Hover-bike scene

Telling the story:

One scene I have been thinking about for some time is a hover-bike scene.

Film unfolds by the main character telling his story. He tells his story as a part of a journal project, because he is told that he ought to share what he sees with other people. Because of this, he tells how he sees the world "now" and how he saw things before the accident at the same time. For the viewer, this creates a juxtaposition of how he sees the world; and this tension is paralleled by his quest to gain not just sight but vision... an understand of how the world really is.

One of the ways that I envisioned the pre-accident life to be portrayed is in a scene where the main character rides around on a hover-bike. This scene highlights just how much he was able to (literally) see before the accident. This is important because the scene is a juxtaposition to his life now. In the flashback, there is a reflection of the future; foreshadowing is a powerful way to aid the viewer in understanding where the story is going.

The scene is important in telling the overall story; but it presents a technical challenge: How am I going to film a hover-bike scene?

Compositing:

The basic way that the effect is going to be achieved is through compositing.

Compositing is an easy way to achieve digital effects. As the video below shows, basic compositing can be achieved through using a green screen and a model:

To do the scene in my movie, I will have to have three shots:

• The first will be a shot of the background.
• The second will be of a green screen. 
• The third will be graphic effects that help ties the two preceding layers together.

These shots would be easy to do, but they require two locations and a bit of editing time. I've already got the first two locations, the outdoor shot being the C&O Canal near Shepherdstown (I still have to get written permission, but all that is required to get this shot is to take a camera and a wheelbarrow to the canal); and the green screen shot can be filmed in the comm lab studio at Shepherd University. The final part of the compositing process could be done with Adobe After Effects. 

So, yeah... my film will have a hover-bike scene. I think that it is pretty cool that my education has enabled me to film this kind of scene; I'm excited to see this happen, and I hope to post a video of this scene as soon as I've finished it.

Prewriting and Rewriting

Continuing the theme of last week's entry, I am going to talk about preparedness and how my project is coming along.

Prewriting:

A lot of prewriting is simple stuff. The first rule is to set aside time for writing. You might think that the first place to begin is to come up with a great story idea or a loveable character, but you're wrong... no offense. The first step when planning to write is to set aside time to write, because otherwise it doesn't matter how interesting your world, or how deep your character, nobody will ever hear of it.

Now, I know that might seem like a no brainer, but prioritizing and setting aside time to write is the only way to make it happen. If you try to do all your writing at the end of the day; or in-between other tasks, odds are, you'll end up with a notebook full of half-sketched ideas (we've all been there). Setting aside time is important because it forces you to write even if you don't feel like it that day. From what I've read, most people take time to "get into" story writing mode. If you don't set aside enough time to forget about everything else that is on your mind - AND have time left after that to write, I don't know how you'll do it.

Rewriting:

Now that you've taken those first brave steps (and have slavishly devoted hours of your time to your craft) are you done yet? The answer is, probably not. Writing professors argue that most great writing requires a lot of revision. While this true most of the time, there are exceptions; sometimes a story idea leaps onto a page (or word document) and seems to be fairly complete. Don't cry foul, I credit this to the fact that some people only write down what they've been through mentally a million times (now that's what I call in-house editing).

However good (or bad) your writing is in the first draft, it is important not to get discouraged if you don't produce a masterpiece in one go; that's why you allot yourself  time each day for writing: it's a lengthy process. Another tip is to bring your writing to a trusted (and fair-minded) friend; if you are willing to trust them, odds are, they will be able to give you criticism and advice where you need it most in your writing - just remember not to take it too personally.

As for me:

As you might have guessed, I'm in the writing stage myself. Part of the reason I wanted to stress the amount of time required for a writing project is that I'm not the best at keeping up my writing each day. Where I have trouble is not in getting lost in my writing, that happens almost every time; rather, scheduling creative time is my weakness.

This weekend I've been good about setting aside time. So far, I've got five pages done; and have sketched out a few other scenes. Part of the writing process for me with this project has been adapting to scriptwriting software. I've been using Adobe Story for my project since I'm writing a script. Story has been a very useful aid in conforming my writing to the guidelines for scripts. Story has templates for movie scripts and will remember characters when they come up again. The ability to outline the project has also proven useful.

Transitioning

"And now for something completely different..." - Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Transitions

In comics, transitions are vitally important. How an artists goes from one scene to the next, or even from one moment to the next greatly influences how each panel interacts with the other. Scott McCloud identifies six different types of transitions and how they work.

