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Scene Recreation project

For our final project, we, group 12, decided to attempt a scene from the film Swiss Army Man - directed by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert.

The link for the scene...

we aimed to end at the 2:00 minute mark.

PRE-PRODUCTION

We started off with assigning roles for the project which would make the entire process easier. I was assigned as director and producer for this project.

My role began with creating the callsheet for the day of the shoot and putting together the schedule and doing research on the weather, location, time etc. Of course, most of this relied on the recce, for which i was unable to join, but the group scouted a really good location and it worked really well for the shoot.

SHOOTING 23/11/22

In simplest form, the shoot went very well and we managed to get a lot of really good footage.

The shooting took place at Blackford Quarry. It was barren, natural and VERY cold. It worked very well for our scene and it was a very nice environment in general. Aside from the cold, it was nice.

We began shooting pretty soon after everyone had arrived to set, there were some issues in travel which delayed the shoot by an hour or so, but it all worked in the end. The equipment was all set up and the actors worked brilliantly.

Our actors were Nina and Lachlan from the course aswell. They performed their roles incredibly and did so well to persevere through the freezing weather. They gave very genuine performances and did so well to re-animate the original film. It was great!

Our scene consists of many shot and many props were required aswell, which Fred did amazingly to provide. They looked really cool and worked really well in terms of comparison to the actual scene.

After shoot, we had a dinner break then returned to shooting a few final shots at our accommodation. This just made it easier for us and our actors as it was getting darker and colder, and the shots were relatively simpler. During these shots, I acted as 1st AC and assisted Holly with the camera whilst also continuing directing. After an hour or so, we finished shoot for the day.

Shooting continued the next day, but at a park, closer to home, for convenience for everyone. The location still worked for the shots and didn't seem to be off-putting in comparison to the Quarry. Unfortunately i was unable to make the 2nd shoot, but i heard it went successfully despite a couple minor setbacks.

All in all. Good shoot and wrap.

POST-PRODUCTION

All that was left to do at this point was the editing, which Nick had taken charge of. We started off with an issue uploading the files onto drive which caused us to miss our deadline for returning equipment, for which we did get fined but it worked out in the end. After Fred had uploaded the files and sent them to Nick, the only thing there was left to do was the edit. During this time, we also filmed our 2nd Tableau film but this was just one day of shoot and we offered support and assistance to the editor whilst also requesting feedback, to which we received all positive notions, which was great. Unfortunately, last minute we ran into some technical errors and our files had suddenly disappeared. This was a major setback as we lost much of our scene. This resulted in a deteriorated scene-recreation, which had influences of the original and some similar shots but not enough to mimic the scene.

Despite the drawbacks, we still had a good shoot and an enjoyable experience with this project. We are grateful that there are some lessons to be learned. In the future we will definitely look towards better time management and data handling, as these were our two main issues. I think we all worked very hard and very well, but I also thing we can also look forward to being more prepared in the futured so that we can avoid problems, or handle them more efficiently as they arise through organisation.

A for effort (I hope)

This is our attempt a the scene recreation. Wavering in spite of all the complications.

[saifnasemfilm]

WATCHED: Terrifier (2016) - Damien Leone

08/11/22 ✰

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[saifnasemfilm]

WATCHED: Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets (2002) - Chris Columbus

30/10/22 ✰✰✰✰½

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[saifnasemfilm]

Visual Exercise 2

Documenting A Sapce

Dalry Cemetery. Established in 1846. With 26,775 burials in 5,500 plots. Each grave commemorates someone that used to be living, but now just remains as barren land that serves little to no purpose. An immense cascade of carved erections of stone. They hold lost memories and forgotten stories, that are now shrouded by the progression of nature. Those stones that mark a person. A story. Once relished by the people whom they loved, but now, is erased. Deleted by the flow of time. Meaning lost with each passing season, still fading beyond this autumn afternoon. Fallen auburn leaves, excessively towering vines and blankets of evergreen shade cover the rocks as they’ve decayed over time. This forest, completely isolated. Intended for remembrance. Nothing left to remember.

