Unfortunately as I went to TOIL, production on Jola came to a pause. I was still awaiting transcriptions to be added to script software in Avid, but with the length of the translations at this point I wonātĀ have time to go through all of the interview as I usually would with documentary. Considering the subtitling process to be done on top, Iām predicting this is going to be a post-production consisting of completely 12+hrs day for the week I have the footage.
During my 2nd week of TOIL the radio silence had begun to worry me as a producer so I called Karina in to see what was happening. During our meeting I encouraged her to locate Polish speakers (suggesting Olivia from 1st year and Klaudia from 4th year) to aid in the transcription as it is taking too long at this point.Ā I also asked if sheād had thoughts on what the story of the doc is. This is something weāve been developing since the 8th March when we got back, and I was trying to figure out in the edit. But even as a producer and editor, I canāt be the one creating the whole documentaryās focus and creative style. So I requested direction, through a treatment and storyboard. Iāve encouraged her to go and speak to Shona and organise dates for the trip, and also get a storyboard in order considering we know what kinds of shots are missing from the current film. My reason for being so pedantic at this point with pre-production for the second shoot is to avoid a lengthy post-production process for Tom and I. Altogether we have only 14 days (during an Easter break too!) to finish the film after the shoot, so we donāt have rooms for spending days creatively mulling over whatās happening in the film.Ā
Unfortunately despite always planning to leave for shoot 2 around 4th April the team are now unavailable that week and will leave w/c 11th April. It was suggested the 17th April but I shut that down as soon as I heard it due to the already short time Tom and I have for post-production. Due to this new shoot date I will be unavailable having made plans for this week months ago, also considering thatāll be my 6th week IN A ROW on projects... I need a break.
Iām happy to be stepping back at this stage, as since the projects formal pitch Iāve been pretty involved with developing the idea, the pitch, shooting the initial shots, the sound, and editing the initial cut, so I need space to step back in order to confidently edit this second half of the film with just an editorās mind on.
The good news is my application for the student grant has been successful so we now have a budget to work with to support the crew with travelling and financing the film.
I think my week away is going to help me distance myself from the project and the studio as a whole (as Iāve been there so much this month my brain has melted), and Iām hoping come post-production for this project Iāll be feeling more fired up again as I did for the first shoot.
Moving from documentary to fiction was a breath of fresh air if Iām honest. Knowing I had a script to work with rather than creating the story in the edit gave me time to relax and focus on the edit using the resources and creative vision Kate had given me. As a director Kate is great at creating a vision for her team to work with, but also not constricting us to specific rules, so this was going to be an exciting edit for me to see what I could do with the footage from The One I Love.
Day 1: 22nd March
The usual first day... lots of importing, transcoding, and linking, to be done. Then throw in syncing just to give yourself a longer day. As tedious as these first steps are I always enjoy the day one process because it gives me an opportunity to watch through the footage and see what I have to work with. So far the footage is looking really strong, the only hiccup we have is a few continuity issues from actors, and a syncing issue with slate 8 due to the actor going for a walk and not turning off their mics. Due to what a long day itās been (10am-8.30pm) Iāve decided to leave slate 8 for tomorrow, and begin editing the start of the film.
Day 2: 23rd March (fun begins!)
Today I started to work through the first rough cut using the script and mapping out the actions/emotions from the script onto the screen, using shots I feel will aid Kateās vision. By the end of the first full day of editing I have a rough cut (messy and off-tempo BUT it maps out where weāre going). Unfortunately this rough cut is 17 minutes long. Although Iāve been reassured not to worry about time, this is a stress as itās not as simple as cutting a few seconds off a cut. This edit will now involve chopping Kateās script in order to get ourselves anywhere close to the time limit.
I also exported some screenshots of the film to be used for promotion, and to be sent to the composer to get an idea of what the film will look like.Ā
Day 3: 24th March
Starting to really edit today now that I have the initial map, Iām hoping to move from a romantic film to a tense gothic horror from scene 6 onwards. Iāve started removing unnecessary dialogue that I feel either hinders a scene or doesnāt add any information, which Kate is happy for me to do.
Iāve not included any of the CU chewing shots from scene 6 because I feel it doesnāt make too much sense as sheās facing his back in the shots, so why would the audience be able to see it if itās her POV weāre seeing.... So... I tampered with scene 7 a bit and introduced flash cuts of Tom chewing Arlene, between the shots of Janet thinking. This has allowed me to use different takes to give the impression Janet is struggling with what she saw, AND to allow the audience to see what it was that had her startled. With Anne-Marieās sound design I think this could be quite a gruesome and gripping moment now.
The final cut of today was 15:21, so we are losing time naturally which is reassuring. My aim is to have a cut a day, even if thereās still amendments to be made, so that Kate, Paul and Kieran can give relevant notes before we have any major issues flag up. My worry currently is the final scene. Itās not as tense as I imagined and the journey to the basement is filmed in a very long one-shot, and Iām not sure cutting in that shot will look great. Weāll figure it out though.Ā
Below: Some notes from today, and changes to be introduced. Cutting lines and trying to move dialogue for character motivation is priority, as well as removing shots Iāve used that arenāt great (note the comment on scene 4).
Day 4: 25th March
Day 4 started off with some editing notes after a re-watch of yesterdayās cuts. My thoughts currently are:
-the takes and actions are all too slow. With an average of 3/4 slates a scene there isnāt much to cut to sooo... how do we pace the film better for tension?
