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3.2 Mastery Journal: Month 12 – Business of Film

To earn my MFA in Film Production was a quick, yet arduous experience. After completing my undergraduate degree in Music Production, at Full Sail University, I was determined to learn the ins and outs of the film industry. To gain that knowledge and involvement, I had my sights on composing music and scores for film and television. Twelve months later, I am easily able to say that my goals did not change. Moreover, the Film Production MFA program introduced me to the complex and unique nature of filmmaking. Diving head first into the writer, director and composer chair of my class’ thesis greatly strengthened my confidence and knowledge of that side of the entertainment industry.

The final month of my degree, Business of Film, was the perfect way to end my time at Full Sail. At the beginning of the MFA program I had three distinct goals for this class. My first goal was to understand how to crate a solid business model. I haven’t quite reached that goal, but I am confident that when I create my LLC for my own music production company (geared towards music for film and TV) I will know how to hit the ground running. Apart from creating a good business model for myself, I learned how to best brand myself. This class’ heavy involvement in personal branding has showed me some very important and eye-catching ways to reach out to the public, as well as potential employers and clients.

My second goal was to know how to market a film on the film festival circuit. This goal, I can definitely say that I have reached. That was a never-ending topic of discussion throughout the month and it greatly strengthened my knowledge of the most important step in filmmaking: distribution and marketing. My classmates and I have a strong film festival strategy and Internet presence, thanks to this class. I will take the skills that I have learned from my thesis film experience and apply it to all of my future films.

My third and final goal was to present my trailer and marketing strategy, and have it be “realworld” ready. I believe that the trailer and marketing strategy for the thesis film are more than ready. The trailer was created by one of my classmates and it looks great. From what I learned in previous classes, I know that I am able to put together a trailer and marketing strategy for a future film project.

Overall, I am very happy with my experience at Full Sail University. Business of Film has truly prepared me for the next step in my career.

“Some people can’t believe in themselves until someone believes in them first.” – Sean Maguire, from Good Will Hunting (1997).

Tony, J. (2014, November 29). 25 Inspirational Movie Quotes That Could Change Your Life. Retrieved March 19, 2017, from http://list25.com/25-inspirational-movie-quotes-that-could-change-your-life/

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Mastery Journal: Month 11 – Film Production Thesis IV (Film Assembly)

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4.2 Mastery Journal: Month 10 – Film Production Thesis III (Post-Production)

Making a short film is like baking a pie—an incredibly difficult, yet hopefully, tasty pie. Step one is pre-production: acquire and organize funds and utensils. Step two is production: use the tools and ingredients gathered, and follow the recipe (script) as closely as possible. And step three is post-production: put the mixed ingredients together and place into the oven. It’s safe to say that I was really looking forward to step three. Pre-production and production were very difficult and rewarding parts of my degree program, but post-production is where I can finally see the hard work put together into a coherent story. Apart from seeing the thesis film come together, I was truly looking forward to learning concepts and technical skills that will better my future films and projects.

Editing has always been one of my favorite parts of the filmmaking process. I’m a sound and music guy, so I think that picture editing pairs well. Like milk and pie (sorry, no more talk of pie. I think I’m just hungry). Having primarily experienced the director’s chair in the past, I’ve always tried to picture the film as an editor. My films haven’t always come out exactly how I pictured them, but thinking this way has always seemed to help me during production, as well as for post.

Thinking strictly as an editor is a rather different way of thinking. It takes a certain set of skills to put films together—a lot of times thinking of creative ways to tell the story, which not even the director pictured. It’s like being given a puzzle, in which almost every piece is connectable. A puzzle like that requires a very specific kind of eye. And in order to be successful as an editor, it’s very important to keep storytelling at the forefront of the process. Learning the importance of storytelling was one of the best things that I learned this past month. It seems like a no-brainer, but when editing a film it’s very easy to put things like continuity and composition first. While those are incredibly important aspects with which to focus, the story is always key. At the very least, this is how I feel the editing process should be tackled.

When I looked forward to post-production, during my first month of this program, I made a short list of what I expected to learn this month. My first expectation was to know how to apply filmmaking concepts to film creation. I believe that this is something that I’ve actually learned throughout the past ten months and not necessarily within this past month, alone. However, like I had been saying, the storytelling aspect is what is most important to making a great film. And well after the film is shot, the story should be at the forefront. My second expectation was to acquire a great understanding of specific roles in the filmmaking process. Again, this is something that I’ve been learning throughout the program. Yet, it is very important to understand who does what, especially during the post-production process. For smaller project, people tend to take on many different roles. But in larger productions, it’s very important to know everyone’s jobs in order to assure the best possible workflow, particularly during post. My final expectation was to have a better understanding of the theory and methodologies behind filmmaking. This is something that is very important to focus on during every step of the filmmaking process. And I will say it one last time, storytelling is most important when putting a film together. But knowing how and why things are done the way that they are is crucial to know. Not just knowing how to do something, but knowing why it is done that way is what I learned this past month. I absolutely feel that I met my goals for this course.

