Friday, April 27, 2012

The language of film making -4

what is going on with the migration ?


The human mind can create more fear then what you can show.

Orson welles –

1935 – radio and stage with federal theater project

Founded mercury theater group

Read theater on radio, Mercury Theater on radio reenacted war and mars attack on air.  Making it very believable.

On radio -- war of the worlds.

Combined different styles in his work

The storytelling process is in the hands of powerful external narrators

1941 – citizen Kane

1942 - Magnificent Amberson

It’s all true

1948 – the lady from shanghai

1948 - Macbeth

1952 – Othello
 Mostly shot the movie, shot reverse shot in absence of both actors together

1955 – Don Quixote

1958 – Touch of evil

1962- The Trail

1966 – Chimes at Midnight

1968 – Immortal Story
Merchant of Venice

1970 – 76 – The other side of the wind
1975 – F for fake

Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth


  

Thursday, April 19, 2012

short film making development - 3

SUPPORTING ELEMENTS

The smaller yet important pieces

DIALOGUES

Remember

I.

F IT CAN BE SHOWN

IF IT WILL BE SHOWN

IF IT HAS BEEN SHOWN

Do not use in dialogue

2. Dialogue should serve character distinction

( viz- a character who says , ummm or brother with every sentence ,,,)

3. Need to be true to life

( it has to be true to the universe you have created )

4. Exposition and the use of it

SUB PLOT

1. It should intercept the main plot at some time

2. In a feature there are 6 – 8 sub plots

It should include

Payoff - that’s info that’s given should be of use later in the movie

Tone – should be consistent, not start as a drama and end as horror, keep it consistent

Theme – based on choices the character makes, or does not make, is how the film moves

Motif

Concept and marketebility

LOGLINE 1 – 4 sentence - consider the 1st act of the script, the main character his everyday world, state of mind, n then bring in the 1st turning point with a dash of 2nd act, what the story is about in a nutshell (not ABOUT) it should entice and offer an idea of the tone genre and budget without saying it (full sentence preferred)

Viz- a teen slumdog cheats in a game show, he tells about his life and the women he loves.-Slumdog millionaire

A Memphis pimp hit s a midlife crisis and turns to rap to bring himself out and over - Hustle and flow

A ditsy blond sorority chic goes to Harvard law school to impress her Boyfriend - Legally blond



A PITCH

What it requires

TILE

LOGLINE

GENRE / TONE

HERO

WANTS

DOES

DESPITE

HOOK?

CLIMAX?

RESOLUTION ?

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Language of Filmmaking -2 - bengali New year


Let me say , rather wish you all HApppy new year



Movie, MON ONCLE – 1958, French film which uses high key for happy scenes,

Low-key lighting typically, is film noir, dark story to be told,

Movie – Blond Venus, 1932,

Grafter 1990

Vampire- 1932

EXPRESSINISM it does not typically represent reality, it transcends the moment, often used in cinema, in 1930 ‘s it attempts to capture the inner feelings

IMPRESSINISM like the name suggests, typically attempts to capture the impressions

Movie – the cabin of Dr Calligari

Nosferatu– 1922

The night of the hunter 1955

1910 – 20 - expressionism

1930 – 40 classical Hollywood

1940 onwards – Hollywood NOIr

1940 – 60 - Neorealism

1960 – 90 – New Hollywood movies

Bound 1960

The man who was not there 2000

B/W is a more stylized, and signature style of filmmaking

Narrative style of filmmaking in 1917 was Greed.

NATALIE Clamus, color supervisor, was a moving force at Technicolor,

And attempted to dictate what colors signified, n what emotion it was going to create,

While the viewer is actually the one who associates and lets diff colors help arise diff emotions, based on sub cultures in reality

The movie, Eureka, in 1984 used the color red as a narrative means, as did schidlers list

CAMERA MOVEMENTS CAN BE SUED TO CREATE AND INFLUENCE audience by creative usage of distance / angle / inclination / frame / color / all these combined together can also create deep space

To enhance Depth of field, low and high camera angle is used

Selective lighting . layered lighting also does the same

Different layers of actions inside which are shot specific lensing .

Wide angle lens – rumble fish

Clockwork orange used to great effect

Tele Lens creating shallow focus , in movies like –

Angel 1937

A women under influence 1974

Gerry 2002

DEconstructing harry 1997 are good examples







back to NEW year history :



King Shoshangko of ancient Bengal, who ruled approximately between 590 CE and 625 CE, is credited with starting the Bengali era. His kingdom encompassed West Bengal, Bangladesh and parts of Bihar, Orissa and Assam. The starting point of the Bengali era is estimated to be on Monday, 12 April 594 in the Julian Calendar and Monday, 14 April 594 in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. The Bengali calendar is derived from the Hindu solar calendar, which is itself based on the Surya Siddhanta.

Under the Mughals, agricultural taxes were collected according to the Hijri calendar. However, as the Hijri calendar is a purely lunar calendar, it does not coincide with the harvest. As a result, farmers were hard-pressed to pay taxes out of season. In order to streamline tax collection, the Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered a reform of the calendar. Accordingly, Fatehullah Shirazi, a renowned scholar and astronomer, formulated the Bengali year on the basis of the Hijri lunar and Hindu solar calendars. The new Fasli San (agricultural year) was introduced on 10/11 March 1584, but was dated from Akbar's ascension to the throne in 1556. The new year subsequently became known as Bônggabdo or Bengali year.



