ivanwainwright

[ivanwainwright]

Final Year Project Week 6

We got amberlit this week, which was to be expected. They didn't seem to have many issues with feasibility (this makes sense as the film is hardly a huge logistical job) or with our lack of producer, which did surprise me. I don't think this means that it isn't an issue, more that at this stage if there aren't producers on the course available then we the steps to reaching external producers are something we will need to do.

The major issues brought up were the direction of the story and clarity of intent. A major point that Paul made clear was that we need to determine a way of establishing our satire that doesn't result in just parroting the abhorrent news we are talking about. Figuring out the angle of this will be hard but I think he's right, it's really pretty clear that we can't just write a piece of FOX News.

We also had a meeting with Laura to discuss producer plans, we're gonna write a set of bios and a revised one pager for her to pass along to the Television fourth years and see if we can get a producer through them. She also gave us some advice on fundraising and where we are generally.

Our first writer's meeting took place this week, and despite lack of attendance we made a good deal of progress in defining the story. We have a huge amount of ideas for the story but need to put these into a coherent structure again and figure out the meta angle that can break immersion and create a form of criticism in the viewer.

This week has been huge for progress, and I'm looking forward to more work being completed. We need to talk to Derek about getting access to the TV Studio in Merchiston for the test shoot (and potentially final) but I'm not concerned with this, he has worked with several of us in the past and I'm sure any training or work that needs to get done by us will be worked out.

[ivanwainwright]

Final Year Project Week 5

Pitches happened! I think we provided a well structured pitch, though I think our clarity of story was less than perfect. We won't hear back for sure until we get individual seminars next week, but I don't have a major fear that we will be redlit as we have an exciting idea and a strong group dynamic. I think we will be told to confirm a producer and hone down the stories, as well as reign in and specify more some of the more experimental techniques that we want to work on.

In retrospect I think more of our time could have been devoted to narrative as we were a little preoccupied with the production issue, though I don't think this will come in place of our ability to move forward. I doubt that we will be straight greenlit in our current situation but my expectation is to get pointers on how to move forward, which will be very helpful.

I find it unlikely that we will get a producer on the back of this, but the potential for other HoD roles to be filled is tangible.

I'm really proud of what we've achieved so far and I can't wait to move forward with so much input from Eilis and Ina.

[ivanwainwright]

Final Year Project Week 4

Had a class this week on several films, though they didn't feel especially relevant to our film, as did the director's class afterwards. I understand this though as the majority of the films are narrative traditional form, so I can't be too upset about this.

The big next step is formative pitches next week; Eilis, Ina, and I have been working on our presentation. We're a really small group, but our collaborative structure has been a big help in the process. Finding places that we can divide workload across producing has been great.

Loads of folk have approached around secondary roles; Saskia has signed on as Production Manager, which will be key in filling in several of the gaps we have in terms of production.

Establishing common reference points has been key across the groups and I think finding these has been incredibly useful for us. I reckon the others have a good sense of where I'm headed with the idea.

I realise over the past weeks I've been slightly vague with where the story is so I suppose a short summary wouldn't be unhelpful! At this stage, BNN News at 6:43 is a film about a singular conservative news station and their biased agenda. By hyperbolising the attitude and form of news that these types of stations use, we hope to comment on bias and right-wing mania across the world, but particularly in the UK and USA. The gradual ramping of stories should key the audience into the ridiculousness of the conservative mindset.

We've been planning the writers' room so that we can arrange feedback and discussion about where we are, hopefully this should come up shortly after the pitch.

My main worries going into the pitch are our group's size and lack of some HoD roles, as well as issues around clarity of story. We've done what we can to discuss these during the process, but it is far from perfect as of yet.

[ivanwainwright]

Final Year Project Week 3

Laura was ill this week so class was moved online :(

Class was pretty useful though, was interesting to view that perspective of the process given that I normally just think about working from a directorial standpoint (and first ADing).

