I’ve been looking for jobs in places I thought no on new about. I seem to always be one step behind. The job was either “just filled” or the deadline has passed for applicants. My next stop is going to be the conference circuit. There are a few coming up that I’ll take part in.
I knew it would be hard to get back out there while maintaining my duties as a mom, but I thought something would have come through by now. I’ll keep trying until there’s a single solitary door open across a dessert. Can’t shake me that easily!
So while you’re waiting on a few videos and what not, I wanted to update you on what I have in the works.
The number one “project” on my list is a spec script for a network crime drama. I’ve been watching so much SVU, Bones, and Lie To Me that I feel like I live in a crime drama. Let’s hope that comes across on the page. Second, is for my reel. I am taking an exercise MovieMaker Magazine and elaborating on it. I’m writing “Scenes In Silence.” It will be several 2-3 minute scenes shot with absolutely no dialogue. It will help me to hone my skills as a visual writer, give me something to add to my editing reel, and give me experience behind the camera. it’s win-win-win. I have one scene written and will hopefully begin shooting by the end of the summer. I also hope to working on a teen news show for LMC-TV.
Ideas seem to come to you when you least expect it so that you don’t have a pen or paper to write.
But some of you may want a more in depth explanation. Resume to come. Reels to come. Redesign to come. Half of my web team will be in Japan so I can’t do anything until they get back. In the meantime, try not to lose interest in me, I’ll still be editing and writing.
I was perusing Hulu’s movie trailers when I came across I thought looked awesome. I’m a little ashamed to say the movie title because I like lame romantic comedies with actresses that people always make fun of. Anyway. I’m all excited for this movie. It looks funny, the love interest is kind of hot.
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to drag one of my friends to see it!
Then the hammer is dropped right on my last little piggy. The movies isn’t coming out for three months! Help me understand this. Are we now so obsessed with getting there first that we have ruined trailer-viewing? I blame Harry Potter and the Trailer That Came Out a Year Early. Seriously? First it was the teaser trailer at the one movie on opening weekend. Okay. So what that I have to see I Am Legend in IMAX to see exclusive footage of Dark Knight. I was going to see both anyway.
I remember when trailers could only be viewed in one of two places-on TV and at the theater. I thought that trailers online would mean more trailers of movies I could see this weekend. I feel like I’m being tricked.
Want to see a great movie?
Abso-freakin-lutely!
Here’s the trailer!
That looks awesome. What are the showtimes?
Oh. Nay, nay. You don’t get to see this one right now. You have to sit in anguish while far crappier movies are released from the same conglomerate/movie house before this awesome one. We’ll make you wait, Idunno, 4 months. Yeah. That sounds like a good wait time.
Oh, screw you movie executive.
It’s gotten ridiculous. And now you have the teaser trailer, the theatrical trailer, the trailer, the exclusive clip, the interview, the featurette, and the making of. I just want to see the damn movie. No “Coming Soon” or “Summer 2010.” Is that too much to ask, Mr. Movie Exec. Can you only put out trailers for this month?
And here one I just stumbled across. Grr. I love trailers. I’d like making trailers to be my bread and butter one day. It’s seems to be the marketing and promotion department is the one I should steer clear of.
What it means
Protects characters during fight scenes. They get hit by fists, chairs, bottles, etc. and thrown through walls, doors, glass, but wear only a small bandage in next scene, and later have no marks, although they should be black and blue for the rest of the movie.
My Explanation
There’s no way in hell anybody could survive the things these action heroes go through. It makes for a much more dramatic, action packed scene if 10,000 arrows are shot at him but his hanes tee and levi jeans protect his flesh. Aw, but his face is unprotected. We’ll paint some blood on his face to show that he isn’t really invincible but just so bad ass that even arrows are scared to penetrate his skin.
Example Any movie where there are bullets, running, a girl who goes in the burning building only to have the hero save her, or any combination of the above.
Mole A bad guy who pretends to be a good guy. The audience assumes they are a good guy until the sudden revelation, after which some degree of Ret Con is inevitable. If well-done, catches the audience out. If especially well-done, it can be the climax of a Wham Episode.
My Explanation These two are the same in my eyes. And there are so many examples out there that I don’t know where to start. Those wrestling fans out there need none, but for those lame ducks a fair example would be in Battlestar Galactica. It happens many times but the main one is Boomer pretending to be good only to kidnap Hera and take her to Cavil .
P.S. I warned you of my inconsistencies with posting.
What it means During a film’s climax, the audience may experience a purging or cleansing of emotional tension, providing relief or therapeutic restoration.