The bright light of the sunshine glazes over the map, and even through all the greenery, light reflects off that tiny crevice of the tombstone that isn’t entirely submerged. Not yet. There are few visitors but not many. The birds reside on this land. They’re the only company. There are no voices for miles. Nothing but chirps echoing with the harmony of the breeze. A natural environment, indented by the souls of time. This was a palace for people. Now, a place people don’t wish to be. This isn’t for the modern world. Beyond the metal entrance gates, industrialisation and capitalism run the world, but here, it’s mother nature’s government.  

Angels watch over the souls, guide them, at the request of the bereaved. With no more requests, they lack purpose. The graves are gone. The souls aren’t in sight, there’s nothing for them to see. So the angels sit. The angels fall. The angels break. The gravestones, like the angels, have nothing to give them purpose. No memory left to hold- They sit. They fall. They break. Neglected. All clamoured around each other like scattered pebbles in a garden. They don’t mean anything.

The cross held so solemnly. Meant to represent love, humility, finality. When its bearer is fractured, what does it mean then? The symbol beheaded expresses the erasure of belief. The deterioration of faith as the cross falls lower to the ground. There’s no follower anymore. No Christian to claim that symbol of faith. They’ve reached their afterlife. An afterlife that awaits everyone beyond the headstone. Following the open path. No expected destination, but the stone points to an exit. They’ve all left. 

Under the dungeon, a foreboding shadow. Through a tunnel of rock, the dark figure hangs there. Locked behind metal bars. Death. That’s what it is. When living, breathing people are carried to another side, to who knows what, waiting for them. It’s scary to imagine what that could be. It’s difficult to accept that as the point of no-return. It’s inevitable. Everyone else left. We forgot about them. We hope no one will forget about us, but the gravestones are marked and the rocks will decay. Memories will be forgotten and stories will be lost.

[saifnasemfilm]

WATCHED: Black Adam (2022) - Jaume Collet-Serra

22/10/22 ✰✰

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[saifnasemfilm]

WATCHED: Coraline (2009) - Henry Selick

21/10/22 ✰✰✰✰✰

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[saifnasemfilm]

WATCHED: Amsterdam (2022) - David O. Russell

19/10/22 ✰✰✰✰

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[saifnasemfilm]

WATCHED: Hocus Pocus (1993) - Kenny Ortega

18/10/22 ✰✰✰

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[saifnasemfilm]

WATCHED: Emily (2022) - Frances O'Connor

14/10/22 ✰✰✰✰ ½

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[saifnasemfilm]

WATCHED: Smile (2022) - Parker Finn

11/10/22 ✰✰✰½

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[saifnasemfilm]

WATCHED: Vengeance (2022) - B.J. Novak

08/10/22 ✰✰✰✰½

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[saifnasemfilm]

⑅Intro⑅

An introduction and warm welcome to my blog...

Hi, I'm Saif.

This is my blog for BA Film at Napier.

Here, I am going to share and document about all the film projects I'm involved in, and all the film-related things I do.

I'll also be posting about the films I watch, and talking about the movies I like :) You can check my letterboxd for more in-depth reactions to the films I watch.

note: I would like to mention that my letterboxd reviews are not to be taken seriously. They lack the use of formal grammar, and can be a little explicit sometimes. I write my reviews solely for enjoyment; they don't really mean anything.

Enjoy!

[saifnasemfilm]

Exercise 1

Rule of Thirds and Centre Framing Exercise.

Centre framing is when a subject is set in the centre of the frame. This helps to show that the subject is embedded in their surroundings, it allows a deeper visual for the audience and creates a stronger connection between the subject and its environment. Centre framing also draws focus to the subject, which can help to emphasise its importance or a key moment in the story. This might also be used to create balance and symmetry in the shot and express a peaceful nature or it could even signify that something is boring.

Rule of Thirds framing (my personal preference) is when the subject is placed on the left or right third of the frame, leaving two thirds of the screen open. This is more natural to the audience as this is where the eyes go first, which allows them to become completely immersed. It allows the audience to take a visual journey, and interact with the space, expressing the key element on the side of the screen. Rule of thirds allows an interpretation between the subject and its surroundings and helps to soften the image by not forcing the focus of the subject on the audience.

Centre Framing Film:

Rule of Thirds Film:

This is the script we created for the films. Some changes were made in production, but its pretty much the same overall.