I have Ina and Eilis confirmed as DOP and Sound Designer respectively. Was hoping for more interest from around the cohort, but I understand that many people were already signed on and couldn't commit.

Going to push further for producer help but that isn't looking too promising, which is really quite worrying for the pitches in a couple weeks but we'll see how it goes. Spoke to a few folk about production design too, but that looks even less likely at this point.

What's really great about the style of film we're looking at is that we don't strictly need as solidly confirmed an editor as normal, given that we hope to live mix, meaning that the edit will be far less of a workload. Still though, it would be great to have somebody signed on in the role, using both as a place to work from. We'll see if that can happen before pitches!

[ivanwainwright]

Final Year Research Week 2

So, writers' pitches went ahead this week, I'd assembled my pitch and submitted it on the Friday before really thinking it over again and re-working it literally the night before the pitch.

I think instead of the scope and difficulty of two news sources, it may be essential to break it down into a single newsreel; this will give us a far more approachable concept for a ten minute film.

I want to go for an ultra-nationalist, far-right concept. I am avidly into progressive politics, and find the right wing media machine fascinating and terrifying. I think it is a very relevant and interesting concept to explore in a short, especially with the surprise of the general election earlier this year and the rise of Reform, as well as what will definitely be a fascinating election in the US in November.

The pitch went fairly well, I stumbled a bit which is fairly unusual, but I had mentioned the idea to a few people throughout summer and many of them, as well as a number of other people I hadn't mentioned it to, expressed interest to me after the day ended. Been talking to some people since, it looks as if I might have a good chance with Eilis for sound designer, and have reached out to a number of producers who I would love to work with. We'll see how this all pans out!

[ivanwainwright]

Final Year Research Project Week 1

Back to uni! Starting up the blog to keep up to date on the process. This term I'm hoping to work towards my grad film; I have an idea for a film that I came up with after a long remote audiences shoot that I can't wait to share.

It's a newsreel film about two contrasting nations and their news biases. It's a little vague right now but after intros this week I'm going to pare it down into the submission docs and submit it to present at the writers' pitches next week.

I really hope to direct this term; it's the only HoD role I feel really comfortable in, and I think after showing off my skills with The Man Who Fell in Love with the Sky last term I won't have a lot of trouble assembling a crew - though producer work is always a problem. I can't wait to crack on.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Post-Crit

Final wrap-up!

I think that many of the criticisms given to our film were fair, and I absolutely understand their perspective. I disagree with some, but I acknowledge that I'm perhaps clouded by knowing the film so intimately.

Kate and Andrew's notes were very useful, and will definitely help us in revisions for festivals and further distribution. The class also provided some brilliant feedback.

I did an impromptu poll at the end of our feedback session on opinions of whether Arthur lives or dies at the end of the film; it was overwhelmingly in favour of death. I think when revising the project it will be worth figuring out the origins of this and trying to balance it a little, but maybe people are just pretty unwilling to imagine a man throwing himself off a cliff with cardboard wings could live. Can't really blame them, I suppose.

What follows is my final Critical Essay, which briefly critiques the production process and then the final product of the film.

Critique of Process – 492 words

The process of making this film was often difficult. The pre-production process was largely effective, and I felt every department was clear on what I expected from them on set. My vision for the film was, I believe, properly communicated and the HoDs worked effectively to execute this.

               The casting process went well; from simply posting online we managed to secure two actors who fit the roles well after around 15 auditions for each role. I took input from all HoDs when making this decision, but the final call was mine and I am glad that it was the path I took. Preparation with the cast was both effective and enjoyable; after meeting both individually, we had a couple of group meetings to work on joint scenes together and build chemistry. It took some work, but I was proud of the methods I used and the way that the actors ended up working together. The flow of the conversation felt a little jilted but, by asking them to write and perform the intention of the character’s lines instead of the actual line itself the conversation became a lot more natural. For a script with so much subtext, finding this technique was incredibly useful.

