Lauren's Life

Me as a filmaker

2009-12-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Well, all I can say is WOW..... I cant tell you how much I have learnt this semester, in class and out of class working with some really talented people in all different ways. I have learnt how its not a huge un-managable task to make a film, Where I have been involved before in 10 man crews with noone really knowing what they are doing, here i have worked and created a pretty good film, single handedly. Mostly I have learnt that there are no restrictions when making a film, there isnt a need for any sort of reasoning for it, or storyline, or ideal presentation, film is an art that is reachable, befre when looking at 'film-art' I saw it as somehting beautiful, but completly unreachable, where as now I am learning that as long as you have the ideas you can create something. I think without a doubt as it is in my theatre world, my style is always going to be experimental, sticking to confines and boundaries are boring I want to break what people expect me to do, it might take some time, but I am pretty sure that I could and have made some pretty Kick ass Films!

I think the main thing I learnt in this class, is about what I want to do in Film next year when I finish my degree!!! I have always known that i wanted to be a theatre director at some point in my life, and have done a lot of work in that field. But was very confused when thinking about how and what I would love to do in Film, and thats being a producer, I know that I have a long way to go at the moment and there is a lot more for me to learn, but I really love everything thats involved in the process. Yer I might not be the person that gets the control on creativity, but writing production schedule, making sure everyone is actually doing there job, looking at shot lists and idnetifying any problems that may be involved with shooting, is what I am apparently good at. So this classs has taught me a lot!!!

I am really sad that I wasnt able to come to Jengos play house, but prior commitments meant that I couldnt get there at all, I wish i could have just said screw the play, but I just couldnt let that many people down! once again I am really sorry guys that I missed our screening, but I just wanted t say it was a pleasure working with all of you, and I would really really enjoy working with you again, so let me know if you need any hands next semester!

Film Festivals

2009-12-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

So sending in my films to a film festival is kinda daunting. Mostly because I dont think I'd ever know if my film is good enough to be entered, but I guess the only way to know is to send them in. I think the most important thing about sending films into a festival is sending them into the right one. I could send a short film everywhere and not get it shown, and so i think what I am going to try to do is go to as many festivals as possible. To be honeset I wasn't aware there were so many Festivals out there, that I really should be going to or at least trying to watch some of the films entered. I think it seems that they do consider every type of film and so it would be cool, if i could try and make something that is really unklikely to be shown, perhaps try to film one of the theatre productions on campus, and make a mvie out of it and send it in to a festival! well thats been something i wanted to do for ages, but I still think it would be really really fun!!! so that is my next plan! I think Festivals are great, and soooo much fun! I would be really worried that i would be turned away from every festival i applied to and that would be pretty upsetting, so thats probably my main concern. other than that its just having the balls to say well heres my movie.... you should put it in your festival!

So Thats my plan sending of a film to festivals next year!

Excert from my paper!

