Week Beginning 30/11

So we started with another early morning kit return - how many weekends in a row is that now?

After that, we had a class on Marketing and Distribution, possibly the most formidable of all the film strands - certainly the one I feel most out of my depth when considering. I think it is my own attitude to paying for anything, and certainly for luxuries, but I don't really understand how you can bank on anybody paying money for your product. I have the same issue with Maths tuition: happy to give it, I can't imagine what makes someone decide to pay for it. Same with theater: I only watch theater if I can see it for free, but I'm quite happy to draw a wage based on the crowds of people who spend money coming to see shows. There is no way I could ever be a salesman or a marketer - simply because the idea of spending money on something which is not particularly necessary or helpful is quite alien to me.

After this was a class in Screenwriting: the last class, actually, now that Mr. Smith has gone to Hollywood. We were looking at how to write an engaging scene. It was stressed that this sort of tense, emotive scene simply cannot be sustained throughout the movie or the audience will be utterly drained by the end of the film, especially with a feature. But for the key scenes which provide the main turning points of the movie, this is a very useful skill to learn: taking the key elements of a scene, and spinning them together, continually raising the stakes higher and higher until finally there is a resolution either for better or worse.

Tuesday was a Documentary class, where we watched Grey Gardens, which no doubt has had an effect of the collective cultural psyche, but which is still difficult to watch. There is little development from the understanding we have of these characters at the beginning to the end. Old Edie has obviously had her day - and still had a good voice, for a cailleach. She was going a little senile, but her life didn't seem to be the tragic mess of Young(er) Edie. Sexually frustrated, kept at home far longer than anybody should be and as a result sent over the edge into a world of fantasy in which she was an alluring young woman, with all her life ahead of her. I felt pity for her, but little sympathy, as so much of her problems were associated with her own choice not to leave. Perhaps, because I had to leave home at 18, and there was no quibbling with that, I find it harder to get into the shoes of someone who has "missed the boat" and finds themselves an adult living in someone else's house. The documentary is overlong and if I had watched more than five minutes at any point of it voluntarily I would have been surprised at myself.

No classes on Wednesday, and Thursday was our filming day. We were interrupted with the hospitalization of Adam, which meant that the afternoon had a different focus, being more interested in visuals (and arguably in simply getting through the exercise) than in getting the best performances. Either way, I am glad the experience is over: I am certainly not cut out to be a DoP, and was very much flying by the seat of my pants - as would have been very obvious to Ray and the crew.

Friday was a screening of The 400 blows. I use the translated title as I can't remember the foreign one... See other blog for review.