               In terms of the group dynamic, it was often difficult to organize meetings and communication was often a worry. Though I was largely unaware of it at the time, much of what I thought was being communicated around the group was not, and this led to a lot of confusion especially once we were on set. I wish I had been more proactive in this process earlier, but as soon as the fact that people were unsure what the plan was in terms of locations/ scene shooting order was at the end of the first day on set I was very prompt in ensuring that the crew were all on the same page. This helped group morale in the following days, especially after the less than stellar weather on day one.

               The shoot overall was great. The crew worked efficiently and most of the exterior time was well utilized. Like previously stated, communication in the lead-up had been an issue, but resolving tension and stress on-set is a skill I believe myself to be good at, so morale was lifted. I was happy with each department and the way in which they worked together; I do wish I had been more in depth with Jack about on-set sound earlier, but due to the lateness of finding many of the locations this was difficult.

               Post-production was largely smooth. We kept to our timetable well and I was largely happy with the result of picture lock, though for festival cuts it may be worth going back and adjusting slightly. The biggest disagreement was between sound design and score, and I was very happy with the result that the film eventually reached and my method of talking to both parties as director.

Critique of Final Work – 972 words

‘The Man Who Fell in Love with the Sky’ is, in my opinion, a highly effective film for my directorial intentions. The different elements work together incredibly well, and I believe the intention behind my filmmaking is present. It is not flawless; it certainly will need further work, but I am hugely impressed with the result.

               Following the story of Arthur, a young romantic, the film follows his life following a break-up with his girlfriend, Lila, and his reach towards his ‘true’ love, the sky itself. Constructing a set of wings, Arthur reflects on his memories of childhood and obsession, briefly being tempted back into a relationship with Lila before falling back into his old ways and attempting to fly the wings from a cliff.

               The film manages to feel like a cohesive piece with a singular vision despite its many elements. The elements of practical production design (carboard clouds, a practical title etc.) are framed carefully, and the accentuation of their sound places it into a singular world. Keeping all elements balanced was a difficult task, but the film as it stands does feel, to me, consistent. The break in this rule is the flashback scene, where the cinematographical style, colour grade, placement of practical effects, score, and sound design elements all adjust to show a less developed Arthur, a very careful practical decision from the directorial perspective.

               I do think that perhaps I could have been more careful with the introduction of the practical design elements; they are meant to exist when Arthur’s delusions (or visions of truth) intrude on what the audience would perceive as being real (the presence of the wind when he falls back into falling in love with the sky, the clouds reappearing when he leaves Lila) but, as pointed out in our critique, they feel inconsistent in this point, and either stripping it to purely the one peak example in the porch scene or introducing more and getting to establish further rules for the format would have been more effective.

               Narratively, the film speaks to me about what my intention laid out: it discusses the cruelty of patriarchal masculine obsession, to the individual obsessing and to those around them. Though Lila is not present for much of the film, her character serves to push Arthur to question himself and his beliefs, and the ultimate isolation that he imposes on himself is made more effective by her inclusion. Though we received the script in early forms, throughout the module the script went through eight drafts, many of which I discussed with Cara. Though some of our feedback said that they wished the origin of Arthur’s love was shown, I disagree with this point. Though that may have been interesting, and certainly the route that many of my aesthetic and narrative references draw from, I strongly believe that for this script it would have diminished the point. The film, through my direction, is meant to speak to a very specific and harmful impression of love. It causes many people to act cruelly, selfishly, and often in ways that – as Arthur does – are directly contradictory to what may be beneficial for them. If the origin of the love that Arthur feels is nailed down to a specific point of origin, I believe it diminishes the audience’s ability to relate their own experiences to the story. The sky in the film is a metaphor for an unreachable place, a place of joy that cannot exist, and so the specific allegory of the film breaks down if the origin of this obsession that Arthur has with reaching that place is laid out.

