Full Sail Mastery Journal: Master in Film Production @zimmsfullsailadventure - Tumblr Blog

Rachel Zimmermann

December 16, 2018

Mastery Journal- Month 12

For this final Mastery Journal entry, we were asked to watch and analyze a film of our choice. I chose the film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013). This film is based on a short story of the same name, written by author James Thurbur in 1939. Although this film, starring Ben Stiller in the title role, is different from the original story, the heart of Mitty’s vivid imagination and daydreaming heroic feats remains intact in the 2013 film.

This film centers around a seemingly bland and almost invisible man, Walter Mitty, who has worked for 16 years at LIFE Magazine, which is being transitioned from print to digital throughout the film. Having seen it as his responsibility to care and provide for his mother and sister since the death of his father years ago, Mitty spends his days going back and forth from home to work, and back home again. His only solace is co-worker and potential love interest, Cheryl Melhoff, played by Kristen Wiig. When the negative of the final printed cover is lost, Walter embarks on an adventurous journey to find the photographer and photo before the last issue goes to print.

The genre of the film could be described as a mix of adventure, comedy and drama. This is clearly articulated by the story of how Walter Mitty begins the film as a shy man lost in his daydreams, too afraid to truly engage the world he lives in. Encouraged by Cheryl, he begins his heroic journey to find the lost negative and end up traveling to Greenland, Iceland and even Afghanistan, encountering new people and engaging in adventures he’d only have dreamt of before. Mitty jumps out of a helicopter into the ocean where he briefly encounters a shark before being plucked to safety by fishermen, skateboards along beautiful Icelandic roads to an active volcano, and finally tracks down elusive photographer Sean O’Connell, played by Sean Penn.

When Walter finally finds O’Connell, he is watching a snow leopard in the Himalayas, where he learns that he himself had the missing print all along, tucked away safely in a wallet that O’Connell had given him as a gift. Upon meeting him in the flesh for the first time, it’s clear that Mitty is not what O’Connell expected. In a pivotal moment in the film, O’Connell beckons Mitty to look through his camera lens and see the world as he does. The elusive snow leopard passes and Mitty waits expectantly for O’Connell to take the picture, but O’Connell never does. Instead, he explains to Walter that sometimes, if he’s enjoying the moment he keeps it for himself, and just stays in it.

O’Connell tells Walter that “beautiful things don’t ask for attention”. In that moment, it seems as if the double meaning of O’Connell’s wisdom is lost on Walter. When the now found negative 25 is seen on the cover of LIFE, it is revealed that Sean took a photo of Walter himself, sitting outside staring at the page of negatives that Sean had taken, trying to find a possible connection between them and the then missing negative. O’Connell stated that this photo captures the “quintessence of life”. Walter himself is a “beautiful thing”, never realizing his true potential until he takes a literal leap into a helicopter, setting him on a journey of self-discovery that will build his confidence. Like the elusive snow leopard, Mitty never asks for attention, but rather seeks to embody LIFE’s motto, which boils down to encouraging people to truly engage life, and appreciate the small moments, relationships and people we encounter.

This can be seen as mirror of the journey Mitty goes on throughout the film. As he learns to truly embrace and live his life, he daydreams less and less. He is engaging the adventure and does things he never thought possible trying to retrieve the missing negative. Ben Stiller also serves as director for the film, and it is clear that he has a passion for this project, and deftly brings his vision to life through sweeping cinematography and a soundtrack that swells in moments of Mitty’s bravery on his journey to self-discovery, and at other times calls to him to embrace life to its fullest. The music seems to compliment the story and adds a layer to the world-building.

In addition to the beautifully sweeping cinematography and music, the tone of the film can be seen in the choices for color, lighting, shots, the edit, writing, and performances. One example of the role of color in the film is how Mitty stands out in his drab work clothes, and white jacket, stark against the tide of dark colored business suits as he travels the streets of NYC to work. The lighting employed by the film is high-contrast, and the edit moves deftly between Walter’s daydream sequences and what’s happening in real life, so much so, that at one point when Walter has just embraced his heroic journey, he encounters a shark in the ocean and has to ask the fishermen who rescue him if it was real. It was.

The edit moves at a good pace, allowing the story to breathe along with Walter as he begins to open up and embraces life, and the adventure he’s on. Walter is so unassuming, he accomplishes feats that most people wouldn’t attempt, such as skateboarding down a steep and winding road into an Icelandic town right before a volcanic eruption, and climbing deep into the Himalayas.

Stiller has a real eye for camera placement, and captures Walter’s emotional state throughout his journey. He also uses a physical suture of Mitty’s beard growth to help show how he is evolving and growing over time, no longer the nearly invisible man we meet at the start of the film. Both Stiller and Wiig give wonderfully subtle performances, while Adam Scott plays a worthy villain in his corporate suit who is in charge of the transition, but understands nothing of what LIFE means to the people who helped to create the magazine. A welcome surprise is Patton Oswalt’s performance as Todd Maher, the customer service rep from eHarmony whom Walter befriends through a series of phone calls regarding Walter’s online dating profile.

