Dec 13: it's happening

WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

Today's class's focal point: everybody's pitches.

I think I over prepared, being the only one who did not go up with nothing but a script. Technical difficulties got in the way of the presentation, which I feel really took away from the whole thing. 

I also think, after watching a few of my peers' presentations that I did not talk enough about themes and my plot, focusing more on details like setting and character. 

That was a mistake. 

IB LEARNER PROFILE

Had to be reflective today, as while listening to people's pitches I realized the mistakes I made in preparing my own pitch, and added changes consequently. This requires looking back and comparing my potential performance to theirs, seeing how well they sold the story as opposed to how well they would sell the film. 

Dec 11: oh god

WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

With the script done at 11 pages, I finally started the storyboard. I know that this is very late, but the script had to undertake rewritings and revisions many times. 

It can be read here. 

The storyboard was lots of fun, and I took some time to make each panel clear in stage directions and even expressive of what emotions actors have. 

Fascinating.

We were also briefed briefly on how to pitch our films. I asked if we could make a presentation. I did a little research into how to pitch, too, but a lot of my results said that seeming over prepared was overkill, underprepared unprofessional. I think I will stick to making a presentation as some details are hard for me to explain with the spoken word, most particularly how the portals are supposed to work. 

IB LEARNER PROFILE

Today I was an inquirer, not only asking questions but also investigating pitching further. 

Dec 9: A list of people who have been shot

WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

Today, the class did individual practices of two film exercises. The task was to create a shot list and overhead diagrams for a section of an episode of The Twilight Zone. This is particularly helpful as a lot of students, myself included, were confused by some of the requirements in the Crit. A rubric. I had had previous experience in making a storyboard before, and I know how to write a script, but I'm only vaguely familiar with what a shot list does (beyond the use of noting good or bad takes during a shoot) and I have no idea what a overhead diagram is. 

I chose the episode that I did our previous analysis exercise on, "The Masks". I used the opening sequence of the episode. 

Before I actually got to do the exercise, though, we were given a helpful packet of information regarding various camera angles, the different scales of shots, different types of camera movement, and overhead diagrams. Once I was finished reading the packet, I started on the shot list as I had more of an idea as to what to do. Conveniently, I found that a shot list requires information about each shot, most notably angles, scales and movement, just as explored in the packet. 

Despite this information already provided, I still found it quite difficult to complete and although I only recorded five shots, it took up the remainder of class. Recording every action and actor movement, every single bit of information- even the duration of the shot- was a practice so thorough I was simply not used to it. 

IB LEARNER PROFILE

As a thinker, today I had to read and understand the packet and use the information that I learned from it in practice. The subject matter was, as I said, something I was not fully accustomed to, but it's a necessary exercise in preparation for the Criteria A assignment. 

Dec 4: Crit. A: Game start

WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

We were briefed on our Criteria A assignment and with Ms. Wong, unpacked the criteria. Essentially, the task is to create a full pre-production portfolio, inclusive of a script, a storyboard, a shot list and a series of overhead diagrams. 

When we were introduced to the theme of The Twilight Zone, and the more specific idea of portals, I got an idea for what I wanted to do pretty much straight away. However, when I began writing the script (and pulling up a bit of research what the plot would center around) I found that there was quite some difficulty in trying to 'keep it real'. This was because the way I pictured the film in my mind would realistically be very hard for a no-budget student production to carry out, regarding both setting and character props. 

IB LEARNER PROFILE

I had to be pretty reflective during this class because I had to reconsider my work by reflecting on it throughout the process, while I was writing. This is better than reflecting on potential mistakes after the script has been completed, as being able to weed out problems i.e., setting and props as well as actor safety as my script uses portals simply by falling down a lot and actors could get hurt; Safety is a concern that needs to be taken care of, if my pitch gets chosen. 

The Twilight Zone: Notes (Nov. 29)

WHAT IS IT?
popular 1950s tv show by rod serling

each episode is a mixture of self contained fantasy, science fiction, suspense or horror
often concludes with a macabre or unexpected twist
introduced many americans to serious scifi and abstract ideas through tv

Review: The Twilight Zone episode "The Masks" (Dec. 3)

SUMMARY

During Mardi Gras, a dying old man (Foster?) has his family come over for his last hours. Instead of what the family expected (discussion about his will and how much goes to them), Foster insists on making his family wear masks, specially chosen for each of the family members by Foster as his final "request" before he gives them the entirety of his ownings. After hours of what the family feels to be unbearable in their masks, midnight strikes and they take off their masks (as Foster dies) and realize that their faces are the images of their respective masks. 

THEMES

Obviously, there's a huge overarching theme of greed here- the entire reason that the family is there and the plot is existent is because the family wants to have Foster's will in the first place, waiting for him to die. They are promised this, but with the masks acting as a final act of revenge on Foster's part against his greedy family, he manages to toy with their moralities by the end, even from beyond the grave. 

Regarding my own notes about themes for Twilight Zone, I think it really falls into "good versus evil" here, although there's no defined "good" because in a way, Foster is "evil" as well.

SYMBOLISM OF THE MASK

Foster uses it to reveal the family's true selves. A pivotal point at the end that is the real shock twist and the macabre-ness of it all, even before the masks are taken off.

RELEVANT HISTORICAL/SOCIAL/CULTURAL FACTORS THIS MAY BE COMMENTING ON

It's a personal belief of mine that The Masks was commenting on social factors- the way people in general would act. It was a very clear and obvious moral that people are not always what they are on the inside- the masks only work as an opening to show the hyperbole of their personalities, referred to as "caricatures".

