Choosing between two windowless rooms

So the films have been shot and are sitting on various hard disks ready to be imported and edited. I can say with all honesty that producing 'Breathing Room' was an experience, it was fun, it was enjoyable it was painfully exhausting at times. It all comes with the territory.

I do not regret having picked producing for my second specialism for these films, it has given me an insight to an area that I really didn't have that much respect for before. Production classes were the thorn in my side in second year. I really don't know what made me pick it as a second choice, maybe I was tired, maybe it was a glitch in the matrix. I did see alot of black cats that day hanging around.

This might sound like I am stamping all over Production, but this was before I had actually had time to do it. During the time producing I definitely have learned to respect it, its one hell of a gig. I found myself not quite knowing what to do for the first few days, but I soon got into the swing of things.

Going back on what I've said in previous posts, I feel I have grown up alot. I feel more responsible in alot of ways. I feel more organised in the way I approach things and the way I deal with people, I no longer have trouble speaking to people I'm not to sure of. These are tools I will carry with me into the industry and for the rest of my life. I do not regret picking producing one little bit.

But now lies the question, do I choose a production office with no windows or an edit suite with no windows? Well it was a difficult call, I did swing backwards and forwards in my head a lot of times before coming to my decision. My thought process was what would get me further into the industry.

Producing seems to the better choice for this, but then I got thinking. Everyone person we have in to speak to us at the Academy have started of as runners and various amongst various other roles. So I don't think it really matters a huge amount what specialism's we choose, we could end up all being bankers. It all depends on the chances that present themselves and acting on them. This made me think that just because I pick one subject I like over another subject I also like it doesn't thus mean I can't do the other.

So after sometime thinking about it I have chosen to specialise in Editing. This is an area I have enjoyed working with-in since I first started with this film malarky 4 years ago. This is not to turn my back on producing but I do think out of the two I enjoy editing alot more than I do producing. Before editing I was possibly a little lazy, so producing has really given me that drive that I lacked before.

So Adam you can put me down for editing next year.

That is all

Michael Maxwell

Breathing Room

Well with the film now shot, far from my job being over I'd still like to reflect on the experience of producing so far.

The job of producing really comes down to waiting for something to go wrong and reacting to the situation accordingly. It combines a series of highs and lows, one moment you seem to be getting everything done and sorted, signed off, stamped and sealed. Then the next you are running around like a headless chicken trying to fix something that has suddenly ruptured.

Although its this exactly what makes producing so much fun, its the constant having your finger on the pulse that makes each day a constant learning experience. Each day wether I was leaving in panic melt down mode or walking on air, I still felt I had learned something new from that day.

It was jumping into the deep end for me, having only produced the PMB scenes which really just involved ordering taxi's - producing 'Breathing Room' really was on the other end of the spectrum.

I'm not saying it was a difficult job to produce it but it factored in so many equations that the PMB scenes didn't have nor need. You really do feel on the first few days of producing that you have to act like you know what you are doing. After all its your sole responsibly to get the film going, thats enough to scare anyone.

Looking back in hindsight I can really see how far I have come, looking back on the rookie mistakes I was making and the silly little things that could have been done better it makes me cringe somewhat. But this is a good thing, being able to see the learning process from start to finish in a manner in which you can see the difference in your working methods is what learning is all about.

Yes we are far from finished with this film. Having a series of shots in a hard drive is far from having a film, we have climbed the mountain now starts the decent. I'm sure the coming weeks and months will hold another vast array of learning experiences for me, and I can say in total confidence 'I can't wait'.

Having been locked in the production office for nine hours days for two weeks before shooting, its amazing to see what all the hard work was really for. Although I can say I was surprised how little I had to do on set in contrast to pre-production. I found myself giving myself silly little jobs to go and do to make it seem look as if I was still this busy little bee. This is only down to one factor, the crew working as a perfect team and just getting on with the job in hand. They created no problems for me to deal with on set. Its amazing to see the difference from how far we have come as a unit from first year.

Each day I spent on set I can also say in honesty that it's the first time I have enjoyed being on set. Usually I just like to hide myself away in a dark edit suite where nothing can really go wrong and there is no stress. This shoot was calm and relaxed but still with a strong working drive to it all.

As I said before this was down to the crew working as a team. The shoot never hit any ice bergs on its way from start to finish. It was such a learning curve seeing how we all worked as a team to get things done. Yes the dog wrangler turned out to be more difficult to work with than the actual dog, but we can't say we weren't warned.