The writing of this film seems to understand that the essence of life is the journey itself, the people we meet and the relationships we form along the way. The audience is sutured throughout the film by an emotional connection to Walter, the protagonist, as we root for him to become the brave hero he longs to be. We see the connection he has with Cheryl, his love interest, and how she sees him, even before he goes through his transformation from worker bee to adventurer.

The entire move is a scenic metaphor for life. This film encourages us all to embrace life daily, and to find joy in the small moments and relationships we forge as we travel unknown roads. Life is a grand adventure that calls to us, we need only answer. Walter Mitty is a man who was buried under a shell of loss and responsibility, but becomes a man full of wanderlust and confidence in his accomplishments. It’s a wonderful journey to watch, and Still as both director and lead actor take the audience on a journey of self-discovery and imbue a sense of wonder and appreciation for nature and those elusive perfect moments where we know we’re a part of something greater than ourselves, and are participants in the adventure called life.

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This photo is inspirational because it represents the culmination of a year of hard work earning this degree. It was a crazy busy year, full of long hours, but it was well wroth every minute. Here’s to embracing the adventure!

“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”, LIFE motto, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

#month 12 #film analysis #story development

Mastery Journal- Month 11- Film Assembly

Rachel Zimmermann

Post Production

October 20, 2018

Mastery Journal- Month 10

The original goals I had for this class, according to my Mastery Timeline, were to receive feedback from faculty and peers on my thesis film, familiarize myself with Avid Pro Tools and Avid Media Composer and to become familiar with and proficient in using Adobe Premiere Pro CC. I believe that this course provided a good outlet in which I learned a lot about the goals I had set. While we did not work with Pro Tools or Premiere this month, we did work in Avid Media Composer and I have a much deeper appreciation for the art of the edit, and all that goes into it. I was also able to work with the editor of our thesis film and got good feedback from the instructor and cohort.

This course provided a ton of information about the post-production process. One of the most helpful assignments in this class was the workflow presentation. This project allowed us to do research for a project we wanted to create and compare it to an already established work. In doing so, we were able to see what worked well for the established project’s workflow, and what might be best for our own. I learned many new editing terms, techniques, and just how many people are involved in the post-production process.

The readings from Out Of Order: Storytelling Techniques for Video and Cinema Editors (Hockrow, 2015), and Grammar Of The Edit (Bowen and Thompson, 2013) were also helpful in adding another layer to the class lectures. The readings reminded me just how important shot selection can be for the edit, how much the arc of the story plays into which takes you may choose, and also covered the sheer amount of thought and work that goes into what media you choose to tell you story with, along with the benefits of using digital or film for a particular project. We also read about the importance of sound and music in an edit, and how you may need to cross fade audio tracks to make things smoother. Overall, you must combine all these things and more to ensure you get the best edit.

One of my favorite aspects of the class was being able to watch films and shows that showcased a particular aspect of the editing process we were learning about. This was very helpful in being able to visualize different parts of an edit. I also appreciated getting to watch and discuss the value of trailers, as well as the credits sequences. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned about editing to future projects and planning ahead for the edit more consistently when planning the shot list in pre-production.

Being able to watch the edit of our thesis film on the dubbing stage was a very different but extremely cool experience. The story really does play and feel different than when you watch it unfold on a monitor as you’re filming. Keeping this in mind, I will try to get even more closeup coverage when filming in the future, as that’s where the audience is best able to connect with the characters.

Overall, I believe that everything we learned in this class can be applied both personally and professionally. In editing the final project for this class, I have learned a lot about how to use Avid Media Composer, and yet I realize how much more I still have to learn. The classes in this program move at a pace that means we often move from one class to the next wishing we had more time to cover all the material and delve deeper into any number of topics. Learning the basics of using Avid and editing for the story have been very helpful and are skills I will carry forward in future projects I create, both personally and professionally.

#post production #month 10

Rachel Zimmermann

September 23, 2018

Production

Mastery Journal- Month 9

The original goals I had for this class, according to my Mastery Timeline, were to explore the production phase of my thesis film, revisit the basics of producing a film, and explore directing techniques, especially when working with talent. It feels like such a long time ago that I wrote these goals, and knowing how much I’ve learned over the past 9 months. When I wrote these goals in Mastery class, I remember feeling somewhat overwhelmed and wondering how I was going to learn all the film technical terms listed in the course descriptions, especially since I don’t have an undergraduate degree relating to film. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, so knowing what I know now, I would have chosen to be more self-assured in putting the goal of “directing muy thesis film”, because it’s what I really wanted to do, and I’m so glad to have had the experience of doing just that.