2009-11-17T22:09:00.000-08:00

I learnt a lot about the right and wrong way to infuse film and dance, some of the film-dance pieces just really didn’t work, they would have been great as two separate things but there needs to be that connection between stage and screen, and some of the earlier ‘number’s’ really didn’t have that connection, and some were just a little bit boring. The first number, ‘Runner’s World’ Choreographer: Anne Firmender, Filmmaker: Dylan Patterson, unfortunately really didn’t give me much hope for the rest of the programme, and therefore it stood out to me. The film was simply of a man in his ‘running gear,’ on a green screen jogging, as the background behind him changed, the dance was then based on this same idea of dancers in their, ‘running gear’ using movements clearly inspired by a race or people jogging. It was pretty boring and ineffective, obviously there was a connection between stage and screen but the screen was so simple you needed to look at the dancers, the 6 girls running across the stage perhaps with various leaps thrown in. It was just very simple and uninventive. This automatically lowered my expectations for the rest of the piece, “simple films with simple movements,” but I was wrong the films and dance just got better from that point forward with interaction between screen and dancers, correlation between colors and lines of dancers, as well as a narrative that ran both on screen and live in the theatre, which although a little dramatic was really great and was what I had expected.
The dance and film that really grabbed my attention was ‘Confusion’ Choreographer: Jennifer Raine Kostel, Filmmaker: Matt Maloy was brilliant. Both the dance and film were superb separately and so when put together they created new meaning that wouldn’t have been seen alone. The Dance was a solo performed by the choreographer; the film was set through a forest as the subject- a women who looked very similar to the dancer herself- took photographs of wildlife and the surrounding areas. The dance was a very powerful contemporary piece, the choreography mimicked the images on screen, and the positioning was perfect. At times the emotion on screen opposed the emotion of the dancer, which worked perfectly as it gave a new depth to the film, as an image of the women smiling and laughing came on screen, the dancer would rock and move to a lower consoling position giving a sense of lost to the film, which would otherwise have not been there. The piece was beautiful, full of hidden meaning, and inspiring, I would love to create an installation with that much depth sometime in the future, I feel that to do that I must show a connection between what’s on screen and the dance, not obvious but hidden, and give the audience that moment to see that connection and understand what it is trying to show.

Cucalorus..

2009-11-09T16:06:00.000-08:00

So now its official, I have decided to write my experimental part of the paper on Danc-a-lorus... pretty obvious why ... I LVOE DANCE!! and to see it intertwined with film is just ganna be great, kinda my aim somewhere along the line of the future! Im excited to see what they do with that, whether it is films abotu dance, and then with live dance, or maybe just complete experimental film, with simple lines and colours put together with live performance, almost like an installation?
either way i'm pretty sure Its going to be very very interesting.

On the other hand of feature length movie... I'm going to watch alot of them and so I ahve no idea which one I'll do my paper on yet, because I havent really had a chance to know much about them yet so we shall see.

but Precious: based on the novel, calvin marshall and TiMer are movies that I think seem really interesting, and so I reckon I'll probably write up about one of those but I'm not sure I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I've also signed up for the stop by shoot thingy and that sounds like alot of fun so im looking forward to that, it will be cool to take home something for the reel you know?

so yer this week is going to be crazy!!!! kinda scared as its going to be so busy ... but it should be fun!

Dance-a-thon

2009-11-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

I meant to say... that even at first glance, I will without a doubt be watching Dance-A-Lorus, It sounds amazing, and if anyone wants to go but isnt really sure what to do or if there'll enjoy it , Go!!! This is what i really want to do!!!! create Physical theatre, -dance and theatre together, and use film to create this three tierd art piece!!! ahhh im sooo excited to see this!

O and also "trust us this is all made up" I havent heard of them before which shocks me, I like to keep up with my theatre scene! but this sounds brilliant, will be very interesting to watch, I might just go and try and catch them live if i can!

Cucalorus...

2009-11-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

ahhhhh I can't decide....

As soon as i came back from getting my pass I went straight online to try adn figre out what i wanted to watch, and tbh there is far tooo much too choose from, I dont know how I'll choose, but I'm really excited to see alot of the films that are up for offer...

So I guess ill write another blog, once I have a more defined choice!

our shoot...

2009-11-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

All i can say is... "well done Guys" It went soo well, we came across as really proffesional, and the band are really excited to see the results, so good job.

It was pretty hard because we were dealing with extras, a band and all sorts of drama in that sense. But we were really organised, we made sure we had refreshments for everyone, and had planned everything out so that it could be a simple shoot. Also because we had such all our shots organised when we go there, we were able to bash out every shot needed meaningwe didnt run behind schedule-----tooo much haha!

I think everyone did their roles superbly, and we worked reall well as a team, we did have like a hundred production meetings before hand so hopefully they would have paid off.

Hopefully when we get everything edited and completed we are going to have a really good professional film that we can enter into alot of festivals, well thats the plan anyway!

The only thing im worried about now in post, is that we ave alot of footage we bought another three cartridges and so i think there maybe a few disaggreements as to whats shots we use, But Im sure well get through that and keep the video tio wihtin the time frame!!!

