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8/2/2019 Film Commentary Submitted Copy
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TheAscension
Directors Commentary
GERSHON SNG
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FilmRationale
TheAscension is amagical realism film about a beggar who finds aboxwith the
power to duplicate its content. It employs both Hollywood and silent film
conventions in termsofpacing and direction; and is influenced bycubist editingtechniquesandtheBible.Itisallegoricalandexploresthethemeofgreedinhuman
nature.Itwasalwaysmyintentiontocarefullymonitorallaspectsofthepre,post,andproductionprocessasdirectortomaximizesynergybetweenmyteaminorder
toachieveasenseofescapismfortheaudience.Ifeelthiswassuccessfullyachieved.
WordCount:99
TrailerRational
Thetrailerutilizesthehermeneuticcode(Barthes)bybuildingsuspensearoundtheboxandtheuseofversefromTheBiblebutneverrevealsthefunctionofit.Thisdoesnotgivethefilmsnarrativeawaytoomuchbutsimultaneouslyattractsfansof
suspense. Clear antagonism is portrayed through the selection of shots, which
complimentstheMTV-styleeditingcuttotheupbeatsoundtrack.Thetrailerfurtherexpands the targeted quadrants by addressing film scholars through the official
selectionandawards titles.Crosscuttingandjuxtaposingbetween footage fromthefilmwiththeboxshowsitsunpredictabilityandenigmaticnature.
WordCount:98
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Pre-Production
As director, I wanted to be engaged in the films process from the
conceptualizationof the script tothe finalmix.With the intention ofentering the
filmintovariousfilmfestivals,ithadtoappealtothecriticalmarket,asevidentinmytrailerspromotionoffestivalscreeningsandawards.
Igeneratedtheinitialidea,whichwashighlyinfluencedbytwoshorts-Vicky
andSam(dir.NunoRocha,2010)1andTheBlackHole(dir.PhilandOlly,2008)2.
Thefirstisaboutagroupofscreenwriterswhowerebrainstormingideas.However,whattheydiscussstartsbecomingarealitybeforetheireyes.Theconceptofgiving
superpowerabilitiestothecharactersgavemeasenseofescapistgratificationand
inspiredmetoproduceafilmthatevokedasimilaremotionwhenviewingmyfilm.Furthermore, the enigma of what the characters would utilize the power for
captivatedmeandprovidedcatharsisforme.Thelatterfilmgarneredmainstreamand critical success, which to me was attributed to the theme of greed that was
explored.Ithoughtmostaudiencescouldrelatetogreed,asitisauniversaltheme
andnotgenre-specific,thuswideningtheviewershipofthefilm.
3rd January 2011marked our first groupmeetingwherewebrainstormed
ideasforthefilm.Asthedirector,Isuggestedwetookaspecifictypeofpacingforthefilmfastpacedatthestarttoengagetheaudience.Thiswastobeachievedby
eitherfastcutsorbyoneseeminglylongtakewithmultipleeditsandhighlytreated
footage (the latter was executed in the final product). By 25th January 2011,weagreeduponmyideaofabeggarwhofoundasmallboxthatcoulddoubleitscontent
oncethelidwasshut.However,hegetsgreedyandultimately,uponattemptingtofitalargerobjectintothebox,breaksthelid,renderingtheboxuseless.Thissimilarly
exploredtheideaofgreed.
1VickyandSam:http://vimeo.com/160448122TheBlackHole:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk
(Figure1.1)ScreenshotfromVicky
andSam
(Figure1.2)ScreenshotfromThe
BlackHole
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Thescriptwriterthoughtthattheendingoftheideawasclichdandneededa
plottwist.Assuch,weutilizedFreytagsdramaticstructuretoguideusonexpandingthestory.Wequestionedthereasonbehindtheboxspowerandcameupwiththe
ideathatthebottomoftheboxwasanopeningtoanalternaterealityinwhichthere was an infinite amount of resource. Thereby, representing heaven. Then,
antagonismwas introduced through the group of beggars. The exposition wouldestablishtheisolationoftheprotagonistthroughthesetting;therisingactionwouldbe the introduction of the magical artifact. While the climax would be the
antagonistsattempttoobtain thebox,thefallingactionwould be theantagonist,
portrayed as the villain, cornering the protagonist. The resolution would bepolysemicinitsreadingasitcouldbeseenasanactofsacrificefromtheprotagonist
ortheprotagonistsactofgreedbydestroyingthebox,heeffectivelykeepsallthepower tohimself.Fromeither reading,thestory stillestablishes thenegativityof
greedandretainsmyideaofnarratingamoralitytale.
