East of Kensington: The Process of Filmmaking

Recently, I've been surfing the internet for short films to help with our process of filmmaking for this class. I came across an awesome website called Short of the Week, that displays innovative and worthwhile short films regularly. In addition, they publish articles regarding the short film world and post news about awards and film festivals.

Anyway, while browsing the site I found an interesting short thesis film created by students of Chapman University, (the same university that the student thesis film "Into the Silent Sea" came from, directed by Andrej Landin) and decided to check it out. It's called "East of Kensington", a thriller written and directed by Kellen Moore during his time at Chapman. It tells the tale of Peter Pan after he drops off Wendy, Michael and John back home to London after their adventures in Neverland. The film takes a disturbing turn, which captivates you till the very end. It's twenty minutes long, which is the same length as the films we're making, so I made sure to pay attention to the structure of a film that's already proven to be successful.

East of Kensington from Kensington Creative on Vimeo.

I thought the short was visually impressive. The dark color theme was cohesive during the entire film and gave it a certain tone and mood that was very effective. Also, the dreamlike scenes with Wendy were haunting and beautiful. Overall the shots were truly appealing to the eye and very well executed. Furthermore the attention to detail was spectacular. Everything from the scenery to costumes to the pictures on the walls and in the newspaper were accounted for. This is something to keep in mind when designing our sets and collecting props and costumes for our own films.

Now that we're in the writing and story creating phase of our process, there is a lot to consider about structure and story. A short film only has a certain amount of time to leave an impression, so every part of it must be well thought out and purposeful. Specifically this film, I learned a lot about ways to include back story without taking up too much time or hitting the audience over the head with exposition. Granted, the characters and plot for this film are well known to the audience, so a lot was dependent on that, but there was still an entire implicit history of the characters lives fit into a twenty minute time frame. The use of the dream sequences and careful dialogue to explain what happened to the children while Peter was away was well done.

Another important characteristic of a short is feeling like a full story, even though it's really only a snippet or event of something larger. "East of Kensington" jumps right into the story, without much background. Then at the end, although it doesn't seem like an ending, has a feeling of completion and finality. This is something that I believe is significant to contemplate while writing the script to our own films. Watching other peoples' short films is extremely helpful and rewarding when you are attempting to do the same, and a lot can be learned from the trials, errors and successes of those who have created films before us.

Darkness Light Darkness

Darkness Light Darkness is a short film by Jan Švankmajer. I think it is a very interesting film that sheds light on human life. Jan works with clay figures throughout the short. Human limbs (clay limbs) try to put themselves together. Strange sounds are used during this process. Hands, ears, eyes, a face, and all of the other limbs eventually come together to create a fully-grown human body trapped in a small room where they're connected.

I found this film to be very impressive and well done because it is stop motion animation. It is such a meticulous way of creating a story. You have to change the models slightly every frame without losing the continuity or the persistence of vision. You take a picture and change it again and again until the film is complete.

I don't know exactly what Jan was trying to portray with this film. I think there are a lot of messages that can be taken from it. However, I can only put one message I received into words clearly. This message is: We (humans) try so hard to discovery our meaning or purpose in life but we get so caught up in the search that we never get a chance to truly live. We have to look outside of the tiny room (narrow perspective) we think were trapped in to see the wonder of life. When each of us are open and truly alive, that is when we will be living out our purpose. I could be completely wrong but that's the great part about films. Each viewer can get something different out of a single film.

The video below is the full short film. Viewer Discretion Is Advised

ABE: A Short Horror Film

In keeping with my last post, I again am attaching a short film that I found online. This specific film is a scary short about a serial killing robot. There is some very interesting hidden messages in the film, including the issue with robotics and really showing the difference and the horror of what can happen when a robot tries to "fix" human beings into making them love him.

There is something that makes this robot terrifying yet at the same time by the end of the short I feel sort of bad for him in a creepy way. The maker of this film did a great job of managing to have a CGI robot appear so real, and also to have the viewer care about him in such a short film.

I also really liked the cinematography in this short, some of the reflective shots off the blades are really interesting. Also the english accent of ABE is perfectly chosen, and somehow is eyes make him seem lifelike.

I thought the premise of this short was really interesting. What happens when you teach a robot the meaning of love? The terrifying part is that his programming is flawed, causing him to not understand what to do when his love is not reciprocated. Making the logical confusion, he thinks the people must be broken. So he tries to "fix" them into loving him.

The animation of ABE along with the dialogue used really brings this robot to life and makes you forget that he isn't real, and despite what he is about to do we can't help but feel bad for this robot as he desperately tries to find a way to make people love him.