Just want to say thanks alot to you guys, Will, Alex and Brian... it was a really fun shoot and i think we did AWESOME!!
haha o yer and not forgetting Darion for his superb extra-ing and all that jazz!!!

Installation!

2009-10-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Director.

I will be pitching in tomorrows class an idea for a physical theatre film piece. I want to use theatre as a stem for the film. I want to ahve aroud 10-12 actors working within a certain idea, for example relationships. They will create montages, freezeframes, soundscapes all around the ideas of relationships. We will create an abstract piece of theatre both live and on screen.

I would like to use the physicalisation of what a relationship means, movements in unison, words, conflicts, both physically and emotionally and then relay that onto the screen.

I would like to use both rehearsed movement and 'acting' wihtin the film but to animate that movement in order for them not too look like people but just lines and shapes on the screen, using images and shapes to create the idea of relationships.

I would like to use people wihtin the audience or perhaps just within the surrounding area so that the piece may begin wiht just two people on stage facing the audience wiht just two red lines on the screen. Automatically an audience would create the idea of a relationship both on and off screen. We will then continue to use this idea of shapes with people and 'drawing' this will should de-humanise the people to be subjects.

When i watch experimental film using fingerpainting and shape symbolism, im always searching for a human connection, not a narrative but just something that i can empathise with, and id like to give the audience those shapes and a feeling of realness.

I would try to stay away from what you would assume is acting, and try to show the actors as just people moving through the space. possible using styalised movements, unison, repetition, retrograde, creating a piece of theatre on the floor that is represented on screen!

It sounds kind of a dramatic idea, but im certain it could come off well, maybe even using some objects of concentration for example a rose, chocolates, babys, blankets, you know just for fun!

DIY Cinema!!

2009-10-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

"Craved a new cinematic experience"... good qoute but isnt that what we do everytime we go to a cinema? we go there so that we can find something new? well i do... haha but anyways more to the point.. how did i now know that this existed... WE NEED ONE here.... when ca we start it? how do we get the films? Im thinking we just use a class in Kenan every monday or sunday or something and we dont charge, people can bring cookies and coffee and we can watch a film we wouldnt usually see.. I want to do it!

But yer she talks about alot of interesting stuff, the whole definition of Art Cinema is always going to be a little ropey and other than the quote i didnt really see where she waws going with her definition but i guess the point is what micro-cinema is, which is no budget, no markeing and no big stars, which works for me... thats us, we could show our own films. Its what films are made for, to show them to an audience so what better than in an enviroment where afterwards you can stand around and debate what it is that you loved or hated about a film, rather than just walking out with nothing more to say.

I think its a great idea, and if anyone wants to join me in trying to get it started please let me know.

Producer...

2009-10-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

yey.. Im excited to get started on the project we have already had quite a few production meeting and i think our ideas are pretty much on our way... really ewxcited to start to work with the band.

being a producer at the moment has been pretty hard core organisation which has been fun. Im pretty bossy and i think thats worked in my favour, tryin to get everyone organised as to where they should be and bullet pointing everything that they needed. Which i dont think they ahve minded too much.

We are really working as a team in regards to the concept, and brainstorming alot of ideas as to how the abnds style and what we want to do should work together. And as a group I think were going to be really productive, its exciting because we all have really differen taste in music and ideas that we can bring into the film and so we should come up with something interesting.

the band are really kool to so that helps!

Self portrait...

