Film 7 (final project) Scene from Brooklyn

Director's Plan:

NAME: _Matthew Taggart_

DATE: __April 8^th, 2017_

DP: __Ben Haskin_

FILM 7: FINAL SCENE
DIRECTOR’S PLAN

This statement of intent is designed to train your mind, eye and heart to shoot purposefully. Prepare it well before shooting. Briefly—but thoughtfully and specifically—answer the following questions.

1.       What film or TV show is this from?

Brooklyn

a.       Have you ever watched this film?

No

b.      Do you have the actual script of the film—not a transcript?

Yes

2.       After reading the entire script, in 3 sentences, what is the story of the entire film?

A young woman named Eilis leaves Ireland to go to America and find a new life. She meets a young man named Tony, and falls in love only to find out her sister has died back in Ireland. Eilis returns to Ireland, begins to fall in love with another man, ultimately returning to America to be with Tony.

3.       After reading the entire script, what is the theme or message of this film?

I know this sounds cheesy, but really “Home is where the heart is”, also I think it could be something about family being more than just blood relations.

4.       In 3-5 sentences, what happened in the story immediately before your selected scene?

Eilis has met and had dinner with Tony’s family, after which meeting Tony told her that he loved her. Eilis didn’t say “I love you” back, but thanked him for a wonderful evening. She then discussed marriage with another girl at her boarding house. Eilis then goes to school and spends part of the evening in class learning to become a book keeper.

5.       In 3-4 sentences, what is the story—the beginning, middle, and end—of this scene? In other words, what happens as the scene starts, as the action rises, and as it ends?

Eilis exits the college and looks for Tony, who has a habit of waiting to walk her home. Tony isn’t there at first, but then appears and Eilis tells him she has something important to say to him. Tony thinks she is going to end their relationship, so he changes the subject to plumbing. Eilis tells him that she loves him too, and Tony is both relieved he’s not being dumped, and ecstatic she’s returning his affection.

6.       What specific story details must the audience understand in this scene in order to remain oriented and engaged in it, as well as in the rest of the film? What specific moments/details must you be sure to shoot in order to communicate each piece of information?

The audience needs to feel the anxiety Tony senses when he thinks he’s going to be dumped. The line when Eilis says: “I need to say something to you” and the action “Tony’s face falls.” Are two aspects of that. Also, the big key to me is Tony’s reaction to when Eilis says she loves him too. I think filming shots in a way that hint at Eilis’s true feelings will be important such as her excitement that Tony is in fact there to walk her home. Tony is just so scared she doesn’t love him that he’s missing the signs. Eilis is also scared because she’s never let someone into her life in this way.  

7.       What is the narrative and thematic purpose of this scene within the larger story? In other words, how does this scene affect or change the theme of the film?

This is when Eilis first realizes that she can really make a new home in America. She is giving her heart to Tony, and beginning to take the big leap into a new life. She’s planting roots and not looking for a reason to return to Ireland, and really starting a new family.

8.       What is the progression of emotions that you want the audience to experience while watching this scene? Why? How, specifically, do you intend to do this?
I want the audience to remember the first time they told someone they loved them, and how scary but exciting it was. Also the audience will worry about what is going to happen since both Eilis and Tony seem a little nervous. I will do this by emphasizing those moments of fear and freedom in the space and depth of the shots.

9.       What is the first image of the scene? What is the final image of the scene? Describe why you chose each image.

First - Eilis enters the frame and stands alone as she exits the college. Final – Eilis walks off with Tony holding hands. I want to show that this is a scene about two people committing to each other, and really about Eilis taking that first large step into that commitment.

10.   Why is this scene personal to you? What specific personal experience(s) does it remind you of?
First, when I was 17 I told a girl that I loved her, and she didn’t respond which led to me feeling awkward the next couple of times we were together. Also, it reminds me of the first time my wife and said I love you. I claim she said it first in an offhand way, while she claims I told her at the 7/11. Neither one being the most romantic ways, similar to Eilis’s response to Tony’s proclamation earlier in the film. Nevertheless, this exchange is now something that has become a good memory in Stacy and my life.

11.   How should the lighting feel in this scene? Use the most descriptive language you can. Why should it look like this? You may include sample image(s). (Not from the actual film!)
I want this scene to look like a softly lit dream at sunset. Warm colors that build at the end to even warmer as Eilis tells Tony that she loves him back. I also want things to be slightly less warm on shots when Tony thinks it’s all over.

