Blog #6 - Final Scene Project and Prep Work

Final Scene

Materials and Final Film

Shot List


Storyboards

 

 

 


Screenplay

 

Visual References

Final Scene

TCF 312 - Final Group Project Scene from Seth Melisano on Vimeo.

Blog Post #4: Scene Assignment

Scene Assignment

Scene Assignment Script

Logline: A mentally unstable man fantasizes about violence towards society, which he believes is corrupted and dying.

Gift of the story: Society can have an affect on anyone, and the most normal looking people can be the most violent.

For my scene I have decided to adapt the mirror scene from Taxi Driver (1976). I plan to have the scene giving a blueish tint to it to show the coldness of the atmosphere of the scene. I also want to give a darker shade to the shadows, showing the darkness surrounding the area. I want to set the scene in a cold and unsettling mood in an attempt to reflect the main characters feeling toward society. The camera movements, I feel will be mostly static shots and some pans of the area and of the character, but I intend to include both wide-shots, medium shots, close ups, and extreme close ups. I may add a dolly-in movement towards the main character, looking in the mirror, to add some emotion to what the character is feeling and thinking. The style will be "auteur" with a crime/physiological feeling.

Documentary Storytelling Assignment

Bryce Hospital Documentary - TCF 312 from Seth Melisano on Vimeo.
My short documentary storytelling assignment for TCF 312.

Director: Seth Melisano

Director of Photography: Nick Simpson

Blog #3 - Shot-by-shot Analysis

Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Here we open with a MS OTS of our main character, Aldo, talking to the antagonistic Nazi sergeant. Aldo gives him a stare while leaning forward, showing an interrogation. The lighting of the scene is a light blue, giving the impression that they are shaded, whether by clouds or by rains. The coats on the characters also shows that it is cool or cold.

Offsides, we see an ECU of another Nazi soldier watching with both fear and curiosity, as he does not know what will happen to them.

We now see Aldo and the sergeant in a medium shot. We can now see the background and setting, establishing they are indeed in a forest, with falling leaves showing it is mid-Autumn. Dead, scalped, soldiers also scatter the background, showing that this was an ambush and that Aldo and his men are brutal.

We see an OTS of Aldo, looking toward the sergeant as he insults Aldo, revealing no information. We see that Aldo still hovers over him, showing that he is still in power.

 Here we see an overhead wide-shot, as Aldo's men laugh, showing us a more precise location, giving us a better look at what the situation is, and shows us the location of Aldo's men.

Here we see a close-up, upward shot of Aldo. This shot mimics what the Nazi sergeant is possibly seeing and could be a POV shot.

Continuing the shot, Aldo stands high over the sergeant, like a tower. This gives the viewer the impression that Aldo is strong and powerful compared to the sergeant. We can also see that Aldo's men are above them, along with the bright sunlight shining through the tree, like angels of death.

Continuing the shot, Aldo sits, still above the sergeant, like a king on his throne, calling out to one of his men, Donny, to kill the officer.

We seeing a CU of the sergeant, nervous, as he awaits his fate. More Nazi bodies are shown in the background. The camera slowly moves forward, building tension.

We see the dark, ominous archway staring back at the sergeant, giving the sense of dread. Like the shot before, the camera slowly moves forward to build tension.

Here we see a two person shot of Aldo and the sergeant. Also still sits above him, will a look of power knowing full well what is about to happen. The sergeant sits in in CU profile shot with a look of sorrow and anger on his face, fearing what lies beyond the archway.

Back to the ECU of the offside soldier, he has now lost his curiosity and has become frightened, fearing for his life.

The camera has now moved to an ECU of the sergeant, showing the fear in his eyes, while remaining calm and dignified.

The camera has now moved to show an ECU of the darkened archway just as Donny is about to emerge from it. At this point the viewer can see nothing, creating the most heightened tension in the scene, as the camera is right in front of the lurking danger, but the viewer cannot see it.

Emerging from the darkness is Donnie in an aggressive stance. We see him emerge in a OTS shot of the Nazi sergeant. The sergeant sits lower than Aldo and Donnie, showing he is the weakest in power.

Here we have an upward shot of more of Aldo's men in applause to Donnie's arrival, but this shot is closer, giving us facial recognition. 

Aldo applauds alongside his men.

Donnie approaches the camera, towering, his bat clearly visible, giving us an impression of how dangerous he is.

The sergeant sits, calm, but nervous. He looks small and frail against the background, giving us another impression of his weakness.