So now I have a folder full of receipts and a budget that needs drafting - again. So what can I say other than I have really enjoyed myself on this shoot. I could sit here and try to explain what I have learned and such. But this would be like a dad telling his son various tips for riding a bike, you can't explain it, its really one of those things that you learn by doing.

A windowless room

This is where I suppose I'm supposed to lie for the purposes of blogging, just to get it out the way and to make up various good points and bad.

What can I say? Sitting in a windowless room each day from 9-6 crunching numbers and dealing with things as they come. What else can one aspect whilst producing, but not to go against what I have just said, but it's stressful, having the weight of the film resting on your shoulders. So would I choose to do it again? Yes.

I feel I have learned something new each day, I have made alot of mistakes. But I can say honestly that I have learned from them. This being the first thing I've properly produced, to have everything sorted apart from make-up I feel is not that bad. Worst comes to worse we have a film with shinny faces.

So people choose to do this as a living? to be sat in front of a computer looking at contracts and budgets? Why? Well thats not something I can answer really, theres just something about it that gets you. For one its forced me to get myself organised, I can physically feel my brain working in a more streamline way now. As before it was more just a random mash of thoughts and half thought out ideas.

Budgeting for this film has been my main concern, the dog, actress and travel all take a hefty chunk of that £1000. I am not going to over spend but I still want to come in as much under budget as possible. I'm not seeing the £1000 as money that needs to be spent, I am doing everything in my power to get around everything that will take even just £2 of that budget.

Having a good time? Well ask me that next week, or well after Edinburgh Film Festival when I've had time to relax and get myself silly drunk and watch a bucket load of movies.

I might just have to glue the phone to my head

The first lesson I learned when starting my role as producer is that when someone says 'I'll get back to you' or something similar, its all lies. They won't.

I learned this pretty fast, timidly starting my role I took this to be true from companies I was phoning, to be more exact Casting agencies and Letting agencies. So number one rule of producing? Phone people until they give up. Liz Bisset I'm looking in your direction.

So people who know me, I'm not the most organised person on the face of the planet. But really who is? I think the second rule of producing is making enough people think you know what your doing, I think it's just important to tackle each issue as it occurs, don't take a fit when one small or large thing goes wrong, this doesn't sort anything out.

What has occurred to me during these past few days whilst producing is, that although I'm not an organised person, I feel producing is forcing me to be more organised. I think this is definitely having a positive effect on me. I don't panic when I have to phone someone or deal with paper work. I think it was far to easy just to use not being organised in the past as an excuse for...well being lazy at times.

Another aspect of producing I like is that, well I know whats going on. Being the editor before I didn't really know what the hell was going on with the films. I like being in the know, its also good to have an input into the films. Just from location hunting to sourcing actors, its nice to have some form of input.

What terrified me before in production was budgeting, I really don't know why. I'm not going to say its easy, we shall see how the budget works out first. Although from what I've done so far its relatively straight forward. You get this amount you get this amount, don't like it?...well the art department can have your budget.

So producing? it is much more fun than I thought it would be. I really don't think I have phoned so many people in my life, than I have in these past few days. That was another phobia of mines, being a guy I'm used to short to the point phone calls "Meet you in ten? Yeah sounds good, Bye" Not this chit chatty business. I think I've come on leaps and bounds in terms of my skills of dealing with people over the phone. It's not quite as scary as I thought it was, after all if there rude...you can always just hang-up!

So with one week left before we shoot, I have sorted location (Thanks Charlotte :) we have the homeless man and the dog. Karen Hall is doing a fantastic job with props hunting and sourcing. We have atleast one person wanting to play Jackie. We are auditioning another on Monday (TBC) So we will atleast have some sort of film to show in just over two weeks time, I won't have to put a wig on as I thought I might have to.

So a week of solid producing, I can say it takes up all my time. It can be stressful at times, it means being stuck in a room with now windows all day. But well...you got to love it.

Saving Private Ryan - Editing

“When we look back from the standpoint of history, we can say, ‘Oh yeah, World War II clearly set out the good and bad apart from one another’ but inside combat, the issue is never that clear.”

