MDA2100 - One Night Only - Full Draft

This is the first fully completed draft for One Night Only.

One Night Only Draft01 by amini93

After presenting the script in University, I had class feedback and received the following tips:

• Dialogue needs to be more subtle, it is too expositional and bulky
• Too much of the story is in the past, brought up and not a major part of the film
• Need more drama - perhaps 'Harry' makes an appearance and adds more of a dramatic climax and adds more to Sean's development
• Perhaps turn the melancholy around in a more obvious way
• Not the best idea to have the feelings shown relying on Sean's explanation of them
• Micromanaging - Too much direction in action and parenthesis
• Actions need to be more succinct, it is too cluttered and slowed down - I need to only mention what is essential to forwarding the story in the script
• Why does this happen to Sean today? - So far it is dramatic convenience
• Nothing in the script so far seems strong enough to 'tip' Sean to change
• Dialogue is too on-the-nose
• To many elipses, hesitations and pauses

MDA2900 - Assignment Update

After a couple of setbacks (leaving it too late to book a room for auditions, mainly,)  we managed to find an actor, an actress and film!

The actor, also called Adam, was great to work with and the actress, Ellie, also was lovely.

I was nervous at first, having never worked with actors whom I had found via a casting before, but they were both eager to be part of the project and we managed to wrap up filming in one day!

I remember before when Eddie had said that you'll know if a producers job has been done well, because shooting will be the easiest part of the project for the producer. Personally, I had quite an easy day, the location was close to University, and we stuck to the schedule, finishing on time!

I'm excited to look over the rushes, and start to sign off on the editing process, and now I have time to be busy with my other assignments.

MDA2300 - New Ways of Storytelling

We have now been considering not only how technology has been innovating peoples' experiences with films, but how the ways in which people approach narrative and the ways people tell stories have been developing.

One particularly interesting example, is the idea of an interactive narrative.

Examples of this include online point and click games, in which a person views an animated film while interacting with the world, locations, items and characters (i.e. 'A Case of Crabs').

I find it interesting that I had never thought of video games in the sense of an 'interactive narrative', when that is pretty much what they are - you control a character, who experiences events and plays out a story in a visual medium.

We also looked at interactive DVDs, which blurred the lines between a film and videogame, including a narrative, the fact that it was a filmed, visual medium, shown as a video, and also several of them had multiple outcomes depending on the ways in which a person had responded to the events and the choices they had to make within the story.

I found the DVDs (most of which were students' past work,) very entertaining, and enjoyed how the fact that the medium of film had become interactive almost made you connect even more with the characters.

We have also been asked to start to think about what we want to create for our final portfolio piece, and to think of a topic on which to write our final essay about.

MDA2100 - Script - First Scene Draft

This is the first scene draft for 'One Night Only':

One Night Only Scene 01 by

After getting feedback I was pleased with the desired effects: Using minimal dialogue, I had portrayed the fact that the Character of Sean is not living well: he is in a rut and something (related to sleeping with and/or relationships with other men,) is causing his almost-depression.

I used repetitiveness in the characters apathy to portray the rut, and the imagined quick cuts to portray how he seems to be doing the same thing every day.

As shown by his actions with the phone, the story starts 'in the thick of it' meaning that the exposition is implied by the onscreen visuals and not explicitly stated.

I feel happy with the results and hopefully the rest of the story will be as strong as I feel the opening is.

MDA2100 - Treatment

This is the page-long script treatment I read in class, based on the idea for 'One Night Only':

An untidy Central London apartment.

After having his heart broken twice in a short period of time, Sean Ryan has resorted having many meaningless one-night stands with random men and drinking heavily to escape the fact that he hasn’t moved on from his previous heartbreak.

Sean sits in his bed, reading sadly through a text from one of the aforementioned unsuccessful relationships, as an unnamed man leaves his apartment. The state of his apartment, (discarded cans, bottles and plates litter the rooms,) reflect his current lack of passion for anything, or anyone. He looks melancholic, evidently ashamed of what he has done, and dwelling on the sender of the text message. He remains in bed for most of the day, seemingly apathetic to everything.

As darkness descends outside he has a shower and starts drinking, preparing himself for another night, and another meaningless fling. He stands in the shower, as lethargic as he was while in bed. He finishes getting ready for the night out, and after making a downcast toast to his own reflection, he finishes his drink and leaves his home.

Sean returns sometime later, drunk and in the company of Jonah, an Australian tourist he met on the night. They sleep together, and afterwards Jonah falls asleep while Sean lay awake.

Eventually, Sean leaves his bedroom and goes into his kitchen, and after pouring himself another drink, breaks down into tears. Hearing this, Jonah wakes up and comes into the kitchen. He comforts Sean and asks him what is wrong.

His genuine concern throws Sean off his guard, and he begins to talk about his recent heartbreaks and how he’s been having meaningless encounters to cover up his fear of having his heart broken again. At the end of the conversation, Jonah says that it’s a shame he has to go back to Australia soon as there could have been potential in their relationship, had they gone on to get to know each other.

Upon returning to the bedroom the two sleep together again and unlike before, Sean falls asleep afterwards, no longer regretting the encounter.

The next morning, after a pleasant yet nonetheless awkward goodbye, Sean sits in the kitchen, looking at his phone. He picks it up and almost goes to read the messages, as he did at the start, but stops, and puts his phone back on the table. Looking around the apartment, and seeming less apathetic than before, he opens the blinds letting in the morning sun, and revealing a view of the Central London Skyline. He surveys this for a moment, before starting to pick up some of the discarded bottles littering his home. 

The main criticism for this idea is that the ending seems to upbeat, and not realistic enough for the timeframe of a short film (as it seems resolved). A resolved ending, however, was not my intention, and I now agree that the treatment makes the ending seem a lot happier than it should, as I only imagines Sean considering how he could change and maybe making a minor change to represent this.

I will consider this while drafting the script. 

MDA2100 - Step Outline

This is the step outline I have written to go with my pitch idea, 'one night only'.

‘One Night Only’

1.       Sean lies in his bed looking at his phone as an unnamed, man leaves his bedroom, he re-reads the text he received, stating the end of a relationship, and with an almost resigned reaction, closes his eyes and tries to sleep.

2.       Sean is in the shower, vacant look, as he gets ready for another night out. He contemplates texting the boy who broke up with him earlier, even starts writing a message, but he deletes it and continues getting ready.

