been different. However I think that 'A Woman of No Importance' is worth watching.