Headspace || Analysing My Film
AIMED FOR POETRY - ENDED UP WITH AN OVER-PRODUCED, BADLY WRITTEN POP SONG
The original intention of this film was to name it 'the appointment' and have a character going to a certain appointment, presenting to the audience a clear character and setting. The film was supposed to be simple, well-executed, with a concise narrative and atmosphere whilst also being engaging for spectators who perhaps could establish an emotional connection to the film.
None of the above happened. So I decided to abandon ship completely and re-name the piece altogether.
The Good:
The film was meant to be silent but when filming for the piece I already knew I wanted to add music and Angel by Tokio Myers seemed like a good fit. The intention was for the music to build just as the pace does with the editing, however I think the film lacks pace due to the over-complicated effects and so doesn't sit as nicely with the music as it could, but I still love the simple lyrics and the cresendo towards the middle of the film.
The contrast between black and white and colour in the film was originally to create confusion and uneasiness for the spectator but almost ended up becoming symbol of before taking the mysterious pill and after taking it. Before the world is ordinary, mundane even with muted colours and a cloudy sky but once the pill is consumed everything becomes clearer for the character - vivid and contrasting, there's great interest in life. All of this was the concept for the piece and although some may believe the colouring should be the other way around and yes, I can agree it was executed badly, the concept was still there.
The only relatively good part of the edited footage (besides the music which I didn't actually create but did choose so ha), was the use of the black screen. This isn't seen particularly in the actual film industry so perhaps wasn't the smartest move but I feel it emphasised the jarring, clean cuts of the piece. It did block the narrative a little, but there were far bigger problems concerning the construction of the narrative (we'll get onto those in a bit). Anyway, I like 'em.
I also like the choice to stick with clean cuts, it might mean it lacks variety but I think it does clean up some of the messes that I created such as the lacking of pace.
The Bad:
The range of shots, movement and angles is not good. It's essentially a whole heap of close ups with one or two shots panning, badly executed push and pull focus. Yes, you could argue that there are a few low angles to make the character seem more important, that they constantly fill the frame also to emphasise their emotional suffocation.
Also the constant switching between slow and fast motion just isn't working in the jarring, dynamic way it was supposed to and because of this there is no real pace to the sequence. It becomes a little 'off' and not in a good way.
There is no atmosphere here - the music barely manages to create some kind of emotion, but performance wise there is little intensity of emotion in the facial expressions, the intense close ups have not been balanced with wider shots to create this sense of loneliness and the constant switching between black and white is more confusing than stimulating.
Overall, it just isn't engaging, it's confusing and too big of a meal for the audience to digest the storyline (what storyline?) and the potential for an emotive atmosphere.
The Ugly:
The narrative is especially lacking. For many of my first attempts at editing the footage, I was completely absorbed with effects and filters, desperately wanting the film to be visually stimulating and so in the midst of my obsession for visual success, I neglected the actual narrative of the piece. There is little continuity between one shot and the next and it's almost impossible to actually work out what is going on. I needed to include more 'linking' shots to bridge the existing shots and essentially bring it all together, for example a shot of the character looking between the door and paper to ensure spectators could understand where the pill came from.
Giving away so little about the character was originally intentional, however looking back on the film I realise the audience need to establish and emotional connection with the character, initially I wanted the character to be applicable to any member of the audience and so relatable in any way, however the idea of the character being a stressed, over-worked student needing something to ease the mental pandemonium developed and wasn't communicated at all. A simple shot of the character holding textbooks, carrying a schoolbag on the shoulder, or even a close up of the picture on the lanyard could have signalled to spectators who the protagonist was. The original idea that it could be 'anybody' is flimsy and although was meant to be more relateable for all spectators, doesn't build any emotional connections between the character and spectators.
The order of the shots is also confusing and chaotic, my aim was to create a sort of 'melancholic stress' to reflect the emotive state of the character who is so desperate for this mysterious drug, however the constant extreme close ups and cuts from this to that with no real connection or reason makes the film seem disjointed and overly-complex when it doesn't need to be. Again, the shots don't link together, of course it was meant to be slight disconcerting and disjointed to create uneasiness for the spectator to mirror that of the character but it just comes off lazy and unprofessional - not at all purposeful.
Also why did I include him both taking and snorting the same pill? What's that about???
The Lesson:
Create something simple, a simple idea with clean cuts, no over-produced effects, no clear desperation for lyricism - and do it well. That means simple cuts, thoughtfully chosen shots to create emotional connections and construct pace and a clear narrative.
I love a good bit of withholding information, but at some point the information needs to be given up or you're going to be left with an audience thinking 'what was that?'