12.   Which two specific visual elements—line, shape, space, tone, color, rhythm, movement—do you intend to use to purposefully communicate the emotion of the scene? (You will be graded on your execution of this plan.)

Space – When either of the characters are nervous, I want to cut into flatter shots of them, and when they are carefree and happy, the shots will have more depth.

Shape – The shots that are more balanced will be the shots when they are working well together as a couple. If they are nervous or unsure, it will be more of a dirty one shot to contrast the shots where they are together.

How will you utilize the principles of contrast and affinity of these components to help build intensity to tell the story more purposefully.

I think the most obvious will be the contrast between flat shots and shots with deeper space to illustrate when Tony and Eilis are nervous (flat) with when they are feeling more free (deep). Contrasting between these two types of shots will replicate the feeling of butterflies in your stomach when you are nervous and excited at the same time.

13.   In a bulleted list, describe three potential obstacles you may face in creating a successful scene. Describe how can you be prepared to overcome these? Be specific!

·         Lighting – I want this to be in the evening just at sunset. This means we will be racing against the clock to get all our shots. To overcome this, I am going to plan one way of filming this in a master so that we can get the bare bones, but also organize the shots so that I can get the most critical shots emotionally filmed during our best light of sunset.

·         Location – One reason I wanted to try this scene is because I feel like it’s easier for me to use shape, and line in an indoor setting and I wanted to try something harder for me. I’m intimidated to find these elements in the outdoors. I will overcome this by doing more location scouting than just relying on sites I already know. I will try to find a great location.

·         I’ve never shot a romantic scene before – I am going to make my shot list, but then I’m going to watch and re-watch other scenes of a similar nature and see if there are visual elements those scenes use to convey these feelings and emotions and then borrow and adapt that language for my own scene.

14.   Prepare your lined script including the director’s script breakdown as discussed in class; prepare your shot list.

Jeff – I did do this a little different than my last script in terms of the breakdown. For example, the shots 1K and 1L are maybes. I kinda want to see if I can let the scene play out as 1J in a master shot type situation. I just worry I might miss a good reaction in a close up if I don’t film 1K and 1L. In that way, I want to try to film a series of one shots rather than coverage in a master/medium/cu way of shooting coverage. Does this make sense? If you have thoughts, let me know.  

Director's Reflection:

NAME: _Matthew Taggart_ 

DATE: _April 23, 2017_ 

FILM # & TITLE: _Film 7: Brooklyn_

DP: _Ben Haskin_

TMA 285 DIRECTOR’S REFLECTION

Reflect on how your film turned out. Have the courage to evaluate your work not just with a self-congratulatory eye, but also with a critical eye. Step back; pretend the film wasn't made by you. Be exacting. Be demanding. Don't let yourself off the hook. Be completely honest about your performance!

- Turn in a hard copy of this statement the next class session after your film screens

- Post this to your blog with your film the day after your film screens

Overall response (2-3 paragraphs):

 This was one of my favorite films I completed this year, and I was very satisfied how it turned out. Billy asked me why I didn’t want to shoot my own scene for the final, and I told him that for me, I wanted to have one more experience of shooting something that wasn’t mine and then comparing it to the theatrical version and learn from what they did differently. Especially since this is a type of scene that I’ve never really tried before.

I really liked the way the overall look of the film came out, in terms of costume, color, and for the most part framing. If I had to do it again, I would have shot it over two sunsets so we could have gone a little slower and not felt like we were racing against the clock. I think we pulled it of, but there are a couple of shots that I had to ditch cause it was just to dark. Several of these not only revealed more about the characters, but also provided some nice changes in shape and line found in the frame.

Judging by people’s reactions, I also felt like this was one of my better films in terms of how people reacted. It was very gratifying to see people enjoy this scene especially since they are watching it without the benefit of the rest of the film to act as a build towards this moment. I also felt like it answered my questions I was having about lens choices. In some of my other pieces I feel like my lens choices made sense in terms of motivation, but just didn’t achieve what I wanted in the final piece. This film seemed like my ideas on paper translated well to the image on the screen.

Briefly discuss the following:

What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not?    