Afterconsideringthepracticalityandsuitabilityofthesequence(figure2.2),
itwasdiscussedwiththeeditorforvisualeffectspossibility.Iinsistedtestshots,asIwantedthegraphicstosuspenddisbelief.Thelookofthefilmwasenvisionedtobesimilarto Momentos(dir.NunoRocha,2010)3 in termsofcolorgrading, setting,
andmakeup(Figure3).
3Momentos:http://vimeo.com/17896628
(Figure2.1)Testshots (Figure2.2)FinalProduct
(Figure3)ScreenshotfromMomentos
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IpersonallydidsomecolorgradingteststoguidetheeditorasIhadavery
clearimageofhowIwantedthefilmtolookvisually(Figures4).
Since I knew that this film was highly production and post-productionintensive,acopyoftheoverallprojecttimetable(Figure5.1)andproduction-specific
schedule (Figure 5.2)was emailed to the group just a little after pre-production.
Pickup sessions were deliberately scheduled in case certain shots were ofinsufficientqualityforpost-productionwork.
(Figure4.1)Beforegrading
(Figure4.2)Aftergrading (Figure4.3)GradeofFinalProduct
(Figure5.1)OveralltimetableforFilm
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Theopeningshotwasacranedown,tiltup,trackforwardshot.Itwascrucial
tothenarrativeasitservesasarepresentationofChristsdescentdownuponearth.
I felt that a smooth execution of the shotwas vital toenhance the narrative; theintentionwasthatthisrepresentedaspiritualjourneyinwhichthisangelicformcan
transcendobjects.Aftermuchdiscussionwiththeteam,Iconcludedthattoachieve
theshot,Ihadtoresorttoacranesystemofsomesort.Myresearchincludedfindingthe appropriate system (including a jib, tracks, ballhead, etc), a rental company,
transportation for the equipment to location, safety measures, and financing.Myeditorand Ispentat least4 daysat the rentalcompanyrehearsing the shotsand
learninghowtorigupthesystemsafely.
(Figure5.2)Production-specificschedule
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Intheclosingshot,theprotagonisthadtobeonaroadforthecartorunover
thebox.Toachievethat,Ihadtoscoutforasuitableroadthatwaswideenoughandwith little traffic (Figure 6.2). I abided by local film regulations and protocol by
notifyingthepolicethroughtheFilmServicesOffice.Togettheschoolchopforthe
PoliceNotificationForm,Ihadtopersonallyconvincetheschoolprincipletoapproveareleaseforit.Ischeduledanovernightfilmingthatcommencedat10pmtoavoid
traffic,increasingthesafetyformycastandcrew.
Production
Throughfilmlanguage,theclosingshot,acraningupshot,wastosuggestthe
ascensionofChrist.Itwassupposedtomirrortheopeningshot,showingthecycle
ofChrist.Thereby,constructingacyclicalnarrative.However,thoughwewereableto successfully obtain the closing shot (Figure8), wecouldnot get a satisfactory
openingshot.Hence,forthesakeofthecoherenceofthefilm,itwasmydecisiontoremovetheclosingshotandreplaceitwiththesimilartypeofgraphicsseeninthe
opening.
(Figure6.1)Atrentalhouse,learningaboutthejib
(Figure6.2)Theuse
ofthejibonset
(Figure 7) 3 separate locations for the road shot, we chose the first for itssecludedsetting.
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(Figure9.1)1:04:46[Location:ChaiWan]
(Figure9.2)1:04:47[Location:SaiWanHo]
(Figure9.3)1:05:16
[Location:ChaiWan]
(Figure8)Closingshotthatwasreplacedinthefinalproduct
(Figures 9) For the majority of
the film,we located inChaiWan Park.
However, the road in the latter half ofthe film was in a different estate (Sai
Wan Ho). To sell the idea that thepursuit sequence was shot in one
location I had to oversee thecinematography so as it wouldcompliment the editing. To further
enhanceit,Idirectedmyprotagonistto
lookback at the antagonist justbeforethelastshotinChaiWanandlikewisein
the first shot in Sai Wan Ho, andhopefully,duetothematchinggaze,our
audiencewouldnot notice the issueof
locationcontinuity.