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5.0 Mastery Journal: Month 9 – Film Production Thesis II (Production)

Month nine was the month for which I had been waiting. After many months of preparation, I had finally come upon the very reason I chose to pursue a career in filmmaking: production. While I do consider this to have been one of my most challenging months at Full Sail, I breathe a sigh of relief because I no longer have a chronic case of anxiety. From the moment I found out that my script was chosen for my class’s thesis film and I would be the director, I’ve had what seemed like a never-ending wrench in my gut. No matter how hard I tried to relax, that constant feeling of unease haunted me. In fact, it only intensified until the moment we wrapped production. I did not have an easy month, but it was my most rewarding, thus far.

Looking back, it’s safe to say that my anxiety was most likely caused by my fear of unpreparedness. It was my directorial debut for a project that had a budget worth more than a stack of pizzas. I had moments in which I felt I was in over my head. But as the director, I couldn’t show that to my peers. As such, I had to just suck it up and get the job done. But there was absolutely no way this film would be worth anything without the help and dedication of a team. In other words, I had to just suck it up and do my job (the director’s job). For the first time since enrolling at Full Sail, I was on a team that required every single person to play his or her role. The most I could do for any other role was to let them know what I was going to do. Other than that, lights were in the hands of the Gaffer; the amazing Art team created the set and electricity was handled by the Best Boy. From the moment production started, I could only do my job. The unrivaled crew for “Rubbish” handled the rest, with incredible precision.

The first month of this program required for me to create a mastery timeline for the entire course. My hopes for this class were high and I can say that I met almost all of my goals. The first intention that I had for this class was to confidently know how direct a film and its crew. I can wholeheartedly say that I have much more confidence towards film directing after this month. The production of “Rubbish” was met with almost every problem imaginable. Yet, at the end of the day, what the crew and cast filmed on camera will tell a story. And that’s what is most important: the story. After having worked through so many problems, I am able to identify what I can do to better prepare myself for future projects. Also, I know how to properly communicate with all of the departments on the crew. My second goal was to know how to delegate throughout my team and to know how to collaborate with the department heads. My understanding of this topic goes hand-in-hand with my first goal. In being prepared as a director, I must also know the responsibilities of each department. Since being on a large set for thesis I can confidently say I have a great understanding of almost every position on a production. However, every set is run differently, in and out of Hollywood. But this experience gives me a great frame of reference for when I move on to larger shoots.

My final goal was to master the operation of the camera. This is the only goal that I did not meet. As a director, I never once touched the camera on set. However, working with the film’s Director of Photography I was asked an array of technical questions about aperture, lighting and lenses; all of which I could assuredly discuss my preferences. On set, I quickly discovered that the director was required to answer more questions than, “Where do you want the talent to stand?” Overall, I had a great month. It beat me up, but I survived thesis production at Full Sail.

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4.3 Mastery Journal: Month 8 – Film Production Thesis I (Pre-Production)

     I just finished my eighth month in the Film Production MA program at Full Sail University, and I can easily say that it has been my most challenging month, thus far. I include the title of “Most Challenging Month” to this class, even considering my 23 months of undergrad classes. Yet, I do not mean it in a negative connotation, by any means. I am the director of my class’s thesis film, and up until the completion of this past month, I did not fully understand what it meant to be the director of a project of this size and scale.      Looking all the way back to the first month of this program, I had a few goals in mind for when I finally reached this point of my master’s program. My first end goal of this month was to, “know how to prep a film project, in order to guarantee productivity and to ensure it will stay on course throughout production and post-production.” This was a rather broad goal, but I would like to say that I’ve reached this goal. I can’t quite say that I have fully applied all of the “know-how’s” to successfully and efficiently guide a film through production, but I definitely have the knowledge and skills to move in that direction. I know my roles, as well as the roles all of my classmates play in the success of this film. As a director, I understand that I need to know more than my job.      The second goal I had was, “know how to select the right people for the right jobs.” I didn’t have quite as much say for this part of pre-production. Since this is a thesis film, my classmates had the opportunity to choose any positions they wanted (other than director and producer). However, I did lend a hand with picking the rest of the many crew positions available for the production. Just like every other aspect of this process, careful times and consideration went into selecting the right people for the right jobs.      Lastly, my third goal was to, “have a thorough understanding of how to create a budget and how to ensure it is followed.” Like many aspect of this production, I have an amazing group of classmates who had the budget as one of their main focuses, throughout the month. I was able to lend a hand with it, as needed, but our amazing UPM and Producer spearheaded the budget to completion. However, I can confidently say that I can put together my own budget for many future projects, outside of this thesis film.      Overall, I am very satisfied with the amount of knowledge I have gained throughout the month. My instructor has taught me very well, so all I can do is wait until production week. That will be the true test of my class’s and my pre-production preparation skills.

