Directions - Evaluation

 Evaluation

After conducting research on three directors, I chose to take forward Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird as I enjoyed the film, felt as though it was relatable, and I believed that I could change aspects of it to make it my own. 

In order to ensure that I made Lady Bird my own, I decided not to re-watch the film and instead,  focused on reading the screenplay multiple times. This meant that I stayed away, as much as possible, from mirroring exactly what Gerwig had done when making the film. 

In this unit, I learnt what a director's treatment is (a pitch that outlines of each aspect of the film/product you wish to create), how to use websites such as Mandy.com to conduct casting, the different types of camera shots (e.g. close-up, mid-shot) and angles (e.g. eye-level shot, hip angle shot), and the use of colour to convey things such as emotions. Going into the directions unit, I didn't have a good understanding of what role the director plays in the film. I believed they just told the actors and others what to do and not too much more. However, I now have a greater knowledge of what the role of the director actually involves, from creating storyboards and shot lists to thinking about the use of colour and different camera shots. 

Throughout the directions unit, I particularly enjoyed learning about different directors' directing styles, gathering the visual research, creating casting breakdowns, and casting. I enjoyed using the characters' costumes to express who they are and looking at films, such as Little Miss Sunshine (2006), for colour reference. 

In the future, I would have a go at looking further at the sound design and attempting to incorporate it into my 'vision'. Sound design is key in helping bring the film together and increase the emotions and meaning of the film. In addition to this, I would also like to explore shot designer and Da Vinci Resolve further in order to get a greater understanding of them and be more comfortable when using them in the future. 

Directions - The Script

 The Script

These are the sections of the Lady Bird Screenplay that I chose to take forward and adapt. 

Gerwig, G. (2017) Lady Bird At: https://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/LADY_BIRD_shooting_script.pdf (Accessed 10/03/2021)

Directions - Floor Plan

Floor Plan

From the feedback received, with regards to the revisualisation presentation, I decided to create a floor plan in order to see things like how some of the shots would pan out and the camera placement for each scene. For the floor plan, I used the app, Shot Designer. I found using this a bit complicated at first, so switched from using it on my laptop to using it on my phone, which was a bit easier, but not perfect.  However, it was easier to understand how the shots that I had imagined in my head would look. Using the floor plan alongside both the story board and shot list helped me to gather an idea of how I wanted the scenes to look, and would hopefully make it easier for the cast and crew to understand. 

Floor plan for INT. Immaculate Heart of Mary (DAY):

Floor plan for INT. Family/Computer/Miguel's Room (Night):

Bibliography: 

Gerwig, G. (2017) Lady Bird At: https://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/LADY_BIRD_shooting_script.pdf (Accessed 02/03/2021)

Directions - Director's Treatment

 Director's Treatment

It's 2002 and a rebellious 17-year-old, who has a strained relationship with her mother, is trying to establish who she is in the world whilst attending a private Catholic high school in Sacramento.  

Lady Bird is a 17-year-old attending a private Catholic high school in Sacramento in the year 2002. She is struggling to fit in and establish herself in the world, which is made even harder as a result of a strained relationship with her mother, whom she is constantly seeking approval from and battling with. After she sets off to explore herself and the world further at an out-of-state college, the dynamic of her relationship with her mother changes for the better. However, before that, she must navigate through various relationships and the relationship that she has with herself. Lady Bird is a comedy-drama.  

I was drawn to the film, Lady Bird as I felt as though Lady Bird is a relatable character to many in terms of trying to find her place in the world. I feel as though Lady Bird and I are somewhat similar in terms of our personalities. I also felt as though I could make it my own to some extent.  

The film is naturalistic and must hold a sense of realism with it being set in the real world. Therefore, I have stuck to more naturalistic lighting (e.g., day light, lights in a gym, living room side lights) and naturalistic colour palettes as "the introduction of colour should never be obtrusive and that care should be taken not to depart from the convention of naturalism"(Street, 2018:5). By doing this, it ensures that the film stays realistic. When looking at colour palette and lighting, I drew upon films that were shot or based around the 2000s that I liked, such as ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ (2006), ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ (2000), and ‘The Way Way Back’ (2013). 

 

Eye-level shots will be a prominent feature as they create a greater sense of intimacy and allow for the audience to have a greater sense of empathy. In addition, I included shots like mid-shots, medium long shots, and close-ups. This allowed for the character’s costumes, reactions, and their relationships with each other to be displayed to an extent.  

I created a mood reel to display the type of feel I wanted Lady Bird to have as well as showing some of the types of shots that I wanted. The audio/song that I used for the mood reel was Avril Lavine's Complicated (2002). I felt as though it was a song that Lady Bird would listen to as it's alternative and suits her rebellious personality as well as her relationships.

Aiming to maintain a sense of realism, I have chosen for the film to be shot in Sacramento. I looked at high school gyms in Sacramento and pulled out two that I thought could be adapted to look as though it’s 2002. I also looked on Pinterest at living rooms from 2002 and the 2000s for the family room, which could be replicated either in a house in Sacramento or through a built set.  

 

 

Costume is an important aspect as it reveals a bit about the character's personality. I researched American private school uniforms when it came to the students’ and Lady Bird’s costumes. With Lady Bird I wanted to reflect her sense of individuality and rebellious side, so adapted her costume. I chose a pair of Dr. Marten boots as they are often seen as being a bit rebellious, like Lady Bird, and are like the Dr. Marten shoes Marion would wear, showing that they’re not a dissimilar as they think. Streaks and highlights were a popular hairstyle in the early 2000s and also differ from societal norms. I have aimed to incorporate a bit of each characters’ personality into their costumes for example, Larry has a bit of a geeky look as he was a computer programmer. 

 
 

Bibliography: 

Gerwig, G. (2017) Lady Bird At: https://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/LADY_BIRD_shooting_script.pdf (Accessed 02/03/2021)

Lannom, SC (2020) Camera Angles Explained: The Different Types of Camera Shot Angles in Film. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/types-of-camera-shot-angles-in-film/ (Accessed 09/03/2021)

Lannom, SC. (2019) Eye Level Shots: Creative Examples of Camera Angles and Shots. At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/eye-level-camera-shot-angle/ (Accessed 09/03/2021)

Morris, L. (2018) 'Celebrating The Hairstyle That Defined The Early 2000s' In: Grazia 12/01/2018 At: https://graziadaily.co.uk/beauty-hair/hair/bad-highlights-hair-2000s/ (02/03/2021) 

Oscars. (2015) Costume Design Defining Character. At: https://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/teachersguide-costumedesign-2015.pdf (Accessed 03/03/2021)

San Fillip, C. (2019) Filming 101: Types of Camera Shots and Angles At: https://www.polarprofilters.com/blogs/polarpro/filmmaking-101-types-of-camera-shots-and-angles (Accessed 09/03/2021)

Street, S (2018). 'The Colour of Social Realism' In: Journal of British Cinema and Television 15 (4) pp. 469-490. At: https://www.euppublishing.com/toc/jbctv/15/4 (Accessed 10/03/2021) 

Studiobinder. (2020) The Ultimate Guide to Camera Shots (50+ Types of Shots and Angles in Film). At: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-camera-shots/ (Accessed 09/03/2021)