Documentary - Second Group Meeting (22/03/2021)

 Second Group Meeting

This meeting was a catch up with Beth in our breakout rooms to see how we were getting along. We explained our ideas to Beth and she fed back to us her thoughts and helped to guide us. 

Heather and I had had a discussion about contacting organisations such as Sisters Uncut, who are a feminist organisation that fight for those who experience sexual, domestic, gender-based, and state violence (Sisters Uncut, 2021) and who have been particularly vocal with the passing of the recent Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. We decided upon contacting Sisters Uncut, Kelly Tolhurst (the local MP for Rochester and Strood) who voted in favour of the Crime Bill (Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill:Second Reading, 2021), Extinction Rebellion. We also decided to go on social media platforms and try to reach out to people. Beth also reminded us to reach out to those in our circle, particularly those who are passionate about democracy and those who have opposing views and/or are indifferent. 

As a group, we expressed our views on protesting to each other to understand where we each stood on the topic. It was found out that Heather and I were more interested and passionate about the topic than the other members of the group who appeared mostly indifferent. We started to think about the reasoning behind the reasoning behind protesting and began to think about answers to questions. Why do we need protesting? We need protesting as it gives people a voice, especially minority groups, and can evoke change. Without protests where would we be? Without protests, a lot of things (e.g. gay marriage in the UK) would be illegal, the populations' (especially minority groups) voices wouldn't be heard and there would not be debates around many topics and issues. Why are they important? Protest are important as they give a voice to the people and can create change. Why now? There has been a rise in protesting and media coverage surrounding protesting in recent years. 

We decided upon finding archival footage, shooting our own footage and finding footage from social media when it came to content for our documentary. Through doing this, it will allows us to have a range of footage that we can use in our documentary. Archival footage is good for emphasising the historical impact of protesting, our own footage allows us and the audience to form an emotional connection with others who have similar and differing views to us, and footage from social media allows the content to become more intimate as your viewing the events through someone else's eyes and experiencing it alongside them. In addition to this, many 16-24 year olds use social media and often view the world through their use of smart phones, which makes it more relevant to BBC 3's target audience of 16-24 year-olds (Campbell,  2021)

Bibliography:

Campbell, F. (2021) BBC 3 Commissioning. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/bbc-three (Accessed 23/04/2021).

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Second Reading (2021) Elizabeth II. At: https://votes.parliament.uk/Votes/Commons/Division/981#ayes (Accessed 23/04/2021).

Documentary - First Team Meeting and Ideas Lab (17th March 2021)

First Team Meeting and Ideas Lab

Our brief for this unit is a ten minute stand-alone documentary that fits in with the idea of '2021 vision' for BBC 3. 

We were put into breakout rooms with our groups to begin to discuss ideas, thoughts and decide upon roles with regards to the documentary. I am assigned as the Producer and Covid-19 Supervisor, Heather Wallbanks the Screenwriter, Derrin Elliott the Director of Photography, Joey Main as the Editor, and Harry Macer as the Director. 

In the breakout room, we came up with a selection of ideas for our documentary and discussed through each one. Our ideas were as followed: how young people live their lives through social media, students in lockdown, how Covid-19 has affected things (e.g. culture, drugs/the increase in the use of drugs), how Covid-19 has affected exams/schooling, graduates finding it hard to find jobs, dognapping and ideas surrounding protests. Upon Beth's feedback, we decided against a documentary to do with Covid-19 as there has been a lot of coverage with regards to this and multiple documentaries have been and are being made. We also decided against a documentary about dognapping as we couldn't see it as being feasible and safe to film. Discussion with regards to a documentary about protesting and the recent Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, kept coming up so we decided that we would do a documentary about that. Some of us, including myself, are incredibly passionate about the subject. The target audience of BBC 3's target audience are 16-24 year olds and they are looking for something that feels "timely and contemporary in subject and/or shape" (Campbell, 2021). Our documentary idea fits in with this as within the last two years, there has been an increase in protests, especially with regards to the Black Lives Matter Movement, climate change and women's rights, meaning that the subject is current. In addition to this, young people appear to be becoming increasingly vocal, with regards to societal issues. 