We see an ECU of his medal, confirming his alliance with the German army, as does Donnie.

Here we see the infamous "Dutch" shot, infamous due to its overuse in some films. However, the shot here does not seem out of place. It is an ECU of Donnie as he interrogates the sergeant before killing him. The mixture of both the ECU and "Dutch" angle, with Donnie looking downward, gives the moment and intensity and holds our suspense to what will happen next. Another reason this angle is used is due to Tarantino's homage to German cinema.

Another ECU "Dutch" angle, this time of the sergeant. Again we see him from a downward angle, showing the viewer that he is not in power and is the weaker of the two.

The brawl begins and Donnie is attacking the sergeant violently, as anticipated. Here we see a wideshot of the area, showing the brawl, the captured soldiers, and Aldo and his men cheering on.

With a MS, we now see that there are two captured soldiers as opposed to the one we originally thought. There fear is now at its peak as they watch their sergeant being beaten to death.

Here we have another MS of Aldo watching the beating. We see that he is eating during the event. This tells us that blood is violence is natural to Aldo as watching a man being beaten to death does not disturb him or turn his stomach in the slightest.

After the sergeant is dead, Donnie is full of vitality, yelling boastful comments into the air and at his companions, being met with applause. The camera is at a MS, but, with Donnie's wild and energetic movements, swings back and forth, trying to keep up with Donnie as his moves around the sergeant's body.

In the final shot of the scene, we see a wide shot of Donnie, Aldo, one of Aldo's men, the dead sergeant, and the two captured soldiers. In the same shot, Donnie continues to boast before turning around and pointing at the soldier on the right to be interrogated next, but is instead shot when he tries to run, leaving the soldier from earlier, the last one left to interrogate. 

Black Warrior Film Festival

Last Friday, I attended the opening event for Black Warrior Film Festival. At the Tuscaloosa Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center film director Ya'Ke Smith presented many of his films, some he had never even shown before. These films included Katrina's Son, dawn., and Father. His films gave me a huge dose of reality, a reality that I've only heard about, but never seen before. They are very well made, but uncomfortable films, but I think they're suppose to be, because he is trying to show to the world the reality of people who live like this, people we don't hear or talk about. I commend his stance to show these types of films and not diluting his message like Hollywood would have done, which he stated during his Q&A. He also stated that for every filmmaker they must have a part of themselves in there films, else they're film has no purpose, and I wholeheartedly agree with this. If you don't care about the film you're making, it most likely will feel hollow. I try to incorporate bits and parts of myself or my life into every film idea I create, similar to Ya'Ke, though my experiences differ greatly from his. 

Blog #2 - Camera Movement

From 00:05 to 00:08 we see a Vertigo shot, which gives the illusion of an unknown danger approaching quickly.

From the beginning of this video until around 00:06 we see the use of the Dolly Down camera movement, showing a field of wheat moving fast beneath the camera and panning upward, showing a fast moving jeep.

Although not a live action film, meaning a dolly wasn't used, the movement of the scene creates a Character Dolly from 02:02 until the end of the clip, slowly revealing pieces of the Iron Giant moving, telling the viewer he is still alive, until finally the shot reaches his head as he gives a smile to the audience.  

Blog #1 - 10 Favorite Images

My Top Ten Favorite Images from Film and Television

As a lover of cinema, there are numerable films and television shows that I deeply enjoy. However, since I am only allowed to post ten of them, I believe I have chosen well. It was difficult, but here are my top ten images from film and television. NOTE: Some of these image description may contain light spoilers, so read at your own will.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

This image shows us the main protagonist, Alex (center), along with two of his "droogs," Dim (left) and Georgie (right), leaving The Korova Milk Bar, an establishment, full of all different types of people, which sells milk laced with a variety of drugs. My favorite film from director Stanley Kubrick, I enjoy this image as it introduces the viewer to this dystopian London, where everyone's hair is a different color, style is warped, but stuck, in the 1960s, and gangs are rampant throughout England, preparing them for a bit of the old ultra-violence.

Back to the Future (1985)

This scene occurs just after Dr. Emmett Brown's first successful test of his flux capacitor, which makes time travel possible, inside a DeLorean, alongside his assistant and partner Marty McFly. I chose this image as it shows the shock-and-awe faces of the protagonists, having just nearly been killed by the DeLorean, the perfect positioning of the camera to show the flames ignite between the protagonist's feet, and it shows the beginning of what becomes a nail-biting and adventurous chain of events that spans 130 years.