2009-10-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

So kinda daunting at first.... mostly because I kept thinking of all the different ways that i could take it, you know as you do... dramatic funny etcetcetc... but pretty much realised I wanted to show as much about my life and who i am as i could but the Bottom line is Im not really sure who I am, thats not wierd right? Oh well I just dont who I am right now you know....I guess I'm not sure i ever will, Im learning and changing and becoming different everyday because of the people i meet and what they show me!!
so I figured showing something truthful and real about Me would be pretty difficult, But then everything i had been thinking was the self protrait, the way i change my mind all the time, create interesting situations for my self, almost like a rollercoaster! And yer i do think about what poeple think of me not in like a self obssessed way (well i hope not) more in a, what does that say about me and what do i come across as. Its nice to know that people think your funny, or sweet or pretty, so my first idea was to use what my friends say about me as my soudtrack to my Film, just basic thoughts im not going to be there when it records im just going to let them say what they want and then use it later on. They will hopefully show through their thoughts who I am, and hopefully Im going to get some interesting bits of information from them, to oppose the images i will show.
So I'm a theatre major too, By the way, I do a split equal degree at home, so im pretty dramatic, an actor i guess by trade so far, as thats mostly what ive done other than directing theatre, so when looking at a film I think about it dramatically, theartrically always about what the audience thinks. so my audience is the world and the people around me. Theres a really good quote about actors that i think pretty much sums me up, "actors have a perculiar quality of incompleteness, a kind of uncertainty or Vagueness, because he is in between...when an actor is not firm in his identity, he needs support and strength, instruction and guidance,"- William Ball. I can be unsure because I havent been dealt that character to play yet, I havent found who Im supposed to be. Does this make sense?
Anyways... So im going to use my friends thoughts as my soundtrack along with myself speaking that quote.
If my friends dont say what im expecting i will be really really shocked..... they will say what a bubbly friendly outgoing girl i am who doesnt care about what people say! (by the way its funny writing this for a whole class to read, cos it would be wierd saying this to my friends who i hang out with everyday. funny!! huh!!) but I know thats what they'll say, cos thats what I make people think, 'Im so confident I can take on the world, Im happy and funny and make everybody laugh cos im 'bubbly'..." The amount of times somebody has called me bubbly in my life kills me... what the hell does bubbly mean!!
Anyways the point of this mummbling is to explain that what people shows on the outside isnt always what they feel on the inside, and without getting to dramatic about life... people see me laughing and joking about stupid things normally ripping the piss out of myself... and think hey shes so happy, but I had issues just like everybody has and people dont know the history that people have, NOBODY knows!!! B can easily be hidden from what your truly feelingand will never know whats really going on. People can put up fences and fronts and pretend everythings ok!! so thats what im going to show! that You never know whats going on in somebodys head. and just cos i was always laughing and 'got over things' it wasnt all happy-go-lucky!!

Who knows what will come out of it but thats pretty much my rough outline of ideas!

light observation 1

2009-09-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

Circle of fun... Tri-House... night time!

in the middle of three huge buildings full of light the light pushing through the trees into the small circle is immense. there is a small lamp post just to above where i sit creating a spotlight centred around me and what i am thinking. The blue light glinting almost like a twinking as it is hidden through the trees, the light that is supposed to be there to protect us is the thing that stands out as something abnormal and slightly scary. Its never all that dark and yet the small butt of a cigarette that is still sparkling on the floor is something that still automatically grabs your attention. The light from corner stone, ( the buliding just behind me) is just a glowing behind me it doesnt create a bright feeling jsut a dull glow, where as both honours and international are there shining at me, coverng the stairs and stop where the circle starts. Im bathed in light in the missle of the night!

My inspirational photos

2009-09-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is a little different from what the task actually was, the photographer captures images that inspire me, this is a theatrical production of Spring Awakening, now other than it being a fantastic peformance, this story is about growing up and the changes that happen through teenage years and all that drama! and its real and beautiful. This image just captures everything i loved going to watch that show. the lighting, and shadows with purple in different shades. the proximity, connection and eye contact of the actors is somethign that is seen the whole way through the production and this photograph shows it perfectly!

So firstly, This is an image of Akram Khans dance piece'ma' he is an english Bangali choreographer, so his dance styles fuse Kathak and contemporary dance styles, his works focus on speed direction and mixes of cultures, i think thats pretty much what life is about. I know this task was to find an inspirational artist for the image, and to be honest i have no idea who took this photo her name is Nancy Dalva, I've never heard of her but the point of me choosing this image is that it shows the speed that the dancers and at, and that people are always in unison through life even though they may be going at different speeds and direction. Hes Brilliant!

