Bristol, RI - Partying Since 1776

READING & WRITING

As I come to the end of my journey of learning the "bare bones" of film and video, I reflect on how quickly this has passed by. It's a challenge enough learning everything there is about filming, but cramming that into 7 weeks is quite a trial. Despite already knowing a good deal of the information, I did learn some new concepts and practiced my current skills to push myself forward.

I think one of the most helpful pieces was finding examples of the concepts in film and television. It's one thing to read a chapter and look at pictures, but completely different to actually apply it. By searching, I found that it made more sense and also exposed me to how it has been done by others. It's also inspirational and sparks my own ideas as well. Even if I just start off recreating the shot, I'm still learning.

There is always something to learn when it comes to editing, and I feel that I practiced pacing, cutting on action, and transitions (audio + video). It was uncommon for me to think about how shots could be fused together; I would just shoot the shots and figure out that stuff later. But I've uncovered that it helps to understand how your shots work together before shooting.

One of the most difficult aspects for me is doing everything on my own, and at the same time having to rely on people. I know, confusing, but I'll explain. It takes a lot of time to set up tripods, audio equipment, cameras, lighting, and props. I've always done it on my own, but I also think to myself, "Man I wish I had someone set up the shot while I worked on the lighting." A 10-second clip can take 20 minutes to set up and get right, and that's a lot of effort and inefficiency.

I constantly struggle with getting subjects for my shots. Pretty much all of my friends and family are not big fans of being in films, even if it's for class. This has been especially accentuated with Covid. I've had people tell me they'll help only to back out at the last second (more about that below), causing me to change course completely, and I've had people indulge me for maybe an hour before they get tired and don't put as much effort in. It's why I try to create films without people because it's just so much of a hassle.

RESEARCH TO INFORM

Examining audio editing, I've searched through my favorites (of course) to find examples of J and L cuts. All contain spoilers (although, not so much the first).

Captain Janeway? Is that you?

Orange is the New Black was so good in its first few seasons. The character development, the storytelling, and the writing are all just so good. One of the best subplots of the first season was the infamous chicken conspiracy and Red's undeniable fixation. In the first 5 seconds of this clip, you can hear Red's voice from the following scene in the video of the previous scene, therefore depicting a quick J-cut. It acts as a way to bring us back to the present day following the flashback scene.

A BBC news show during the mid-1950s, aptly aired on BBC

The Hour is a fantastic British television drama that was canceled before it was given a chance. This scene, where Lix and Randall uncover that their daughter died in an air raid, is filled with L-cuts. There are two that happen in the first 7 seconds and continue during Randall's grief-induced outburst. Hearing the continuous rage as the shot focuses on Lix keeps us grounded and in the moment.

Helen Mirren is so badass in this movie I love it so much

I'm not big on action movies but I love Red (and the sequel Red 2). This shootout scene has a mixture of J and L cuts strewn throughout with gunshots and dialogue. Plus, who doesn't love seeing Helen Mirren with a machine gun?

CREATE

Last week, I shared my pre-production work for a mini-documentary about my brother and his friends, and how basketball helps their lasting friendship thrive. Unfortunately, that completely fell through due to a lack of communication on my brother's part and gave me yet another data point as to why I hate relying on people.

So I had to act fast, and come up with another story. Luckily I had a few ideas up my sleeve, which was a good thing because I ended up on Plan D.

The result is almost a mini-doc autobiography. My mother and I discuss our track record for the annual 4th of July house decorating contest in our town of Bristol, RI, which has the oldest celebration in the country.