The weekend is over...
I'm rethinking the idea of the subtitles for the SF project. I did a quick test with some dialogue, replacing the sound with subtitles. In foreign films it's not so distracting since there is still sound to reinforce the dialogue, but if you want the viewers to really pay attention to the image and there is no spoken dialogue, the titles make for an effect which I think is too disorienting. It was a pretty good idea, I thought, but I probably won't use it. Now I'm working on the script with the intention of having a few very minimal lines of spoken dialogue. The majority of the film will just have music or some environment sounds. I rewrote the opening scene with this in mind; implication instead of exposition.
For example, it originally went like this:
1. FADE IN on the rusting hulk of a bulldozer, sitting under harsh light. Sparse, dry grass surrounds the machine in a ring. The shot continues for fifteen seconds.
2. JOHN, half-dressed in fatigues and half-dressed in normal clothes, enters the frame from the camera side, carrying a small briefcase-sized box. He walks cautiously around the bulldozer, then turns around and addresses someone behind the camera.
JOHN
Radioactive.
3. MEDIUM SHOT (reverse shot) of the subject: a woman dressed in ragged clothes, with a machine gun slung on her shoulder. This is ELIZABETH.
ELIZABETH
The others are waiting.
After the rewrite using sound instead of speech:
1. FADE IN on the rusting hulk of a bulldozer, sitting under harsh light. Sparse, dry grass surrounds the machine in a ring. The shot continues for fifteen seconds.
2. JOHN, half-dressed in fatigues and half-dressed in normal clothes, enters the frame from the camera side, carrying a small briefcase-sized box. He walks cautiously around the bulldozer. The beeping from the box accelerates. He then turns around and addresses someone behind the camera.
3. MEDIUM SHOT (reverse shot) of the subject: a woman dressed in ragged clothes, with a machine gun slung on her shoulder. This is ELIZABETH. She points into the distance, past the bulldozer, and walks out of the frame.
I think it gets across the same idea with less words. There's no need for John to say "radiation" when the Geiger counter's rising beeps can imply the same thing.
I also ordered some props for the project - several military shirts, pants, jackets, ammo bags, and an old medical respirator kit that will come in handy. I fleshed out most of the plot yesterday. To write this project, I'm going to try starting by writing the completed story, but in a few paragraphs. Each iteration will contain more detail, working out specific scenes and eventually every shot. For my current project "Taco" I wrote the script with each shot described. I think this works pretty well, especially with film, because each second costs money. This method allows a reasonable shooting ratio (around 2:1 for "Taco", I believe) since every shot is known in advance.
I still haven't decided whether to shoot the SF project on Super 8mm film or miniDV. I have a Canon GL2 for DV production, but the S8 would give a much more cinematic quality (at greater cost). Let me know if you have a strong opinion one way or another. A lot also depends on how the first day's shooting for "Taco" turns out after processing. If a good result and reliable, consistent processing and workflow seems achievable, I will probably shoot on Super 8. The footage should be back by the end of this week or early next week.
For example, it originally went like this:
1. FADE IN on the rusting hulk of a bulldozer, sitting under harsh light. Sparse, dry grass surrounds the machine in a ring. The shot continues for fifteen seconds.
2. JOHN, half-dressed in fatigues and half-dressed in normal clothes, enters the frame from the camera side, carrying a small briefcase-sized box. He walks cautiously around the bulldozer, then turns around and addresses someone behind the camera.
JOHN
Radioactive.
3. MEDIUM SHOT (reverse shot) of the subject: a woman dressed in ragged clothes, with a machine gun slung on her shoulder. This is ELIZABETH.
ELIZABETH
The others are waiting.
After the rewrite using sound instead of speech:
1. FADE IN on the rusting hulk of a bulldozer, sitting under harsh light. Sparse, dry grass surrounds the machine in a ring. The shot continues for fifteen seconds.
2. JOHN, half-dressed in fatigues and half-dressed in normal clothes, enters the frame from the camera side, carrying a small briefcase-sized box. He walks cautiously around the bulldozer. The beeping from the box accelerates. He then turns around and addresses someone behind the camera.
3. MEDIUM SHOT (reverse shot) of the subject: a woman dressed in ragged clothes, with a machine gun slung on her shoulder. This is ELIZABETH. She points into the distance, past the bulldozer, and walks out of the frame.
I think it gets across the same idea with less words. There's no need for John to say "radiation" when the Geiger counter's rising beeps can imply the same thing.
I also ordered some props for the project - several military shirts, pants, jackets, ammo bags, and an old medical respirator kit that will come in handy. I fleshed out most of the plot yesterday. To write this project, I'm going to try starting by writing the completed story, but in a few paragraphs. Each iteration will contain more detail, working out specific scenes and eventually every shot. For my current project "Taco" I wrote the script with each shot described. I think this works pretty well, especially with film, because each second costs money. This method allows a reasonable shooting ratio (around 2:1 for "Taco", I believe) since every shot is known in advance.
I still haven't decided whether to shoot the SF project on Super 8mm film or miniDV. I have a Canon GL2 for DV production, but the S8 would give a much more cinematic quality (at greater cost). Let me know if you have a strong opinion one way or another. A lot also depends on how the first day's shooting for "Taco" turns out after processing. If a good result and reliable, consistent processing and workflow seems achievable, I will probably shoot on Super 8. The footage should be back by the end of this week or early next week.
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