This class picked up and we were already deep in the trenches of our thesis film. We had just completed pre-production, were off gathering last minute supplies we needed and I was going over the script for specific beats and lines of dialogue I knew I wanted to take my time with. I knew I wanted to be a good director for the cast and crew, and wanted to make sure that I kept a positive attitude on set. I believe that I achieved this goal by keeping open communication with the other key roles in my class and the crew in general.

Showing our leadership skills in our key roles is something I feel is an important part of helping production run smoothly, and this is echoed in the various readings we completed prior to the start of filming, found in First-Time Filmmaker F*#^-Ups: Navigating the Pitfalls to Making a Great Movie (Goldberg, 2012) and Set Lighting Technician's Handbook: Film Lighting Equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution (Box, 2010). While Box’s book handles the more practical lighting aspects in terms of the chain of command, it also stresses the importance of leadership on set, and shows how closely the various departments work together on set. Similarly, Goldberg’s book also shows the importance of good communication on set, as well as offering some great insights into how not to rush into things, and what mistakes inexperienced filmmakers often make, and tips on how not to make them. One of the most helpful insights from this book is that as a Director, you can’t take on every responsibility. You have a crew there to help, and they all know what they need to do to help make the film a success. The other thing I learned on set was that there simply isn’t time to worry about everything myself, because I was so busy all of the time, I’m grateful I had a solid crew to help.

Overall, I really enjoyed the production process from this side of things. I have very much enjoyed working on other student film sets as a PA, and various other roles, but the stakes are definitely higher when it’s your cohort’s thesis film. It was a really amazing experience to be thrust into the action of set, with instructors on standby but leaving things up to our class to handle. We made a movie. I haven’t gotten tired of saying this yet. I feel accomplished, and what I learned on set about how time will slip by quicker than you can imagine, you may have to cut and/or merge some shots for the sake of time, but it is always important to make sure you get the coverage you need.

One of the most helpful things I learned after the filming process, while I was completing the discussion post assignments, was something Director David Fincher talked about directors needing to know what needs to happen in a scene, and being able to keep the vision intact while making any necessary or artistic changes (David Fincher on control in directing, YouTube, 2013). Now that we’ve completed filming and I’ve had a chance to reflect on the process, I feel like something really clicked for me. At times, I got caught up thinking that the way the framing looked on the monitor was how I was telling the story, along with the performance from the actors, but now I believe it’s all that but even more importantly it’s about being able to maintain the story and vision, even if the frame isn’t quite right, even when the lighting isn’t exactly how I’d like it, and overall it’s about capturing those small, intimate moments where cinema magic happens. When the performance is where it needs to be, and the coverage is done in close-ups, because emotion lives on our faces, then we’ve got some really good footage.

I really appreciated getting to watch the dailies as a class. I think it was good for us to get to see the footage we were able to get over the course of our 4 shooting days. Although not everything worked out as we had planned for hoped for, I am still incredibly happy with what we accomplished as a group. We’ve heard over and over during this program that filmmaking is a collaborative effort, and I truly believe that.

Overall, I feel that I was able to meet the original goals I set for this course, and more. I was able to write and direct my cohort’s thesis film, learned a lot about the production side of the filmmaking process and got to explore directing techniques, especially when it came to working with professional talent. Since my goals after school are to write, and direct more material, I definitely feel as if this will help me professionally. Even more so, the personal development that I feel I’ve gotten from this experience, from pre-production through production has been incredible. I started out a bit nervous, fearing that I knew less than others who had more experience with filmmaking that I did from their undergrad degrees, but emerging from thesis, I feel I have grown as a director, and gained more confidence in my ability to direct and lead from this process. I believe we are always learning, and I feel that this experience will only help when it comes to future projects.

Source for David Fincher on control in directing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McqBmgGfyss

#Production #Month 9

Mastery Journal- Month 8

Rachel Zimmermann

Mastery Journal

Month 8

September 1, 2018

Love Is Blind

In his 6 minute comedic short, Love Is Blind (2015), writer/director Ben Hodgson hits all the right notes. The film opens on Alice and her lover peeling clothes off of each other in time with a song on the radio and hopping in bed together. Downstairs, the front door opens and a man enters the house. The lovers don’t hear James (Alice’s husband) approach, but lucky for them he steps on a hair clip and shouts due to the pain in his foot.

Just as Alice has successfully hidden her lover and climbed under the covers, James enters the room. The music stops and the audiences sees James sign to Alice. They head down to the kitchen as her lover scurries around upstairs, trying to find his clothes. While James is trying desperately to connect with Alice, she works her way around the kitchen, hiding her face behind the open refrigerator door, in a hug, and turning to grab tissues so she can talk to her lover, eventually telling him to leave.

As Alice is further distracted by her lover toppling painfully down the stairs, James is trying to tell Alice he loves her and he’s sorry that his job has kept him away from her this past year, and Alice is so distracted, she can’t even focus enough to really engage with James.