-what dialogue can go? Thereās a wee bit of talking that either doesnāt work or takes ages, where can I condense scenes to be shorter where talking isnāt necessary. My current target is the proposal scene.
-does the basement scene go... Iād initially imagined this as a tense scene where we see Tom lurking in the shadows, or sheās on a mission! But, sheās walking around a basement and itās all very slow, Iām not feeling tense or scared for her. So does this scene need to be there? (Updated note: Iāve been told by Kate it stays, now just gotta find something to do with it to give us someĀ āhorror-esqueā vibes. Itās the final act, the climax of the film, so I feel it needs to have tension to make for a satisfying payoff.
Todayās final cut is 13:29 which is an amazing jump from the beginning of the week.
Below: Thoughts from today on Scene 6 and 11, the two turning points of the film.
-Weekend Break-
Day 5: 28th March
I kicked off the week by exploring how we get to 10 minutes by creating... the 10 minute cut... it doesnāt work. In order to do this I removed scene 7 (the jam scene) and the basement scene, however I absolutely love scene 7 as itās the last scene where we really see the two interact before she kills him, and I feel the edits creating a wonderful tension in this scene following what Janetās witnessed downstairs. To me scene 7 is the last moment we see where their relationship is clinging on, heās trying to convince her and sheās trying to pull away, it almost feels like a breakup. The problem is finding bits of her performance that make sense, Iām still struggling with the scene as she... believes him? I think? With the actorās nervous laughter coming off as genuine in some takes I am struggling with cutting to Janet, and sticking more to Tom due to the creepiness and obvious two faced nature he creates in this scene.
I also had a anonymous viewer view the latest cut at the weekend to ensure the story is still understood despite the amount of changes Iāve made to the script. Their comments were a nice boost to start the week with, and there were some criticisms that I agreed with, so nothing unexpected has cropped up yet. These are some of the comments for the cut so far:
āthe story is ace, feels like a Netflix horrorā
āScene 6 up feels very spooky compared to the first halfā
āI like the ending but itās a bit of an anti-climax I donāt really believe the girlā
āThe boys really creepyā
āI donāt really understand him in the mirror? Because she shines her torch on him then it goes to the floor then her and heās not there?ā
āIs there going to be a sequel?ā (nothing to do with the edit but this was nice to hear)
I agree with the ending and basement comments as these are things Iām focusing on trying to change but am hitting a roadblock on how to go about it, but the rest is nice to here.
I also fine-cut the last draft as well today, focusing on important changes to drive the emotion and story. The scripts cutting away well, and being covered up by cuts so Iām hoping the audience donāt pick up where Iāve changed half a page of script.
Day 6: 29th March
Paul came in for his first viewing today and it went..... well it went. The one downside to working in post is receiving constructive criticism. Following harsh critique for the Jola cut (which is a train-wreck currently with no audio or direction being given to me to work with), Iāve been second guessing and overthinking my editing process, so it wasnāt the best critique session today. Sometimes things are completely out-with our control, or weāre to jump through hoops to create something that couldāve been done earlier or create something from nothing (which is about to be done with Scene 9). Pacing, suspense, and emotion are to be focused on from here on out, which is something Iāve been struggling with for the final 2 scenes.Ā
Some ideas were welcomed into the cut though, his advice for the basement scene have saved whatās left of my sanity and Iām going to cut through the one-shot so we follow Janet on her journey to the heart. Weāve also introduced some mystery to Scene 6 by using parts of the take that obscure what Janetās seeing, making it more mysterious for the audience.Ā Paulās comments for the final scene were welcomed, and weāre cutting into the initial talking that Tom does as itās a complete anti-climax to the danger in the scene. Scene 9, another challenge, is also going under the (metaphorical Avid-style) knife, and being cut to make it look like Janet leaves the room after Arlene saysĀ āget outā. This is to give motivation to the character as Janetās actions throughout the original script in this scene make little sense considering what she witnessed in scene 6. So weāre cutting the dialogue thatās unneeded to get to the book sooner, and the final turning point of our film.
Iām also going to introduce a shot I found that doesnāt even exist! (technically). During a take of the basement door a crew member walked in front of a light projecting their shadow over the door. Iām using this in the cuts for the basement scene to introduce Tom coming down the stairs, so now, when we cut to Tom in the mirror, the audience feel tense because they know heās following Janet... but sheās not seen him yet.
Day 7: 30th March
Today to get myself thinking about why Iām cutting Iāve decided to watch through the recent cut and note on the questions audience members may ask, and what the cut answers.
I want the cuts to be driven by emotion, but where thatās not possible (either circumstance or performance) I need the cuts to drive the story. Hence my little question and answer session today.
Today I worked on scene 9, trying to create this tense atmosphere thatās rocked by the book revealing Tomās immortality. I think the walkout and walk back in is really working well, even though the shot of her in the hall was intended for later. Iāve also cut a lovely transition between Scene 9 to 10, with it cutting on the wordĀ ābasementā to Janetās hand on the door. This gives us a nice skip in time and gets us to the basement faster. The cutting of the basement is getting finer and better, so Iām hoping by tomorrow itāll be finished.