The Best Short Films

With all of the buzz going around (and our own fiction field final project looming on the horizon), I've recently developed a very strong love for short films. I love movies, and I especially love TV shows, but there's something about telling a complete story in under 20 minutes that just totally piques my interest. Which is why, about a week ago, I searched google for something along the lines of "the best short films." Google didn't let me down.

One of the first things that popped up was a website called shortoftheweek.com, and you can more or less imagine what they feature. Every week or so, they post a new short film, either one that has been doing especially well in film festivals or one that was submitted straight to the site that they thought had some kind of potential. So far, I haven't been let down. Topics range from everything from conquest to puppetry to film noir with absolutely everything in between. So far, I've watched one about an Australian man who gets wing-manned by G.O.D. (the light and funny "Glenn Owen Dodds"), one about a woman who starts to get fed up with her husband's annoying mannerisms (the horrifically dark comedy "It's Not You, It's Me) and one about a high school boy and the adventures that he has in his car (the bittersweet and creative "Orange Drive"). And I can't wait to watch more.


The fact that I'm starting to take more writing and video production classes has really given me this unique insight into how short films are made, and more importantly, how hard they are to make. Taking a long time to introduce a character can be fun, and the experience of really getting to know them is something in and of itself, but you can't do this in short films. I want to be a writer; if you know me, that's not really a huge secret. And right now, one of the most important things that I think I need to learn is how to not only introduce a character and plot in a matter of minutes, but also how to flesh that out and tell a whole story in a very short matter of time. I could be wrong, but I think the key is to start very small and work my way up from there. Watching short films is really helping me out with that.

I couldn't be more excited to take a whack at this with our fiction field project, and it's so cool to know that everyone else feels the same way. I know that everyone is going to work hard to create some awesome projects, and I can't wait to see how everything turns out.

Hobbit Production and Various Behind the Scenes

After class on Monday I spent one night this week going through all of the production blog posts for the Hobbit. There's 9 parts in all and I'd highly recommend going through and watching them all, even if you're not a fan of the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. Especially for us, it's a valuable glimpse into what we're getting ourselves into.

One post in particular stood out to me though. The focus was on the technical aspects of the film. They talk about filming in 3D, and they do a great job at explaining how filming in 3D works. They also go over the logistics of shooting in 48p and how design had to change because of it. I wouldn't have thought filming in a higher frame rate would cause them to completely redesign some costumes with different fabrics, patterns, and colors as well as complete set pieces, but they did.

Definitely watch the video, and all of them if you have time (HA!) It's definitely a good project for over break. They're really interesting.

Also, if you're into the behind the scenes type videos, there's a girl on youtube who has chronicled the process of making her first short film out of college. I've been following her and the process of pre-production, production, and now post production since around October. It's interesting to watch someone who is in the same position we'll be in all too soon. Everything she makes is oddly captivating and I can't wait to see "The Water's Fine." Here's the first video in her playlist for the making of "The Water's Fine." Throughout the whole series she gives you a glimpse into her writing process, location scouting, casting, and more. Check it out.

Watch this too?

I saw this video a while ago. Maybe it will help groups with coming up with ideas for their films. It is definitely contains a wealth of knowledge.

This video basically walks you through Ken Burns's thought process when coming up with ideas.

Yes this is the same Ken Burns as the "Ken Burns Effect".

So hearing from such and influential person is always great, but at the same time it is humbling because he is human, not eccentric and his thought process seems normal when he explains it and most people can do the same.

One of the main things I got out of it is his math. Everyone is used to 1+1=2, but he is saying make 1+1=3, add that extra element that will make the audience feel. Manipulate them with things that they hold close to their hearts and you will come up with something truly great.

It's also cool hearing about how he can see stories so easily, like things that happen in history make such interesting stories. Like Jefferson writing that all men are created equal, but had slaves of his own and never freed them in his life.

So without further adieu here's the link to the video:

Ken Burns: on Story

Icebreaker

This is a film my friend Jeff Newell. I met him over the summer at the film festival in Auburn Ny. When I saw this film. I knew his unique artistic ability and knew I would certainly enjoy it. This little film only lasts about 3 minutes but establishes so much. The deep interaction between two so-called friends and how well they both know each other. Not only do they have the same taste in girls but they knew each others next move. In the beginning it reads out a vast list of explicit warnings. I wondered how on earth did they establish that in such a short amount of time. It certainly amazed me! The surprise ending is certainly disturbing and isn't meant for a weak stomach. The sound is also very disturbing. What I appreciate the most is that if you go to watch it again, you begin to understand the short lines that mean so much more than what they would in a normal everyday conversion. Completely, unnoticeable until you realize the end.  Also, the acting was done wonderfully! Not much was required of it but simplicity is beauty and can also imply complexity. I love it when films really reach out and grab you by the mind and heart. That is why I live!