WHY RESEARCH IS SO IMPORTANT TO MAKING A FILM

This weeks blog post may seem out of character of my usual avant-garde, conceptual, defense of something that cannot be defended blog post that I have become known for but I still feel that this topic is important to discuss none the less. I want to take this week to discuss the importance of...

RESEARCH!!!!!!!!!!

I don't mean research for a book report or essay, I mean research for film, specifically research before you go to shoot anything. This is important because everything that appears in the frame, at least in the classical Hollywood, narrative mode of production, is supposed to add to the verisimilitude of the world of the film. Verisimilitude, for those who are not familiar with the term, means the appearance of being real or true. As it relates to film, verisimilitude means how believable the world of the film is to the viewing audience. For example I am attempting to write something where Beyonce is playing a Marlene Dietrich type character and Lady Gaga is attempting to play a Marilyn Monroe type character. Well, we all know that Lady Gaga can play a Marilyn Monroe type because that is what she has done previously in career. However, Beyonce playing a more androgynous type is something that I needed to research because as we all know Beyonce is an ultra-feminine, beautiful woman who I wasn't quite sure could play an androgynous character. So I went to a Google image search of Beyonce in androgynous looks and this is what I found....

So clearly Beyonce is very capable of giving an androgynous look that still underscores her femininity just Marlene Dietrich gave throughout her entire career. 

This leads me to a question that I am sure you are all asking yourselves, Ted how do we do this research that you are demanding of us? Well I have an answer for you that will help you figure out where to start. Say that you were making a film about the alien sightings in the 1950's, where do you go for information or inspiration? Well there are two answers, one involves technology and the other does not. Those options are...

1) THE INTERNET

2) A  LIBRARY    

In a library you will be able to read books and periodicals that relate to the time period that you need to find information on. 

On the internet you can find information more easily, in my opinion, then in a library. I create a folder on my computer and put images that help me lock into the style of the period that I am researching for and even if that might not directly relate to the style or look that I may want, I keep anything that helps me lock into ideas for what I want my film to look like. 

In conclusion, research is important and vital to insure that your film looks good. 

SO DO IT!!!!!

Music Video Editor's Nightmare

In one of my earlier posts, I wrote about musical adaptations from stage to film, and then further explained my love for the combination of music and film. Well, here goes again! How better can you combine music and motion pictures? the answer: music videos. This is where I hope to see my career going at some point. I love music videos, because there's only 3-4 minutes of time to make a masterpiece, so you better be on your A-game. Every single shot and every pixel of the frame needs to be perfect. My dream is to edit music videos for rock bands. Unfortunately my favorite bands have stopped recording new music and thus stopped making music videos; for example, google "80's hair bands," and any name that pops up. Anyways, back to the topic at hand: music video perfection. I have a few examples of great music videos, however I have them split into two categories - ones that inspire me, and ones that could theoretically put me out of business. We'll start off with the latter.

This is a fantastic video, and extremely entertaining in a very quirky way. It was a viral video that is one of the main reasons the band got the amount of popularity that they have today. But what is my fear of this video? The fact that its all one shot. No editing. A lot of choreography, but no editing. This saddens my heart.

Similar thing. Great music video; its about as simplistic as it gets. Blank background, black and white picture, three dancers, pretty much one shot. But, this time more camera motion, more choreography, and a few cuts here and there, but still, my heart is sad.

Now we're getting somewhere! This throwback jam from the 80's has probably one of the coolest effects I've seen, and its pulled off fairly well. The blending of sketches and live-action footage arises so many questions in my mind. How did they do it? How long did it take? Why is that guy's voice extremely feminine? And most of all, this inspires me to edit and make effects that can blend fantasy with reality and become a timeless work of art such as this. This makes my heart say "mmmmmm fairies," which is good, I think.

Finally, this video is like crack to me. Delicious. This must have taken an eternity to edit. And at least three to set up and film it. And seeing that many drumsets makes me drool. This is beautiful, and my heart might just explode with excitement and inspiration to film and edit a combination stop-motion, with live-action footage.

I could take up this whole blog with links to all my favorite music videos, but i think you get my point now. In sum, I love editing, I love music, I love drums, and finally, I love my parents... in that order. Just kidding Mom! Happy Birthday.

Sincerely,
Scott Walle