3.       He comes back from the club with Jonah. They passionately kiss and drunkenly start to sleep with each other.

4.       Waking in the middle of the night, Sean goes into his kitchen, and has a drink, starting to cry, as he thinks about how the meaningless encounters aren’t helping him.

5.       Hearing the crying, Jonah comes in and they begin to talk about Sean’s history with men and why he has so many meaningless, drunken encounters.

6.       Towards the end of the conversation, Jonah says it’s too bad he has to go back to Australia, as after getting to know Sean more, he sees they could have been good together.

7.       Jonah leaves and Sean sits, contemplating recent actions. He slowly starts to clean his messy flat, tidying away bottles and seems more hopeful, and happier as a person. 

MDA2100 - Pitch Idea

This is the pitch idea I read out in class as part of our assignment:

‘One Night Only’

                ‘One Night Only’ is a romantic drama detailing the start of the repair of a heart, not the usual two hearts joining together.

                Almost a cross between 2011’s ‘Weekend’, with certain, more serious elements from the rom com ‘Friends with Benefits’

Sean, the protagonist, is a single, 21 year old Gay man who lives in London, who after having his heart broken twice in the past year has resorted to drinking and meaningless flings to get the attention he craves. His main goal is, actually to find someone who will love him and treat him with affection. His obstacles are the fact that as a person, he puts more into relationships and gets feelings for others quicker and more than they do, even if they aren’t usually 100% into the relationship like he is. This being why he gets heartbroken in the first place, he tries to deal with it by having meaningless flings, (his situation during the start of the film), though this is an obstacle, as while he gets ‘attention’, he doesn’t get the love and emotional attachment he really wants.

                It is only when he meets Jonah, an Australian 23 year old, travelling in London and they share one of Sean’s usual nights together, that they start talking about Sean’s life, and how he doesn’t, once they start talking, seem like the person who would usually do this. After talking they begin to share a bond, and it is when, during the next day, that Jonah declares it’s too bad he has to go back to Australia, because they could have had something special, that Sean has a revelation about his life, realising that the meaningless flings are only giving him short-term satisfaction, and not the emotional love he really wants. Realising he shouldn’t be doing this as it’s not helping him, he starts clearing up his flat (and life), leaving the prospect open that while not having meaningless flings, he will look for something more serious and perhaps take things slower and differently than he usually does.

                The story is more the Ritual Occasion structure, because while Sean seeks meaning flings, his obstacles were initiated mainly due to having his heart broken by somebody else, not something he directly did, and it is only the events initiated by Jonah which bring about the small realisation about what he has been doing and leave the future open for change. 

MDA2300 - Change and Innovation

Magnus' half of the module covers the more technological aspect to innovations in film, and asks us to look at how recent developments in technology are affecting films, the industry and mainly how people access, spectate and interact with films.

We were given three main points to consider:

• The ways in which we view movies is changing
• for example, smaller devices and other online services can be used to watch films, films are sometimes interactive and different technological advances (such as improved 3D technology) have led to an increase in their use. 
• The fact that the new technology and experiences have to be considered by filmmakers
• i.e. we need to consider the many new and emerging formats while making and planning for new films, and certain technologies need to be utilised for the benefit of the film reaching and impacting audiences. 
• The fact that the way films have been viewed has always changed. 
• e.g. the widescreen, full colour cinema of today is worlds apart from the first ever black and white film screening, with no sound and lower image quality, sue to the available technology at the time. 

One of the main points we have covered so far is the way that new technologies have blurred the line between the maker of film, and the spectator.

Examples include 'mashup' trailers, in which footage of one film is used to advertise the story of another, (this shows how those who are usually part of a film's audience are affecting how others view films, like filmmakers usually do,) and film movements such as 'machinima', in which software is used to make 3D films, meaning that (as the software is easily accessible) anybody really can make a film, in which there is no need to physically organise actors and locations, with basic skills.

These ideas are similar in a way to what we looked at at the start, in the fact that while we originally looked at how the development of 'film' affected how people artistically expressed themselves, we are now looking at how technological developments are affecting how people access and make films.

MDA2900 - First Assignment Idea Finalised

http://www.10-minute-plays.com/scenes/the_unwanted_scene.html

Here is the play on which we are basing our first assignment

From the producer's perspective, it will be very feasible, with one, simple location and two characters.

I will put out a casting call later on so that we can prepare for auditions, especially as in such an emotionally driven scene, acting will be important!

MDA2900 - Schedule

Here is the schedule I composed for the first assignment for MDA2900

MDA2900 - Serena's Second Visit

After having our second talk off Serena Cullen, we had another interesting look into her life, work and her insight into the world of production.

We watched a part of a musical drama she produced, as well as a pilot for a sitcom, and part of a few television movies, and we learned about the low budgets used, tight schedules, and certain times in which the projects were never fully realised, due to funding backing out (even after making a pilot episode, in the case of the sitcom!)

• If funding falls through, you can still make the project and make a larger profit, but BE REALISTIC.
• Persistence and passion are key
• Most films have about 5 memorable moments, so when you are creating a trailer, think about them and try adding them to the trailer
• Use a 2 camera sysytem for a faster shooting process

To conclude, she had five key points to tell us:

• The writer, producer and director all have a shared vision
• A producer must have passion for the project
• Access to the people, resources you need is important
• You need the Energy to see the projects through charismatically
• The most important thing is making it happen for yourself

MDA2900 - New Project Brief

We have a new project brief, to produce or direct (in pairs) a short scene, involving 2/3 characters, which we have to adapt from a book or play, and which must be feasible in the short amount of time we have to make it!

I will be producing, and working with Francisco who will be my director!

I now need to get started looking for texts to use and scheduling for the next few weeks!

MDA2900 - Vladimir Lozinski: The Independent Producer

The next guest speaker we had was Vladimir Lozinski

A producer who worked his way to the top, before breaking off and becoming independent, he had many useful tips for us

• Producer is normally the most important individual in a film production
• Think about the budget every day
• Label your clips so you will not lose them.
• NEVER limit yourself to one technology
• Script is the most important part: the audience needs to have a story they can connect with
• Know your audience.
• The producer is 'driving' the director to create their vision
• Patience is very important, when working with people
• Restrictions you have can help you think outside the box and do something incredible
• As a student, your most powerful tool is the story and its characters
• Producer needs to have the drive and the ego
• People prefer to work with people who manage to create a film under the budget
• Know what you want; good pre-production saves you money
• If you need to get rid of a character, plant something in the backstory
• Fed crew is a happy crew

He also discussed many other important facts, such as the best way he goes about transporting/logging capturing rushes, and also DSLR cameras and the perks/downfalls in using those, compared to other camera models.