Speilberg page 45 1998 American Cinematographer interview by Stephen Pizzello

Introduction

This report will focus in its entirety on one particular scene located in chapter 17 the final stages of Steven Spielberg’s WW2 hyperrealism epic 'Saving Private Ryan'

The scene in question is set against the final epilogue of the film. Two opposing soldiers are locked in a brutal life and death battle on the first floor of a French townhouse, the key to over turning this battle is agonisingly meters away in the stairwell to overwhelmed to the climb the last few steps and save his fellow soldier and friend.

(Saving Private Ryan Feature Disc 1, Chapter 17 (02:18:25 - 02:19:27)

After closely studying the scene in question, it has come to light that what makes this scene work is that as soon as Cpl. Timothy enters the french townhouse we are essentially cutting to a new reality.

As soon as Cpl. Timothy takes those first few steps up those ascending steps we are essentially taken to a different dimension, for me this is a short movie within a movie. The story narrows down from a large cast and plot, to just a story of one man and the true bitterness of warfare.

This scene is a very contained scene in relation to all we've seen before. It cuts down to all but three actors, and more importantly three of the lesser know actors. This adds realism to the scene, we can watch it and imagine it to be true.

We aren't looking down the barrel of a gun shooting at distant targets, we are right there beside him with every step he takes. We as the audience are truly taken from 'Hollywood' and shown what war really is and means, man killing his fellow man.

Spielberg set out to this by challenging our perceptions of war,

“We all determined very early on that we wanted to affect people in the nature of war for the first time”

(Steven Spielberg American Cinematographer page 56 December 1998)

Cutting Between Realities

Whats interesting about this scene is how it is cut. If you look closely at the scene you can see we are cutting between two different realties of war, the horrifying killing and also the emotionally destructive aspect. These are two realities we are being presented with running along side each other.

Walter Murch talks about that when a cut is made , we are forced to reevaluate its context. (In the Blink of an Eye, page 6, Published 1995)

This notion can be applied to this scene, in-fact to go even further it's why it works. The reason the scene works, and strips us of our humanity is that we are constantly reevaluating the

Cpl. Timothy's situation in relation to the barbaric fight happening. We see how this, in context, emotionally destroys him.

Its also very similar to the Kuleshov Effect, the framing stays the same but we the audience project our building and changing emotion onto the scene. In retrospective to the new context Pvt.Stanley finds himself in.

(http://faculty.cua.edu/johnsong/hitchcock/pages/kuleshov.html)

To focus more closely on the scene, It came to my attention that each time we cut back to Cpl. Timothy from the carnage happening upstairs, we are forced to wait longer each time. Combined with some clever cinematography they build up tension here.

We cut back to the room.

We stay here for around ten seconds. Then back again

The shot has doubled in size

This last shot we are presented with is made up of a variety of layers. To draw your attention to the left, we cut from upstairs and we as the audience are by now shouting for Timothy to climb the stairs to an obscure shot of his boots. This angle elongates the stairwell and makes it appear much longer than it actually is. This small staircase has become a mountain for Cpl. Timothy.

“I have a concept of who the characters are and where they story is taking us, you then imagine how I can enhance the storytelling through visuals”

(American Cinematographer Kaminski page 32 August 1998)

The second aspect is that in this shot we see Cpl. Timothy cock his gun. This is shown very clearly.

We as the audience are told in no uncertain terms, he can save his friends life. But this just can't be done, Hollywood would dictate that he climbs the stairs and saves his friend. This just isn't what war is made up of, this is its true face.

The fact this shot works so well its raised an issue with me, did we need to see the fight at all? Murch is quoted in saying "Suggestion is always more effective than exposition" Would just seeing Cpl. Timothy crumble whilst only hearing the horrifying truth that his friend faces be enough?

The rhythm of the scene is a balance of power. We first only cut to Cpl.Timothy when Pvt.Stanely is seemingly winning the fight. The second time we cut back to him is when the German Solider is wielding a knife a Stanley's chest. So we really now want Timothy to climb the stairs. So the fact Kahn has chosen to add that extra few beats into this second scene really does build the tension.

"Sometimes you see a picture that an audience will be uncomfortable with. They don't know what it is, but a good editor could look at it and say it's off rhythm, the rhythms have to be changed or massaged a little... Things don't happen when they're supposed to happen rhythmically - even if it's off this much or a beat off - and editors who have been doing it for a while will look for and understand that" (5)

Michael Kahn

The scene does feel as if he has looked at every frame and made his cut exactly where he intended to, and not just around about cut.

Sound Design

Now it would be difficult to look at this scene editing wise with out looking briefly into the sound design of it.