               The performance of the actors is something that I could have spent more time fine tuning; some of the line deliveries are a little flat and unexpressive, and despite both leads great physicality in general the blocking of scenes could have been more carefully considered by me. The awkwardness of the pauses in conversation was intentional, but it was perhaps more present than was necessary and led to an uncomfortability in viewing. In feedback, I was told that delivery often felt more documentary style, which was only part of my intention. Lila’s character fits this agenda as she is intended to be a grounding presence for Arthur. Arthur’s character, though, is intended to feel a lot more dreamlike, often feeling more unreal in his delivery. This should be present in the porch scene and if I could go back, I would rework his delivery here to fit this.

               Many of my directing references (Kiki’s Delivery Service, The Banshees of Inisherin) have similar dreamy protagonists whose character defining feature is their love and care for those around them. Arthur is a darker take on this; he certainly views himself and his world with the same dreamlike scope as these characters, but he holds a more selfish intention than Padraig or Kiki. He works for his own goals and often neglects and ignores those around him for this reason. My goal was to use the dreamlike world to show this contradiction, to have the beauty of the world around him force the audience to question their own perspective. I think the final sequence, where much of the sunlight and beauty of the scene disappears from this world is effective in this, but I think it may have been more effective to highlight this earlier in the film and build up the contradiction earlier as I fear that it feels more like a lack of consistency than an intentional subversion.

               Though I am proud of ‘The Man Who Fell in Love with the Sky’, I also acknowledge it as a strong learning experience. It has imperfections in tone and style that I can see, but at its core I think that my intended message comes across clearly to an attentive viewer.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Pre-Crit

Crit tomorrow. I'm honestly really excited. I'm very proud of 'The Man Who Fell in Love with the Sky', and I can't wait for everybody to see it. I expect some criticisms, obviously, but I feel that my intentions with the films were achieved, it looks beautiful, sounds amazing, and has an amazing team so I can't expect much more than that. It's been a great experience, despite the faults, and I'm proud of everybody involved.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Colour Grade and SFX

Max has been working himself to the bone for this film. His work on the colour grade has been brilliant; I think films like this really benefit from the DOP grading, as the specificity of the job requires an intimate knowledge of the material. He suggested bringing the greens in the flashback to more of a yellow to accentuate their difference from the other greens in the film, and I think this is a fantastic choice. The visuals here really match what I had pictured, a saccharine nostalgia, layered in cuteness but so sweet that it feels a little unreal.

There isn't a huge amount to do for SFX; we need to remove some reflections, form the split diopter, remove a pole from the running segment, and craft the superimposition shot. Save for the pole, these are all done near perfectly. The diopter is difficult as we have to minorly shift the focus shift line mid shot so as to not cut out Young Arthur's arm, but that is really the only issue.

The pole is hard; we've had to cut a frame and blank it out of some other shots. It's at the point where it looks like an intentional rack cut, which works, but ideally it would be removed entirely. Something we'll have to return to after the crit I expect.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Sound Design and Score

We picture wrapped around a week ago, so Gaby on sound design and Max on score have had a chance to work on their projects.

Due to a misunderstanding, Gaby was under the impression she had no access to the early version of the score and Max believed she did, so communication between them has been limited, as they both believed the other would be working to their work. Thankfully, I realised this sooner rather than later and we managed to sit down and have a discussion about where to go.

I am really happy with where both elements are for the most part, but both parties feel as if their work is being intruded on by the other. I think both can work really well together with relatively minor adjustments, and my goal during the conversation was to reach this agreement. Despite the high emotions and strong feelings, I believe this was achieved. The version of sound we have arrived at has slightly less score than Max's final version, but is still very much present, with the Hisaishi reference very clear in it. Gaby's sound design, featuring small whimsicality in subtle wind chimes and the brilliant rocket build-up sound, are still very much present in the mix.

Though it was a difficult moment, the conflict resolution and agreement here was a really great learning moment for me; again the biggest issue has been communication, and once communication was established, the issue was far easier to resolve.

