And Here Begins Our Documentary Project.

Like everyone else in class, we are well under way with the planning stages for the upcoming short documentary assignment.  Our documentary project will be focusing on the enforced smoking bans on the local beaches and their effects on the local aquatic wildlife. For our professional interview we plan to get in contact with either an expert at the aquarium, a park ranger, or a professor at UNCW. Filming will take place at the Ft. Fisher aquarium, as well as the local beaches. We will imply a serious and informative tone for the final product. The ten questions we plan to ask for our expert interview are as followed:

1. How does smoking affect the animal species in the area?

2. What animals are affected the most by smoking?

3. Why was the ban proposed?

4. How long was this proposition being planned?

5. What other kinds of pollution effect aquatic life?

6. Has there been an increase or decrease of visitors at the beaches since the ban?

7. Are there any plans for other bans or restrictions?
 

8. Has there been an increase in the animal population since the ban?

9. Was there an event that caused the ban?

10. Do you smoke? What is your personal view of the ban?

The vox pops questions will also be filmed on the beaches and the aquarium.  The questions will primarily be aimed at children (with permission granted by a parent or legal guardian) and parents.  The main questions will be:

1. What is your favorite animal and why do you like it (this question will be geared toward the younger interviewees)?

2. What do you think if the ban?

3. Are you aware of how littering affects the animals?

Vox pop questions 2 and 3 will be aimed more toward the adult interviewees.

Shedding Light on Light.

I was outside one night.  The air was thick with fog, making it hard to see further away from me.  Across the street was a lit-up parking lot, and hanging over the entrance was a low tree branch erecting from a large tree.  I noticed that the lighting from the lampposts pierced through the tree branches, creating multiple streams of light in the fog.  For some reason, it initially reminded me of the release poster for The Exorcist.  But then, it reminded me of new images sharing the same dark and foreboding tones.

Another observation I've experienced also occurred at night.  I was driving up a country highway late at night.  The atmosphere was darker than usual, while sporadic lampposts dotted both sides of the lanes.  I looked down at my front seat.  Lying on the seat were some books and a candy bar.  As I drove under each lamppost, I noticed how the objects on the seat were quickly illuminated, then returned to being hidden in darkness until the light approached.  In my head, I visualized a scene of suspense.  A man we don't, driving to God knows where.  We only get glimpses of what mysterious object lies on his seat.  A weapon?  A small box?  It is never fully revealed to us in enough time to discover who he is or what he has.

Storyboard Art Or... Look! Pictures!

   And here begins the first project, which starts with two selected storyboard sketches of what I plan to contribute for our groups project.


Up first is a planned long, reestablishing shot.

It depicts a statue of an eagle standing on pillar with its wing spread open as it looks proudly to the sea.
And shot number two, an extreme close-up of a plaque commemorating the monument:

Here's to a good day of shooting pics!

January 13, 2013: Let's Get This Ball A-Rollin'!

   Throughout my life, I have garnered quite a boat-load of exposure to filmmaking.  My first experience with film began in high school with a fictional war film entitled Anatoliy The Ghost.  A year later came Job Well Done, my senior year final project.  The short crime drama was screened at my school's film festival where it won best cinematography, editing, and supporting actor. 

   After completing my freshman year in college, I dedicated the following summer to creating a post-apocalyptic/psychological-horror short film entitled DREAM HoME. The next two semesters (which were spent in a different school) were used to learn a good amount about the technical side of filmmaking.  I was able to write and direct another short film entitled Children of the Moon.  The mockumentary on a vampire offspring was an exercise for me in working with artificial lighting.  Though my lighting skills were not the best in the rushed film, I was able to learn the importance of proper light setting and the basic three-point lighting set up.

   This being a film course and me being obsessed with filmmaking, I hope to learn as much from this course as humanly possible.  But what I'd love to focus more on are how to continue building up my directing and screenwriting skills, as well as how to manage time between film production and all the other goodies in life (classes, work, procrastination).  I have a fascination with creating stories on paper and bringing them to life with bringing said vision to life comes dedicating a huge portion of the day to make sure everything is done according to plan (because if there is one thing your typical ADD college sophomore is amazing at, then that means I missed Grey's Anatomy).  The "limited amount of time" dilemma also makes me worried about rushing what could potentially be a good idea for a short film.

   In ten years, I hope to be highly skilled in writing and directing films with compelling stories.  I've noticed many Hollywood movies today are made to thrive on star power, CGI overkill, or exploitation.  I will admit, some movies I enjoy can be considered exploitation (and there is a time and place for that), but the films I remember the most are those that had a well thought-out story with brilliantly written characters.  It wouldn't hurt to have some CGI or a little shock value here and there, but when a movie relies solely on those qualities, then what lies in front of you is a movie that does not know the importance of moderation.