They are:

1. Moment to moment
2. Action to action
3. Subject to subject
4. Scene to scene
5. Aspect to aspect
6. Non sequitur

For a more in-depth analysis of each type of transition, pick up a copy of McCloud's book Understanding Comics. For a brief look into how transitions affect a story, lets apply this model to Maus.

Transitions in Maus

In Maus, Art Spiegelman uses transitions to help create the world of his story. Maus is a story about what Spiegelman's father experienced during the Holocaust; but it is also a story about Spiegelman interviewing his father. This juxtaposition helps reinforce the weight that the story carries.

Action to Action

Spiegelman uses Action to Action transitions for most of the story by panel count. This is because action to action transitions carry the audience through the highlights of the story; from one moment to another. Action to action transitions are fairly informal, and often go unnoticed; however, this is their strength. Action to action transition enable the reader to focus more on the story, and less on the format of the comic; which in helps the reader get immersed in the world of Maus.

Scene to Scene

Scene to Scene transition are used in Maus to help take the reader from one place to another. This is used as Spiegelman's father tells about his experiences and the reader is taken from their New York home back to Poland. This kind of transition requires the reader to piece together where the story is going; creating a larger world in the process.

Subject to Subject

Subject to Subject transitions are often used to show conversations in comics; and in film. Using subject to subject transitions helps create the "air" in-between the two people; in that the reader is able to place the two (or more) people in a room. Subject to subject transitions are used in Maus for almost all of the conversation scenes... in and out of the memory sequences.

Transitions and Traditions

When you create a story, what do your transitions say about your work? We all get caught into pattern of thinking, but perhaps being aware of form and transitions can add new meaning to the stories we tell; what do you think?

I created the images used in this work. I reserve all rights, etc. If you want to use the images, send me a message.

Pre-Post Production

PRE:

This week, I took time off of formal research to research effects that I need to use to get my film to look the way I want it to look. Post production is a hugely important step in the film making process, and often times, we think of it last. I am trying to avoid this mistake and am considering some of what I plan to do in post now instead of later.

Part of the justification for putting other research on hold is that I intend to have an effects-heavy work. As I mentioned in my first official post about the project, I am looking to present a world shown as a combination of impressionism and cubism; this ties into my overall story, which follows a man who (following and accident) has a device that uses sound to create images. In the process of creating images, things like color and the refraction of light are difficult for the device to translate (partly because of noise-interference with the device) and so the image is distorted.

POST:

One of the main sites that I am looking at to help me with post production is Post Magazine. Post offers insights from professionals in the world of post production, who offer everything from technical details about a product to advice on how to run a 'post' studio. While their online content may be limited, I have access to the magazine at work where our post production specialist has a subscription that he shares when he is finished with it. Post can help you know what software to use, and aided me in my quest to get editing software of my own (I decided that Adobe Production Premium met my needs).

Tutorials:

While it might seem surprising, a secondary source I am getting information from is tutorials on youtube. Just as many people are wiling to be interviewed by magazines like Post, many companies and individuals are willing to post awesome tutorials online.

Since I am making a science fiction film, I was looking a lot at compositing (for spaceship sequences, potentially) and generic video effects (to learn how to show an impressionist-cubist world). I'm excited with what I've seen so far, particularly this video which shows how to create a realistic-looking planet in about two minutes!

I still have a lot of research to do with post production and effects, but I am thrilled with the results I have so far. If you have a favorite effect, feel free to leave a comment with the link; I'd love to check it out.

Research on Synesthesia

Reviewing sources:

So, for my final project I have several research tasks that must be completed. This week, I spent time reviewing tow books that have helped me ground my project conceptually. Over the next few weeks, I will dive into purely academic papers; however, I thought that it would be good to give my readers a clue as to where I am coming from.

Music Video and Synesthesia:

Synesthesia is my main research topic, and to gain a sufficient basis conceptually I am revisiting Dr. Kevin Williams "Why I [Still] Want My MTV", which delves into the topics of music video and Aesthetic Communication. Williams does a good job of covering the theoretical basis of synesthesia as a phenomena in its entirety.

When I have read Williams' book before, I marked pages pertaining to synesthesia to aid me in putting my current project together. While the text is primarily about Music Video, Williams is thorough in his examination of communication theory; especially as pertains to synesthesia. It fits into my project well, since I intend to produce a film that communicates on more than just the visual level. For a review of some of the concepts Williams deals with in his book check out this post.