I also feel that while the main messages in his talk were similar to those given by Serena, as a whole he had a different air about him as a producer, I feel. I found the fact that this gave him almost a different approach interesting when considering what he had to say!

MDA2900 - Production Workshop

Though I missed it and caught up with my classmates notes, we had a talk off Eddie, discussing what makes a good producer, and the skills involved in Producing films.

• Confident (but not overconfident)
• Organized (write things down, prioritize, research, find out what can go wrong, delegate  communicate, have backup plans, manage your time and ask questions)
• Good communicator (talking, networking, open, knows how to talk to many different people)
• Self-control 
• Patience
• Negotiations (know everybody and everything, and know how to convince people)
• Executional (with your ideas) 
• Leadership – you have to have a vision

Personally, I'm still not sure whether I would make a better producer or director. On the one had, I feel that I would love the creative control a director gets, yet on the other, I feel that I have many skills which would make me a good producer: I'm a good communicator and have dealt with many different people of different backgrounds in my life well, and also I'm patient and in group tasks good at organising others. 

I only did a small amount of producing last year, and feel that I got a bit overwhelmed by it, if I were to do it again, the tips I got from reading through what Eddie discussed at his talk have definitely helped me think about how I could better approach the task. 

MDA2300 - Update and Abstract Film

We have continued Guy's part of the module by looking at a range of Modern video artists, such as Inger Lisa Hansen, who's work called 'Travelling Fields' involving the complex Norwegian Landscape I was very intrigued by.

I personally really enjoy thinking about the many different, unconventional ways film can be used as a form of artistic expression and exploration, and how the moving image can diversify a work of art and make it an even more immersive and impacting piece.

The first of the briefs I have completed is the Abstract Film brief, in which we are not allowed to use any recorded footage. After noticing a particular colour scheme, which was present int he decor of my shared house, I decided that I would use this theme as the basis for my abstract film, visually exploring how well the colours complement one another, in a short film which is aesthetically pleasing, and fun to watch:




I particularly enjoy how smooth the film runs together, almost fluidly.
To make the film, I experimented with Rendered shapes and images, and motion through keyframes in Final Cut Pro. I found it fun to play around with the different settings and getting a wide variety of effects, those of which I thought went together, I put in the film.

MDA2100 - Week 3

This week we looked at the Genre of 'Comedy'

I had never really studied or worked on comedy in depth, so I enjoyed the opportunity to see the theory behind a genre which you wouldn't usually think about in a 'scholarly' way
We looked at the 4 different types of comedy: (Superiority, Incongruity, Ambivalence and Release) and the way in which they are explored in films and even gained from everyday situations. The idea of a Payoff and Setup also was put across as being important within the genre.

One of the films we saw was 'Desserts' starring Ewan Mcgreggor, in which a man was hooked while on a beach and dragged into the sea. While the film had possibly deep themes of man's effects on the environment, I thought it was a funny, if morbid film (and morbid humour is always fun to be honest). The ideas of Superiority and Incongruity are where the humour was generated: Spectators felt superior to the character as he fell for the fish's trick, and the events were incongruous, as it is usually a fish getting hooked, not a man).

We then watched George Lucas in Love, which was a short, rom-com which generated comedy from using the traits of well-known Star Wars characters to generate humour, in showing a possible, unrealistic way in which George Lucas gained inspiration for the story. This was an example of 'exclusive' comedy, in which only people who understand certain aspects will get jokes. This could also in a way indicate superiority, as you get a joke other people may not.

In the afternoon workshop, we discussed turning our own experiences into stories, pitches, and how to write a pitch.

I found the own experiences aspect interesting, as it was useful to see how as you have been part of that experience, you may be almost biased in your thinking of an idea, and it was useful to see how other people responded to those ideas. We then had to make up a story idea based on one of the other people's experiences. This was interesting, as you really had to consider other people's views and how they may have been affected by an experience, and you had to get out of your own mindset and step into anothers shoes, which is a useful skill for when you write an idea based on an other person's life, for example.

MDA2100 - Week Two

In the second week we looked at personal experiences, memories, emotions, and how your own life itself (pretty much) can be turned into a story which you can adapt into a short film.

I found it very interesting when we talked about how emotions (such as love) form part of human experience and can form the basis of a story idea, such as how Love normally drives the subplot of a film (i.e. the romance in 'Witness', a particular favourite example of Middlesex Tutors).

I also found how each of the four primal emotions (Happiness, Sadness, Fear and Anger) can effect characters and story in strong ways, particularly interesting. When you think about it, they form the basis for characters' identities, their actions and stories and plots in almost every film you can think of.
The emotions all affect characters in different ways:

• Happiness - Brings a character 'up', often tied in with the character's goal (i.e. happiness from love, or achieving their goal)
• Sadness - Brings the character 'down', (often tied in with the character's failures)
• Anger - Drives a character forwards, urging them to further achieve their goal (e.g. the death of the yoda-like figure in the 'hero's journey' story structure can instill the character with a desire for vengeance assuring that they will be able to achieve their goal)
• Fear - Pushes a character backwards, hindering them, usually entwined with an aspect of their past which the character has to overcome in order to successfully achieve their goal (e.g. in the final addition to the Harry Potter series, Harry has to overcome fear of death, which gives him the power to defeat his enemy)

In the two films we watched in the seminar (Lynne Ramsay's 'Gasman' and John Giwa-Amu's 'Barrie the Barber') the ideas of emotions and experience driving characters and their story's became relevant (i.e. in Gasman, the young girl realising her father has another daughter, and her realisation that she must accept that, and in Barrie the Barber, the eponymous Barrie realising that dwelling on the past isn't doing him any good).

As evident in both films, there is no major change, it just becomes clear that the character has had a realisation and will probably (but in the case of Barrie, maybe not definitely,) make a change in the way they are in the future. 

Personally, I find the endings to these films (in which the story is not 'resolved' so to speak, it is just set up for the path of resolution) much more poignant and impacting than if the film had had a clear resolution. This, I think, is possibly because the fact that the characters' journeys aren't over, (they have changed and are possibly beginning), means that the spectator still identifies with the character's journey, (as their story is not yet resolved,) so they still have the character on their minds and feels for their story, meaning that even though the film is short, it still has as much an impact on the audience, as it could have done had it been feature-length. 

