Master and Coverage

This project was difficult for a variety of reasons. It kind of came together at the last minute. However, I was very happy that I had sat down beforehand and looked at what were the most important moments in the script. I also made sure to talk about what literally happens in the scene. This was essential in helping me tell the most important parts of the story. I wanted to cover the communication between Starla and Bill and their being interrupted by Grant. After I figured these out, the next step was figuring out the emotional arc of the scene.

This scene features some sexual tension between Starla and Bill. They have a sweet connection, but it isn't allowed to progress because of the very real threat of Grant, which in the story of the film is exacerbated by his alien possession. The emotional arc led me to also make decisions in editing about when I would show the different characters' faces and how long I would hold on those shots. I also wanted to give the actors some space, so I gave them plenty of time to feel comfortable with each other and run through their lines. I also tried to be very conscious of what felt natural for them. In the end, I wish that the scene was lit better and that I didn't cross the 180 degree line, but I'm happy with what happened over such a short period of time.

One Shot

I chose my scene from the film Being John Malkovich. I mostly wanted to focus on the comedy here, so I knew that the shifting positions of the characters would be important to show the shifting powers in this scene. I planned dolly shots to keep the image interesting when they would stay still. I had a lot more movements planned out before I shot, but when we saw the limitations of the space, I kept the most important ones. There were some things that needed to be changed, and one of the things that was most helpful to me was the MacKendrick viewing which helped me realize that there needed to be a motivation for all the characters to make the movements that they did. I was very intentional in choosing the movements that I did, that they had both a literal meaning and that they meant something to the overall story of the scene.

One of the things that I wish I could have improved on would be spending more time to perfect following the characters with the camera. I should have planned more time to get that done so that it would not distract from everything good that's going on. I really liked how most of the compositions turned out, I just wish we got there sooner. I also feel that the whip pan didn't fit with the scene as much as I though it would. It did feel a little out of place, and so I think if I were to do it again, I would include more extreme movements like that, or take it out. Overall, I think that the scene turned out very well, because it is very funny and the relationship between the characters is very dynamic, which is important to the rest of the story. The exposition also feels more meaningful and doesn't sound like exposition as much as it could.