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4.4 Mastery Journal: Month 7 - Entertainment Law and Communication

Entertainment Business Law is something I will never fully understand. Stuck in a perpetual “grey area”, it is an aspect of my young career that holds just as much importance as the music and films I create. I’ve taken three copyright/entertainment law classes at Full Sail, and every time I finish the class I realize just how imperative my understanding of the subject is to my success. My knowledge of the topic has greatly increased over the past month. However, I am destined to hire an entertainment lawyer, to hold my hand through future business endeavors. And there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I would be in my absolute best interest to do just that. In my first month of this degree program, I made a short list of exactly what I planned to learn in Entertainment Law and Communication. Firstly, I planned to know how to read through and thoroughly understand a contract. Though I have not fully mastered this aspect of entertainment law, I can confidently say that I understand this much better than I did at the beginning of the month. This past month’s class had me dive into the inner workings of a contract on day one. And something magical happened: I’m now at a point where I don’t run away screaming when asked to read and explain a contract. I consider that a big fat win. Second, I set out to know how to successfully and confidently negotiate a contract. I’ve learned how to properly approach this facet of the contract process. However, I look forward to working closely with my attorney for this particular process. And Lastly, I planned to have a deep knowledge of how to produce and distribute film properties. Just like every other aspect of the entertainment world, there is no right or wrong way to go about this. Yet, it’s very important to understand which processes are best suited for certain types of art and situations. For example, I come from a music background. Therefore, the way I approach distribution of a song is vastly different than how I release my film to the public. I can say that I am not an expert in this yet, but I am much more comfortable with approaching this—most important—part of the filmmaking process. I am very thankful for having gone through this class. I will never stop learning new things, when working with entertainment law and communication. But it will always be in my best interest to become a master of this aspect of filmmaking.

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1.0 Mastery Journal Assignment: Month 6 - Visual Storytelling Techniques and Technology

Visual Storytelling Techniques and Technology has been my most challenging month at Full Sail, thus far. On the bright side, however, I consider it to be the most rewarding class that I have taken. Throughout the month my body ran on very little sleep and my time-management skills were pushed to their limits. And on top of a heavy workload, I was also required to be on the set of a thesis film for at least four days. I was busy, but it was a fulfilling experience. I was truly getting my money’s worth. Looking back at my original Mastery timeline, I can safely say that I learned and experienced almost everything that I originally planned to, for my sixth month. Firstly, I expected to learn “how to operate and camera at an advanced level”.  I have done that. I am, by no means, a camera expert. But no longer do I look at a Sony FS700 and run away screaming. Rather, I go a little stir-crazy if I can’t operate it myself. Additionally, I’ve learned the operations and mechanics of a camera, inside and out. I love working with cameras and am eager to become a true master of capturing picture. My second goal was to “have a deep understanding of how to use the environment to tell a story”. Yet again, I find myself reaching another goal. Just because movies have sound, doesn’t mean dialogue should be relied upon, to tell a story. A picture is worth a thousand words and, in most instances, less talking and more showing is best for storytelling. Throughout this past month I was shown some techniques and examples of how to frame a picture. Like with most aspects of filmmaking, there’s no correct way to make a movie, however, there are better ways to go about composing a frame. Lastly, I met my third and final goal from my original timeline: “know how to properly light a room/set”. Similarly to how I felt about cameras, before this month, lighting intimidated me to no end. And just like everything else I’ve learned in this class, I found confidence with hands-on learning. I was shown how to safely put up and operate lights, but when it came to making a picture look pretty, or at the very least look natural, I had to figure out how to do it on my own. I love this type of learning environment. It’s the only way I can become a master of my craft. My time on a thesis set was definitely a time for learning. I took away a lot from that experience and I have a much better understanding of what I should and should not do for my upcoming thesis production. Ultimately, safety, communication and preparedness are of the upmost importance on any movie set. It doesn’t matter how great the film script is, if the crew isn’t working safely and efficiently, the film will not be made. I can confidently say that I am ready to move on to my next month, having received more knowledge than I originally anticipated from Visual Storytelling.

