TV and Its Viewers

     Well this isn't something brand new, however it is something interesting to think about. Kevin Spacey urges TV channels to give controls to viewers. It has a little over a million views. 

The description underneath the video is as follows:

PBJ: 5 Obstructions

Production Journal numero uno for the 2013 school year!

5 Obstructions: Each group was given 5 different obstructions and had to create a 3 to 5 minute film.  

Here's the finished product: 

Click the link below to read more about the production of "We're Only Human."

So it's airing tomorrow...

Anyone else nervous? There were some mistakes made but you know how it is: learn from them! The morning announcements will be interesting tomorrow and I'm quite excited for next year. Senior year: the year of great expectations. We'll push ourselves next year. I know we will.

More Duct Tape?

      Well... the set fell down during the show... A set that we spent a good hour or two on. It's frustrating because we tried on this project and it just seemed like it was futile. It doesn't help that everyone feels bummed out afterwards for it seems like the group morale just went down the drain.

source: internet

     Honestly, I think we did a pretty decent job. It wasn't excellent or ideal, but it should be something we're satisfied with. Although a lot of things went wrong, you have to look at the brightside. What did we learn? That we definitely need a run through with our talent first. Not because they messed up necessarily but because I need to make sure we both know that we can communicate with each other well. When I was telling them to wrap it up and say bye, they thought I was saying cut. As you can see, that causes a problem. So our first decent take was ruined by that. The last take, we went over by five seconds. That doesn't seem like a lot, but it is. In business, going over your time limit isn't good.

Let's keep it short and simple Floor Manager.

     So practice makes perfect, or close to it... Or half to it at least.

I'm going to take notes!

      This three camera production thing is filled with a lot of new things.

Tomorrow's the Final Day

Tomorrow's the day, I feel extremely anxious. As many may know, I don't feel like I did well on this particular project. The idea was great, it was just that the execution... Not so great. So as a sort of closure (for the painstaking film) and put it all behind me, I'm going to make a list of things I've learned on this project.

1. Be assertive as a director (or co-director). Get it your way; there are time for suggestions but you should have a final say and not just be fine with it because others feel like it's too much of a hassle.

2. Make sure your group is on the same page, constantly. If you got your shit together, it won't work out if your whole group doesn't have their shit together.

3. Actors!!!! Don't settle for actors! I mean there's no time for a casting call, but try the best you can to get the best.

4. This is sort of a part of 3: Don't simplify your script for actors! Some of the story line gets lost. It may be hard, but trust me on this! Frustration with actors is no bueno but your script shouldn't change so much.

Not Going to Say Anything Specific

     I have to be honest, this project is tough. There are things I know now that I really wish I could have known when we started. Talking about film hasn't gotten me this stressed before.
    What's even worse is that I know some of it is my fault (and perhaps my incapability to be director/ or just the combination and how certain people work together in a group)... Now I know what not to do, but for now we have to make the best of what we can with this project. Everyone needs to try something a few times to see if its fit for them. Everyone has their own way of doing things and some things can only be learned through experience. Not everyone will be great the first time.
     What I really regret is that I adapted the screenplay to fit the actors' needs. It disorganized many things and it's just... Next time I won't adjust the script to the actors' needs because I feel like this film lost the potential it had to be awesome. I mean, it still has a chance, but all the symbolism and hfubwnifonmfw.
    Honestly, maybe if I had left a day or two more for pre-production, I might have been a better director. But you only learn these things with experience, as I mentioned. I'm partially to blame, it's a group effort. But instead of complaining about it, I'm going to try to salvage what we have. No giving up! Because at least we learned something in the end... Right?

Awkward Sleeping Schedules

     So, a lot can happen in a week. Priorities have to be set, and film seems to be up there. Our schedule has changed so many times. Regardless, I'm glad we finally began shooting and hopefully we can wrap it up by Monday. Sometimes, having moments talking to your group helps, where you avoid the feeling that everything's going wrong. Since Sylvia and Ted's roles have been secure (as in nothing wrong can happen now), everything should go smoothly. Let's all hope it does because I really want to approach this video in a positive way and finish something that I was behind. If you don't finish a film on time, it just gives you this awful feeling, or at least I get that feeling. It's like lost potential. So... basically-- to all the groups out there-- THINK POSITIVE! (And yes, that had to be in all caps.)

