First Week back in term two has been dominated, regretably, by a horrible cold (my fourth in about six weeks). This has left me really exhausted, however, I have found everything going on in the Academy very interesting.
First on Tuesday was a Technical class, looking at lights, and the fundamentals of operating them. There is still a lot to learn here, but it is clear to me that a good working knowledge of lighting increases our cinematic repertoire no end, so its great to be getting stuck in to learning.
Tuesday afternoon was Screenwriting with Richard where we had a recap of the various things we have covered so far. We had a very useful discussion of themes in films, and came up with several ideas for stories, which I found very stimulating.
Wednesday was a lecture on Appointment Viewing, and the way in which Doctor Who has redrawn the map for British TV, in terms of providing a Saturday night focus, and in bringing fantasy drama back to the screen. We also touched on the way that Doctor Who has become a franchise, with spin-offs. The episode we watched was one of the poorest since the new series has started, but I appreciate why it was chosen. I think a very interesting comparison could be made between that episode (Rose) and the first Jon Pertwee episode from the 70's (Spearhead from Space). In both these stories we introduce a new actor for the doctor, we fight the same aliens (shop window dummies) and we take the show in a new direction. (The Black and White, Studio bound, 60's Doctor Who is giving way to the more action-packed, colour Doctor Who, filmed as much as possible on location). The difference between these two stories lies in the tone and the storyline. In Spearhead from Space the autons are presented as so chillingly terrifying that my 20 year old sister still refuses to watch the show. In Rose, they are almost comical, especially once Mickey is copied. The new storyline is also paced much more frantically, leaving you little or no time to actually explain who these aliens are, or what they are doing. Spearhead from Space, while arguably a tad sedate, is in my opinion a far better Doctor Who story than Rose could possibly be.
Thursday was a lecture on early cinema (Lumiere Bros, Melies) which I found very enjoyable. Ever since reading a little of his life, I have always considered Melies to be a very worthy subject for a biopic. He made over 500 films in a very short space of time, and then somehow seemed to give up, spiralling down and down until he ended up working as a garage attendant. It was here that he was "discovered" by a film journalist, and catapulted back onto the mainstage to receive an award for film-making excellence.
Friday morning was a screening of Battleship Potemkin (see other blog for review!) and Friday afternoon was our first lecture in Production. We looked at the role of the Producer in making a film, and in particular focussed on how so much of the work is on building good working relationships with as many people as possible. I think my levels of cold-induced tiredness combined with my slight stress regarding a new project at the Citz theatre which I am involved with together prevented me from getting much out of this last class. Hopefully it will become a little more practical. We all know that getting into a career trajectory after graduation is going to be very difficult; but it seems as though this was being over-emphasised in the lecture.
No comments:
Post a Comment