I wanted to try and film something that was a little more out of my wheelhouse than normal. I wanted to communicate the feeling of falling in love and worrying if that love is returned or if it’s just you. I think I was successful in communicating most of this message since everyone seemed to like the scene, however I don’t think I captured the anxiety for the character Tony as much as I’d have liked. I think the edit in part favors Eilis’s dialogue and hardly shows Tony’s reaction for one thing. Another would be that I didn’t have Tony start off the scene in as panicked a state as might have been nice. T

How, specifically, did you try to communicate this?       

 I tried to convey this by shooting at sunset with warm and soft colors. I felt like this would be something people might associate with a beautiful painting or photograph, which in turn might make them, think of falling in love.

What did you learn about storytelling:   

 I think from this one of my main take-aways is that simple can be just as tricky to pull off, but even more effective. It’s easier for me to see how lines, angles, and lens choices could be used in something like a film noir, or a horror film, but obviously these same principals apply for a romantic scene. I think I just learned how effective they really are by trying a scene I’d never done something similar to before. You can illustrate a good deal about your characters in how you frame them, how you dress them and so on.

What did you learn about working with actors and getting performance:  

 I learned that it’s better to be authentic to the feeling of the character rather than being totally authentic. What I mean by that is this: We tried to shoot Eilis with an Irish accent, and even though the accent sounded good, it didn’t read well on film. Additionally I was worried it might distract from what the actor was saying. We opted to drop it and focus on what Eilis was saying as a person rather than worry about her Irish heritage for this specific scene. I also felt like using actors who already had a connection in real life was advantageous, but admittedly it’s something that irks me a little, since I wish I would have tried to get two actors who didn’t know each other to have a moment on film. There are pros and cons to both I suppose, and I am happy with how these actors did.

What did you learn about blocking the camera and actors?     

 I wanted to keep the blocking simple, yet very purposeful. I was really happy with how things turned out, especially since one of the shots I had in my plan was going to be more of a horizontal shot which we then modified to be a diagonal shot that would contrast with the previous diagonal shot. (does that make sense?) I think by limiting the blocking in this way, it allowed the story to be in the front, while all the angles, and composition would be more subliminal to the audience.

What did you learn about visual elements such as lighting, composition, framing, etc.?       

Obviously not to frame someone with a building growing out of their head! Honestly though, I from that shot I learned that using lines and shapes isn’t always the point. I was worried that by moving her head away from the building it would look too empty and thus be distracting. I was wrong. Just because the “rule” of eye guidelines is important, it doesn’t mean it needs to be the most obvious line in the shot. I should have remembered what my shot for shot looked like, and used the horizon or something else as a frame. To sum it up, I think my biggest ah-ha is to make a plan, but then still think it through when you are shooting. Ask yourself: Does my plan still make sense now that we have the shot set up? 

What did you learn about design and art direction?     

 Again, I went for very intentional colors and costumes. I knew I was going to be filming at this location. On the night of my location scout (and in the days between scouting and filming) I noticed that almost everyone I saw near the building was wearing blue. I therefore planned to have my actors wear red. This would make them stand out against any background people (as it turns out we didn’t really have any), and it would also make them pop against the light tan look of the building. I think this did help in the overall look of the film since it kept them warm even if the light started to dip towards cool.

What did you learn about the Production Process such as pre-production, collaborating with crew, securing equipment, etc.?    

It was really great to be able to work with Ben again as a DP. I had a good collaboration with him on the suspense scene, and it was nice to be able to build on the foundation we had established there. Since I had a pretty specific idea in mind for how I wanted to shoot the scene before we got to the set, it made it easy to move faster (especially since we were fighting the setting sun). Ben also brought a light panel that we used to give a little lift to the faces of the actors in several shots which was very helpful.                   

What was it like to watch your film with an audience? Did they understand it? Miss the point? Why did they respond the way they did?  

 I was glad that everyone laughed when Tony says: “Holy sh-t!”. The reason this pleased me was because it’s obviously a gag in the scene, and if people wouldn’t have laughed, I would have taken it to mean they weren’t caring about these characters. The fact that they did laugh made me feel like they had invested in what was going on and therefore found the reaction to be genuine for the character and a good release of tension. Additionally, I think everyone found the scene to be fun and pleasant to watch. Those were two of my main aims, so I think it was one of the more rewarding of my projects in those terms.  

Any other observations or notes:

I was pretty dang happy how this turned out. It’s by no means perfect, and there are plenty of things I would change if I had the chance to do it again, but in terms of what I’m taking away from this experience, I think it was a success. It gave me confidence that I really can approach any type of scene and make something meaningful.