I have been given the first lot of footage for our piece and i have started editing.
some of the shoots are really well done and have worked really well.
Unfortunately as a martial artist i have spotted quite a lot of technical errors when it comes to the actors boxing.
the main problem is that he drops his front hand when he is punching and this looks really bad as it leaves him off guard and off balance, a mistake that a professional boxer would not make.
Also when punching the speed bag (something that is already hard enough) he is bringing both his hands back over his shoulders before he punches which is why he is struggling. I can't use a speed bag myself but i do know that when doing so the hands need to be kept in front of the chin at all times. i have taken some screen shots to show exactly what i mean (i have also take some screen shots of the times when he uses good technique to show the difference between the two.) i have also asked the producer if i can go to the next shoot and work with the actor a little bit just to give him some tips on boxing.
After a discussion with our Director Ben Wilson, i have been forwarded towards a few videos for ideas:
these first two clips are from 'There will be blood
'
These clips are an example of what our sound will be like, at the points where i'll be making sharp quick cuts of Ray training. the sound will carry on which will make a sort of composograph. with the odd off beat percussive sound. this will build up the intesnisty of rays frustration, especially when cut in with long intense shots of Ray
This video is 'The Shoes - Time to Dance (Official Video)' there are many examples in this video of the long intense shots of the main characters eyes. which we will be using along with quick fast cuts of Ray in the gym to show his frustration.
We have been set another video assignment: it must be 5 - 10 minutes long.
it must be based on the same character from the 2 minute film.
the idea we've agreed upon, is the boxer trying to get on with everyday life, handing out C.V's for jobs, shooping etc. but having no luck. he spends alot of time in the pub, one day there is a woman who is crying. he talks to her and finds out that her boyfriend has cheated on her, he offers to walk her home and during that time she talks about how people have no morallity anymore. She agrees to go out with him the next day. they meet up and she is a completely different person to when they spoke the day before, she pays little attention to him and is more interested in dancing with her friends. the boxer resigns himself to the fact that she is not interested. at the end of the night her ex boyfriend turns up and gets violent with the him. so he does what he does best and knocks the ex boyfriend out.
The next day he packs his bags and returns to the gym.
The aim of the piece will be to show how many people, especially now need a vice, something to hold onto and believe in.
the editing with this piece will be rather similar to the first, however there will be more quick cutting earlier on in the film.
I have also been given the responsibility of choreographing the fight scene between the boxer and the ex boyfriend. this is because i have had alot of martial arts experience including karate, sword fighting and kick boxing. and have had alot of experience within them choreographing fight scenes for competetions and shows. Unfortunately i do not have any videos of me doing karate or kick boxing, however i do have some videos online of some free fighting i did while sword fighting (i would like to stress that these are completely un-choreographed) these should show the type of weapons i am insured to use and that i can choreograph with:
This first video is the 'Small sword' not to be confused with the short-sword. the small sword evolved from the heavier counterpart known as the 'Rapier'. the small sword was initially used for thrusting and stabbing as it had a sharp point but blunt edges. It is a very light and thin sword which was most popular during the 17th and 18th century, it was a very effective duelling sword though to have appeared in France before spreading throughout europe. Later the techniques for using the Small-sword were adapted into the modern sport of fencing we know today. on some occasions grabbing the opponents blade was seen as there are no sharp edges down the sides so there was no danger of cutting your hand.
On this video i am the person on the right of the screen:
This next video is the Rapier. the predecessor of the Small-Sword, it was a long slender sword mainly used for thrusting attacks but with a sharp edge which could be used for slashing attacks as well. on some occasions the hilt of the sword was used for punching the opponent. The Rapier was developed around the 1500's as a Spanish dress sword for self defence and duelling. the Rapier was extremely popular amongst the wealthier population. The French musketeers were also known to carry this as a side weapon, as featured in the famous film "The Three musketeers". secondary weapons could be used with the rapier such as the 'Dirk' - a small dagger, and even a small one handed shield, grabbing the opponents blade was less common in rapier duels and was only ever done as a last resort:
in this video i start on the left but move around the right, i am wearing black trousers and i am the smaller one:
This next video features the Longsword, a very well known sword. it is a two handed weapon with a straight double edged blade. most used during the 1300's - 1500's from late medieval to the renaissance.
there were many systems of fighting with this sword however they all evolved from the same style, which is a german term (can't remember it) this sword was used primarily by knights on the battle field but also during duels and trials by combat. the sword is very heavy and requires a lot of practise and control to be able to wield it properly:
There are 2 parts to this video, i am again the smaller of the two on the left, wearing black gloves. the longswords we used were made of a strong flexiplastic which is designed to mimic the weight and feel of the real sword but bent on impact. this is because the real swords are very heavy and made of none bendy steal or iron, should one have hit the fencing helmets we were wearing the helmet would simply have shattered, allowing the sword to carry on and kill the wearer - even y using these swords we had many occasions where fighters broke fingers and were very badly hurt,so we later brought in a rule where we could only fight with longswords while wearing lacrosse gloves and ice hockey padding:
This Final video is the Elizabethan backsword, not much is known about this sword, and i am not overly practised in using it. so all i know of it is: its a very heavy sword, mainly used for slashing.
I am the person on the right, using the white sword.
I am insured to use these weapons, however if i was to choreograph something using them i would get one of the instructors to stand with me just incase as they are first aid trained where as i am not.