~Grace~
The film was meant to be silent but when filming for the piece I already knew I wanted to add music and Angel by Tokio Myers seemed like a good fit. The intention was for the music to build just as the pace does with the editing, however I think the film lacks pace due to the over-complicated effects and so doesn't sit as nicely with the music as it could, but I still love the simple lyrics and the cresendo towards the middle of the film.
The contrast between black and white and colour in the film was originally to create confusion and uneasiness for the spectator but almost ended up becoming symbol of before taking the mysterious pill and after taking it. Before the world is ordinary, mundane even with muted colours and a cloudy sky but once the pill is consumed everything becomes clearer for the character - vivid and contrasting, there's great interest in life. All of this was the concept for the piece and although some may believe the colouring should be the other way around and yes, I can agree it was executed badly, the concept was still there.
The only relatively good part of the edited footage (besides the music which I didn't actually create but did choose so ha), was the use of the black screen. This isn't seen particularly in the actual film industry so perhaps wasn't the smartest move but I feel it emphasised the jarring, clean cuts of the piece. It did block the narrative a little, but there were far bigger problems concerning the construction of the narrative (we'll get onto those in a bit). Anyway, I like 'em.
I also like the choice to stick with clean cuts, it might mean it lacks variety but I think it does clean up some of the messes that I created such as the lacking of pace.
The Bad:
The range of shots, movement and angles is not good. It's essentially a whole heap of close ups with one or two shots panning, badly executed push and pull focus. Yes, you could argue that there are a few low angles to make the character seem more important, that they constantly fill the frame also to emphasise their emotional suffocation.
Also the constant switching between slow and fast motion just isn't working in the jarring, dynamic way it was supposed to and because of this there is no real pace to the sequence. It becomes a little 'off' and not in a good way.
There is no atmosphere here - the music barely manages to create some kind of emotion, but performance wise there is little intensity of emotion in the facial expressions, the intense close ups have not been balanced with wider shots to create this sense of loneliness and the constant switching between black and white is more confusing than stimulating.
Overall, it just isn't engaging, it's confusing and too big of a meal for the audience to digest the storyline (what storyline?) and the potential for an emotive atmosphere.
The Ugly:
The narrative is especially lacking. For many of my first attempts at editing the footage, I was completely absorbed with effects and filters, desperately wanting the film to be visually stimulating and so in the midst of my obsession for visual success, I neglected the actual narrative of the piece. There is little continuity between one shot and the next and it's almost impossible to actually work out what is going on. I needed to include more 'linking' shots to bridge the existing shots and essentially bring it all together, for example a shot of the character looking between the door and paper to ensure spectators could understand where the pill came from.
Giving away so little about the character was originally intentional, however looking back on the film I realise the audience need to establish and emotional connection with the character, initially I wanted the character to be applicable to any member of the audience and so relatable in any way, however the idea of the character being a stressed, over-worked student needing something to ease the mental pandemonium developed and wasn't communicated at all. A simple shot of the character holding textbooks, carrying a schoolbag on the shoulder, or even a close up of the picture on the lanyard could have signalled to spectators who the protagonist was. The original idea that it could be 'anybody' is flimsy and although was meant to be more relateable for all spectators, doesn't build any emotional connections between the character and spectators.
The order of the shots is also confusing and chaotic, my aim was to create a sort of 'melancholic stress' to reflect the emotive state of the character who is so desperate for this mysterious drug, however the constant extreme close ups and cuts from this to that with no real connection or reason makes the film seem disjointed and overly-complex when it doesn't need to be. Again, the shots don't link together, of course it was meant to be slight disconcerting and disjointed to create uneasiness for the spectator to mirror that of the character but it just comes off lazy and unprofessional - not at all purposeful.
Also why did I include him both taking and snorting the same pill? What's that about???
The Lesson:
Create something simple, a simple idea with clean cuts, no over-produced effects, no clear desperation for lyricism - and do it well. That means simple cuts, thoughtfully chosen shots to create emotional connections and construct pace and a clear narrative.
I love a good bit of withholding information, but at some point the information needs to be given up or you're going to be left with an audience thinking 'what was that?'
~Grace~
The last para is really interesting as we are about to explore narrative. I kind of agree entirely - for the energetic editing it's surprisingly hard to stick with. I think your learning points are apt. I know you wanted the music but the problem is that it, not the visuals, predominates and the piece in the end feels more like a music video than anything else - it has a typical MV 'narrative fuzz'. So although a poor film in many ways, it's an excellent evaluation and I hope on balance was a valuable learning experience
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