Gaby's sound design job is fantastic; this was my first time being able to really delve into directing that part of the process and I think it has taught me a lot both about lingo and expectations, when to push for more and what is reasonable to expect.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Edit

Been working with Davide on the Editing process for a wee while, and it's really starting to come together. Max has been in SAS a decent amount as well and is providing feedback, which I wish he'd pass on to me instead but I understand his passion.

We're nearing picture lock, the flow between scenes is feeling good and though the final scene will need some SFX work before we finalise it is going to be great, I can feel it already.

The opening scene is the hardest to nail down. Due to the nature of how it was filmed, the vocal performances weren't exactly what I'd expected at the time. With more time, I'd get the actors in to ADR something better but that isn't really on the cards right now, so we will have to work around it. I think cutting the opening lines and extending the opening stillness will be key to making the film work at this moment.

The film, even ungraded, looks beautiful. I can't wait for the final product.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Shoot Final Wrap-Up

Overall, I'm very happy with how the shoot went. I think I succeeded in my role as director, and I hope that the shoot was fun for all involved.

I wish that communication had been highlighted as a problem earlier, as I think both from Abbie and I's side it was often a bit unclear to the crew and even some HoDs what the process was going to be. This is definitely something I will take forward into my career.

I'm very happy with what we've done. I heard some samples from Jack throughout the process and much of the onset sound is brilliant, the production design is beautiful and some of the footage with LUT that I've seen is stunning. I've attached a few of my favourite shots we gathered.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Shoot Day 5

Today was wrap day!

We shot on 4 different locations rapidly today with a small skeleton crew of Duncan, Jack, Max, and me along with Dorian. Starting out getting a wide shot of the Salisbury Craigs for the superimposed running shot, we moved onto close-ups on Craiglockhart Hill, the huge dolly shot at Cramond Beach and finally the last close-up at Abbie's flat.

It was a lot of fun, the small crew size meant a lot more freedom to improvise as group and rework on a smaller scale. This was also the only day we really wanted overcast weather, and we managed to achieve it as well!

We got lunch at IKEA which was great too.

After getting the martini shot at Abbie's, we said goodbye to Dorian and Duncan and the four HoDs present sat and cleaned the kit. We had a discussion about the boom pole. I'm unhappy with how it's being handled, it feels as if everybody is trying to pass blame from themselves instead of looking for a practical solution.

After kit cleaning, I got the bus home with Jack and had a talk about how filming went. I'm glad to have been able to check up on the crew throughout the process, as it is often difficult for voices to be heard on set. Truly exhausted now, but really happy with the footage we captured. On to post!

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Shoot Day 4

Lovely day today!

Annoyingly the best weather day we've had was the interior day, but nonetheless it was fantastic. I am so proud of the entire crew for the work they've done on this film, they are outstanding.

The space today was laid out perfectly by Cara and Saskia, and every shot was beautifully handled. We got the wing reveal shot and the prop looks AMAZING. Dorian's performance was brilliant, he has such magnetic eye performances and microexpressions.

Each day of the shoot has consecutively gotten easier, and I hope this continues to tomorrow as well.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Shoot Day 3

Today is the first day of the shoot that I'm overjoyed with. There was only one moment of extreme stress that turned out to be for not reason.

The morning was shot in Max's back garden, where my little brother Daniel played Young Arthur in the flashback scene. I've never directed children before, but it was incredibly useful that I had a pre-existing relationship with this one. We had Cate Riding, a friend of ours from the film & english course, on set to look after him as she has a PVG license.

To warm up, we got him into costume and played a bit of tag while the lights were put up to get him high energy, and then I asked everybody to look at him while he screamed as loud as he could to try and ensure that he wouldn't be nervous in front of anybody. This worked well and he was excited and happy for the rest of his working day.

The shots we got were beautiful, the weather really helped us out today. It's so much fun to be on an exterior shoot when the weather is good.

Dorian came by a little early and we got a picture of the two Arthur's together which was nice. We had originally meant to film our first shot with the wings today, but this hadn't been communicated clearly so we didn't have them on set. Annoying, but we can relocate the shot to the skeleton crew shoot on day 5.