I guess this wasnt quite the example but they are me in a nutshell, they explain whati love and show it beautiflly!

What i learned...

2009-09-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

well... you make the strangest noises when your tying not to.. and my voice sounds funny! Mostly that its funny how sound can really make you think of other things when your listening to it. I knew what the sounds were but even when i was listening i was like that sounds like a lawn mower or whatever even though it was a microphone! Image is so important in identifying what we hear. There is no way for us to know what that sound truly is without the image because sound is such a similar sense. We do not train ourselves to identify these sounds because there is no need we see them in front of, and so our hearing is put to the back burner. I'M GOING TO TRY REALLY HARD TO USE MY EARS MORE!!!

Theory of sound

2009-09-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well, he seems like a nice poetic bloke, making evverything seem meaningful! but he had a point about silence, I've never really thought about it before. But is silence silence without a rustle of a distant sound? to be honest i lost my train of thought for about 10 minutes while i was reading it cos i really didnt know whther i had ever truly heard silence, especially after i had tried to find silence so hard yesterday. Can silence be expplained as hearing nothing~? well if so then there is or has ever been silence... there is always some sort of sound to be heard. Maybe ill do that sometime in my life... search for silence! He talks of the importance of sound in the film and theatre induustry and how sound can be changed according to both the space and the space intended to be seen. the guy talks some knowledge and it was interesting! POETIC!!!!

the cupboard

2009-08-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

pretty quiet in here! just to get away from everything hearing my small sharp breathing as though i have just run a mile, in this small space. The clothes brush against one another with small whispering movements. A brush above one another and they make me nervous because no matter how much i try to be still, there is always some brushing and scratching. My breathing is rhythmic and kinda scary not knowing whether that rhythm is the right speed or not. i hear the door slam, and my name called. Arvid came in what are the chance if that? so the silence is over. so thats the best way to get some silence hide in a wardrobe wiht nothing in it!

The Beach

2009-08-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

Its loud. wind, sand, screeching, water, to be calm and listen is much harder here! its hard to even focus because of the amount of wind blowing through my ears. The water powers hard crashing through the screeching of the wind, not sure if the wind is protecting me or just adding t the bashing waves. the children yelling and alughinh as they run in and out of the oceon. as my feet spinkle the sand around so that my feet are covered, through all the noise you can still here that tiny sound of the sand falling... its like the noise is cornered so u can still here those tiny sounds. No matter how loud the beach can be its beauty complete!

My room

2009-08-31T13:39:00.001-07:00

Hard to get away from the continuoous buzzing and hirring of the air conditioner blasting out the critically cold air. The distant mumble of young girls giggling. I wonder what it is thats so funny. Surely nothing but insane girly giggles. Sudden burst of shouting outside in the hall knowing there is no silence ever inside this house, trapped in a constant buzz if people, and air conditioning. Scratching sheets and bending screeching bed springs. When the fridge starts up and buzzes away every distant sound of chatting. A moment silence never occurs. When a door slam wakes me up from my listening, and its silence i my head once more!

Manifesto

2009-08-23T11:49:00.001-07:00

well... I am a drama, theatre and performance with film production student back home in England, I tend to look at film through a theatre aspect, not because its less important but just because thats how i was taught you know its my background. When i watch a film it is to me pretty much exactly why film was created in the first place, its an escapism. It takes me away from the norm and immerses me into something new exciting and real. when I watch a film, you know one that really makes you go woooo what does that mean? why did they do that? How is that possible? it makes me want to create that, i wanna make people think, and maybe for one moment change the way they think about things. Film is different from theatre, its both more real and more unreal, I mean like abstract theatre its there,your thinking about it, it doesnt make any senese and yet you emotionally feel something because there is something there that changes the way you feel, thats how film is, its the emotional connection an audience can have with something that was created how ever long ago and it can change something bout the way you think.