With our idea, we also had to think about the angle we are taking and what is new in it (Turrell, 2021). Some things that we had to keep in mind were the perspective presented, the contributors and choosing them (ensuring that they were engaging and in some cases controversial). We struggled to get to the deeper meaning of the angle and what we were trying to get at, which was frustrating. In order to tackle this, we are going to have a conversation with Beth to gain an outsiders opinion as to what she thinks we're getting at. 

Bibliography:

Campbell, F. (2021) BBC 3 Commissioning. At: https://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/bbc-three (Accessed 18/04/2021)

Turrell, B (2021) Documentary Lecture Series. [Online 17/03/2021].

 

Documentary - Talk with Kate Misrahi (26/03/2021)

 Talk with Kate Misrahi

Specialist factual and documentary producer and director Kate Misrahi gave a talk over zoom, mainly with regards to writing a script for a documentary. 

With regards to talent/contributors, Kate stated that it's a good idea to draw up a list of contributors and/or the type of people/organisations you'd like to contribute. Building a rapport and communicating with contributors is of great importance to gain a greater insight and gather more information/more of what you need. Those with a direct insight are often more interesting contributors and can bring more to the documentary. 

In addition to contributors, a lot of documentaries also use archival and/or stock footage. Kate suggested when taking a look at this footage, look at it forensically so that you know what is going on within the footage, what commentary you will use within the script, and use it to help guide some of your research. Contacting others for footage can be a great way to gain more coverage and can sometimes be quicker than collecting archival footage. It was suggested that we contact people (e.g. friends, family, organisations, people on social media) and ask for any footage they have. A good way in which to go about doing this is through social media as most people use smart phones to document their lives and things that occur in society. 

When it comes to writing the script, it was mentioned that initially, you should conduct research surrounding the content/ideas for the documentary and take notes from your communication with contributors, starting to put the two into a script. The initial script is known as a 'shooting script', which is an outline/pre-script to guide the cast and crew. Kate informed us that after the coverage has been shot, the script will have to be re-written around the commentary and what's been said, especially in the interviews, as things are likely to have changed. I learnt also learnt that it's important to keep in mind that a script is useful, but don't be constrained by it, especially considering the fact that things will usually always change. 

Moving forward, I will be trying to use the advice that Kate gave along the way in my work. 

Bibliography:

Misrahi, K. (2021) Talk with Kate Misrahi. [Online 26/03/2021] 

Documentary - Talk with Jack Cocker (17/03/2021)

 Talk with Jack Cocker (17/03/2021)

Documentary maker, Jack Cocker, conducted a talk with us over zoom to help us gain some insight into the world of documentary making as well as how his work and career. 

Jack pointed out throughout the talk that you have to constantly be thinking why and have reasoning behind what you're doing as commissioners like to have a reason and often ask questions like "why them?" (Cocker, 2021) and "why now?" (Cocker, 2021). This piece of advice is useful as you're made to think about and explain why you have chosen to do something rather than making a decision and not knowing why you have made that decision. I will use this when going forward as I believe that it will help me in looking back at the things that I have done, the decisions I have made, and the decisions I am going to make and thinking about the reasoning behind them, ensuring that I don't drift too far away from the work at hand. 

When it comes to the talent/contributors, Jack emphasised the need for good characters. What Jack meant by this, is looking for characters who don't change in front of the camera, who have a good personality, who are interesting, and who would potentially appeal to an audience, amongst other things. In addition to this, Jack explained to us that personality of a documentary and film maker has a big role to play. Likability, respect and a clear vision are at the forefront, and can help you get further in life and with your work. People are more likely to work with you again if you are likeable, have respect, and hold a clear vision. It was also mentioned that charm is useful as it allows you to potentially gain access, work, build a rapport etc. however, it isn't essential. 

Another important point Jack made, was to ensure that you think about continuity throughout, especially when cutting as you want to make sure that the action matches. I will try to continually think about continuity with regards to this unit and future work so that my work is completed to a high standard. 

To conclude, I found the talk that Jack Cocker gave extremely useful and will be trying to incorporate what he put forward to us in my work going forward. 

Bibliography:

Cocker, J. (2021) Talk with Jack Cocker. [Online 17/03/2021]

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)