Gary Rydstrom the sound mixer for 'Saving Private Ryan' mentioned that Spielberg didn't want it to sound like Hollywood. This was to add to the realism, Gary was going to have to build up this movies sound design from the ground up starting from scratch.

(Saving Private Ryan Special Features Disc 2 Music and Sound 00:06:47)

In this short shot which lasts nine seconds, we the audience, hear a number of things that adds the extra dimension to the scene.

(Saving Private Ryan Feature Disc 1, Chapter 17 (02:18:56 - 02:18:00)

• Bullets wrapped around his neck jingling
• Sounds of muffled distress
• Cpl. Timothy cock his gun

This is essentially passing us the information that he has the means in which so save him, but the sounds of distress are holding him back like a wall. Its interesting to note that the sounds of battle raging on the street just metres away from him, all but die out when he enters the house.

We are not distracted with any real exterior noises, we hear only what we need to hear and what the editing team wanted us to hear and this in turn forces the audience to draw their full attention to the situation Cpl. Timothy finds himself in.

"It struck me how much sound was part of their memory"

(Gary Rydstrom - Saving Private Ryan, Disc 2 Special Features 00:07:24)

So in conclusion I believe that this has given a clearer and more comprehensive insight into what makes this extremely short scene what it is, and why, and, just as importantly, how this short scene from such a long film added so much weight to the tension whilst highlighting the brutality of war by cleverly combining the editor's experience with every tool an editor requires; cuts, rhythm, pace and sound design.

Bibliography

• “We all determined very early on that we wanted to affect people in the nature of war for the first time” (Steven Spielberg American Cinematographer page 56 December 1998)
• 
  
• “When we look back from the standpoint of history, we can say, ‘Oh yeah, World War II clearly set out the good and bad apart from one another’ but inside combat, the issue is never that clear.” (Speilberg page 45 1998 American Cinematographer interview by Stephen Pizzello)
• 
  
• Walter Murch talks about that when a cut is made , we are forced to reevaluate its context. (In the Blink of an Eye, page 6, Published 1995)
• 
  
• (Saving Private Ryan Special Features Disc 2 Music and Sound 00:06:47)
• (Saving Private Ryan Feature Disc 1, Chapter 17 (02:18:25 - 02:19:27)
• (Saving Private Ryan Feature Disc 1, Chapter 17 (02:18:56 - 02:18:00)
• 
  
• "It struck me how much sound was part of their memory" (Gary Rydstrom - Saving Private Ryan, Disc 2 Special Features 00:07:24)

• 5 (http://www.editorsguild.com/v2/magazine/Newsletter/kahn.html) Accessed 20-1-10
• 
  
• “I have a concept of who the characters are and where they story is taking us, you then imagine how I can enhance the storytelling through visuals” (American Cinematographer Kaminski page 32 August 1998)
• 
  
• (http://faculty.cua.edu/johnsong/hitchcock/pages/kuleshov.html) Accessed on 12-2-10
  
  
  
  

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Directed by Mark Herman

A story of a son of a high-ranking SS solider, his world is turned upside down when they are forced to move because of his fathers work. The adventurous boy unhappy with his new confined surrounding sneaks out and into the woods, were it becomes apparent what his fathers work in tales. The young boy meets a young jewish boy living on the other side of a barbed fence and begin a friendship that will have startling consciences.

I found this movie to be a really good watch, what I'm beginning to see is that european films do put alot more effort into the character arcs than Hollywood. From 'The Lives of Others' and this movie the characters felt more real than any Hollywood movie I can recall. Its clearly someones's story and they don't distract you with irrelevant casting and plotting, what I'm trying to say is that I am very aware of who's story it is when watching these types of films, than if I was watching a Hollywood piece I could struggle to point out who's story it really was.

Another point would be that I have fallen in love with the style of these films. Every frame is a joy to look at, every detail really has been thought about and put into practice. It all somehow doesn't seem as forced, I'm never really made to feel like I am watching a film. It amerces you into the world they are telling, we don't get sweeping crane shots and such, its simple and very well thought out. Every camera shot really does tell you who's scene it is, were not distracted with a hundred and one other things happening at the same time.

The characters felt abit odd speaking with posh english accents, maybe a ploy to give it more audience appeal. I still would have liked to see it done properly with German, this is the only thing that ever took me out of the film. Maybe a compromise worth living with? not too sure.