Todayās cut is 11:32 and weāre getting closer to the picture lock (aimed for Friday), just awaiting a visit from Kieran to hear his comments and weāre fine-cutting to the finish line.
Day 8: 31st March
Kieran has suggested creating a cut of the film purely focusing on Janetās performance, to see where we can use her more. I think this is a great idea as she is the protagonist yet I feel myself drawn to Tomās performance so much more. And so today I created... The Janet cut. Much like the special edition 10 Minute Cut... it doesnāt work BUT Iāve found really good bits of her performance to strengthen the emotion of the film.
Now for scene 7 Iāve managed to use bits of her performance to make it seem to the audience that she really isnāt falling for his lies. Reintroducing the shot where he gazes off into the distance to think of a lie has also helped this, and because Iām focusing on avoiding the wide with both of them in shot we fully feel the separation of their relationship in this cut now. Scene 7 is no longer jam scene, itās the break-up.Ā
Weāve realised weāll need a bit of ADR for both main characters in order to make some cuts in the script convincing but these should be easy enough due to the shots Iāve chosen to cut on, you either cant see the character or canāt see their mouth when they need to use ADR.
Below: Some notes of the day (not all my notes are published online, otherwise weād have a whole notebook on this blog post)
Day 9: 1st April
As the final fine-cutting is going well Iāve been incorporating more cuts from myĀ āJanet cutā to increase focus on our protagonist and gain a better understanding of her character. Anne-Marie has extended her deadline for Bottomline which means she doesnāt need TOIL until Thursday, so Iāve moved picture lock for Toil to Tuesday to give ourselves some time to breath. Following a very short 4hrs at the studio today I nipped home for the weekend, taking time to reflect and recollect myself for the picture lock.
-Weekend Break-
Day 10: 4th April
Reflection over the weekend has helped, and following a viewing of the latest cut in my flat at midnight (lights off, spooky candle on, and showing on the big tv, very horror film viewing party vibes) Iāve come back with some ideas for todayās final fine-cutting session. Iām going back a few drafts and bringing some elements back in, and tidying the ending by removing some of the unneeded dialogue. Kieranās also advised I extend the final shot by a second just to ensure the audience donāt think itās accidental that itās there, as he has. All in all today has left me feeling confident tomorrow is picture lock day, as the films feeling strong, creepy, and Iām finally feeling attached and worried for Janet (big step from my rough cut).
Day 11: 5th April
And we have picture lock!!! It. Is. Done! Iām so happy with the final piece, and (I think) Kate is pleased as well. As an editor I always want to create a piece of art that still embodies itās original source (script), and make the writer/director proud of their idea. Iām excited to see what Anne-Marie will do with the sound, as I feel the sound is paramount in this project in creating more of the horror atmosphere, however I feel Iāve managed to find moments of performance and shots that give us a lovely Nosferatu vibe. Now to wait for the final colour and sound and create a grad film Iām sure our whole team will be proud of.
Ā ......
Day 12: 8th April
Today I nipped in to the studio to help Anne-Marie with some sound issues that developed in post-production. It seems whilst copying my sequences my eyes were too busy on the cuts and we have lost some channels. As this is my mistake thatās slowed her down Iāve offered to go in and re-do a new AAF and video files with additional timecode information to help her figure out each take. As the video files were never renamed to S1T1 on the camera, as sound did, the names donāt match, so Iāve created a report of each shot and cut and what sound file goes with it. My hope was to try and reimport the audio files without jeopardizing the cuts, however whilst attempting this we reached a corruption issue and nearly lost the project. At that point we decided the report and timecodes would be enough to help Anne-Marie out, and we backed up the project to multiple google drives.
Below: The last thing any editor wants to see...
Now itās onto sound design and the colour grade, whilst I take a well-earned week break to recharge before going back to Jola, and creating the master for TOIL (so far my weekends for the last 6 have been spent doing chores and chasing work for the other module so we donāt count that as breaks).
The editing process forĀ ā(A Film About) Jolaā (Working Title) is going to be a bit different than any of my past documentaries. Usually I go in with confidence about what the interviews or information is and we have a structure. However as Karina translates the interviews for me we unlock new focuses for the documentary, and the struggle is highlighting which one we want to focus on. Thereās a lot of really emotional points between Karina and her Gran during the interview and we want to include them to create a more impactful watch for the audience. To keep myself on track Iām going to be recording a day to day journal of the editing process to act as a record of the ideas/changes we make during post-production.
Day 1: Wednesday 9th March
Todayās been the usual first day of uploading and transcoding files. Iāve noticed some confusion with the audio files, seems the camera split the lengthy video file into two or three clips where the sound recorded one file. So Iāve synced what I can but may need Karinaās help as Iām finding it hard to focus when I canāt understand the language. To start with the visuals Iāve created a 30second intro using our shots of Jolaās paintings. I think itāll be good to start on these then move toĀ ārealityā. The paintings to me are like a dream sequence, like Jola remembering what once was.
Day 2: Thursday 10th March
Seems Iām picking up Polish faster than I thought, sorted the audio issue through some labelling and colour coding and everythingās synced. Iāve solidified the initial opening with the paintings and wrote down points of audio we should include here: her childhood, being young and in love, having her daughter. Then we move to Strzegomska where we begin to hear of the marriage going south, and how Jola became stuck here.Ā
Two thoughts Iām having right now are: When do we first see: Jola, the flat, Strzegomska? These to me are all the characters of our doc, so the first impression we have of them is important. I like the fact that the first 30 seconds or so we donāt see Jola, so the audience build their own interpretation of her, but how long do we hold out before audience lose interest....