Music and Synesthesia:

Over the summer I started reading Oliver Sack's "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain". If you've read (or seen the movie) Awakenings, you are familiar with how Sacks approaches his topics with a combination of research and narrative.

Sacks work was important to my project because He is a very thorough researcher, and like Williams, includes footnotes citing all his sources and explaining concepts in greater detail. Sack's book deals with the phenomena of music and why we react so strongly to it.

Throughout his medical career, Sacks encountered people who had lost their hearing or had suffered brain damage. In many of these cases, people developed strange reactions to music; everything from hearing music all the time, to having a completely changed way of experiencing music after their accident.

Sacks work ties into my research because he identifies cases of synesthesia explaining several of the causes. He also treats synesthesia as a topic of interest instead of an abnormality to be dismissed; which is critical to developing an understanding of synesthesia.

For a primer on Synesthesia, check out this post.

Sounds Shadows and a World Revealed

The time has come to announce my final project. While it seems that my time at Shepherd has flown by, I also feel that I am ready to attempt to make tell this story.

The Big Idea:

For several years I have had an idea bouncing around my head. I've always been a fan of science fiction, and as a child I imagined stories of different worlds with my friends. I imagined empires and societies sprawling across the universe, ever an intrigue or war about to start; politics, war, and new worlds all came to life in my imagination.

While I attempted to write some of the stories I dreamed of as a child, it wasn't until recently that the pieces came together as to how to begin the story. I would always begin in the middle of a universe where people were in space, and try to work out details of a story after assuming this huge technological leap forward. Essentially put, I had no introduction to the worlds I wanted to visit (and share with others).

I am going to make a film about a man who must see the world through sound.

Why?

While I want to keep some details hidden for the time being, his story ties into the larger story I would like to tell as an introduction to a new way of seeing the world. It is this change in perspective that drives people to travel the galaxy.

How?

On the theoretical side of my project, I am going to research Synesthesia because this is the way that the man is able to "see" the world.

On the technical side, I am going to spend time researching filters and effects on Adobe After Effects to try and create the look I am trying to achieve. In short, I am looking to present the world as if it were seen akin to a combination of cubism and impressionism.

I am very excited about this project! I hope it will bring together the best ideas and the most compelling stories I have, all while challenging me to use all the skills I've cultivated at school and at work.

Maus and Masks

When considering Art Spiegelman's Maus in the light of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, something that struck me was how there is a parallel of how each treats the idea of wearing a mask.

The Use of Masks:

Maus explores the theme of wearing masks in how Spiegelman's father acted in the face of persecution. In chapter six, Vladek and Anja have an opportunity to escape the ghetto and pretend to be Polish. Their act of hiding their identity is shown by them wearing a mask over their face. While trying to hide their identity is simply a way to keep safe for Vladek and Anja, it reminds us that their is a wider world around them; they are alone, but they aren't the only ones who are scared - many of their friends are going through the same thing.

This wearing of masks corresponds to McCloud's idea of why we identify with cartoons. According to McCloud, part of the reason we identify with simplified drawings is that we have to perceive our own faces - for example, most of the time, the only indication that we have that we are smiling is that we feel our smile, we don't see ourselves smiling. That our input is limited to the muscles we feel when smiling gives us a simplified mental image of ourselves; thus, we identify with simplified images of human faces.

Closure:

Another thing that I found interesting about Maus is how Spiegelman uses closure. As McCloud notes, the gutters (the lines in between each panel) enable the reader's imagination to "fill in" the gaps between frames in a process known as closure. Spiegelman uses the gutters to help tell the story. For the most part, the gutters are uniform from one panel to another; however, when Spiegelman wants to communicate the intensity of a moment, the panels will be slanted, or have uneven gutters. This use of gutters highlights important moments and draws the eye to these moments.

While the use of gutters and closure might seem subtle, Spiegelman is telling a story that requires subtlety. The memories that he is relating are very difficult to process, and even something simple the way the gutters are used can make a difference to the reader. Playing with format enables the writer to immediately communicate details about a scene; and adds depth for a second reading. Maus is a graphic novel that requires several readings to fully comprehend; it keeps communicating something new each time you pick it up.

Image from Flicker. Click for link to flatworldsedge's profile.