However, after doing some research into what exactly happened in 1964, I've been lead to believe that there's a possible link to to the "War on Poverty Campaign" declared by President Lyndon Johnson, explaining the ridiculous greed displayed by Foster's kids and grandchildren.

i cannot into pul[p fiction (nov 21, 25, 27)

ORDERING PULP FICTION CHRONOLOGICALLY

1. Scene 2: Hitmen Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield (under employment of Marsellus Wallace) shoot up Brett and co. They take the briefcase that Wallace wanted them to pick up that Brett allegedly stole. 

2. Scene 8 (The Bonnie Situation OVERLAP): Technically this is the same scene as the chronological first, but from a different perspective and far extended. 

This scene starts with a guy standing outside the door and hearing what happens. After the bible speech, and Brett + co. are killed ('cept for Marvin), he smashes through the bathroom door and tries to shoot Vincent and Jules. Every bullet misses them cleanly, and they kill the guy. They take Marvin, who was their informant (for Marsellus) and during the ride back and a discussion about miracles where it's revealed Jules is thinking about resigning as a hitman. When Vincent asks Marvin what he thinks about miracles, he accidentally kills him and blows his brains out all over the car. In fear of the cops or other complications, Jules goes to the friend who owes him a favor (Jimmy) who insists that they sort it out before his wife gets back from her job. Jules calls Wallace and it's stated that a "Mr. Wolf" comes to sort things out. He does, and they get the car cleaned up and the body taken care of. They go to breakfast at a diner.

2.5. Scene 1/Prologue OVERLAP: A small-time criminal Brit couple are discussing heist locations, then decide that a restaurant would be a good idea to stick up because they would be able to take the customers' wallets.

3. CONTINUATION OF 2., Scene 8: Once they arrive at the diner, they continue their discussion about miracles and Vincent goes to the bathroom. 

The stickup by the Brit couple begins. Jules and the guy in the couple, dubbed Ringo, have a face to face when Ringo notices the briefcase. After revealing what is in the briefcase (?) Jules turns the tables around and gets his wallet back, but gives the money to Ringo, to "pay [for] his life". There's more religious stuff, Vincent comes back and tenses things up a little bit but everything is sorted out and both the couple and the hitmen leave the restaurant. 

4. Scene 3 (Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife): Marsellus is speaking to Butch and paying him to lose or win his fights because he's betting on Butch, I guess?

Vincent and Jules enter the room. Meeting for the first time, neither Vincent nor Butch like each other. It is here that Marsellus hugs Vincent and asks him to take his wife Mia out to enjoy herself because he's leaving town for a few days. 

5. Scene 4: The next day, Vincent is picking up high quality heroin from his dealer Lance. He tries it out, and it's clear that it's the hard stuff. He drives back to get Mia (who does like, a heckton of cocaine), and together they go to a 50s/60s-ish themed restaurant. They dance until it gets late, then they go back to the Wallace's house. When Vincent goes to the bathroom to talk himself out of hitting on Mia, she finds the bag of heroin and snorts it, thinking it's coke (???). She passes out and Vincent comes back finding her in a bad state, taking her to Lance's house. They wake her up with an adrenaline injection and Vincent takes her back home again. They part on peaceful terms, both agreeing not to tell Marsellus. 

6. Scene 7: Butch dreams of his childhood where he as a child was given his dead father's watch. 

7. Scene 8: He wakes up, and it's time for his match. Although it is not shown, it is revealed (with masterful editing/directing!) in the same scene in his taxi drive back to his motel that he killed the man he was fighting instead of whatever Marsellus wanted him to do. His driver, Esmerelda, seems to be intricately fascinated with his opponent's death. 

Arriving back at the motel, he greets his girlfriend and they agree to take their money from winning the boxing matches and leave [the country???] in the morning. The next morning, Butch wakes up to the sound of a war/action movie on the TV (possibly referring to his father and the trauma Butch had to go through as a kid) and they prepare to pack until he realizes that the watch from his father is gone. After tearing up the apartment, Butch attempts to calm down and takes his girlfriend's car to his old apartment. Because of the fight, the entire time he is on edge and making sure that there is nobody (i.e., Marsellus's guys or Marsellus himself). He enters without problem and finds his watch, but lingers for a moment too long and realizes there is indeed someone else in the house with him when he sees a machine gun on a counter. 

It is revealed that that someone is Vincent, and Butch kills him (catching Vincent before he can react coming out of the bathroom). 

He leaves and thinks that it is over, driving away, but as he stops for a traffic light Marsellus turns and sees him in the road crossing before him. In a moment of recognition, before Marsellus can do anything, Butch hits him and swerves into a light post. Both pass out and wake up almost at the same time. A chase occurs, and both make their way to a audio? weapon? something? shop. Butch is about to kill Marsellus, but is stopped by the shop owner. 

Both are knocked out and wake up bound and gagged in the shop owner's basement, who implies that a "cop" named Zed is coming.

Zed arrives and the captives take out a leather slave/gimp guy to keep watch over Butch, while Marsellus is taken to be raped. Butch manages to get out of his bindings and knocks out the slave guy. He is about to escape when he hears Marsellus suffering and decides to turn back, taking a samurai sword with him. 

Arriving in the basement, he manages to sneak up on the store owner who is watching the rape and kill him. He manages to stall the rapist for long enough that Marsellus shoots him in the crotch with a shotgun, rendering Zed unfit to do much more than roll around on the ground. It is during this scene that Marsellus and Butch agree that "[they're] cool", and presumably, the boxing scandal is not brought up again. 

Butch leaves and picks up his girlfriend. On Zed's motorcycle. And they go. 

NOTES (and thoughts- do not read, half of it doesn't make sense it's just for my reference)