In the workshops we were given a writing task in which we wrote in constant prose without thinking too much about it, a scenario involving a character, and then we had to answer questions (in a similar writing style) about the character. This was a particularly interesting exercise, as I had never really thought about a characters motives in as much depth as I did for that exercise. 

After answering the question we were then asked to write the prose story in a screenplay format. Given the understanding of the character's feelings, past and motives, I found it much easier to translate her as a person in the specific situation to her actions within the script. 

My story, a noir-esque revenge story, in which a widow sought revenge against those who killed her husband, was given a whole depth by my considering the character's feelings, emotions and motives. In the exercise I found it much easier to script a character's actions when I knew them as in-depth as I did this particular character. 

MDA2100: First Assignment

This is the story I wrote for the first task, it has the 'Ritual Occasion' short film structure:


               Rose, a twenty-two year old magazine intern is running out of a London Underground station. She is meeting with her boyfriend of two years , Jason for lunch; running late, she texts him, also apologising for already having cancelled their dinner plans the night before at short notice, due to extra work needing to be done at the magazine. Understandably, her boyfriend isn’t happy when he arrives, and after having to endure half an hour of her lunch-break being an awkward, heated discussion, Jason ends their relationship, stating that Rose hasn’t got her priorities in order and that she cares more about her job than the relationship. He doesn’t listen to Rose’s arguments that she works a lot now to pay off in the future. With one last look at her as he leaves the café, and with an hour of her break left, alone, Rose breaks down in tears.
                A waiter at the café, seeing the girl alone, crying pays for two cups of tea and sits down at the table with her, asking what’s wrong. Rose, who is not used to people in London acting this way, is surprised but appreciative, and explains about how her career has been causing some strain on her relationship and she supposes Jason finally had enough. They talk for a while, moving off the subject of Jason, and as the time for Rose to leave arrives, the waiter leaves her his phone number, saying that he knows it’s too soon after Jason for any sort of relationship, but if she ever needs to talk to a friend, she knows where to find him. As she leaves, feeling down still, but surprisingly optimistic, Rose decides she might have a night off work later in the week, to have some time to herself. 

While as a film, I feel this tale-of-morality in a nutshell story may be a tad boring, It demonstrates the aspects of a short film and the ritual occasion structure.
were the story scripted, the fact that Rose is a workaholic would perhaps be shown by the character looking flustered and busy, perhaps implied by her cancelling the date via the phone.
While she doesn't actively do anything, the inciting incident would be her boyfriend breaking up with her, (something which happens to her), and the waiter approaches her, she does nothing.
There are also only three main characters, and there are no major plot changes, or high stakes.
The ending of the story is also similar to the typical short film, as while she doesn't explicitly change, she considers taking a night off work, which while a small action, implies that in the future she may change.
While I probably won't take this idea as far as making it my final idea, I feel confident in knowing that I can create characters and stories which can be applied to the short film.

MDA2100 - Week One

In the first MDA2100 Session the main focus was covering the Hollywood Restorative three-act-structure of films we first encountered in the first year's Storytelling for the Screen module.
It was initially useful to recap this, as a summer away gives a lot of time to get your head cleared of anything useful, and I also found it interesting how the Restorative Film Structure can be tweaked and applied to the structure of the short film (a type of film which I have never really studied theoretically).
These are characteristics of most short films and the ways in which the restorative film structure can be applied to the genre:

• Sub-Plots are pretty much (but not always) non-existant
• The exposition is not shown on-screen
• The film starts with the inciting incident
• Brief establishment of the Status-Quo
• Characters kept to a minimum
• Development is shorter
• 3rd act may be very short
• Turning points are not as impacting or reversive
• The plot is not as frantic as a feature film
• They cover only a short period of time
• A Short Story to the Novel is analogous to the Short Film and a Feature Film
• Not enough time to get 'into' a character so radical character development is not believable
• Unity of action is present
• Often but not always both a protagonist and antagonist
• Lower key conflict
• Characters are less goal-driven
• The stakes are not as high

We then watched 'The Lunch Date' (U.S. 1990) and mapped the story onto the three-act-structure.
It was interesting how the story, while initially seeming too short, could be applied to the Hollywood structure and as discussed beforehand, certain characteristics, such as the Third Act being much shorter, and the stakes not being as high were evident. I also found it interesting, how even though the film was only around ten minutes in length, there were still deep-running themes (race and class division, prejudice) and character traits (prejudice and 'self-righteousness' almost), exposition and personality aspects which were shown visually in the actions. Were it a short film, these aspects could be stated, but due to the time 'limit' they were visually implied. This definitely intrigued me and got me thinking about how I could put across themes and aspects of a film visually, given a short time constraint.

In the afternoon workshop with another David, we once again discussed the differences and characteristics which make Short films different to feature films, and then we thought about places from which we get ideas/inspiration:

• The World around you
• 'Stories'
• Cultural Stories
• Myths
• Legends
• Fables
• Fairytales
• Experience
• Your own
• The experience of others (from an objective point of view)
• Additionally, it is important to know what you write
• Dreams
• Things you overhear
• The News
• Other places or 'things' you experience daily whether direct or not

We then did an exercise in which on the spot, we came up with a character, and wrote about their external (physical) and internal (i.e. personality) traits. This ended up being a lot more difficult than I though, as I had never really thought that in depth about a character's personality before, and I found it especially difficult to do on the spot.

After this, we watched the French film 'Gare du Nord', and discussed the 'Journey' and 'Ritual Occasion' structure of short film.

as the 'Journey' structure was the one I had encountered the most previously, I was really intrigued by the idea of the Ritual Occasion film, in which a character doesn't actively seek a goal, until an event happens to them. 'Gare du Nord' was a Ritual Occasion film, as the woman, while dissatisfied with her life didn't do anything to change it, until the man encountered her. As it is a short film no large change happens, but given her shock at the random man's suicide, whether he was real or imagined, it is implied that she may be, for example, more spontaneous in the future. Or, possibly, the ending is more melancholic and the moral could be that if you don't take a chance when it comes along, you could be stuck in a rut forever. 

I also enjoyed the fiarytale/dreamlike quality the film had once the woman left her apartment and encountered the man. 

MDA2900 - 7D Induction / Guest Speaker: Serena Cullen

This week we were inducted to use the Canon 7D Cameras.