Iāve introduced a fade transition from the painting of Jola to the sky that Karina really likes, so weāre going to look for creative transitions to keep the film visually interesting and moving at a good pace.
Kieran popped in for a bit today and showed me how to use ScriptSync. This will aid us in using the interview footage but I need transcripts from Karina first. Sheās now begun transcripting the footage to the format we need for Script Sync and is emailing it over as she completes it. Kieran emphasised the important of the character arc in the documentary, and recommended some footage we should get on the 2nd shoot. Iām feeling really confident following this meeting, he was really positive about our footage and complimented the opening sequence Iāve done (which is rare cos initial sequences usually get slated), so Team Jola are feeling good today.
Karina and I have also brainstormed with the interviews and came up with this idea for a storyline for me to work with:
1. (Act 1) Intro (Childhood)Ā
2. Abuse/1st Husband
3 (Act 2). Building a home out of what you have
4. Agaās (daughter) ignorance to her motherās sacrifice
5 (Act 3). Reconciliation between the mother and daughter.
6. Jolaās acceptance and hope for the future.
The 3 acts will use different mediums (archive footage, location footage, interviews), giving them a distinct feel as the story progresses.
Day 3: Friday 11th MarchĀ
Today was a small half day up to noon because Iām travelling North, but I managed to develop the location footage a bit more and found some footage of Jola showing Karina around the building that we could use.
Sat/Sun 12-13th March: Not in town
Day 4: Monday 14th March
It has become clear now that weāve not got enough quality to footage to use so Iāve been using markers to block out where weāre going. The computer screen is starting to get to me so Iāve begun paper editing in the edit suite to help me out rather than looking at the computer and having a brain block.
Unfortunately still not got complete transcripts from interviews so working with what Iāve got Iāve brainstormed what storylines or order we can go with for this film. Because itās only 10mins we have to narrow the focus rather than trying to pack everything into this short film. Iāve asked Karina to see if she can find her Christmas test footage from her test shoot so we can have fillers for now, or even some extra footage we can use.
Day 5: Tuesday 15th March
Feeling confident with sequence 1 up to 2:39. However I canāt help feeling this is rushing, and Iāve realised weāre going to need a lot more footage to push this to 10 minutes. The story is there, just not the visual aids to go with it.
Iāve changed around some of the start, showing the surrounding neighbourhood then Karina/Jola, THEN Strzegomska. I donāt know if Iām liking it too much, Strzegomska is the location of the memories discussed in the doc so itās very important so I do feel maybe we show it first....
I was playing with effects on avid today and I discovered Karina loves superimposing as a creative choice, so weāve been playing around with shots to see if any can be combined in a way that shows the passage of time (e.g. past and present). Because we didnāt shoot with superimposing in mind itās not working perfectly so I think with Shona on the 2nd shoot we can get some good shoots to superimpose with.
Kieran popped in again today to help me setup the Polish ScriptSync in SAS, and showed us how to do audio punch-in to do some narration, which will help us at the pre-translation stage where I need audio to make rough-cuts make sense.
With the interview we listened to we realised that generational abuse is a huge factor at play in Jolaās life, so weāre really focusing on how we show that this has affected her actions in raising her daughter.
Day 6: Wednesday 16th March
Karina managed to source the hard-drive she used for her test-shoot in December, and a lot of the footage is usable for our final doc. So Iāve been uploading and transcoding again and looking through. There are some amazing shots of old photos, and Jola showing her grandchildren the photos, which is giving the documentary more life.
Iāve incorporated the archive photos into a storyline and incorporated them into the main sequence, giving our film a real feel now.
Ended today with a strong 5 minute film, however weāre still missing a lot, and need to get the full interview now to develop the story as Iāve hit a creative block. Karinaās used a bit of our budget to use transcripting software to help us out because itās a lengthy process, so hopefully we have it all by the start of next week.
Day 7: Thursday 17th March
Today was spent doing producing work, sorting out funding/grants and liaisoning with our graphic designer about posters for the film. Weāve received photos from the crew and sent her images of the shoot and Poland so weāre excited to see what materials we can receive for marketing the film.
Day 8: Friday 18th March
Unfortunately a sick day for me today. Karina is continuing with the translation and the finished interviews will be uploaded today or this weekend to allow us to complete the sound on Monday.
Sat/Sun 19th-20th March: Weekend off.
Day 9: Monday 21st March
Today was spent tidying the current cut and incorporating more of the archive footage. The hopes are to have narration over the images to give them some meaning, however without the interview audio yet itās feeling a bit like a clipshow. My worry for the edit so far is that itās a series of images without really saying anything, or saying to much leaving the audience bored. Without a clear storyline or creative direction Iām starting to feel the initial confidence and vision for this edit slipping away, but thankfully Iāve spotted gaps where we need stronger visuals.