The climax of the film comes when James and Alice make their way to the living room where he’s all smiles as he slowly pulls his hands away and Alice opens her eyes. The smile on her face drops immediately as the edit reveals a group of friends that have been waiting to surprise her for her birthday. The film comes to a close as Alice’s lover is revealed at once to the guests and James as he tries to escape by climbing out of a window. He hangs for a moment, then drops to the ground outside, as James gives Alice a confused look.

The set is contained to a small flat or house and the camera is used well in the smaller spaces, allowing for an intimate setting between the characters, while the audience keeps a safe distance as they watch the story unfold. The costumes lend a real and relatable feeling to the film, showing that this could really be any day in the lives of the characters. James is dressed in blue, which shows the audience that he is calm and safe. Alice is dressed in a grey sweatshirt which may indicate that she is unhappy or feeling down. Her lover is dressed in colorful boxers, showing the audience that he is the distraction or wild card of the story.

There are a few well-placed props in the keys, passport, and bouquet of flowers. These all give the audience a glimpse into the wider story. James has been traveling, he brought Alice flowers. It even alludes the the fact that he has locked the door from the inside. The edit here is deliberate and quickly paced, but it reveals a lot.

The cinematography in the film gives it a feeling of realness. The lighting used is mostly practical. The framing seems to gives equal space to Alice and James. They are given a close-up where they are centered in the frame during the reveal of the party, which should signify that they are closer than ever, but really shows just how far they’ve drifted.

The edit and the sound work well together. The only music the film employs is the song at the beginning, and then the use of natural sound and dialogue come into play. The fact that James is deaf makes the audience more aware of the natural sounds of the film- the noises the lover makes as he attempts to leave the house and the very loud conversation he and Alice have. The twist at the end coming from the reveal that the party guests heard everything Alice and her lover said.

The pacing of the film is great and the transitions feel seamless. The comedic genre and tone of the film is very much in line with British humor. The film remains light-hearted, even as it deals with a difficult conversation between Alice and James. Overall, this film does a great job of allowing the audience to connect with the characters while managing to refrain from vilifying any of them.

Many of these same cinematic storytelling and production elements are ones we can employ in our thesis film, SAVE THE DATE. Our film focuses on the budding flirty/romantic nature of the relationship between Emily and Josh, who meet while both crashing a wedding reception. As the story progresses, we will use medium and close-up shots to show the closeness between the two characters. As they grow closer together, the lighting should reflect a warmer, romantic glow.

We will use practical lighting, with some motivating lights to help set the mood for our story. We will use Christmas lights to help create leading lines in the gazebo and to show that the space represents their own romantic world. Since our film is low budget, we are using what props and set dressing we can while keeping within our budget.

The location will serve as its own character, helping to build the world of our story, and setting the tone for the reception venue. The cinematography will reflect the intimacy of the story, and will keep the focus on Emily and Josh. Featured extras will serve as our wedding reception guests, which will help us build up the world and location of the reception.

As the writer/director, I have been working closely with all departments, sharing ideas, insights and a vision for the story. It has been an interesting conversation thinking about how to tell this story from both a creative and logistical way in a limited amount of time. Overall, I think this will be a challenging, yet rewarding learning experience for all of us.

Source: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2018/06/26/love-is-blind/

#Month 8 #Mastery Journal

(I took this photo this spring at Kraft Azalea Garden. It reminds me that the path before me is open, and that we can find inspiration in the small peaceful moments.)

“...all you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.”, Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

This quote reminds me that time is precious and that we are all part of the creative process that is life.

Rachel Zimmermann

Business of Film

July 22, 2018

Mastery Journal

The original goals I had for this class, according to my Mastery Timeline, were to learn more about the business aspect of the film industry, how to market a film and how film festivals work. Overall, I feel that this course has been very helpful in learning more about all three of these topics. Through the in-class presentation for the film festival case study, I feel that I got to dig deeper into what goes into putting together a film festival, as well as how films are chosen and which festivals accept which types of films, and at what costs. The film comp presentation was really helpful in giving us a chance to research how the Box Office works, and what detailed work goes into building the information the Box Office displays about films. I enjoyed the process of choosing a film and then working backwards to see what films like it made and what it might make when it is released.

Another helpful exercise in this class was to update our resumes and design them to fit our roles as filmmakers. I appreciate that this course helps us build a better resume and begin to build a reel to go on our portfolio site. Once complete, this will be a good tool to have to give potential employers a way to see the work we’ve done and what we are capable of handling professionally.

I really enjoyed the various in-class group projects we worked on as well. They were very helpful in giving us a chance to delve deeper into how a negotiation meeting might go, and how we might pitch our own company for potential jobs. I think it’s best to find a balance between remaining professional, while showing that you can be personable as well and that you want to be a part of the project.

