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!!!!!

Info in Ithaca

Already into my second year here, I was shocked by our presentation in class regarding the library on Wednesday. I mean, sure, I know that we have a library with plenty of resources, but nobody has ever shown me the online capabilities and resources as well. Maybe it's something you can find out in the actual library...I guess I wouldn't really know, having gone into the building perhaps three times since being here (it just isn't the right workspace for me). The website, however...that's accessible anywhere with an Internet connection.  Suddenly, it's as if a million new doors were just unlocked in front of me, and I've got full access to all of their hidden treasures with the click of a button.

Not having noticed this feature until now, I certainly felt ignorant.  I expected more people to know about this, considering the work most students do and the amount we pay to do it...yet, upon asking around to some friends, they were just as amazed as I was at the amount of useful information that we could call up without leaving the room. In retrospect, I really wish someone had shown me this sooner; having taken a number of theater design and Park classes, along with helping several ICTV shows, it would've made all of my projects and performances so much more believable. It's the little details that make things memorable, too, so why not use the library's website to find and perfect them right away?  The college should absolutely make this a more well-known resource for students, because anybody could benefit from the enormous span of information available, regardless of their majors. Plus, it never hurts to learn something new now and then from a reliable source. I don't know about the rest of you, but I've always got an unanswered and random question in my head, and sometimes, Google just can't come up with an answer that satisfies me. Thus, having the library's online sources is a bit of a gift in that I can find information on most subjects with relative ease, in a multitude of formats. Some queries are better answered in words, others in pictures or videos; this college seems to know how to connect its students to any of that, if they know how to look for it.

So, Ithaca College, here's my suggestion to you: introduce the library as a resource both on campus and online within the first few days of a student's career here, in an intro level class of any sort. It would take perhaps a twenty minute demonstration, at most, by the professor to open students' eyes to this, and it's not something I'm likely to forget in the near future.  You'll know the ones who see this as an opportunity to grow by the spark in their eyes, and it will without a doubt start improving the quality of work across campus of those who want to succeed.