Other than this my longest experience in martial arts comes from 12 years of karate which i started at the age of 4 and left at 16. i reached 1st Que, which is one belt before black. i failed my black belt grading due to an injury i took during the test while fighting my brother (i still maintain to this day that it was his fault).
Through the last few years of learning karate, the club started doing choreography competitions, in which we would choreograph a fight scene of 3 - 6 people. the fight scene was judges based on technical accuracy, control and how impressive it was. I then became our club choreographer having recently started stage-fighting lessons at school for GCSE drama.
Although i have left i still practise on occasion and still maintain a level of skill in the martial art and during my time at college i did start getting together a group of people who also had martial arts experience to choreograph fight scenes with.
I also used to study and teach ballroom and latin dancing, during which myself and the main teacher would choreograph dances together which we would later teach to the children and adults in the class.
I studied Kick boxing for a few months over the summer of 2012, however i have not carried this on after an injury i suffered to my nose during a sparring session, where i happened to be at the end of what could only be called 'A Sparta Kick' (see video below):
All the experience i have gained in martial arts over the years has giving me a large variety of knowledge into different fighting styles, including how people move best depending on their size and build. And reactions to taking hits and giving them.
Dancing and especially teaching has helped me learn how to make things easier for others who are not as experienced as i am, and also how to make movements more graceful, smooth ad overall not as forced.
For the group 2 minute film exercise, i have been asked by the Director to research a few editing techniques which he wishes me to use during the editing of our 'boxer' production. the first is 'Drive' directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.
the specific effect i have been asked to look at is during the scene in which the main character is sat in a cafe and he is approached by a man, after a heated discussion, there is a long, slow fade to the next scene (a technique which is used throughout the film). the shots in the entire film are long, drawn out. which adds an awkward intense feel to the piece.
this is something that i will use in our 2 minute piece. the long, dragged out shots will add that frustration and intense feeling we are trying to portray to the audience.
The film starts off with slow cuts, and towards the end of the piece the pace speeds up and the cuts become quicker. this again is another technique i will use during the editing of our piece. this will show the main characters need and desperation to box as the piece moves on and he gets more frustrated.
In this weeks lesson we spent a good portion of the lesson going over the roles and responsibilities for different people in a short film crew:
Director:
Clear vision of the film
creative overview
works with actors
keeps control on set - also the job of assistant director
artist
Producer:
make sure everyone is happy - set runs smoothly
paperwork
scout locations
get actors
foster a creative environment
create schedules
funding / budget
collaborate creatively with the director
risk assessments
make sure film gets made
Camera operator
Story boards - with director and prodcuer
film
set up shots
collaborate with actors
lighting
white balancing
technical equipemtn - checking and testing
Sound
recording sound on set
Foley
collaborate with director for design
music - with producer
Art director
Set design
Props
Costumes
Mood boards
work with editor and camera for lighting and colour
budget to buy or borrow
mise-en-scene
character continuity
editor
brings footage together
helps with a fresh eye
sound matches dialogue
colourist
logs footage
after this we looked at a few scenes from the shining - Stanley Kubrik. we were looking at alot of the above to see how things had been used to create certain effects and to trigger emotions within the audience.
For drama i am in a group with Alice Athaway, Ben Brown and another Ben, and Johnny. I am the editor in the group.
we have decided to develop the idea of a Boxer who has lost his focus and has been losing his fights. all he wants to do is box but he can't seem to find his focus. i have secured a boxing gym in which we can film and we plan to do a recce this week.
The script has been sent (i can't print it at the moment, so it will go on this blog at a later date)
and i had some editing ideas.
1. at the start you see the character fall down in the ring then a bell counts him out. i think the bell should count him out during the fall which should be seen in slow motion, the bell, crowd and count should be heard as a distant echo. this could show that boxing is slipping away.
2. in the script the boxer is seen smoking in the gym... this won't be possible
3. As we are not allowed to show sync dialogue, i think all convorsations should be done as an echo as though he is remembering them rather than the person speaking simply being off screen.
4. At the line "i'll let you box" quick cut back to reality, door slams in his face.
5. during the ballroom scene montage between the gym. i think that all the sound from the ballroom should overlap the gym sounds. this will make it seem more furious and frustrating.
6. i also think that instead of just cutting back and forth between the gym, it should cut back and forth to a close up of his face in the ballroom.
7. i also think heavy breathing should be added that gets gradually louder during the montage, so that when it cuts to him in the gym covered in sweat the source of the heavy breathing goes from frustration to exhaustion....
We were asked to talk about a film that we've seen recently that stood out for us and why:
for me it's 'When the Lights went out', this film really hit home for m. for a few reasons: firstly i'm a big believer in the paranormal world, and this film is based a ffew miles away from where i live and it is based on true events so it almost confirms what happens to me at my home that everyone else would put down to wind and pipes.
narrative
characters must have some element of truth, they have tp be believable within the story world.
this is shown through dialougue and interations.
fictional films are different to experimental because they follow rules and usually they are the rules of reality.
Without context things don't make sense.
causality - reasons why one thing leads to another
time - how long does it take?
space - where does it happen?
for me this lesson taught us that characters can only be believable and be related to if they have a want or goal and there is something stopping them getting it. they must have a little bit of back story or there is no way we can empathise or relate to the protaganist.
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