Day 10: Tuesday 22nd March- Off to TOIL
Today Iām being handed the footage to TOIL, a day behind schedule but we move. The hope was to spend the day transcoding and supporting Karina with transcripting and adding the scripts to her project, however she was unable to come in. We now move to pre-production for the second shoot to ensure we return with everything we need. This next shoot requires a lot more organisation as we have a really quick turnaround compared to our first visit out and the last 10 days post weāve had, so the team need to be on it (but I know they will be). Iām excited to get more for Jola and fill in the gaps to the story that weāre needing.
After several hiccups and stalls to our production, we were finally on our way to Poland on the 5th March! We decided in the end to split the production into two shoots: the initial test shoot with Karina and I conducting interviews, and then a secondary shoot with Shona to get the stronger footage. As production of Jola and the pre-production of Hangnail coincided unfortunately Shona couldnāt join us this month but weāre hoping she can join us next month, because as much as we may enjoy it Karina and I will both admit... weāre not the strongest camera people in the world.Ā
On our initial 3 day shoot however we managed to cover everything that Karina wanted to get, giving us enough footage for an initial edit to put together and see whatās missing. The shoot was a bit of a daunting experience being in a new country where I only knewĀ āhelloā andĀ āthank youā but we eventually managed communication between myself and Karinaās gran and I even found myself understand what was going on through context and body language.Ā
The location was amazing, and as Karina said in her pitch, full of character. From the graffiti to the decaying walls, to the cosy home in Jolaās flat, the location offers so many visual elements for us to tell a story and portray character.
Overall Iām excited to get into the edit for this one. The challenge will be translating the interviews, which may be a lengthy process, so Iāll begin an initial visual edit using the structure of the documentary we have planned and later combining it with the narration.
Unfortunately Covid still proves to be a terrible force acting against our filmmaking this year. We had hoped to be in Poland now, however with Karinaās delayed return to Scotland after Xmas and my entire flat now isolating itās proved difficult to even get there... let alone film our documentary.
However we have everything ready to go, with production documents sorted, and a schedule planned to ensure I can work between the two projects. The last thing to do is create a marketing campaign to raise awareness of our film, and a crowdfunder to help us get to Poland. We had hoped to have a graphic designer by now however after three failed contacts weāve decided to get started on our own until we have someone to help the socials look more professional.
Some of my early post drafts just involved experimenting on Canva whilst in isolation, testing out styles we could use involving Jolaās dream of Egypt.
However when I was thinking about how we attract viewers I thought back to why I came to the project in the first place. During Karinaās initial pitch she focused heavily on the building her grandmother lived in, before we later narrowed the story to Jola. So I thought we could begin marketing with a focus on the location to lure people in, then introduce ourĀ ācharacterā within the building to help the audience understand the world the documentary is exploring.
So far these are VERY rough drafts and ideas, but our aim is to finish off materials to last the socials a couple of weeks by tomorrow, and then launch the socials Monday with the crowdfunder to follow.
Overall team Jola are feeling confident but are just anxiously waiting a gap to get abroad and begin filming. I have a strong feeling that once we begin filming this documentary will come together, and give us a strong sense of what will be created in the edit style-wise. Luckily with our plan for two shoots (one the initial filming of interviews and B-roll, and the second shoot more creative) we have the chance to fill in the gaps we missed in our initial shoot.
With a combined effort from myself and Anith we finally got the social medias for our short filmĀ āThe One I Loveā underway. After a week of planning, and shooting a short video on my desk with a wine glass and food colouring... we finally posted.
Ā And on what day would we launch a lovelyĀ āromanceā filmās advertising?? February 14th of course. Valentines day saw a successful launch of both our socials and the fundraiser in one, and in 24hrs weād raised Ā£200!
To prepare ourselves to keep up the posts and attract a fanbase outwith our friends and family Iāve designed an outline of uploads we can do as well as compiled ideas on how we can effectively promote the film before itās release to (hopefully) festivals.
Right now the project has faced issues with crew, especially the DoP which led to me drafting up a storyboard to ensure that there would be some preparation for the edit. As weāve outsourced for a DoP I will for the first time in my life be editing with the visuals of somebody whose work Iām unfamiliar with. So thatās a development Iām interested in, and looking forward to, but as a control freak it does bring stress.
As of right now (Feb 22nd) we have no location yet, but hopefully our meeting with Location Scotland this week will give us something fruitful to work with!
All in all things are looking up for the shoot in March and Iām really excited to get to work on editing this film. Just the wait and the anticipation... kills me.Ā
Not really research just: Thoughts of a 4th Year Wondering What Iām Doing...
Nearly 8 weeks into our semester and things are starting to get busier, however I canāt help but feel this is without a doubt the hardest semester of all the 4 years (even more than last semester with the dissertation... and I canāt write an essay to save my life).Ā
Iāve found it hard to focus these last 2 months whether it be creative or practical. And getting up to go to class has been a post-pandemic hardship I never thought Iād face. At first I blamed it on my own dealings with Long-Covid (the joys of fatigue and struggling to walk upstairs without feeling like youāve run a marathon). But after missing more classes than Iāve probably missed in all my 4 years in the last semester, Iāve reflected on this and found my struggle with this semester is... a mix of things.Ā
And so, to re-inspire myself Iām writing down these things for my journal (probably to be deleted later) in a bid to force myself to get back to the hard-working creative I usually am, and get myself out of this slump.