Monday, April 9, 2012

Empowered by wheels- writing scripts -2









YOUR concept?

What IF ?

Rock their world

Story that YOU WILL want to/ WON’T tell your grandchildren

A STORY THAT IS WORTH TELLING

Your story is : FOOTPRINTS LEFT IN SAND BY A CHARACTER IN QUEST OF HIS HEATS DESIRE AGAINST IMPOSSIBEL ODDS

The 3 essentials

PLOTS

STRUCTURE

CHARECTERS

watch - inception / training day / grand turino ( Clint Eastwood)


no country for old men/ real steal /

PLOT: is the building block

The string of events / actions, reactions resolving the main story portrayed in the script.

Superficial story line about what it is ABOUT

More challenge

More conflict

Adheres to central conflict or through line or central line.

In plots there is reversal, twists and up down roads

Avoid holes in stories, it might be far fetched, but must be believable,

Backstory – what happened to character before this, via- flashback / dialogue, though best is through Visuals


movie- fugitive/ pans Labrinth




ABOUT - treasure or love or revenge

About- the immediate what’s trying to be achieved

In the scrip for “ growing up flat chested “

It’s about – getting bigger boobs, but it was ABOUT accepting oneself.

STRUCTURE:

ACT 1.

Meet the lead character in everyday life

New elements will push pull the hero called INCITING INCIDENT

We meet the key antagonist

Main character is pushed into dangerous situations

1st PLOT POINT , 1ST TURNING INCIVENT

ACT 2A.

Hero makes new friends and enemies

Some will flip flop as pals , or enemies

Often spend crawling out of deep holes or slowly slipping from relatively high points

All will eventually lead up to MID POINT (could be string of events too)

It’s usually after a major low or followed by one.

It also refreshes the plot, if the plot was getting weak; sometimes it saves the movie,

A reversal will turn the plot around

ACT 2B

Spend in reacting to new info PLOT POINT 2

Could be a reversal after 1st plot point, where the hero is worse off then what he started out at, or even worse.

Hero might achieve his goal – but does eh want it now?
(Change of heart, or change of desire)

ACT 3.

New ticking clock

Into the hornets nest , might lead to death or near death

Climax- inevitable main event of the script

Quick resolution

Resolution

CHARACTER : is the heart soul dimension, emotion , universal appeal ,

Question of “ Likability “

Sympathy for the DEVIL

What does the character WANT?

What does the character DESIRE?

How does the character PERSUE HIS DESIRE?

DESIRE TRUMPTS MORALITY

EMPATHY HUMANITY

Real bad Vs something else

What is the backdrop that the character leads us to?

Character arc:

Protagonist undergoes changes

What’s at stake?

He has to be active

Dimensions

Protagonist is antagonist driven

Character vs. plot driven







YOUR concept?

What IF ?

Rock their world

Story that YOU WILL want to/ WON’T tell your grandchildren

A STORY THAT IS WORTH TELLING

Your story is : FOOTPRINTS LEFT IN SAND BY A CHARACTER IN QUEST OF HIS HEATS DESIRE AGAINST IMPOSSIBEL ODDS

The 3 essentials

PLOTS

STRUCTURE

CHARECTERS

PLOT: is the building block

The string of events / actions, reactions resolving the main story portrayed in the script.

Superficial story line about what it is ABOUT

More challenge

More conflict

Adheres to central conflict or through line or central line.

In plots there is reversal, twists and up down roads

Avoid holes in stories, it might be far fetched, but must be believable,

Backstory – what happened to character before this, via- flashback / dialogue, though best is through Visuals

ABOUT - treasure or love or revenge

About- the immediate what’s trying to be achieved

In the scrip for “ growing up flat chested “

It’s about – getting bigger boobs, but it was ABOUT accepting oneself.

STRUCTURE:

ACT 1.

Meet the lead character in everyday life

New elements will push pull the hero called INCITING INCIDENT

We meet the key antagonist

Main character is pushed into dangerous situations

1st PLOT POINT , 1ST TURNING INCIVENT

ACT 2A.

Hero makes new friends and enemies

Some will flip flop as pals , or enemies

Often spend crawling out of deep holes or slowly slipping from relatively high points

All will eventually lead up to MID POINT (could be string of events too)

It’s usually after a major low or followed by one.

It also refreshes the plot, if the plot was getting weak; sometimes it saves the movie,

A reversal will turn the plot around

ACT 2B

Spend in reacting to new info PLOT POINT 2

Could be a reversal after 1st plot point, where the hero is worse off then what he started out at, or even worse.

Hero might achieve his goal – but does eh want it now?
(Change of heart, or change of desire)

ACT 3.

New ticking clock

Into the hornets nest , might lead to death or near death

Climax- inevitable main event of the script

Quick resolution

Resolution

CHARACTER : is the heart soul dimension, emotion , universal appeal ,

Question of “ Likability “

Sympathy for the DEVIL

What does the character WANT?

What does the character DESIRE?

How does the character PERSUE HIS DESIRE?

DESIRE TRUMPTS MORALITY

EMPATHY HUMANITY

Real bad Vs something else

What is the backdrop that the character leads us to?

Character arc:

Protagonist undergoes changes

What’s at stake?

He has to be active

Dimensions

Protagonist is antagonist driven

Character vs. plot driven