I found the guests lectures we had in this course to be useful and interesting. The lecture on data storytelling reminded me of the work I did with data at my previous job, where you can use the data collected through surveys, questionnaires, interviews, etc. to help tell a story. It is important to know what you are looking for, and what story you want to tell. Sometimes the data will even tell a different story than you expected.

Being able to work as a group on various class assignments has been helpful. I got to work with my producer for our cohort’s thesis film on a few different projects, and this has helped us to find a rhythm to our working relationship. We worked together on our online platform case study, and learned a massive amount of information about just how big a brand and company Amazon is. It really is fascinating to see how different companies build their brands.

I believe the content of this course can be applied both professionally and personally. There were many practical pieces to this class, such as the resume, professional website, and even the various projects we completed will all help us as we move closer to graduation and to working in the film industry. On a personal level, I find it helpful to have an updated resume and to be more aware of what all goes into the aspects of the business side of the film industry, especially the information on taxes.

I know that this is usually the final class of this degree program, but I found the contents to be immensely helpful to us as we move into pre-production next month. Many of these lectures are a great help as we begin to plan ahead and think of exactly which film festivals we will want to submit our film to, as well as preparing us to have our credentials up to date. We will be able to take what we’ve learned this month and apply it to our future courses here at Full Sail.

#Mastery Journal #Month 7 #Business of Film

Rachel Zimmermann

VST

June 24, 2018

Mastery Journal

The original goals I had for this class, according to my Mastery Timeline, were to learn more about visual storytelling techniques, become proficient at advanced camera operation techniques, and learn how to create storyboards in Final Cut Pro. I feel that this course provided the setting to learn more about visual storytelling techniques, and the film we watched, Buried (2010), provided a good example of how to use a limited space to tell an engaging story. Additionally, the camera lab we had with Ermir provided a full day of learning how to build the Sony F65 camera and taught us how to set-up and utilize a dolly track. While I did not utilize Final Cut Pro to create storyboards, I did have a chance to work on storyboard creation with the DP for our thesis film. I want to continue to work on storyboard creation as we move forward in the pre-production process, as I find them a helpful way to visualize the film, shot by shot.

I very much appreciated the course content of VST. I found the keynote presentations particularly helpful, and enjoyed the class discussions about films and television shows talking about how they utilize various visual elements to tell a particular story. I found the course assignments to be challenging and rewarding. Working as a group on the narrative film project was interesting, and gave me a chance to take on a roll I had not experienced before, 1st AD. I enjoyed the experience, and getting to work with all the different departments to keep the workflow on track. I am pleased with the way the narrative film came together, and think it was a good practice for us working together as a cohort.

The story in a picture was the most fun assignment to create, as it gave us the freedom to capture a moment in life to tell a story. I found the photo recreation to be the most difficult, but I’m happy with the way my final version came out. The emotion video was also fun to create, and I had more fun editing it than I anticipated. Through these assignments, I feel that I learned more about editing, and a lot about lighting, in particular, how to set-up lights, and how to use lights to help tell the visual story.

The other difficult assignment was the pre-visualization work. Since this was a group project, it required everyone to participate, but we ran into various issues while trying to complete the assignment in terms of people not wanting to help and others feeling they did not need to help. It made for a less than ideal work environment, but we managed to work through it and it definitely taught us some obstacles we’ll have to work through as a group moving forward.

I believe the content of the course can be applied both personally and professionally. The nature of the course assignments were conducive to group work, so while we each completed most of the assignments individually, we were able to work in pairs which was a good way to learn each others working styles and how we like to create. Working as a full group on the narrative film project was a good learning experience as we got to see people’s various styles in play and how people work as part of the group. The same can be said for the pre-visualization assignment, which gave us a chance to work as a full group and see what those group dynamics are, how personalities work together, and how we might work together in the future. All of these dynamics are things we will surely face in the industry, so I am glad to have a chance to work through any issues now, while we are in a learning environment.

All of the assignments can also help form us on a personal level. I know I felt challenged and proud when I was able to complete the assignments for this course. Before this course, I have never held a camera, but got to help build one, as well as set-up and use a dolly and track. I hope to do more work with the cameras available here at Full Sail in the future. I also feel that the art of visual storytelling can be applied to both a personal and professional level. I have begun to pay active attention to pictures I take and take more care in the framing of shots.

Overall, I feel this course is very helpful and formative in learning how to be a better filmmaker. I wish we had more time to spend both in the classroom and in labs for this course, as the content is very important to our working in the industry. I appreciate what we learned, the discussions we had as a class, and the opportunity to break down the script for our thesis film. I feel that what I have learned in the course will help me in the future, and I hope to continue honing the skills I’ve learned this month.