The stress I alluded to earlier was from changing locations. The Met Office had predicted a thunderstorm in the afternoon, which would have been disastrous as this was our final chance to capture the opening shot. We had to very quickly relocate to Braidburn Valley to get the shot, this time without Art Department as they had to travel to tomorrow's interior location to begin set dressing. The time pressure got to me and, although I wasn't cruel or rude to anybody, my normal set attitude I prefer to keep of enthusiasm and happiness was diminished during transport and setup. As it turned out, we didn't need to worry as the thunderstorm never came, but it was a moment of stress that I wish I could have handled better.

We did, as it turns out, finally get the opening shot. When we did, on the third take, I was so happy I screamed. We wrapped with Arzaneira today which was a shame, but she has been a great presence on set this entire time. I'm very happy with her performance as of now, we'll see how it looks altogether in post, but I'm so happy that we decided on her for Lila.

Tomorrow is our interior day, the last full crew day, and I'm very excited. At this point, even when gathering as much as we plan to, everybody on the crew is so experienced in interior shooting environments that I'm not too worried about time, which means the day should be a lot of fun.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Shoot Day 2

Generally today was a lot better than yesterday!

Vibes on set were a lot of fun, and despite the lack of foreplanning for this particular location we got every shot we intended to! The weather was stunning in the morning and we managed to set up an absolutely beautiful pathway scene, combining the car park to Carlowrie with a nearby field.

We lost the boom pole at some point yesterday, which is obviously a huge concern, but I'm confident that we will find it. Roddy (boom op) and Jack attached the boom to a long stick they found that seemed to work absolutely perfectly, so we have a working replacement for the time being.

Treatment of Duncan's car when loading up has been less than stellar, with equipment boxes not being properly cleaned, but me and Max have ensured that we will clean the car for him after final equipment handback.

The afternoon was frustrating; the sudden rain meant that we had to keep the crew waiting for a while as we decided what to do. The original plan had been to relocate the opening scene here as we didn't get a usable take with the weather yesterday, but this was impossible as we couldn't find a usable location. We instead picked up some close-ups to be inserted into the opening, as the grass is matchable with Braidburn Valley. The crew were great today, very efficient and put together, and I feel bad for them having to wait around for weather. It is, though, a consequence of making a film about the sky, where weather conditions are so deeply important. I remember reading a similar story a few years ago about the filming of Sam Mendes' '1917' where Roger Deakins had to talk some crew members down from a physical fight; thank god that hasn't happened yet.

[ivanwainwright]

Film Project Shoot Day 1

Today was tough. The weather in the morning was really not great, very overcast, and in combination with rain last night it made filming at Braidburn Valley very difficult.

In retrospect, we should have canceled in the morning and committed to just shooting the afternoon, but at least we were able to get some practice in for reshooting the opening either tomorrow or the day after.

Once the weather cleared in the afternoon, though, the porch scene was great to shoot. I am very happy with the footage we filmed. A construction site next to our shooting location was annoying, but I don't think it interfered too heavily.

After leaving set, I had a chat with a crew member who told me that they were a little stressed throughout the day because of the lack of clarity of the plan for the shoot overall. I thought this had been communicated clearly through HoDs, but some HoDs were even a little unclear on what the plan was. As soon as I got home, I drafted up a message of what the plan for the shoot was and sent it to all cast & crew for clarity. I hope that this rectified the faults for everybody, and despite it being tough to hear that somebody had not had a great time on set I feel happy that they felt comfortable enough to inform me of a problem and communicate that to me.

Tomorrow we are filming at Carlowrie Castle. Davide, who was 1st ACing, needs some time off, so we have a friend of 1st AD Becca's coming on as a PA to make sure we keep numbers when needed.

The actors did a fantastic job today; I checked up with them as we wrapped, but I need to remind myself to make more of an active effort to let them know that I'm happy with their performances when I am, as I often get excited to move on without properly ensuring their comfortability.