With regards to visuals, the 7Ds, in my opinion, are amazing, the focus/zoom capabilities and general quality of footage, as well as the effects of the different lenses, are of such a high quality. The main downside, I believe, is the fact that they cannot record sound using an external microphone. This means that for high-quality sound a zoom mic needs to be used, and then it takes a while longer to get everything sorted in post-production, as the sound has to be logged, as well as the footage and then synced to the video seperately.

The camera controls themselves, I find a bit confusing personally, but of course the only way I can get around this is by practicing using the camera, so I'm excited to take one out and have a mess around with it (though I won't be saying 'mess around' when I take it from the loan store).

This week we also had a guest speaker; Serena Cullen, a producer who has worked on many popular television programs and films, and who has done a lot of recent work for the BBC.

I found it very useful to hear from someone who had worked their way up, and she had many helpful tips and bits of advice.

She had five main tips for working in Film and Television

• developing relationships
• know every job on the set
• watch movies
• use real locations
• blend objective and subjective writing

and also another set of tips:

• character is very important
• keep all actors busy so they will not cause trouble
• think about scheduling
• be passionate about your work
• actors work the best on take 2 (according to statistics)
• producer has to answer all the questions

Her talk definitely made me think more about the responsibilities of a producer, and how much responsibility they have to make sure everything runs smoothly, and that everyone involved is doing what they are supposed to do, and are happy while doing it.

The main message her talk inspired within me, was how relentless you had to be to succeed. She told us about how strongly she fought for funding for her ideas, and the television shows/films she saw potential in and had a passion for, and I enjoyed the opportunity to listen to her and the advice she gave. We will have another talk from her in a fortnight.

MDA2900 - Introduction

In the first week of our MDA2900 - Producing and Directing module, we were given a) an overview of the module itself, and what we are expected to achieve throughout the year, and b) we had a workshop session exploring how important teamwork will be in the coming months and how working well and efficiently as a team is a vital part of making films.

As for first thoughts on the module, I'm excited and nervous. I think it will be challenging and intense, but I'm so excited to have the freedom to develop my own project from start to finish on a larger scale than I have previously. It may not seem very long to everyone else, but being students of film we can all appreciate the amount of work which goes into a 10 minute film (the final outcome of the module).

The team-working workshop was fun; used as an example, I was designated the role of director, while Arielle was producer, and we, along with a mock crew, were told to discuss, in front of the group, how we would go about creating a documentary project.

It was very interesting and useful, as Eddie really got us to think about how our decisions from the start should concern everyone and how they should be made carefully (moreso than any of us had really done by this point, I believe) and with consideration for all of the crew and people involved.

MDA2300 - Film & Innovation - Initial thoughts and First Assignment Brief

After looking forwards to starting the Film & Innovation module, (as I've long since had an interest in the more experimental and abstract side to film, and was looking forwards to learning about this and how different creative and technological developments have influenced film-making,) I was very interested in the first seminars.

We looked at early experimental and abstract films, created by scratching or painting onto celluloid film.
I found it interesting how the first major abstract films were created by trying to emulate the visual experimentation of paintings and 'fine' art, and presenting them through the medium of film.

After looking at many films like this, we moved onto different types of abstract film, such as John Smith's 'Om', in which audience expectations are subverted, due to the visuals of the film; (an apparent Buddhist Monk appears to be meditating, until it is revealed that he is a 'Skinhead' having his head shaved). The film uses similar sounding sound, and almost-similar imagery, to trick the audiences, and then make them rethink what they believe they see or are seeing in films).

We have also been given a selection of creative briefs to choose from, such as making an abstract film, using colours/shapes with no recorded footage, and making a film which subverts audience expectations.

Reflective Analysis!

Assessment 04

MDA1700 - Assessment 03 - Final - American Avant-Garde

For our final assessment for this module I decided to analyse the characteristics of the American Avant-Garde Film Movement, in relation to two films: Maya Deren's 'Meshes of the Afternoon' and Stan Brakhage's 'The Way to Shadow Garden'.

MDA1700 Assessment 03

MDA1800 - Final Assessment - Film Treatment and Critique

This is the final assessment, and critique/commentary on writing/development process for MDA1800:
1800Assessment 04

MDA1700 - Weeks 19-24 - Theoretical Excursions

Out of all of the parts of the module so far, I have found the content of the final six weeks the most interesting and engaging.

I personally have always been interested in the more experimental side to film-making; interested in art and experimental and more unconventional film-makers, so I found the content covered in this part of the module more interesting in the fact that it included and allowed to think about and look more in-depth in at the more experimental sides to different films.

The first example of this was when we were looking at Feminist cinema. As something I never had studied in-depth before I found the lecture and seminar interesting, especially when we learned more in-depth about the 'male gaze' and the implications it holds, and how certain male-oriented aspects of cinema can be subverted and the message changed.

I found the two Sally Potter films we'd watched very interesting; 'The Gold Diggers', and Orlando.

I especially like the toying around with Gender and gender identity in orlando, from the male actor Quentin Crisp playing Queen Elizabeth 1st, to the Androgynous protagonist and his-then-her own change in gender identity, and relationships with people who were both male and female. The idea of MAgic Realism (a term I had come across while studying Mexican Cinema) was also prominent in this film, mainly in Orlando's agelessness, and the fact that people didn't react to it in a surprised way (as we would expect) so it was seen as the norm in this world.

I really enjoyed the study of American Avant-Garde, and looking at the work of Maya Deren and Stan Brakhage. As these films are more artistic in their meaningful approach, and their execution of stylistics, I really feel they connected more with my own personal interests. The two we looked at i class (Deren's 'Meshes of the Afternoon' and Brakhage's 'The Way to Shadow Garden' I felt were very interesting to watch, and I really enjoyed seeing two very different examples of the movement.

While I initially found the two films hard to understand, while viewing them in preparation for the final formative assessment I feel that I have found deeper meaning and a deeper understand of the movement and the main messages trying to be put across by the directors, coming across different personal interpretations for the messages in the film.

One of the main parts of this module I feel I have enjoyed the most is how I, in my studies, have delved into the histories and developments of such a wide array of different film movements and different aspects of how films communicate different meanings to us as audiences.

MDA1400 - Final Project

MDA1800 - Final Assessment Development

I have decided to base the 2,000 word treatment we need to complete for the final 1800 assessment on a story I made for a previous assessment, which asked us to re-invent the play of MacBeth in a contemporary setting.
Here is my original idea:
MacBeth - reinvention

In preparation for the research for turning this idea into a full film treatment, I have ordered and am going to read and analyse the play MacBeth and the novel 'The Devil Wears Prada'.
I will also watch the film versions of these, and will try to find a modern version of MacBeth, so that I can get more ideas on how to transfer aspects of the story to a modern setting.
I am awaiting feedback on this assignment, so I will also consider the feedback when writing up the final assessment.