#VST #Month 6

Rachel Zimmermann

Experimental Filmmaking

May 26, 2018

Mastery Journal

The original goals I had for this class, according to my Mastery Timeline, were to learn more about how to use my Canon T3i for filming, learn more about apps that can be used for filming and creating on the iPhone, and to learn about the various cameras and lenses available to students at Full Sail. Through the lighting lab and filming the scene from “Retribution” lab, I feel that I certainly got a hands-on look at the camera and lenses we use. These labs also provided time to learn about the various light options we have to use, how to set them up properly, and put them away properly and with care. I learned more about sound, and being the boom operator than I knew before, and realized just how much goes into the various key roles on set.

The content of this course was varied, and while I this can’t say I enjoyed all the films we were assigned to watch, I did see value in them. I did appreciate Pencil Face (2008) especially, even though the Pencil Face smile was very creepy because that crew was able to tell an interesting story with what seemed to be a fairly minimal set. I enjoyed revisiting The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012), which I had seen a few years ago. I think that web series does a great job of using transmedia storytelling. Another web series I really enjoyed that uses the same approach is Carmilla (2014-2016). What I appreciate about these web series, is that they seem to do a lot with very little. The screen is only as wide as a computer monitor, and things happen in both the foreground and background. The use of twitter and tumblr to add depth to the story is interesting, and gives the audience a chance to see a different side of the characters, or learn more information about them.

My favorite short film we watched for class was The Order of Things (2010). I thought the writing was fantastic, and the story itself was told in such an interesting and symbolic way. Using the bathtub as both a prison for the abused wife, as well as the thing that is keeping her connected to her abusive husband and his belt, and then having the water itself be both a sign of baptism and cleansing as well as something so powerful it could overwhelm you, was just incredible storytelling.

Another great hands on experience was going through the process of creating the short film for our final project in this class. From casting and working with actors for the first time, to completing all the paperwork, to writing, planning and filming the short, it was at times very stressful, but overall a rewarding experience.

I thought the weekly Flipagram videos we had to create to be an interesting way to try to use the various filming elements we learned in a very short video. Each week, we had to try to use one of four elements: mise-en-scene, cine, editing and sound. This was a challenging task, but one that made me think outside my comfort zone. I also really enjoy the film analysis we did for class. Getting to present on one of my favorite bands, Chvrches, while talking about the symbolism of their song, Miracle (2018) was a lot of fun. I also appreciated watching my classmates presentations, and learning more about other types of short films and what they can tell us about society.

I believe that the content of this course will be useful to both me, both personally and professionally. The short films we watched in class showed us new and interesting ways of filmmaking and how others think about filmmaking. The final project offered the opportunity to see a project from inception to completion and taught us how to work as a team. I learned more about how I work in a group vs how others work in a group, and trying to merge those ways of doing things. I believe the practical skills we learned in the lighting and “Retribution” scene labs is helpful as those labs helped us work on skills we will need in the industry when we work on sets, and also helped to show us what is possible to do even with a small group working on a project. Overall, I learned a lot in this course, and look forward to continue honing those skills in future courses here at Full Sail.

#Month 5 #Experimental Filmmaking

Rachel Zimmermann

Directing Talent

Mastery Journal Entry

The goals I had for this course were to learn what the role of director entails, gain experience and confidence in directing, and gain proficiency in collaborating with talent and crew in the role of director. I believe this class, Directing Talent, has helped me immensely with all three of these goals. We had three directing scenes in this class, one building onto the next, that certainly helped me to grow as a director, and surprisingly as an actor. Before this class, I had never really thought about acting in any capacity, but having taken this class I can say that it’s a lot more fun than I expected, and I actually really enjoyed working in my classmates projects.

This course offered a number of opportunities for us to try new things in the role of director, and we even got to direct scenes we wrote. I really enjoyed acting in and directing the neutral scenes as well, because it showed me just how much work goes into building the context for scenes that begin as just dialogue. I also enjoyed collaborating with the actors before shooting scenes in rehearsals, because it offered a unique opportunity for us to come together and brainstorm the characters, their motivations, and what they might be thinking.

I appreciated text book we used in this class, Directing Actors by Judith Weston (Michael Wiese Productions, Studio City, CA 1996). Many key terms and ideas found in this book were echoed by our instructor and proved to be valuable to remember when thinking as a director and/or actor. I learned that honesty is key to any good performance, and that the relationship between acting and directing is based on trust (Weston, 1996).

I appreciated analyzing the various thesis films we watched in class, and discussing the themes, and techniques used. I really enjoyed watching Lars and the Real Girl (2007). That was a great example to show us for how to create a vision statement. I also enjoyed the character work in In Bruges (2008). Even though I didn’t appreciate the extreme type of violence the film portrays, I found it a great story of redemption, and the acting was superb.

I think the skills I learned in this class will help me professionally, as directing is one of my career goals. I believe these skills have also helped me personally, as I am a true introvert, but this class forced me to be more outspoken and to grow in confidence working in this craft. Overall, I really enjoyed this class, and think I would benefit from a longer version of it. I learned a lot during this month that I hope to build on as I work on future projects in my time at Full Sail.