With this semester looking at a confusing mix of online/in-person itās been hard for the course to reconnect together with everyone being in various places. The rushing to Uni to rush home for a 2pm online class has proven a bit difficult, and as much as the library is there itās hard to get involved in class sitting in a busy library. With everyone unaware of other projects goings-on thereās a disconnect to the course that feels like weāve never really come back after the pandemic. To me the uni experience of coming into class ended in 2020, little did we as young 2nd years realise lockdown would last until we graduated. Of course nobody can be blamed for this, except... maybe, the government (but what can we do there).
The return of this semester also saw us move to Craiglockhart.. sometimes. Taking us away from our cosy home built at Merchiston. Again, this is more a selfish unsettlement as the new campus holds so much potential for the future film students and Iām happy for them to have the space they do at the new campus (as long as that noisy in the chapel can be figured out... that room is not friendly to sound-designers or lecturers trying to speak to a class).
Maybe itās the external factors of a pandemic affecting our education and the new structure of university life, or my own internal fears about graduating that are affecting my focus. In 2 months thatāll be it... 4 years of my life over and done and time to move on. When you signup for university they never warn you over the questioning and imposter syndrome that you face as an upcoming graduate. I know Iām not alone in my year with these feelings of uncertainty, and maybe weāre so focused on May that weāre allowing it to seep into our last days we have at uni.
But either way it seems this semester will be the biggest test of everything Iāve learned over the last 4 years.
With March looking like a full month of shooting abroad, editing in the suite, and assisting shoots, itāll feel good to get back into production again. But itās the calm before the storm thatās always unsettling.
For the most part of the semester our documentary has been dead-set on being expository/observational, to observe Jola in her environment and make the viewer feel like theyāre standing in the room with her.
However following our conversation with Demelza yesterday about the concept of the 3 generations being the focus of the film I realised that perhaps we should experiment with Karinaās participation in the documentary to further establish the relationship between filmmaker and subject. This doesnāt even have to be on-camera persay, but rather an off-camera voice? I feel this could give the documentary a further emotional depth to have a conversation rather than hear just one person speak... however this idea may not work and contradict what weāre going for.
Krzysztof KieÅlowski: What Iāve Learned This Semester
Kieslowskiās method of portraying people is an important inspiration for the documentary Iāve been looking into some of his films to further understand his style and motivations. The following is a quick summary of some of the things and films that stood out to me during my research:
His early work from the 1960-80s is a great influence for our documentary, due to his documentaries focusing on people and the issues of Polish life at the time. His subjects largely consisted of people within Poland, mainly working class subjects and soldiers. At this time addressing issues in Poland got him into trouble, even having his film WorkersĀ ā71Ā heavily censored when it was released due to itās portrayal of workers striking. The censorship of his films eventually led to him abandoning documentary for a large amount of time, as he believed heād never be able to portray the accuracy of Polish life.
He then moved onto fiction works, where he continued to challenge the issues of Polish life. Despite his trouble with the authorities and criticism for his depictions of Poland he is now regarded as one of the best film directors of modern times.Ā
Below are some of my favourites out of his documentaries that I watched and had some thoughts on:
From the City of Lodz
The heart of this film being about the effectās of modernisation on the older residents of the city is reminiscent of our own film, as we analyse how this building has remained stagnant amongst a gentrified city. I love the editing, the interactions of the characters, and the inclusion of city shots to portray the wider world the people live in.
Spitzal (1976) [aka:Ā āHospitalā]
I absolutely love this documentary, possibly my favourite piece of Kieslowskiās works. The structure of breaking up the film with timecodes portraying a day in the life of the hospital workers and patients makes you feel as an absolute fly on the wall watching what you assume is an average day to them. The fact thereās no interaction between filmmaker and participants is really interesting too, as the dialogue and subsequent story is so realistic due to the simple interactions overheard between the doctors, patients, and nurses.
Z punktu widzenia nocnego portiera (1977) [Aka:Ā āFrom a Night Porters Point of Viewā]
I was surprised by this documentary due to the intervieweeās harsh opinions on allowing government silencing of oppositions. It felt like Kieslowski was putting himself out of his comfort zone and rather than criticising the government, was showing how they manipulate people into following them by giving them positions of authority (although my reading of the film could be influenced due to watching it in the 21st century and knowing Kieslowskiās larger career that spent the majority of the time criticising Poland). Iāve also been seeking out the 2006 sequel to this film featuring the same Night Porter by a different director, to see if his views have changed.
GadajÄ ce glowy (1980) [Aka: Talking Heads]
Although weāre abstaining from the use of talking heads in our documentary due to our thoughts on them being overused in modern docs, I found this film really interesting and influential. I love how all he asks are two simple questions and yet everyoneās answers so different. The evolution of starting the documentary with young people and concluding with the elderly, reflecting their differences, is a wonderful way to show the contrast between generations. This idea of who are you, and what do you want, are key to this film, but also to our own. We want to know who Jola is, and what she wantās out of life, so seeing this film gave me more want to explore the idea of generations within Karinaās family to see how these have changed between her and her grandmother.
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Looking back I can see now why Karina has been influenced in her directing by his use of people, and Iām hoping to use some of his ideas in helping her develop the documentary to accurately reflect her grandmother and her life in Poland. As well as editors, weāre taking ideas from how he constructs his films: where does he show the person talking? when does he cut away? Thereās lots to take him from his films and I think thereās lots more to be explored with his work as we move to further development and pre-production next semester.