MDA1400 Final Project Development

MDA1700 - Assessment 03 - Visual Essay - Melancholia

For the 3rd summative assessment we were asked to make a visual essay on any aspect of 'film'.
While initially, I found this very difficult as I had never had to do a video essay before, after deciding to base it on one of my favourite films: Melancholia, by Lars Von Trier, I started planning out how I can use the grand imagery of the film to put across the main point of my essay, which is how the film itself, featuring many auteur qualities of Von Trier, is not a typical disaster film.
Unfortunately, due to the software used to get the clips from the DVD, there is a watermark on the essay. If I make a visual essay again for this course, I will try to find another way to get the clips, avoiding the watermark

.

MDA1800 - Assessment 03 - Silent Film Scenario

For the third Assessment for this module, we were asked to write a 3 minute silent short filmable scenario:
The main inspiration for this piece came from a song: 'This is What Makes us Girls' by Lana Del Rey.
The song, I feel, evokes feelings of nostalgia, and really feels like it is being told from the point of view of a person, knowing the best times of their life have gone by, looking back and wanting to reclaim the happy memories of their past.
I feel that while her friend's death is tragic, it acts as a key for Maria, unlocking a door, so to speak, and allowing her to move on from her abusive present, after trying to re-invoke the past and moving to a possibly brighter future.

1800Assessment 03

MDA1700 - Weeks 13-18 - Challenges to the Mainstream

Starting with French New Wave and ending with Postmodernism, in the past six weeks we have looked at a variety of film movements which have gone against the more conventional styles of cinema we started looking at.

I have previously watched the film 'A bout de Soufflé' (Breathless) and I found it as entertaining then as I did now. I enjoy the look and 'feel' of the film, and the almost disjointed, yet almost 'stylish' editing.
I had never really studied the French New Wave movement, and found the lecture and seminar interesting, particularly how the movement utilisex their less-convention style of editing, and its almost disruptive effect in the film.

I also enjoyed the documentary 'Close-Up', which though I missed in the screening, I watched in my own time. Being Half-Iranian, I foudn it interesting to watch and consider in my studies, a film relating to what is a part of my own culture so to speak.

One film viewed as part of this module which had a particularly poignant effect on me was 'The Trial' directed by Orson Welles based on Franz Kafkas novel. From slight research before the screening, I knew to expect the downcast ending and confusion throughout the film, yet the film itself still had an effect on me. While the plot itself confused me at times, and If eel the film dragged on quite a bit, I found certain aspects to the film engaging and interesting.

For example, I found the animation-esque imagery at the start involving the story of the gate and a man being denied access very interesting, as I feel the visuals were different and something I had not seen before, and the story itself complemented the narrative of the film.

Throughout the film, as it was clear form the start the protagonist wasn't exactly set-up for a victory, there was a melancholic and almost belittled feel, which I believe was complemented by the almost fascist mise-en-scene, (i.e. the large, dark, towering structures and how even the sets themselves seem to look down upon and belittle audiences and the protagonist).

I also found the ending quite 'difficult' to watch; not in the sense that I foudn it shocking or frightening, just because of how after witnessing the character's struggle to get himself 'cleared', and all he had been through and the journey we as an audience had gone on with him, his life was ended brutally, with no real explanation. This, I suppose, was one of the main aims of the film with regards to audience response.

MDA1400 - Brief 03 - Campaign Film - 'Don't Overdo It'

MDA1400 - Third Class

After critiquing the observation documentaries, we looked at Campaign Films, and started to think about the causes on which we would like to base our own campaign films on in our groups.

the main aspects we had to consider were WHO the audience for our film would be, and WHERE it might be distributed, as each of these would affect the form and style as they'd affect the audience and how we need to reach them

I was paired with Matt, and we decided he would be producer, and I would be director, and we decided that the issue we would raise is Alcohol Awareness, and drinking excessively in students.

We started out by looking at similar ad campaigns and how they reach their audiences.

Our target audience was students aged 18 to 25, who regularly go out drinking as it is the social norm.

Our initial plans were to show the students drinking at a party with friends, and initially showing them as being popular and 'cool' people, then show the shocking reality in which they are drunken messes, being mocked and taken advantage of.

This is similar to an existing alcohol awareness campaign, in which what a girl thinks is happening is shown simultaneously alongside what others are observing.

I am excited to start this project, as I feel that with planning we have gotten off to a good start, so as long as we keep organised we should have no problem making a successful campaign film.

MDA1400 - Brief 02 - Observational Documentary - 'Cig Break'

This is the observational documentary made by Mayang and I.

While we initially set out to observe the social aspects of people on a cigarette break, due to a lack of planning on our behalf, and mistakes during filming, the best footage we had was of a person on their own on a cig break.

While most of the footage, I can safely admit, was quite boring, there was the one moment on here, in which a group of students walk by, one of whom is bragging about his collection of designer shoes.

This random event is really what makes it a natural observational documentary, as it shows that while just observing events different things happened which weren't influenced by us.

The minimal titles and lack of sound editing also adhere to the 'conventions' of observational documentary.

MDA1400 - Second Class

After critiquing the group's variety of responses to the 'Space' brief, we discussed the film form of 'documentary', and looked at the different approaches to documentary, including:

• Poetic
• Expository
• Observational
• Participatory
• Reflexive
• Performative

I found the session interesting, as I honestly hadn't thought much about the different types of documentaries, so it was interesting to see some examples and learn about different types and their main (but not the only) characteristics and themes.

The main type we focused on was the Observational Documentary, and we watched Molly Denevue's 'The Heart of Angel' and Mark Isaac's 'Lift'.

out of these two, I found Lift the most entertaining, as while both had relatable character's and were interesting, I really enjoyed the humour in 'Lift' and the huge range of characters.
Also, the fact that it was set in one block of flats with the same people living there, and not a busy London tube station, meant that the same people were seen repeatedly, so you became attached to some of the characters, as you would in a narrative film almost.

This weeks brief is to make a short observational documentary.
While I am excited about the opportunity to do this, I feel that as it's a new genre I am working with I may find it difficult to come up with workable ideas, so I will have to start discussing possibilities with my parter for this week, Mayang, as soon as possible.

MDA1400 - Brief 01 - '(no) Space'

No Space from Adam Amini on Vimeo.