#month 4 #directing talent

ZimmermannR_MasteryVlog

Rachel Zimmermann

February 11, 2018

FPR520- Filmmaking Concepts and Practices

Mastery Journal- K.I.T. Film Analysis

In her comedic film K.I.T. (2013), Michelle Morgan writes, directs and stars in a story about a woman who finds her regular cashier, CJ, is leaving the grocery store for a new job. On a whim, Michelle suggests they should keep in touch, and CJ agrees. While most would consider this exchange the end of the conversation, the audience soon learns that Michelle has taken this particular exchange to heart. She goes home and tells her boyfriend, Adam, that CJ is leaving and that Michelle thinks they should keep in touch. Adam, like the audience, leans towards the idea that the exchange was to be polite and that neither party is beholden to following through.

Michelle can’t let it go. She decides she will call CJ after all, and they end up meeting up. The conversation quickly turns awkward as Michelle can’t stop talking, and rarely gives CJ a chance to speak. When she does, Michelle quickly turns things back to focus on her. Of course, afterwards she feels bad about this too, which sends her down the beginning of a spiral where she can’t stop obsessing over the situation. It even gets so bad that when Adam tried to have sex with Michelle, she says she can’t because she can’t stop thinking about the situation with CJ.

Michelle and CJ meet for a third time, where Michelle decides honesty is the best policy. She tells CJ that she never meant to say any of the odd things she’s said to her that could be seen as offensive, but that she recognizes that she has issues and is going to go back to therapy. Cj wishes her well, then comes clean in stating that she never really saw her and Michelle being friends, but that she felt bad and so agreed to meet up in the first place. Michelle is shocked, and yet it seems relieved at the same time.

The final scene shows Michelle and Adam shopping, where they run into Theo, a man they had had an argument with in the movie theater a few nights ago. He comes up and apologizes for his behavior, and he and Adam chat a bit about local restaurants. At the end of the conversation, where most people would just say goodbye, Theo suggests that they all exchange contact info so they can share dining tips and keep in touch. Michelle rolls her eyes, as Theo smiles expectantly, and Adam is left in the middle, torn about what to do.

This short film utilizes a number of different cinematic elements to support its premise. A potential logline for this film could be: Three small words can open a big can of worms. A young woman struggles to connect with a peer while trying to prove to herself that she’s a good person. I think a good theme for this film is that we ought to choose our words carefully, because we may put ourselves in situations we haven’t prepared for. The genre of this film is comedy, and the tone of the film is one that allows the audience to feel the awkwardness, and various missteps Michelle endures throughout the story.

The inciting incident of this film would be when Michelle finds out that CJ is leaving her current job at the grocery store Michelle shops at. While there, Michelle says that she and CJ should keep in touch, and then intends to follow through on her offer, even though she realizes they have nothing in common. The first plot point is when Michelle and CJ meet up for the first time, and the conversation quickly turns awkward and it is evident that the pair don’t have much in common to discuss. The second plot point could be when Michelle decides to meet with CJ a second time, so that she can correct any offensive mistakes he made and smooth things over. Of course, this only makes things even more awkward.

The midpoint could be when Michelle and Adam are out at the movies and get into an argument with Theo, a man who is also at the theater. After that Michelle decides she needs to meet with CJ one more time to be a honest with her as possible, because she believes this will fix things. This leads to the climax, where Michelle pours her heart out to CJ, walking her through the journey of self-discovery Michelle has gone through. This leads CJ to tell Michelle that she never actually thought they should be friends, she just felt bad for her because she always seemed lost when she came into the store. Michelle is floored by this revelation.

This leads right into the resolution, where both CJ and Michelle are now free to carry on with their lives, individually, and not as friends. The final piece of the film is the denouement, where Michelle and Adam are shown shopping, Michelle now returned to her former self on both appearance and attitude. They run into Theo, the man from the theater and he strikes up a conversation with Adam. At the end, he says they should exchange information and keep in touch. Adam looks between Michelle and Theo, as Michelle rolls her eyes, and the audience if left to wonder what Adam will say. This basic dramatic structure helps to propel the story forward by showing the audience the struggle Michelle is going through.

Michelle’s struggle can further be seen through the costumes and hair/make-up. As Michelle spirals further and further into being consumed by wanting to make sure she can prove she’s a good person by being friends with CJ, her outer appearance becomes more and more disheveled. Her hair and make-up seem to become an after-thought, and her outfits become more casual. On the other hand, CJ’s outfits become more unique as she begins to express her own person style outside her work uniform. The sets, set dressing, and props also play into this theme, as Michelle’s home remains put-together, even as she comes apart. The set dressing is very detailed, showing an apartment or home that feels like it was decorated by Michelle, with little input from Adam, which would coincide with how the conversations in their relationship seem to work. The various props are utilized well, and mostly consist of the remnants of meals and drinks from CJ and Michelle’s meet-ups.