To get further ideas for developing our documentary Karina and I met with Demelza yesterday for a tutorial on our doc. It was a really good experience to get her perspective as sheād not heard of any of the projectās development since Karinaās pitching to the course in October.
We told her about the egyptian sand kept in the house, something Iād found really important during initial developments, and Demelza agreed, stating we should look for poetry within the home and use the environments where Jola seeks happiness as archetypal symbols of freedom (e.g. the sea, countryside). These natural elements will be great to incorporate into sound design to create an escapist world within the tiny flat. She emphasised the importance of the audio-visuals in spurring audiences emotions, which is something still in development due to us just having found our sound designer.Ā
We got some great feedback on our pitching idea, and as conversation went of Demelza found focus on the idea of 3 generations of Karinaās family (something that I had also mentioned to Karina early on, as I found this was a really great focus in addressing a number of conversations on womenās issues, countries differences, and the impact of financial concerns on the outcomes of someoneās life). I think hearing Demelza also find an interest in this idea Karina seems keen to look at it more closely and see how we can incorporate it into the film. This would also allow us to incorporate our test shoot with Karinaās mum more closely to the final film.Ā
For our formal submissions as they are due on the 3rd we will maintain the original idea, however it looks like our project is about to undergo major rethinking moving into 2nd semester. We will of course maintain the original concept of the building being this prison where all the significant events of Jolaās adult life occurred, however the wider topics we address will be the things we change. Overall our tutorial was a great experience and gave us many ideas and areas to develop.
A girl with no voice is haunted by a monster who communicates with her in a strange way. This short horror film was shot entirely on a Sony a7iii.ā”ļøLEARN how...
I Speak With No Voice: Research and Inspirations
Following the critique from the pitches Iāve been looking at numerous short films on the internet to see what other filmmakers I follow have done with the horror, thriller, and romance genres. I Speak With No Voice is hands down one of the best shorts Iāve watched this year, keeping me interested from the start and throughout with itās false jump-scares, use of sound, and the lingering one shots that allow us to follow the character within her home.
I like the use of sound as language in this film, not only is it really creepy and unsettling but actually feels like somethings communicating. I feel this is something I might discuss with Anne-Marie for post-production. If Kate likes Paulās idea of the houseĀ ābeing aliveā then I feel having scenes where it feels like the house is luring Janet to stay and communicating with her could be interesting. Our films are 10 minutes, so we have time to develop this relationship between Tom and Janet. Despite their relationship being short term, Janet agrees to stay, so is it some supernatural force that lures her to say yes? Is the house the inner monster of Tom?Ā
The rural setting of this film is really close to what The One I Love will be set in, even down to the garden. During the digging scene I was reminded of Kateās initial idea of the heart being in the garden, and a scene where Tom is seen burying the box.Ā
Once we have a DoP onboard Iād really want to discuss with them about shooting one shots, similar to this characters entrance to her home when she finds the dead animal. With building tension in horror I love films that almost linger uncomfortably on shots to allow us to digest the scene around us, but also feel unsettled because... weāre watching a horror, somethingās gonna happen, so nothing happening makes you unsettled. This one shot would be excellent for Janetās entrance to the home and potentially her first sighting of Arlene. This establishes Janet as the clear protagonist but also keeps the viewer with her. Like her, we are unsure of whatās happening in this house, and the film follows our journey together in finding the mystery and defeating it.
I adore the jump-scare at the end of this film. Whereas most involve a quick cut and something jumping out, this ones slower paced and still managed to shake me. This is something similar to what I mentioned at the pitch, in which I want the viewers to be hanging on until the end and given one final jump-scare. With the current concept of the film Iām imagining a jump-cut to a scream of Tom being destroyed after his hearts crushed (similar to St Maud), but obviously right now it all depends on the storyās end point.
In preparation for the research dossier submission Iāve come up with draft moodboards from each of the projects. The images are mainly focusing on subject matter and colour tone to see how it all looks together and so I can start getting a sense of what each final product might look like.
Strezgomska 38: The contrast between the top and bottom images from this board indicates the differences between Act 1 and act 3 where the audience will see the difference in Jola between the dull building, and the vast countryside where she longs to live one day where she can have her family. Family and the return to the countryside are key themes in Jolaās story so it will be a big focus. I think when we meet her, her warm character and outlook on life will be a major contrast to the grey building in which she lives, which will be visually interesting for viewers.
The One I Love: I imagine this film being quite dark throughout to intense the creepiness, with harsher colour contrasts introduced during the final act when the monsters revealed (as seen in the bottom row). Reading the script I always feel Tomās almost stalker like in his behaviour to the girls (hence the Michael Myers image in top right).The scene from St Maud (middle left) where Maud confronts Amanda one final time in her bedroom is very close to what I envision Janet and Arleneās conversation to be (without the murder at the end). Iām envisioning quite a wide space with the camera slowly pulling in. As the conversation topic becomes clear we cut into CUās of Arlene who tells Janet the secret. We see pieces of Janetās reaction before she looks at the photo of Tom in an ECU of the photo.
These are all preliminary ideas and small visions Iāve had but creating visuals, even quick drafts like these are helping me a lot more now that test shoots have been cancelled. As Iām quite a visual learner it helps to see what Iām working with rather than read about it, so this is helping me with my research greatly.
