Final Blog

       This has been my favorite film class I have ever taken. Hands down. When I first joined this class I was not particularly excited because I thought it would just be us watching a bunch of weird videos but wow was I wrong. This class instilled in me a new thought process. A new way of thinking about how I interact with the film medium. It opened up my creative process and allowed me to interpret cinema as an art form. In my opinion, this is the greatest gift you can hope to receive from taking a film course. My perception of 'making a movie' has now been expanded into the never ending universe of experimental film. This class has taught me how to channel my interior visuals into an exterior piece that can be seen by all. I think I really have found a love for experimental film. After taking this class, I honestly believe that experimental is the most important form of film because it is the purest form of originality. When you are given boundless parameters to explore, your finished product is going to be as unique as the medium allows. These concepts don't have to just be used in film either, they can be used in every facet of life. Looking at the world without filters allows for you to see things with complete honesty. I have learned to follow my mind wherever its nonlinear path may take me. My opinions are no longer binding. This course has inspired me to endlessly create. I wish this class wouldn't come to an end. I hope to take this open mindset with me into my future endeavors in and out of filmmaking.

Post-Cucalorus

To be completely honest, I was not expecting Cucalorus to be so much fun. I got the Film Pass and was not volunteering so I actually ended up seeing and experiencing a lot more than I had initially planned. One thing that I was not anticipating was the events. I found that people were very open to sparking conversation and it was interesting to talk to all the different creatives that Cucalorus attracted. At the Oyster Party, I went in expecting to see very few people I know but ended up seeing dozens of people who I had worked with in the past on different films and creative projects. My favorite event area was the filmmakers lounge because I could go whenever and there was always someone interesting to talk to. Also, I had no clue that the pass included free alcohol which I was extremely happy about. In my blog last week I said my goal was to talk to at least 5 people at each event. At the events I did not keep track of how many people I spoke with but I am sure that it was always at least 5 people and usually a lot more. One thing that really surprised me was the overall quality of the films. Other than the Eyeslicer screening, all of the films I attended were extremely well produced. The first film I saw was The Light of The Moon which was serious and had a great storyline. The film was about a girl who got sexually assaulted but it focused more on her emotions following the assault than the actual assault itself which differs from how the film would have most likely been made if it was a Hollywood production. Another film that I really enjoyed was Infinity Baby. The humor was very dry which is my personal favorite. I also liked that the film was entirely in black and white but it still seemed very contemporary. Overall, I loved the festival so much that it inspired me to start creating festival pieces so that when next year comes around I can be even more involved. If I was a filmmaker presenting at a festival I would now know that its important to be yourself and show your personality because it will affect how people interpret your film.

Cucalorus

   Since I have never attended Cucalorus before, I decided to buy the all access pass. My goal is to attend as many screenings as possible and meet as many people as possible. Since the majority of these films were made with fairly small budgets, I really want to learn about their production process and how they were able to pull it off. Every small budget production seems to have tips and tricks to help reduce production costs. Since I want to work in the production side of film, primarily as director of photography, I feel like learning from the process of others will help me gain knowledge that will help me out once I graduate. In order to make the most of the experience, I want to try and speak to as many filmmakers as possible. Another one of my goals is to talk to at least 5 filmmakers at each party/event. Since I don't know any filmmakers or films that will be playing in the festival, I want to go to as many as possible. After class on Thursday I want to go to the keynote with George Taylor and then see the film Mr.Roosevelt that evening. On Friday I have class all day but I want to see Barn Door Shorts: Southern Stories and I also want to attend the Oyster Party at the Bellamy Mansion. On Saturday I have to film in the morning but later in the day I want to see Dr. Brinks and Dr. Brinks as well as the Secret Screening that evening. On Sunday we are finishing up filming for our music video but I hope to see The Strange Ones as well as The Price. This will be my first film festival that I have ever intended so I am slightly nervous. I am hoping to see classmates at the events because a lot of people seem to have experience with Cucalorus. This will be a good chance for me to get out of my comfort zone and do something I have never done before.

Music Video Roles

For the music video my job is the assistant cameraman/grip. This role particularly challenging for me because I always seem to have a very strong opinion and with this role I am not really supposed to be voicing much of an opinion. I am a complete gear-head so that aspect of it should be fairly easy for me. My goal in film is to be a director of photography and that is basically the only thing I ever really do. I come from a photography background so being in charge of actually capturing the shots is most definitely my strong-suit. I am really excited for this project because I think our group seems to be very likeminded and excited to create a fun piece. One thing that I really want to incorporate in our video is long smooth movement shots that were taken with a gimbal. For music videos, these shots always seem to be the most dynamic and engaging. I also want to utilize the natural lighting underneath the forest canopy because it provides very cool textures and shadows on the subjects.