This our (mine and Chris Salisbury's) response to the first brief for MDA1400 - to create a 2 minute video with the theme of 'space'.

while we were initially thinking of ideas to do with 'outer space', in the end we decided to take 'space' to mean 'personal space' or when a person feels they have no space in their lives, emotionally, not physically.

as director, I really enjoyed pitching the creative aspects of our idea to the producer, as I have always enjoyed and been interested in art films, arthouse films and avant garde-style films, yet in my studies I had never had much of a chance to put my interest into practise, so I found the chance to exercise creative control with a high standard of equipment very fun and interesting.

I also edited the piece so it was also the first piece of work I had created in which I feel I left a creative mark, and even though there are technical faults and issues, it is probably the piece so far I am most proud to have worked on.

MDA1400 - First Class

In the first MDA1400 session, we were prompted to think about the different types and purposes of films, and what the term 'film' or 'video' really means.

I found this very interesting as it brought a new angle to the course, and in studying several different types of film in the session, such as the corporate films for BMW featuring Madonna and Clive Owen, and Jane Campion's 'Passionless Moments' (the former of which I was very interested in seeing as 'The Piano' is one of my favourite films and it was interesting to see some of her earlier work).

The main aspect of the first session of this module which interested me was the fact that a lot of the film types we started to discuss such as corporate films, documentary and art films, I had never studied in depth or even worked on in my studies. I am interested to learn more about how the skills we developed in MDA1300 can be then adapted and applied to the many different types of film, thus helping me gain more experience in different types of film making from the module.

Another interesting aspect to this module is the fact that we are only to be in groups of two for the practical assignments.

Overall, I think this will be a positive part of the module, as while time will have to be spent organising a crew, the effort of doing this won't mean the end of the world, and in the smaller group there are less likely to be creative clashes, and less opportunity for problems to arise.

The first brief for this module: to create a 2 minute 'music video with a difference' on the theme of 'Space'.
This can be approached in any way we like, and it is not to include a person lip-syncing to a song.

I already have a few ideas for this brief, and as director, I am excited to pitch them to and discuss them with my director, Chris.

MDA1300 - 'The Gift' - Short Film Brief

Here it is, 'The Gift' out final five minute short film based on Sofiane's story.

The main problems during production were the fact that after getting off to a really organised start, we let standards slip and due to a lack of communication over christmas, fell far behind on schedule.

thankfully, we picked things up a bit, then, unfortunately, on our day of filming, our actress (who we had found on gumtree.com) cancelled an hour before the shoot. At the time I was devastated thinking the project must be over before I feel it had begun for me (as editor, I had only done small jobs before the shoot, such as writing the synopsis and getting hold of some props; on the actual shoot I helped out with lighting and setting up the equipment). thankfully, after a week extension, we were able to find an actress to play the older sister.

I feel that the shoot went very well, as we had planned for it so well beforehand, and were able to refine these plans in teh extra week.

Once editing, I noticed a few problems with footage, such as framing issues and some continuity discrepancies, but I feel tha tI worked around these the best I could, and I am proud with how the film turned out.

I was also interested to experiment with the montage in the middle of the film. I had initlaly planned on using a splitscreen (under instruction of the director and producer), but upon making this, I felt it didn't fit with the slow song, and that the gradual fades would be better, so I consulted them, tried it out and they agreed.

Overall, I am pleased with how the project went, and I enjoyed trying out different editing techniques within the film.

MDA1800 - Assessment 02 - Film Analysis - Melancholia

For the 2nd Assessment for MDA1800, we were asked to analyse a film based on some of the terms seen previously in the module.

With it's theatrical Avant-Garde opening, and deep back-story, with a range of emotional character and a tragic ending, I decided to analyse Lars Von Trier's Melancholia in relation to the characteristics of The Well-Made Play.

1800Assessment 02

MDA1300 - Scene Recreation Brief

This is our scene recreation brief.

unfortunately, due to a burst water main in hendon, we were unable to go to the university campus on the intended day of filming, meaning that the actor for the male lead was unable to make it, so we had to find a replacement (thank you Thor!) who, unfortunately, wasn't an amazing actor, so the male lead detracts from the seriousness of the scene.

The girl, however (Arielle) has worked in theatre and drama groups so acted out the character of Karen very well.

I feel the best aspect about this piece is the attention to detail in the rooms (i.e. the discarded bottled in the background, the song playing at the correct time in the scene and the layout of the two rooms), the camera work (shaky, like in the actual scene, to add a sort of grittiness to the drama of the scene) and the edits which are all at the correct moments.

I feel that in some shots the lighting is darker than it should be, but aside from that I feel that we did well in the task considering the unfortunate events and a slight lack in preparation regarding actors/actresses.

For our next brief, we have been given the task of making a 5 minute short film based on one of our stories created for our storytelling and the screen assignment.

MDA1300 - Week Six

This week we had to show the clip for we intend to remake
Initially, we had chosen a clip from the film 'In bruges' in which two gunmen are having an argument over a staircase while a woman is between them, frightened.

After discussion with our tutor, however, and due to our lack of planning on how to approach this scene, we have decided to change scenes, and we already have actors, a shot list and a location sorted out for the shoot.

The main reasons we chose not to film this scene was due to the location needed, as it would have been too difficult to find one with the right 'look' and which we could use the camera efficiently to get the needed shots.

After consulting out tutor, the class then had a talk from a production assistant who works on programs such as 'The Only Way is Essex'.

This was really interesting, as we learned a lot about the sorts of tasks and skills we will need to be successful and start out in the industry. I was pleased with the amount of things I could already do, being let down by the fact that I didn't recognise the function and name for the audio cable, which I now know is the one with the three prongs.

I was also interested to see a real call sheet, and hear the sort of things to be expected of a studio runner (the job most people on the course will get when/if we start out in the industry).

It was also nice to be able to speak with somebody who had started out at the bottom, like us, and worked their way up and now having a job on a well-established show which pretty much everybody knows about.

MDA1700 - Assessment 02 - Realism and Formalism

For our 2nd summative assessment for MDA1700, we were asked to focus on a single film we had studied in class, and while possibly referring to Andre Bazin's 'The Evolution of the Language of Cinema', and palcing the film within its historical and cultural context, identify whether we consider the dominant approach of the film to be Realism or Formalism (and which type) and why.

I chose to analyse Jean Renoir's 'Uni Partie De Campagne':

MDA1700 Assessment 02

MDA1300 - Week Five

Directing Workshop

In this workshop, we were asked to go away for an hour and write a script and storyboard for the first few pages of 'The Big Sleep'.