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4.3 Mastery Blog Assignment: Month 5 – Experimental Filmmaking

Experimental Filmmaking exceeded my expectations. Not only was the content of the class very interesting, but also its workload was quite challenging. It’s easy to consider my completion of month five as a milestone in my journey to mastering film production. The three expectations that I made for this class, during month one, were to learn about creative and innovative ways to make a film, learn as to why thinking outside of the box is helpful with film production, and to have my film selected for thesis. For the first two of my expectations, I can absolutely say that I am walking away from this class with a better knowledge of filmmaking. No matter how formulaic the “Hollywood machine” appears to be, filmmakers (young and old) are always looking for new and exciting ways to tell a story. I truly enjoyed going through the history of experimental filmmaking, as well as discussing the future of our industry’s process of storytelling. Additionally, this past month’s workload was much more than I expected. It was a challenge to juggle the many assignments and participation requirements, but it was not too much to handle. Rather, I welcomed the challenge. It presented the opportunity to practice time management, delegation and organization. I also discovered that it is okay to say “no”. A major part of proper time management is to know whether or not you have room on your plate for more work. If a peer asks for my help with a project, my instinct is to offer my services to him or her. However, if I know that I already have plenty to do with other projects, I must say “no” to more work, no matter how much I want to help. Lastly, I was very humbled to meet my third expectation of having my film selected for thesis. I worked very hard for the two scripts I pitched for thesis, as a director for both. Also, I received a lot of help from instructors and would not have been as prepared as I was, without their help. Additionally, two of my fellow classmates worked with me to prepare one of the scripts to be pitched. In the end, my own script was selected and I couldn’t be more thankful. I’m very excited to begin working on it with my fellow classmates and I can’t wait to see the final product, in just a few short months.

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4.1 Mastery Blog Assignment: Month 4 – Directing Talent

Walking into this class, I was very excited. Even in my youth, I’ve always found myself standing behind the camera (or holding it) and telling people what to do. However, I do not feel that I am a natural director, by any means. Original movies and visuals are constantly swimming around my head, but I struggle with explaining my thoughts to both the talent and the crew. Therefore, spending a month on how to direct talent was a dream come true, for me. And after completing the class, I can easily say that exceeded my expectations. 

In month one of this program, I was tasked with assessing my future classes and determining personal goals for each of them. Looking back at my assessment for this class, I noticed that my mindset was focused on the relationship and communication between the director and the producers/crew, primarily. It seems that I used to think more like a producer, rather than like a director. Though this type of thinking is very important, it is vital to the success of any film that the director be able to convey his/her vision to the cast. If the talent gives a poor performance, the movie is pretty much guaranteed to be dead upon arrival.

Directing Talent went beyond the expectation of explaining how to build a proper director-actor relationship. Rather, our instructor delved into what makes a performance good and how to help bring the essential honesty out of the talent. And in order to do so, correct communication is key. These topics lead to what I felt was the most fulfilling part of this month’s material: verbiage. Not only is it important to use the right verb when explaining to an actor how he/she should approach a scenario, but also it is just as important to use that verb in the right tense. Action verbs are central to effective communication.

I got what I wanted to out of this class, and so much more. I am, by no means, an expert on directing talent. However, I can definitely say that I am much better at it. And though I still plan to pursue a career in film scoring, I can definitely see a future in directing. This class has set me on the right path.

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Goutte d’Or

CGI Animated Short Film HD: "Goutte d’Or Short Film" by Happy Flyfish: https://youtu.be/-KR8Y6P_quM

The silent stop-motion short film “Goutte d’Or” (2013), directed by Christophe Peladan, re-imagines the centuries-old tale of a man who desperately fights for the affection of his queen. Yet, what sets this film apart is the manner in which the romance is presented. The pirate is a corpse and the queen wears an octopus on her head, as she flies on a broom around the Kingdom of the Dead. Also, the queen is naked.

The story opens on a still shot of a pirate’s booty. It beams the color gold as dreary images of sunken pirate ships sit in the background. A tracking shot reveals that the story takes place in the graveyard of the high seas. Using only cool colors, Peladan establishes the mood as dark, desolate and unforgiving. A green fog hovers over the black waters and a chilling wind howls as a slowly moving crane shot places into frame, three corpses hanging from nooses. Shortly thereafter, the fourth pirate emerges from the depths on the ship he captains. He, also, hangs from a noose. With no hope and nowhere to go, one of the pirates begins to play his four-stringed mandolin. Suddenly a giant purple octopus appears and hands a clarinet to the fourth pirate, who attempts to draw his sword. With the tone of the scene dark and brooding, Peladan elegantly introduces light and hope into the story by means of warm colors. As the frame fills with purples, pinks and yellows the octopus is shown to be a beautiful naked woman, who sits on a flying broomstick. The fourth pirate gazes upon the beautiful queen as the other three pirates play a whimsical tune on their instruments; smiles beaming and they swing from their necks. It is at this moment that the tone of the film changes from bleak and horrific to a lighthearted and comedic.