Doctor Who (1963-89, 96, 2005-present)

This BBC series follows a regenerating Time-Lord from the planet Gallifrey and his companions on adventures throughout time and space, possible due to his TARDIS. While I have not been a fan but for four years now, it immediately grew on me and I been one ever since. I chose this closing image from the 50th anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor" as it shows the first twelve Doctors of the series together for the first time, positioned against the starry universe which has been his home for almost two thousand years, surrounded by a mist of obscurity of where the Doctor may go next.

Game of Thrones (2011-present)

This HBO fantasy drama, based on the books by George R. R. Martin, set where the seasons are unpredictable and can last for decades, follows the families of the land of Westeros as they battle, ally, and betray one another in an attempt to sit the Iron Throne. This image takes place during the premiere episode and shows Eddard Stark, the King in the North, moments before executing a deserter of The Wall. I like how the image shows the rolling beautiful hills of The North, while showing the somber King, reflecting what he does not want to do, but must.

Gangs of New York (2002)

Occurring mid-way through the film, this scene features the battle scarred New York gangster William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting as he confides to his new apprentice Amsterdam Vallon, telling him of his enemy "Priest" Vallon, their relationship, and his death, not knowing that Amsterdam is the priest's son, come seeking revenge. I chose this image from one of my favorite Martin Scorsese directed films due to its simple setting of a wounded Bill in a chair, as it symbolically shows who Bill is; a wounded man, a "true" American, with a long and violent past, now showing empathy and companionship toward someone for the first and only time in the film.

Harry Potter series (2001-2011)

As my second favorite franchise, the Harry Potter series is one filled with many beautiful and powerful images; this image, however, stuck out to me out of all eight films. Taking place near the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry lies wounded and defeated after attempting to fight the traitorous Severus Snape. I always found this image haunting, with a darkened Hogwarts and stormy sky, as is the moment; Harry's mentor was just murdered, a teacher betrayed the school, and Harry is helpless to do anything. It just shows the bleakness and soberness in the moment, and I found it very visually appealing.

Interstellar (2014)

This image takes place around the beginning-middle of the film showing us a both happy and emotionally crushed Cooper watching videos of his children, still on Earth, grow and become parents before his eyes after a miscalculation and an incident on a gravitationally dilated planet left him stranded for 23 Earth-years. This film is full of gorgeous, awe-inspiring images, but I decided to choose this one for its simplicity, yet powerful emotion, as it is one of the most emotional scenes in the film. It's just something that no one has experienced, but would be devastating to most if it did, and Cooper's face says it all.

The Lord of the Rings (2001-03)

This image shows the wizard Gandalf, along with the hobbit Pippin, riding to the city of Minas Tirith after Pippin gazed into the eye of the Dark Lord Sauron through a palantir, causing Sauron to believe Pippin has the One Ring and to reveal to Gandalf that he intends to attack the city. My favorite film franchise, this trilogy is known for its sweeping views of wide valleys and towering mountainsides. This image from The Return of the King is one of my favorite scenic views within the film, showing the rolling hills of Gondor and the heavenly light shining upon the very detailed Minas Tirith, a bright white city, soon to be shrouded in darkness, told by the dark approaching clouds.

Star Wars saga (1977-83, 99-2005, 2015-present)

This image depicts the young Jedi-in training Luke Skywalker facing against the Sith Lord Darth Vadar on the gas mining colony of Cloud City on the planet Bespin after Luke sensed his friends were in danger. I love this image from The Empire Strikes Back as it is the two character's first confrontation, having been enemies for almost two films, the mist and lights shining from below create a dark, but colorful setting with each lightsaber's glow, embodying the essence of good and evil.

Titanic (1997)

This image shows lovers, Jack and Rose, aboard the bow of the ill-fated ship RMS Titanic as it sails to its last sun set, but at the same time transitioning to the present day, showing the bow down at the bottom of the North Atlantic. I'm not much one for romance films, but if there is one that I love, it's James Cameron's Titanic, and this image is a favorite of mine, it is bittersweet in that it shows the two teenagers accept their love for one another, embracing, while simultaneously showing the fading of time, watching the ship rust away, viewers knowing full well what happened to the ship. It shows both past and present, with light shining for both the sunset in the past and a submarine in the present, which was a nice touch, and the eternal blue of the ocean, which I felt symbolized their eternal love.