The cinematography in the film gives the audience a feeling of realness. This film seems to utilize mostly wide and medium shots. The lighting gives a very realistic feel, as the interior shots are well-lit and give the illusion that the light is coming from the prop lights on set, rather than from industry lights being used. The exterior scenes seem to utilize a combination of natural and industry lights. With regards to scene composition, much of the time Michelle is placed on one side of the frame, opposite whomever she is talking with. This symbolizes that she is not in sync with the other characters, and is on her own. The camera movement is steady, and does not appear to use much, if any handheld camera work. The depth of field feels balanced throughout the film.

While there is not much music in the film itself, the end credits play over an upbeat instrumental track that eventually transitions to a more melancholy sounding one. Natural sounds can be heard throughout the film, and blend in seamlessly. The dialogue propels the story forward, and nothing feels like it should be added or taken out of the story.

The editing of the film feels smooth overall and helps to keep the flow of the story. I did not notice any continuity errors, and the transitions used feel smooth. Any jump cuts used help to perpetuate the feeling of awkwardness of Michelle’s character. Overall, this short film does a great job of employing the various cinematic elements used, and those elements in turn help to support the premise of the film.

For the group project short film, we will be employing some of the cinematic elements discussed above. The premise of our film is that an older man has encountered death many times before, but now Death has come to claim him, but not before they play one last game of chess. This film has been written as a drama, where the focus is on the main character, Tom, as he nears his death. The tone of the film focuses on the emotionality of the story, offering small props as ways to signify the emotional weight of the story. For example, Tom focuses on to pictures, one of his old friend and chess partner, Bill. The other photo he carries is of his late wife. Within the chess case he also keeps pressed flowers, which are something he and his wife used to find and give to each other as a sign of affection.

Since ours is a zero- low budget production, we will be using mostly natural light and will be shooting primarily in a public park. By doing this, we negate the need to provide all our own props. For example, at the park we will have access to a wooden picnic table, and a lake, both of which are needed for our film.

The structure of the film allows us to tell the story of Tom’s last game with Death over an afternoon. Tom begins the day at the park, a place he has come to often over the years, and where he loves to sit and people watch, as well as play chess. The audience will follow Tom through the park to a wooden table where he sets up his chess board, and then Death enters the picture. Death agrees to play one last game with Tom, and as the game progresses, we see that Tom and Death are not enemies, but rather have come together as old friends. As of now, we plan to use a combination of wide, medium and close-up shots. We also want to use a combination of steady and handheld camera movement.

In the role of director, I have been working closely with the rest of the group members to make sure this process goes smoothly, and that we are all on the same page for what we want to see happen as we film. Thinking ahead to editing, I want to make sure we have enough footage to give our editor as much to work with as possible, without it feeling overwhelming.

The practical challenges our film may face include could be numerous. We have scheduled two days for filming, in case the weather doesn’t cooperate, and we made sure the actor playing Tom can commit to both days of filming. The cinematographer and I have also discussed making sure we shoot B roll footage as well, so we have various angles and coverage of shots available when we go to edit the film together.

Overall, the crew’s attitude is good. I think we all want this project to succeed, and are willing to put in the hard work to make that happen. We are pooling our resources to garner as much equipment and gear as we can muster in case any unforeseen issues arise. As director, I have taken time to meet with the entire group and have also met with the producer and talent, and have gone over locations and walk-throughs with the cinematographer. I believe this has been a helpful exercise as we have been able to map out the story in such a way that we had already visualized and discussed, so we are on the same page when it comes time to shoot the film.

This process has been much more labor intensive than I thought, and I imagined it would be. To see the various pieces come together as we begin and move through this process will be a treat, and a testament to the work the crew puts in. I am looking forward to begin shooting this week, and to learning from my fellow classmates as they live-into their various roles. In turn, I hope to effectively communication my vision for the story, as well as work collaboratively with the other crew members to make a finished product we are all proud of.

I took this picture in 2006 when I went to Egypt. I was lucky enough to study abroad my Junior year of college, and over spring break I spent my semester food stipend on this trip.

This photo inspires me because it shows the beauty of Egypt. There are pyramids in the background, and the hotel was right on the river. It was a spectacular view, and reminds me how much I love to travel.

My Mastery Journey Courses, Goals and Strategies, and Timeline.

I took this photo from a hilltop concert venue in Camden, NJ looking across the river to the city of Philadelphia a few summers ago at the Radio104.5 Birthday Show. This photo inspires me because it reminds me of the spectacular day I had listening to live music with friends and family. Live music fills my soul with joy! This photo, taken at sunset, reminds me of how alive I felt in that moment, as if the universe had stopped time for a moment so I could capture the feeling in picture form.

Here is my LinkedIN profile.

Playing around with logo options. I like the crisp lines and clean image of this one.

Here is a look at my current Feedly selections.

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