This week we received our pitch grades following last weekās pitches, and itās given me a lot to think about in terms of project research, and for the documentary pitch weāre completing for next Monday.
The critique was fair, I definitely couldāve mentioned more of the research but was far too focused on the time constraint. Being the last pitch of the day I could tell the course and lecturers were ready for home, so it did put that added pressure on just getting it over with, rather than enjoying presenting like I usually do.
The lecturers commented the creepiness of the film was portrayed well which I liked because itās been a central focus of our group to do this. Few films on the course have delved into horror, so we want it to be as successful and unnerving as possible to make for a better viewing experience.
Part of the feedback was that the edit couldāve been explored more effectively, which I understand. However due to the lack of knowledge on how this project will be filmed itās hard to sketch out in my head how the edit could contribute to communicating the story. As well as most of my time was spent working more closely on Karinaās documentary project so I do feel I could contribute more at this stage to that project than this one.
Although perhaps not the feedback we expected, especially with the focus of the heart in the box by the lecturers, Anne-Marie, Kate, and I have met up to discuss changes that could be made. After a tutorial with Paul this week this has helped us think more about things we could introduce for the dossier submission.
Pitch Review (Covid, Presenting, Hurdles) & Looking to Test Shoots
It wouldnāt be 4th year at Napier without a spanner in the works.
Just as Iāve sent Kate the statement for our presentation, and Karina and I jump on call to finalise what weāll say in the presentation tomorrow (alongside our lovely powerpoint we finished last night)ā¦. We learn, Karina has covid. So unfortunately the pitch tomorrow is a no-go. Iām really disheartened by this because as much as I want the course to hear about this project, I donāt feel itās right to present without Karina (itās her gran after all and this is a really personal story for her). Weāre hoping Paul may postpone it so we get the chance to properly present as a duo, and see the full potential of the film.
Post-Pitch:
Pitching=Complete!
One assessment down, Iām not sure how I feel after today. It was quite intense with the questions thrown at us by the lecturers. Some were very warranted but some focused on parts of the film I didnāt realise would be such a focus. Paul had a lot of questions about the heart, which as itās recently changed its location into the house, wasnāt given much thought to the symbolism but we will take it into account. Zoe also commented Ā she didnāt realise it was a horror, however upon conversations with our course-mates afterwards they backed us up as Kate did introduce it as a āfolklore horror filmā right at the start, so that took that worry that weād missed it off my shoulders.
Karina and Iās pitch has been moved to a later date which Iām pleased about. This gives us time to put some more research in and cement the film style. However I feel the pitch is pretty presentation ready even after hearing the lecturers questions towards the other pitches today.
One current concern I have for the test shoots is editing both in similar time frames. Thereās 2 weeks until submissions andā¦ thereās no kitā¦. So thatās kind of difficult. With the small time frames, covid throwing people into self-isolation, and the dissertation I am worried timeās running out faster than Iād hoped. Until then Iāll schedule our doc for after Karinaās isolation and once sheās better, and organise around it to edit Kateās horror. Iāll also be filling in time reading more literature rather than watching films as research. Iām hoping to look at sources on folklore, changelings, polish politics, poverty, architecture, and the class system, to get some more ideas about the larger topics of the films Iām working on. Iām excited for the documentary test shoot, due to it also being a partner film to our documentary. Due to several logistic concerns we wonāt be in Poland for the test shoot, but are hoping to interview Karinaās mum. As she lived in Strzegomska 38, she will share her motherās (jola) story through her experience living there. This gives the viewer the concept of the documentary as well as some of the things they may encounter in Jolaās interviews. The shooting and edit style will be similar in terms of the journey to the house, and the interview set up, so itāll capture the whole style of the doc without actually leaving Edinburgh. All in all, it should be a success.
A week before our pitch and we have the first draft of Kateās horror film! Despite developing ongoing ideas through the development itās great to see the words and world build on paper. The film is slowly changing as Kate takes the script lecturerās comments and ideas into the development phase, but itās great to see Kate has a clear idea of where the film will go.
One challenge weāre facing is without a producer or DoP there are major gaps in the production phase, making it a bit difficult to decide on how to approach the edit when Iām unsure what Iād see. In my head the film uses wide angles to establish the space weāre in, and incorporating sound and the edit we move into Janet, and follow her round the house as she tries to figure out whatās going on. Occasionally moving out to mids before cutting to CUās during jumpscares. However.... all of that could be redundant depending on what the DoP wants. For the pitch Iāll be pitching the general ideaās of things I want to focus on and citing references to the films/tv shows that have inspired my ideas.
Some of my inspirations so far have been:
-Psycho (1960)
-Midnight Mass (2021)
-St Maud (2019)
- A Hole In the Ground (2019)
- Nosferatu (1922)
and surprisingly... Twilight (2008). The scene in mind that gives me Kateās films vibes is when Bella awakes from what she thinks is a nightmare, where Edward is standing in the corner of the room. The cutting and angles used in this scene makes it really uneasy for me to like Edward, as in that moment, he is just a vampire to me. So, as odd as it is to be using something like Twilight in a film course.... itās useful when working on a vampire film.
Iāve also been looking into Changeling folklore as this is what Kate has been inspired by, so itās good to see where the ideas have stemmed from to understand how to portray it through the edit.
Claire McCarthy: Napier Film BA @kelanfilms - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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