Category Archives: My Filmmaking

Dec 16 0 comments
Documentary, Film, Filmmaking, My Filmmaking, Production Diary

Research Process: Clip – Encounters at the End of the World

herzogmain1

My friend, and filmmaking partner, Jemma has set me the task of showing her documentaries she hasn’t seen so that we can look at visuals and filming techniques for a documentary we are currently in the research stage for. Jemma has largely always focused on current affairs TV docs, as that is her main area of interest, and has little knowledge when it comes to feature documentaries. I don’t see this as a bad thing and it means I get a chance to re-watch a lot of films I love, so I’ve begun trying to think of particular films or scenes that could help us with the filming process. Jemma is planning the first filming/recce trip in January and I can’t go so we’re really keen to be on the same page when it comes to the style of the film.

So far I’ve been going through some of the films I think it’s important to have seen in terms of style within documentary and also those that might be of help when it comes to choosing various shots we want for the film.

I re-watched Encounters at the End of the World tonight, which is fairly off-mark in terms of what might help us but it did help me think about the level of involvement a filmmaker should, or could, have within the story. We’re keen to have little presence in our film as it’s not relevant to the story and could actually hinder the importance of the journey the characters take if too much of our filmmaking process is evident. But Encounters really made me think and there is a particular scene within the film that is probably one of my favourite scenes in documentary full stop. It’s when we are introduced to the linguist in the green house and Herzog’s voiceover comes in and speaks over the stop of his story with “to cut a long story short…” Its something very few filmmakers would do and the voiceover is entirely his perspective, whilst preventing the character from getting his point across. Herzog then allows him to finish and then cuts away to give his own summary which shows nothing but respect for what the linguist has said.

“It occured to me that during the time we spent in the greenhouse at least 3 or 4 languages had possibly died, in our efforts to preserve endangered species we seem to overlook something equally important. To me it is a sign of a deeply disturbed civilisation where tree huggers and whale huggers in their weirdness are acceptable while no-one embraces the last speakers of a language.”

If you’re interested it’s at about 4 mins in of the clip after the jump.

Get the whole story »

  • Share/Bookmark
May 19 0 comments
Documentary, Film, Filmmaking, My Filmmaking

The Rat Race

ratrace

I have spent the last few months seriously thinking about my current choices when it comes to my career. Having the career I want is incredibly important to me, not because I want huge success or to make vast sums of money, were that the case I have certainly picked the wrong profession. I want to make documentaries for a variety of reasons. Not only is it an industry and medium that fascinates and inspires me but I am intrigued by people, their stories and the variety of ways in which people live their life.

I believe that documentary, as with writing and photography, represents time documented for the future. I want to tell people’s stories and I want to make films that show aspects of our current time that I believe are important. However there is no set model for this career, I have studied the career paths of many filmmakers I admire, I have even been fortunate enough to ask a few and everyone has followed a different course.

There are several people I know very well, all of us starting our careers in the same company and all sharing the desire for the same end goal, to make films. We have all chosen different paths.

It is easy to obsess about time frames, why aren’t we filmmakers now? This is a question that has weighed on my mind for the last few months, should I be trying to achieve this now? Of course there are successful filmmakers in their twenties, but to be honest being one of them terrifies me. The more I have thought about it the more I realise that I want the process of becoming a filmmaker as much as I want to be one. I want to learn and make mistakes. I am in no hurry. The notion of not needing to achieve quickly initially made me think that I was giving up but I realise this is far from the case, I want to experience the process, and I am. I currently have two jobs within the industry and while they are not directly filmmaking they challenge and provoke me every day.

In a panel discussion on Friday, Havana Marking, the Director of Afghan Star, was asked by one of City University’s head lecturers what young graduates should do if they want to make films and change the world. Havana said that they need to learn, they need to get a job and learn how to be filmmakers. In addition to that they need to make films in their own time and then in ten years time they may get a commission to make their own film, maybe.

There were many young people in the audience when this was said and you could see the look of horror on their faces, the idea of having to wait ten years being too scary to comprehend. It is scary, it’s a long time and a huge gamble because it could never happen. I know that this is a career that is going to take time but I am enjoying each step I take and as much as I shouldn’t like sitting in front of my laptop on weekends clearing my inbox, watching screeners, and generally stressing about the amount of work I have, I am glad for the stress because it means that I am doing something I care about.

I found the image below today and it truly sums up how I feel about my life at the moment. The section in the middle should probably be bigger but it is a section I am really looking forward to travelling through.

work

© Indexed

  • Share/Bookmark
Sep 12 0 comments
Documentary, Film, Filmmaking, My Filmmaking, Production Diary

Texas: Anticipating Hurricane Ike

Ike

We’ve now left Houston as Hurricane Ike is heading towards us. We’ve rented a motel room but everything’s full up as of tomorrow so hopefully we’ll be staying with some local people for the next few days.