Blog #10: From Art House to 'Microcinema'

I found the reading from this week to be very informational as it provided me with an opinion I haven't heard before. It is clearly apparent that the Art House cinema has changed drastically due to increased popularity and funding. With the expansion of this style of cinema into less urban areas, the underground uniqueness began to fade. Microcinema is a very unique form of cinema because due to its low overhead and low funding, the pieces that are created are extremely unique and artistically expressionistic. Without someone constantly telling you what you can and cannot do, artists have the ability to openly create. Of course, having little funding means lower quality productions, but that is what makes them special.

Marlon Riggs seems very prevalent in modern culture. You can see his influence on modern pop culture icons such as Kendrick Lamar and many others. In Tongues Untied, Riggs pushes the comfort of late 1980's culture and shows sensual acts that pop culture generally shied away from. Being both gay and African American during his time was fairly uncommon so he provided a very unique perspective which helped in the adaptation of perception towards gays. 

Unfortunately for Su Friedrich I was in charge of the slides so I couldn't take notes on the interesting facts that Catherine presented. I know that she was very influential in the development of queer cinema. Also, props to Catherine for actually interviewing Friedrich because she was able to get opinionated answers from the actual artist instead of just the artist summaries. 

Blog #9: Self-Portrait

    I've got to admit, I am both extremely excited and extremely apprehensive about this project. I have no fear of sharing my personal feelings, but I worry that I will fail to truly portray my feelings in a way that I am satisfied with in such a short period of time. For my equipment, I plan on using all of my personal camera gear such as my DSLR and mirrorless cameras as well as my drone and GoPro. To me its not about what you capture the visuals on, its about how you capture it. In my film I will be in some of the scenes, but most will be fairly abstract and figurative. I don't want to just be standing in the frame, so when I put myself into the film it will be using unique perspectives. As far as content goes, I have written a piece that I will speak as a voiceover for the film. The main theme of the piece is being lost and not knowing where to go. I feel like these emotions are prevalent in the majority of college students lives. Instead of further explaining what I'm writing about I'll just post the piece, so here it is.

Completely and entirely lost. I choose a path one day and the next it’s changed. Is it because I have complete control over my life or because I have no control at all? I escape as much as possible. Is being lost a bad thing? My options are completely open. Don’t close any doors. I could go anywhere, do anything or be anyone I wanted to be. I am beginning to enjoy the feeling of being lost. In a world of identities I don’t want to have to choose, I just want to be whatever I want. People change, places change, relationships grow and fade. The more I experience life the more I want to be lost. I set no goals because once you achieve a goal the journey is over, but I want it to be everlasting. Ill admit it, Im a dreamer. The person I believe I am is nothing close to the person I actually am. I live in my head to further escape. The goal is blocking me from dissolving this issue. I must forget the goal and focus on the process. Being happy with your reality is more important than striving to be something you’re not, but I continuously tend to forget that. Be inspired, be truth, be vibrant, be youth. Just let me be lost, thats all I want. 

I really enjoyed learning about the works of Jan Svankmajer. His passion for animated filmmaking is quite remarkable and very progressive for his time. When watching his films it is clear that he had a major influence on stop motion animation and the Czech new wave in the 1960's. Although his visuals are captivating, I think the unique sounds Svankmajer uses make the films really pop. His films are generally not very satisfying to watch but at the same time you can't look away. He captivates you with visuals you have never even thought of before which in my opinion is the most important aspect of his work. 

Blog #8: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Creating Community

As far as undergraduate majors go, Film Studies is very unique. From the very beginning in FST200, there is a sense of community and collaboration that isn't found in other majors. Since there is such a wide variety of talents within film, every individual is going to have different strengths and weaknesses. Because of this, it is imperative that the student body operate as a team in order to accomplish their goals to the fullest potential. Being open to collaboration in film allows for endless opportunity in school and after graduation.

Expanding Your Creative Body of Work

This assignment has allowed us to create a work of art as well as put our name on others' works of art. These works were all accomplished with no budget, just a group of creative individuals who work collaboratively towards a common goal. Even though we are all creating different final pieces, the content library that we pulled from was all the same and was created by everyone who is also making a final piece.

Expanding Your Technical Skills

This assignment has really opened me up to different aspects of film that I had never experienced before. I am and have always been a DP, thats it. I have essentially no experience with sound or editing. I broke out of my comfort zone with this project and now feel much more comfortable with the entire filmmaking process. However, this wouldn't have been possible without the help of people guiding me in the areas I struggled with, which is what makes the group work so special.

The Importance of Project Management

The process of making a film has always been very daunting to me, particularly because I had trouble seeing the different steps. The way that this project was spread out over 8 weeks made the process seem much more manageable because we were taking it one step at a time. This method also allowed me to see where my strengths and weaknesses were in the filmmaking process.

Building New Pathways

Personally I think this is the most important objective for the project. It is so easy to fall into the trap of basic storylines and unoriginal ideas that will generally always work in your favor, but you don't grow in the process. The ability to think freely and creatively allows for the generation of content that is unpredictable and completely unique to the individual. Everyone has their own vision and this project enables each student to delve into their personal artist. While the final product might not be as polished or easy to watch as usual films, it will be unique. In my opinion, making a unique film is far more appealing than making film that is 'good'.