Another thing is, I think some of the dialog somewhat seemed like it was preaching to us. Yes its telling a story of humanity and such. It needs to do this, but I did become aware to the almost to forward pushy dialog stating morals. I think it should have trusted the audience a little more and just let the visuals do this.

Apart from this a fantastic well thought out plot that really does play with your emotions, I was never all to aware what was going to happen next. Maybe the family parts left a little by the roadside at parts, but I understand it was the boys story.

I did really enjoy this movie but felt the ending was just a tad predictable, I had clicked on to what was going to happen a long time from the finish. It didn't really take the emotional punch away from it, but maybe if they had not shown their hand as soon. I have in my head a way to re-cut the ending that would do this, but I'd ruin it by saying how.

Over-all a good watch, very visually beautiful, characters felt real even with the odd accents. Maybe just a touch more perl or startling scenes were needed. But this is just a thousand and one ways they could have shot the film. An excellent watch just from its cinematography and story arc.

Das Leben der Anderen (2006) or 'The lives of others' to me and you

Okay so I haven't seen very many european films of recent, but if this film is anything to go by then I shall certainly try.

I have my own way of rating a film, as I'm sure many others will do the same. I will always judge if it was a good watch if I walk away and think 'I'm buying the DVD' This is why I certainly don't own any bad DVD's *cough* Yeah okay 'Terminator Salvation' has managed to creep into my collection somehow. I think HMV uses mind control in their shop, you go into buy one DVD and you come out with about five.

'A GDR Captain is given an assignment to spy on a scholar, who has an enemy in the form of a Minister desperate to destroy him. This dedicated Captain is forced to evaluate his views and beliefs in the GDR as he begins to see what it is doing to innocent ordinary people'

So this feature film directed by 'Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck' (Yes I cut and pasted that) was certainly a breath of fresh air to watch. Its just a shame more movies like these don't get made, solid characters with a strong backbone of a storyline. My first impressions were of that I really liked how we were challenged at first on which characters to like. We started off watching one of out main cast interrogating and some might say torturing a help-less man. Yet somehow he was still likeable, but so was the intellectual script writer he was chosen to spy on.

Instead of us the audience struggling on who to pin our dislike onto, the movie gave us our release in the form of 'Christa-Maria Sieland' she is never really protruded as an evil person, but there defiantly was just something that didn't sit quite right with her. I think this did give the movie balance, we had to strong characters each fighting there own battles and it would have been a shame if we were forced into choosing one over the other.

I have to go back to Richards screenwriting classes in were he always preached 'Know your characters as if they were a living person' Know whats in their fridge, what they read and just all these little quirks that make a character. Yes the majority of this will never be shown on screen, but I think it definitely showed that the screenwriter knew these characters like the back of his hand.



So the plot strand was interesting, we have been discussing parallel narratives in some of Zams classes. I initially clocked the plot as doing this, but at some point it became something else. It was interweaved, it wasn't two separate narratives but one, it was just shown from different perspectives. I don't think I have ever seen this type of storytelling before, but it was very interesting to watch, although I feel its something not to be attempted unless you really know your stuff.

This movie didn't so much try and hook you straight away, it knew what it was doing and gave you the time to slip into it at your own pace. It had patience and was quietly confident in what it was doing and knew it didn't have to rush into anything to quickly.

Its that human element, those little details that made this film believable and feel undoubtably real. This is what drew me in from the off set.

From watching a few short european films in Adam's class and Richards class last year, its clear to see the unique cinematography used in modern european film. Its those contrasting white edges comprised with monotone colour schemes, it looks and feels reel, but never strays into that 'It looks to real' dimension. It's well 'cardboard box' colours, you are never really presented with contrasting colours unless there is a clear reason for it being used. This is what I feel added that extra dimension to the film that let us concentrate on the characters and really feel the blandness of life under the 'GDR'



I know to give a proper balanced review I must now point out flaws of the film, I know in recent reviews I have raved about the films and it must seem like I can't properly deconstruct films. So just to be picky, I'm not sure if they properly built up any real danger in the film. I didn't really ever feel like the scholar was in any real danger, even under surveillance. I knew he'd be locked up for a long time if caught, but I don't think they quite went far enough to make the bad guys, well the bad guys.

I think this was due to the fact it was one of our main characters 'Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler' who was surveilling him, and well we had already been made to like him. That is just being picky, a little more peril would have been interesting.


Over-all a fantastic watch.