It’s actually quite frightening, the confusion and uncertainty more than anything. The news is terrifying making you really feel as though you should evacuate whilst at the same time telling you not to leave. The reaction of the residents is very varied with many saying we should leave now and get further north and others saying it’ll be fine and just to go about our business.

We have no knowledge of hurricanes or even massive storms and that worries me. I am worried about driving anywhere during high winds and today we realised that Huntsville could lose power, which not only means potential boredom but no water and no air conditioning with very hot weather predicted.

We then went to Wal-Mart to rent a dvd and saw dozens of people clearing the shelves of food and water. We stocked up as best we could but we are left with an LED pen light, water and various crisps and nuts. Not the best preparation.

The hurricane has already disrupted our shoot and cost me a lot of money, lets hope that’s the only damage it does.

  • Share/Bookmark
Sep 10 0 comments
Documentary, Film, Filmmaking, My Filmmaking, Production Diary

Texas Blog: The Beginning

Attempting to make connecting flights when your plane has to fly through a hurricane is a difficult task. Needless to say it didn’t happen, we missed our connection by about 20 minutes. But it all worked out and our replacement flight was hilarious, we were on the smallest plane I have ever been on and the flight crew were hysterical.

We picked up the hire car, which is an electric blue tonka toy/pimp mobile and set off.

After a great night’s sleep in our new Houston home we headed straight to Huntsville to get our bearings of the town, as it was Sunday there were very few people around and the town’s usual hubbub wasn’t there. However, it was a great way to drive around and show Kate the town. I found it incredibly surreal to be back there, a place I truly never thought I would return to.

The surreal feeling hasn’t faded and we are now facing day four. I was intending to blog every day but so far the days have blurred and so far I haven’t shot a single minute of footage or taken a single photo. We’ve spent time putting in ground work talking to people and re-finding people but I don’t know what has prevented me from filming.

In honesty I know that a large factor is that I am extremely exhausted and I think my body is limiting me. I haven’t really had any time off this year, a few days here and there but nothing substantial. I am used to working myself into the ground but the last few weeks have been particularly tiring and my body thinks it’s having a rest.

I am really enjoying being back in Houston and Huntsville and I can’t describe how wonderful it is to see everyone again, but I need to regain focus and not waste the opportunity. As is my nature I am playing down the situation and we have actually met some wonderful people that will really add to the film, one especially this morning but I don’t feel we have hit the ground running in the way that we did last time.

We have an interesting day tomorrow and I know we will film so perhaps a slower start will actually prove incredibly beneficial, I think it really will.

Now all we have left to concern ourselves with is the slight matter of Hurricane Ike to worry about.

  • Share/Bookmark
Sep 04 1 comments
Documentary, Film, My Filmmaking, Production Diary

Heading back to Texas

In 36 Hours I will be on a plane headed back to Texas!

It’s been in the works for months now but I’ve been finding it difficult to blog. One of my favourite bloggers, a while ago, gave a summary of things that put her off a blog. The main turnoff was negativity. This has stayed with me and has stifled my blogging. She has a point but I think learning how to remain productive under any circumstances is important. Lesson learned.

The decision to go back to Texas was very split second and half of me is screaming that I am crazy to spend the money and the other half is on it’s knees thanking god for the break (well a break in my style which means working really hard at the same time…)

I knew one way or the other that I needed to go back, the project was never finished in my mind and I need to be able to move on from it so that I can start other projects.

Even though it’s been a lot more expensive (due to petrol costs, air fare etc) it’s such a wonderful feeling knowing I’m going back to finish a project that has meant so much to me and just to be on shoot again, somewhere I am always the best version of myself.

As I know what I’m going to this time I am a lot more laid back about our plans and that is really wonderful as I stressed myself beyond belief last time. I also can’t help but compare my life now to my life a year ago, so much has changed.

In fact this has been the year of change for me and my entire family. Everytime I think some part of my life is stable it gets thrown on it’s head whether it be job, friends, money, or living situation. I really believe change is a good thing. The trick appears to be learning to adapt to change rather than it being a definite end and beginning.

I know that there are many things about myself that I need to change as well, generally to treat myself better. I need to finally give up smoking, exercise and eat better. Texas is hopefully going to be the turnaround, one last hurrah and when I step off the plane on my way home I want it to be with a positive attitude to a new lifestyle.

36 hours to go!

  • Share/Bookmark