LESS THAN A MONTHHHHHH.

Okay, so it wasn't a joke. It is a race to the finish. -__-
Story: check.
Crew: check.
Schedule: check.
Stress: bfkewjnkfebjkfEmiwzrinbwmrcix,fetbmeg,xleir,cxln,e,negrc.rnrexnfiecnerin, egnr.

Psh, this blog is totally not late.

     I think I may have a love hate relationship with screenwriting. Dang it John August! Why do you do this? His tips are so helpful. Anyway, I believe there's a lot of revising to be done this week. That and Spring Break is going to be stressful.

Getting the Flow Going

     Is it bad that I actually enjoy the pre-production stage? It involves a lot of ideas and a lot of "what if" plots and it just really allow a variety of twists to flow freely. Although, I might just be saying that now since the writer's block/creativity block and just all the blocks seem to be seeping out of my veins now.
     So to make this quick, there has been a lot of tweaking to the story this week and in turn many details have been added as well. For example, we made the poetry competition have an acronym: H.T.A.L.P. Aka, Plath backwards. It stands for Heroic Teens Advancing Lexical Poetry (it's a mouthful, I know). Re-reading the story really allows my partner and I catch some things and double check if this is the story we want to go with. Once the story was established, the beat sheet was basically done.
     The only thing that this week that caught me off guard was how sometimes completely different schedules leads to late nights. I'm sorry to Stephanie because of the only odd hours I could work this week. Nonetheless, I think in general it's already a great accomplishment to have both partners on the same page with their story. We're getting there, and now that the outline is all framed up it's time for the details.

Playing With Blocks

     So, this week was actually pretty interesting because of how the treatments were collaborated. In film, it's nice to have that person or that group that you guys can bounce ideas off of. What makes sense to you may actually be really confusing. Trying to hit all the aspects of a film noir mood though was more difficult than we originally thought. It wasn't just about how it was shot, it was also about how the story developed. Because of that, some things were over thought and suddenly didn't seem all that believable for a high schooler anymore. Take for example the character's flaw. That was such an easy part to over think. You could have made him a thief, a pyromanic, a killer... but all you really had to think about was a realistic flaw. A chip in this seemingly normal person, be it that they say yes to everything, are too passionate, etc.
      As mentioned above, the most challenging part for Stephanie and I was the writing. The combining of our treatments actually went smoothly, but we suffered writer's block when rewriting the treatment. The thing about writer's block and artist's block is that (from my experience) it's mainly based of creativity and influence. If your thoughts don't flow, then you could be stuck for a while. It's even worse when you and your partner have it. However, mistakes are meant to be made which is why through this you really learn that writing is rewriting. Having a go at it and taking in other people's considerations really help the block move inch by inch.
      Overall, working with others is a skill you need in film. It's a helpful one too because even if your idea lacks in some manner, you get to have another try at it because people will suggest their opinions to you. Constructive criticism was really helpful for this story, especially when Stephanie and I succumbed to writer's block.

The 85th Academy Awards

   

     The Academy Awards are finally here! This Sunday! It'll be taking place at the Kodak theater and Seth MacFarlane is the host. I feel like MacFarlane will bring some humor to this ceremony, humor that appeals more to the younger crowd. Hip, like the young children say. *Cough.* 

     I'm excited for the Oscars, as many surely are. When you finally understand the ceremony, it has so much more meaning. Also when you think about how many people's hopes and dreams lie on this one award... whew. The whole prestige of the Oscars is what people in the industry aim for. Sure, everyone has their own definition for "making it big" but the Oscars is where those people can be acknowledged through the whole film community. However, not everyone can be 'awarded' an Oscar.