I found this very challenging, but a really fun task as it was good to see how different people had interpreted the scene in their own ways. For example, one change I made which was different from the novel was that Carmen Sternwood slowly and dramatically was revealed coming down the stairs, which was different to the book where she walks through a door, as I felt this was more dramatic and built up the tension of revealing her character, due to her presumed importance in the story (we had only been given the first couple of pages).

It was very interesting to see many of the main roles a director undertakes (such as storyboarding and scriptwriting) and try them out under the pressure of a deadline, as I, liek many of my course-mates had had a more dramatized and glamourised idea of what a director does, and it was good to find out about what they really do, and how much work they have to undertake.

The task for this week was to recreate a 1-2 minute sequence from any film, shot by shot.

We have already got into a group and will meet to discuss ideas as soon as possible

MDA1300 - Lighting Brief

This is our finished lighting project.

The first scene was filmed using artificial lighting; the second with natural lighting.

I feel that the 2nd (naturally lit) video was done well, as there is slight shadowing on the left side to add depth, and it the light looks a lot like the sort of natural light you get in an early morning (continuing the small story involving the two people drinking before a night out, then drinking coffee while suffering the next morning). The main let down in the second clip, I feel, is the backlight doesn't bring both subjects out as much as it could, only the one on screen left.

While the backlight brings out the subjects in the 1st video (artificially lit) I feel that we could have done something a bit more interesting with the background, like had it blacked out and the subjects lit, using the lights or camera exposure. I feel that the lighting of the background is similar to the first one, just a bit darker. I do, however, like the warmth of the lighting (mainly I think due to the backlight highlighting the subjects,) so perhaps if we'd made the 2nd shot colder lighting, it would have contrasted nicely.

initially there were a few problems with getting the footage off the edit machines, as we had left the default settings when exporting the video. We now know that the default settings are NOT always correct and that we should always manually put the correct settings (720p25, on the HM100 cameras)

MDA1300 - Week Four

Lighting Workshop

This week we learned about the three point lighting system, with the key light, fill light and the backlight.

We learned how to safely set up, use and dismantle the lights, and also about the use of gels to give warm or cold lighting. The white balance function on the camera was also discussed alot; how you can use it in conjunction with the ligths to get many natural and unnatural lighting effects.

I found this very interesting as I had not really known a lot about the white balance function before, or how to use it as efficiently as I now feel I can.

I definitely feel that lighting has been teh most challenging aspect of film production we have covered so far, mainly because I am unfamiliar with the equipment, so find it challenging to use efficiently.
I hope that as I undertake more projects, I will get better at using the equipment and m ability to use the equipment to light a scene will increase.

For this week's brief we are to shoot the same scene twice; once with natural lighting, the second with artificial lighting; using the three point lighting system.

MDA1300 - Editing Brief

Unlike the last brief, we decided upon roles straight away and this was a great advantage in the task. For this brief I was the editor.

While there are one or two problems with sound and lighting (the lighting was mainly fixed in editing), I feel the continuity editing of the video was well done and I was proud with the work of the group.

There are no gaps or jumps in continuity, and we have fulfilled the requirements of the brief.
Unlike the last task we also considered the costume of the characters (thor, looking like a typical 'tough guy criminal' and me having to wear a football shirt, as I'd just watched a match in which my team lost.)

As I enjoy and feel quite confident in using the editing programs I was pleased to be the editor for this task. I remembered to do things such as when the camera cuts, have the action moved along a slight bit so the cut looks smooth, and that when characters go from one shot to the next, for them to not leave the frame, lest the edit look odd and not right with audiences.

MDA1300 - Week Three

Editing Workshop

This was one of the workshops which I was looking forwards to the most, as in all fo the work I had done so far, editing was my favourite part.

Initially, I presumed the workshop would be a tutorial on editing on the computer, so I was surprised when we were given the task involving a series of pictures which we were supposed to organise into a line, each picture representing a scene from the film.

After completing the task we were asked to each walk up to the line of pictures and remove and justify the removal of a scene from the film which was unnecessary.

I found this a very interesting and enjoyable exercise as it shed a new light on what 'editing' was, and that it doesn't just mean the task of putting the film together on an edit machine, but that you had to think about what goes well in the film and what can be cut out for the purpose of time or if it is uninteresting, repetitive or unnecessary.

MDA1700 - Weeks 7-12 - Realism and Formalism

After looking at the Hollywood Continuity System, we moved on to the study of different types of Realisms and Formalism.

Initially, I found the idea of Formalism, especially the implementation of editing, particularly interesting. I had never heard of the term 'Formalism' before, and initially found the different ideas associated with the movement, and the different theorists and theories (such as Andre Bazin's work in 'The Evolution of the Language of Cinema' quite difficult to grasp, however, once I got more comfortable with the new terms and ideas I feel I became a lot more comfortable with the content.

I found Eisenstein's work on Montage, and the different types of montage and their uses very interesting as well, such as the dialectical montage (for example) in Battleship Potemkin, in the steps scene, and the idea that two unrelated images can generate a previously unthought of meaning.

This was similar to the idea of the 'Kuleshov Effect' which I found particularly interesting, in which a person was shown three images of, for example, a man, a bowl of soup, and then the man, again. despite no indication of this in the shots, audiences inferred that the man was hungry, due to the association of the images. I found this particularly interesting, as though I had never thought of it as a point before, this influence held by editing (even of 3 simple images) holds a key importance in how films are interpreted by audiences.

The movement I found the most interesting out of the ones we looked at, was French Poetic Realism. After watchign Jean Renoir's 'Une Partie De Campagne', I really enjoyed the use of stylistic elements and general feel of the film.

I had always presumed Realism to mean a film which was presented as 'realistic' (such as the typical British 'Kitchen Sink' dramas, or the more modern films featuring handheld camera to present a 'realistic' feel), yet when I watched my first poetic realist film, I found that it had a particularly poignant feel to it.

The use of camera movement, music and setting, while not particularly unrealistic, didn't have the grittiness I would associate with what I would think of any form of 'realism', and which can be found in, for example, Italian Neo-Realism (i.e. The Bicycle Thieves). The film itself had an almost fairytale elements to it, which I found particuly captivating, and I also enjoy how, upon further research and finding out more about Jean Renoir, he had been influenced by his Father's work, and used imagery and motifs associated with the French Impressionism Art Movement.