Subsequently, we crosscutbetween both locations to add to thebelievabilityofthesequence.Lastly,the
footage was color corrected to matchthe lighting conditions and then the
sequencewasgradedtosuitthepacing
ofthefilm.
Thelastweekofpost-production
wasdedicated to focusgroup viewingsforfeedback.Partoftheexercisewasto
test ifthecutbetweenthetwodistinctlocations was explicitly noticeable.
Never once was the issue of location
continuity raised, which reassured mebeforesubmittingitasthefinalproduct.
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Likewise, focus group viewings
were conducted for the trailer. To testreception from a critical point of view,
film students were asked for theiropinions. Reception testing for the
mainstreammarket, on the other hand,was tested through informal groupmeetings. Furthermore, itwasuploaded
to YouTube and placed as unlisted
(figure10) before the linkwas sentouttoaselectedsample,asYouTubeactedas
my dominant platform for showcasingmytrailer.
Partofmyjobwastosourcethetalentforeach role to suspend disbelief. Since the
film is set in Hong Kong I had to findChinese and mature looking talents to
assume the roleofbeggars. According to
Buscombes Theory that Iconographydictates genre, I had to pay careful
attention to the mise-en-scene. The
costumesandmakeupforthebeggarshadto fit the archetypal role and the set
construction had to conform to theconventionallooksofbeggarslivingarea
asportrayedbythemedia.
Forinstance,theblueplasticcup(asseenontheright,circledinred)isanobvioustoolassociatedwithbegging.Theinclusionofthisiconwithinthismise-en-
scenereiteratesthattheprotagonistisabeggar.
(Figure10)Traileruploadedto
YouTubeunderUnlisted
(Figure11)
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Post-production
Theconceptofthefilmwashighlyambitiousaswehadtoproduce7minutes
offootage.ThiscausedproblemsasIneededtocutthroughspaceandtimewithout
compromisingthenarrative.Iworkedcloselywithmycinematographerandeditoras we used the pillar as a transition (Figure 12.1) to tell the story in a concise
fashion.
Equallyintermsofsound,asoundbridgewasusedtocutthroughtimeandspace, asitwouldnotbe engaging norwouldit enhance the narrativeshould the
protagonistbeseenwalkingdowntothebin(Figures12.2&12.3).
(Figure12.1)01:01:11
(Figure12.2)01:00:31 (Figure12.3)01:00:33
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Intheopeninghalfofthefilm,whenthebeggarisalone,themusicisslowintempo but in a major tonality. I chose a slow tempo to highlight the beggars
isolation; whist themajor tonality is to give a sense of security and safety. The
tracking out shot reveals more within the frame, foreshadowing that when thebeggarunderstands thepotential of thepower representedby thebox,theworld
suddenlyappearstohaveendlesspossibilities.Idirectedmytalenttolookupsoastoemphasizetheextensionofframing.
However,assoonasheapproached the group of
beggars, I decided toendmy
composition,replacingitwitha lowfrequency rumble.This
provides the sense ofinsecurity. Subsequently, I
collaborated with the editor
tomake sure the colorgradechanged to emphasize the
impendingantagonism.
(Figure13)01:52:5801:02:02
(Figure14)01:02:20Changeincolorgradeandmusic
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Asdirector,I knewthat thepaceand intensityofthesoundtrackwouldbe
crucial, and as we had no sound designer I constructed the sound compositionmyself.Iscoredthemusiclooselyandonlymasteredforthefinalsoundmixafterthe
editingwasdone.Thiswasbecausetheeditingtookpriorityoverthemusicinthefilm.However, myworkflow for my trailerwas different the trailermusicwas
masteredbeforeeditingcommenced(Figure15).MyresearchshowsthatthisisacommonpracticeofcontemporaryHollywoodtrailersastheyarerelentlesslycuttothebeattoengageaudiences.
WordCount:1737
The violin track (above) and Foley (right) wererecorded live. Foley was then synchronized to the
visualsinFinalCutPro.
(Figure15)MusicproducedonLogicProwithSampleLibraries