Best Picture: Argo

     We'll be discussing the dramatization of "the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran." In other words, the historical thriller, Argo. The other nominees for Best Picture can be seen on the Oscars website.
     Aside from Best Picture, Argo has been nominated for six other categories - making that seven categories total that they have been nominated for in the Oscars. It is up for Best Actor, Film Editing, Music, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Writing for Adapted Screenplay.
   The whole plot of the movie centers around the CIA "extractor" Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a producer named Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin) and a makeup man named John Chambers (John Goodman). In order to save the American diplomats, Chambers and Siegel would fabricate a fake sci-fi thriller named "Argo." They would commission a screenplay, pay for storyboards, and buy a big ad in Variety and most importantly, impersonate the big people in Hollywood, which is kind of meta. The movie about the fake movie catches your attention though, and is quite fascinating.

Oscars: Best Actress

     The wonderful ladies that have been nominated for this award are Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook, Quvenzhane Wallis for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Naomi Watts for The Impossible, Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty, and lastly Emmanuelle Riva for Amour.
     As many now, records for the nomination have been broken. Quvenzhane Wallis has been the youngest at nine years old, to be nominated for Best Actress while Emmanuelle Riva is the oldest, at eighty-five, to be nominated. Nonetheless, these actresses both deserve the nomination. Thus, we'll be discussing Emmanuelle Riva's acting in the French drama, Amour. 
     So from IMDb, I have gathered that Riva has a good seventy-eight titles under her name but Amour is the one that she is most known for.

Oscars: Best Actor

     The ones up for Best Actor this season are Joaquin Phoenix for The Master, Denzel Washington for Flight, Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook, Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables, and Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln.

     Daniel Day-Lewis. Whoa. Out of all the other nominees I feel like Daniel Day-Lewis has got a really good chance of getting this award. Don't get me wrong, all the other actors did pretty well but I was blown away by Daniel Day-Lewis.

     Now, a lot of people praise Daniel Day-Lewis for his voice-- how it varied from other portrayals of Lincoln. Rather than a deep husky voice, a gentle one. He seemed like an old parent - which he was- and was the one you could rely on.  

Oscars 2013: Supporting Actress

     The nominees for Supporting Actress for the Oscars this February are the following: Amy Adams (The Master), Helen Hunt (The Sessions), Sally Field (Lincoln), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook). This week, we shall be discussing Anne Hathaway's performance as Fantine.

     Before we get on to discussing her acting, let us discuss Les Miz as a whole. It was pretty much an exact copy of the infamous musical. I give props for the actors' singing that they did actually pretty well. I actually thought it was going to be a mix of dialogue and music. Well, that went out the window. Although I'm glad the musical can be on film forever, I still wished that the movie would have taken advantage of its medium better and tell the story in a different way rather than replicating the musical.

Oscars! Best Supporting Actor Candidate: Robert De Niro.

     The nominees for Best Actor/Actress in a supporting role for the Oscars this February are the following: Alan Arkin (Argo), Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams (The Master), Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field (Lincoln), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), and Robert De Niro as well as Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook). This week we will be discussing Robert De Niro's performance.

     Silver Linings Playbook is one of the few films, in a long while, that have had a nomination in each acting category. Now, it's no secret that De Niro was one of the most besotted actors of his day. In 1974 he won Best Supporting Actor as Don Corleone in The Godfather Part II and in 1991 he  was nominated as Best Actor in Cape Fear. Overall, in a span of 17 years he was nominated six times and won two Oscars. However, it has now been 21 years since then. Personally, I am quite enthused about De Niro be nominated for his role as Pat Sr. in Silver Linings Playbook. 
     David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook is a film that features quirky characters. It immerses the audience to relate with a family, that is far from perfect, in these serious situations. It's quite odd at first but once you allow yourself to just watch the movie, the comedy-drama is really enjoyable. The actors and actresses seem to play their role with this passion. Their characters are awkward, but that is what the movie is about. The movie is mental, in more than one way.