My Explanation highlight spoiler to view It’s when the main character, the one the storyteller wants us to relate to, gets the good news or when they finally have the epiphany that draws us in emotionally. We have been on this journey with them over the last 120 minutes and we too need closure. Depending on the genre, we may laugh a belly laugh or cry a river, but we leave the theater cleansed.
My cathartic movie isImitation of Lifewith Lana Turner and Juanita Moore. It begins at the end when Mahalia Jackson sings and Sarah Jane runs into the procession and declares that she has killed her mother. I am all tears. If ever I need a good strong cry that will leave my eyes puffy, heart heavy, and my soul cleansed, this is the movie.
I’ve been asked to create a Word-A-Day for film and television. Since a lot film and TV terms are comprised of multiple words, I’m going to call it Term of the Day. Each day (Who am I kidding? It’ll probably be more like once a week if you’re lucky) I’ll post a new term or phrase that pertains to the film and/or television industry. Some months or weeks will focus on certain aspects of the process–like January Genres.
This week’s theme is Plot Techniques.
Here’s the first:
Deus Ex Machina courtesy of wikipedia.com
Literally, in Latin, “god from the machine,” it’s a plot device where a previously intractable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved, usually with the contrived introduction of either characters, abilities, or objects not mentioned before within the storyline. It is generally considered to be a poor storytelling technique because it undermines the story’s internal logic.
My Explanation
It’s like the hand of God reaching down into the on-screen world and righting all the wrongs. A guy needs $2million for an operation? Boom, he finds a lottery ticket worth $2million on the street.
For instance, in Weird Science the guys have this fantastical party that trashes the house and the kitchen is blue. Lisa, with her god-like abilities cleans the house, pacifies the grandparents, avenges Wyatt w/ Chet, and gets rid of the cars–all in time for the parents to walk through the door. Deus Ex Machina.
Examples:
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, in the final scene, the main protagonist buys the company he competes against by secretly investing into the company prior to the competition. The chest of money is brought to him bearing the label “Deux Ex Machina.”
Donnie Darko, in the scene where Gretchen has been run over by the car Frank drove, Donnie says to himself “Deus ex machina.”
Beerfest, the deceased character of Phil “Landfill” Krundle is implausibly replaced by his brother Gil, who possesses many of the same qualities as his brother and is given the same “Landfill” nickname. He is also played by the same actor.
Prince Caspian, the driads of the woods come alive to save the day at Aslan’s roar.
Here’s an interview with Giles Timms, Director of Deal All Along. But first a blurb from his site gilestimms.com:
Giles Timms is a director, animator, illustrator, and filmmaker.
Inspired by Russian Cut-Out Animation, Comics and Expressionism, Giles has cultivated a distinctive technique that is textural, stylized and painterly. Using history and its motifs, Giles creates pop surreal worlds that are grounded in the real – 3D worlds in a flat 2D paper style.
Giles’ films have won several film festival awards and have also been featured on such notable sites as Boing Boing and Cartoon Brew.
MTI How did you pick the song? GT Ceri Frost and I both decided it would be a fun song to animate.
MTI How did you come up with the concept? GT Well, I knew I wanted to tell a story, even though the song was just under 2 minutes. I provided Ceri with 2 short treatments for the ideas I had and then worked from there with his input.
MTI How big was your team? GT Umm, it was just me…so not very big MTI What was your biggest obstacle? GT Fitting a story into a 2-minute song.
MTI Did any obstacle surprise you? GT Well, I’m not sure I had any obstacles really. The hardest thing about the project was the challenge I set myself to create a story for the short song. The story evolved through the course of the project, so there were minor stops and starts, but no real obstacles as such. MTI How long was each phase of production? Pre? Post? In? GT I work somewhat atypically for animation, so pre was a few days at most, production was about 98% of the work, and I used about a day for editing. MTI Did UCLA have any guidelines? GT Mostly they wanted me to push the story, other than that, not really. MTI If so, what and did you find them limiting? GT No, I think that the limits they set (that the music video should tell a story rather than be a series of images tied strictly to the lyrics) helped me. I find limits a good thing, in general. MTI What are you working on next? GT Just finished a few more treatments for some new music videos, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Performed by Ceri Frost, cerifrostmusic.com
Film by Giles Timms, gilestimms.com
The music video is set in a hand drawn pen and ink world inspired by Edward Gorey and animated in a cut-out style. Compositing and animation in After Effects.
Made at the Animation Workshop at UCLA’s Department of Theater, Film and Television, 2009
Posted by Shay on September 2nd, 2010 (0 comments)