With experimental film, i always look for the emptional connection creating some sort of character relationship, whether its just between one squigly line and
another there is a connection, and thats something i think theatre has given me. I always find a way to identify emotionally to stuff.

so lets bullet point me..
*Favourite film: E.T the extra-Terrestrial.... I love steven spielberg...
*Favourite song: right now robably mercury summer-fightstar if you dont know them Listen!
*favourite food: Roast dinner..
*favourite colour: Lilac
*favourite sweet: Cherry drops
*favourite author: Nicholas Sparks... love him... pretty much why im in Wilmington!

so yer thats pretty much me... Oh yer and I'm a director, well you know im trying to be, I have a theatre company back home... and so i guess thats where i want to be ion the future, but i love how film works and the intenssity an audience gets towards actors so maybe Ill go that way!

Marlon Riggs

2009-08-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

Artist, poet, writer, producer, director.... he is a contraversial filmaker creating tv documentaries, where he tries to brings up new thoughts and issues that can be debated and discussed as to what should be seen by the public in order to broadern their minds.

He was born in 1957 and died at the very early age of 37 in 1994, of Aids. He created films that spoke out for his beliefs, as a gay black man in the 90's he created films that would open up the perseptions of what america should be seen as, "America was white, america was male and america was heterosexual, " this quote was what he was fighting against showing the diversity of America. He's final film 'Black is Black Ain't' he worked on from his hospital bed and did not manage to finish it and so his friends finished the film for him and yet it shows everything that he stands for.

He was a fantastic poet and most of his films use some form of voice over poetry to heighten the message that they are showing.

being known as the creator of Queer cinema in the Avant-Garde was just a small part of what he was good at, graduating from harvard with a History degree and then continuing to gain his masters in Journalism from berkley, he was a very intelligent adn creative young filmaker.

Introduction to Avant-garde

2009-08-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Second reading! well once again the whole rebelling agaist the norm, and trying to reinvente cinema as it was once seen is pretty forward! The fact that cinema is and economic and commercial industry is clear that how its sooo successful. but i guess thats what all us rebel creates of new things want to do, find another way to express ourselves. Macdonald focuses on the individulaism and self expression that is seent hrough Avant-Garde filkms. Being a "full scale re-evaluation of film" which is what it is, attention is on sound, visuals, rythm, and less so on storyine if at all.

The only issue i have with this reading is the use of the words movie and film. Now this might be a cultiural difference, but in England everything is a film, whether a low budget student experimentalshort or the newest Oscar winning Guy Richie production, they are all films there is no classification as to which is a movie or a film. I dunno i kinda got confused as to why a blocckbuster film is considered a movie when he never refers to the Avant-Garde films as movies just as films, and that kinda demotes the creation thats there, you no creating a tier of its own.

But yer he makes spome great examples and all that... stupid economics of it alls the problem!

The Film as an original art form....

2009-08-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

So.. whether film is an original art form is stated in the article to only be in Documentary and experimental film, and although these two mediums of film do make a particular emphasis in keeping away of the whole narrative storyline of fictional characters, theya re still original, they are real, because pre-production, actors, crew, post productioin all had an influence into this piece of original film, they are all different and therefore original, those films should still hbe considered as an art form. Now... other than that little rant, I really appreciated what Richter has to say. The film industry is based on economic value, and that sucks cos most of the best up and coming artist cant afford to not get paid for their work, and the best creative new films are in what Richter calls the 'Art Form' Documentary and experimental films. The whole idea that there shouldnt be any cliches, and only the literal film form, is great, just to be able to see that simple how the camera captures and creates art is brilliant.

So yer Richter makes a great point, but to overshadow other genres of film is a bit silly!

First Blog

2009-08-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

So.... First blog... just giving this whole blogging experience a first go!

So yer in America, and just trying to set this up for my film class... Im an English Exchange student and well, this I guess is my Blogg.

mahahahaha