The dramatic structure of the film revolves around the central conflict of whether or not the fourth pirate will successfully woo the queen to his side. In addition, the film delves into the feminist theory by portraying the queen as a naked damsel in distress. The superficial ways that the fourth pirate goes about to entice the queen are thwarted by the octopus on her head, which is an extension of herself. He views her as a prize to be won and only sees her in that way that he so chooses: naked and sensual. Ultimately, she is unimpressed by the accomplishments of his past life, his impressive swashbuckling skills, and his chest full of gold. He soon catches her attention as he plays the clarinet she originally handed him. However, though mesmerized by the tune he plays, the octopus forces the queen to fly away. It is not until the very end that the queen shows compassion for the fourth pirate. He puts the rope back around his neck and assumes his original position with the noose around his neck. However, Peladan gives a satisfying ending to the tale as the hanging pirate is carried into the warm colors of the horizon by means of his rope being tied to the queen’s broom.

What makes “Goutte d’Or” so beautiful is its use of music and character performances to tell the story. The dark and hopeless mood of the opening scene is not solely portrayed by Peladan’s use of cool colors, rather, it is the colors’ elegant pairing with the score of the film. The music perfectly encapsulates the tone of every frame; so much so, that the colors can be heard as the score plays on. In addition to the music, the sound effects and design of the short blend wonderfully with the rest of the film. There is not a single sound out of place and no sound is thought to be distracting.

Along with the music and sound, the look and design of the characters are perfect. The four dead pirates are ugly, but in a charming way. No bright colors are seen in their costumes until the queen is revealed and the short takes on a different tone. The queen is naked throughout the film, yet her lack of clothing is not distracting. Instead, the artists and animators use her body and sensuality to propel the story forward. She is seen as the pirate sees her. The facial expressions of the characters are done in a way that it is almost forgotten that the short is stop-motion animation.

The pace of the film is flawlessly set by the editor. Complimented by the cinematography and composition of the frames, the film plays out as though it is a live action short. The camera uses crane shots that are paired with long and extra-long shots to reveal the enormity of the Kingdom of the Dead.

 “I Wanna Rock” (2016), written by Traivon Mounce, is a zero-low resource film that tells the story of a teenager who struggles to find the courage to audition for a spot in a rock band. As he waits outside of the audition area, many long shots are used in order to express his nervousness and vulnerability. The composition of the frame is the focal point of most of the film. Will, the protagonist, is always kept to the side of the frame or in the center of long shots. On the other hand, Kate, the band lead, is framed between the legs of the second audition guitarist in order to establish her as the head of the band.

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Andrew Tkaczyk (drummer for The Ghost Inside) continues to drum, despite losing his right leg.

Childers, C. (2016, January 14). The Ghost Inside Drummer Andrew Tkaczyk Loses Right Leg After 2015 Bus Accident Read More: The Ghost Inside Drummer Andrew Tkaczyk Loses Right Leg | http://loudwire.com/the-ghost-inside-andrew-tkaczyk-loses-right-leg/?trackback=tsmclip. Retrieved May 1, 2016, from http://loudwire.com/the-ghost-inside-andrew-tkaczyk-loses-right-leg/

Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. (2016, April 29). The Ghost Inside - Andrew's Journey | Episode 4: Back on the Throne! (with Post Credits Scene). Retrieved May 1, 2016, from https://youtu.be/9GRxbZMSOnY?t=2m35s

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Week 4 Mastery Journey Timeline

Click below to view my prezi:

 http://prezi.com/nqisuv-vqj38/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

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Absolute Motivation. (2015, February 6). ITS UP TO YOU - Motivational Video. Retrieved April 23, 2016, from https://youtu.be/YMz2_S2y9WE

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My LinkedIn profile

If you would like to learn more about me, please visit my LinkedIn profile page.

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-schoenfeld-b3621297?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile_pic

(2016). Retrieved April 23, 2016, from https://www.linkedin.com

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(2016). Retrieved April 23, 2016, from www.logogarden.com

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(2016). Retrieved April 23, 2016, from https://feedly.com/