Saturday, 26 November 2016

Fiction Adaptation: Meeting with Ross Sutherland

Recently I was able to speak to my chosen poet on the phone.

PHONE MEETING WITH ROSS SUTHERLAND

 I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with Ross, and I was really interested to learn what I did about his poem 'Poem Heard on Heart 105'.

Ross said:

"I wrote the poem by just sitting in a parked car and listening to local radio. Whatever song came on I promised myself I had to respond it. So it's very much a durational project - just meant to represent a small period of quiet time and where the mind goes"

Whilst talking to him, I also found out:

- That he wrote the poem in the carpark of a dentist, whilst he was waiting for his girlfriend.
- The poem is literally him writing down his thoughts as each song plays on the radio.
- The line "trying to arrange these horses in a way that feels meaningful" is him explaining that there were some horses across the road, and he was trying to think of a way to poetically write something about them.
- The line "the signal went dead, as if an angel took a short cut through the car", is a reference to the old wives tale when during moments of silence people say it's like an angel just passed by.
- The lines about radio jingles are him saying that the process of advertising on radio is still the same as it was 50 years ago.
- The poem explore the ideas of modern day communication, and the idea that thousands of people can all listen to one song at the same time if they all tune into the same radio station.
- It's also about letting the radio guide your thoughts.

I found this phone call with Ross really interesting, and it was really good to hear his thoughts on the poem, and my ideas for its visual representation. He said that I could do what I liked with the poem, and that he looks forward to seeing the results. It's given me a lot to think about.

Ross has also very kindly provided me with a high quality recording of him using the poem which I can use in the film.

Fiction Adaptation: DSLR Camera Workshop

To expand on the camera workshop we had with Mike Rymer, we had an additional workshop on montage filmmaking. The brief was that we had to create a 3-5 minute montage, based on one of a few themes (despair, hope, joy, fear). To prepare for this, we had to create a shot list.

We got into groups of four (me, Nisserin, Becca, Ida) and began working on an idea. Our group picked 'hope' as our theme, and we came up with an idea where I was going to run for president, and it would be a montage of me preparing for my presidential campaign speech. Unfortunately, what we didn't realise was that the montage couldn't have a narrative, and our idea did.

So on the day of filming, we had to scrap our original idea, and think of something else. In the end, we followed the original shot list, and decided that we would remove the narrative element by editing it in a different way. I chose to edit my version using the narrative, because I beleive a montage can have a narrative, and the examples we had seen had narratives. To film the montage, we used a number of techniques including using a jib shot, and using quick pans and cuts.

Here is my final edit:


My feedback was positive, however there was the obvious issue that is has a narrative, and that's not what the brief asked for. Overall I am happy with it, although I will keep in mind for the future that a montage doesn't have to have a narrative.

Fiction Adaptation: Camera Workshop with Mike Rymer


CAMERA WORKSHOP WITH MIKE RYMER

 As part of the preparation for our fiction adaptation we had a camera workshop with Mike Rymer. Mike is a filmmaker who has worked in television and film, and has worked with the likes of Peter Greenaway on his film Nightwatching. In 2007 his released his debut short film 'SICK', which was praised by The Guardian for breaking the silence on mental health.

To find out more about Mike, check out his website:

http://mikerymer.info/

THE WORKSHOP

During this workshop, Mike ran us through the importance of camera movement, and how it aids storytelling. To do this he showed us many examples, including a few scenes from one of my favourite films, Jaws. 

Mike broke down a few types of camera movement, like:
- Crab: when the camera moves from left to right.
- Jib: when the camera moves up and down.
- Track/Dolly: when the camera moves forwards and backwards.

As well as a few special types of camera movement, like:
- ContraZoom: when the camera tracks in, and zooms out at the same time, or visa versa. For example, this one is Jaws (from 2:01).



As well as this, he also shared a few tips with us about general filmmaking, and life on set.

After his presentation, we split into groups of 4 and began to try out some of these shots using the camera track, the fig rig and the jib. My group started with the jib, and attempted to recreate some of those famous Wes Anderson tracking shots. These were pretty unsuccessful, so we moved onto the jib. For the jib shot, we came up with the idea of using the jib movement to reveal something to the audience. We had two people sitting down in front of the camera. They then spot something off screen, and run towards it. The camera then jibs up to reveal what it is they've seen as they're running towards it. Mike really liked the shot. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to download the footage so I can't post it on here.

Overall, this was a really good workshop, and it helped expand my knowledge on using camera movement to aid storytelling. It is definitely something I will keep in mind whilst working on this project.

Images:

Thursday, 17 November 2016

Fiction Adaptation: Poem/Poet Background Research

My chosen poem "Poem Heard on Heart 105" was written by an English poet called Ross Sutherland. Below I have gathered some background research on him...

ROSS SUTHERLAND

Ross is poem writer and performer. He, along with another poet, Luke Wright, is a founding member of Aisle 16, a stand up collective of young performance based poets. He combines a unique blend of lyrical parody and sass to produce poetry, laugh a minute podcasts, live literature events, and one man theatre shows. He is a regular at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

His poems are anarchically imaginative, and have a freeform approach that mixes the mundanity of everyday life, with the futurist and wryly absurd. His poems are very popular in the performance poetry scene. During his time, he has collaborated with many illustrators, animators, and short film makers, so help him visualise his poems, and short literature productions.

As well as poetry, he has also worked on poetry based games, a full length science fiction film, and interactive thearte. Since 2009 he has been toruing a one man show called The Three Stigmata of Pacman.

"Poerty is the character in a horror film that runs up to the monster and is immediately killed by it, just so the audience can learn what the monster's special skill is"

I think Ross is a very interesting poet, and I like how he adds to humour to poems about everyday life, and I think 'Poem Heard on Heart 105" is a great example of this. I'm also pleased to learn that he has worked with others before to produce visual material for his poems. My next step will be to contact him, and hopefully learn more about the poem I have chosen.

Sources:

Images:

Tuesday, 15 November 2016

Fiction Adaptation: Alan Clarke (Director)

I am currently thinking about filming my fiction adaptation of Poem Heard on Heart 105 in one shot, which is called doing a 'onner'. I have never done anything like this before, so I thought I should do some research. I decided to watch a short video about a director called Alan Clarke, who was famous for filming a lot of scenes in one shot on a steadicam.

ALAN CLARKE

 Below is the video:


Alan Clarke was a British television and film director, producer and writer. Most of the productions he made were for television. He was well known for his use of long take tracking shots, which often followed one or more characters as they moved around locations. He often filmed an actor walking from one location to the next in one long take. Critic David Thomson once said "no one has ever grasped the central metaphor of cramped existence in walking as well as Alan Clarke".

I have chosen to research him because he was clearly very skilled when it came to choreographing rehearsing, and filming long takes, and this is an idea I am currently looking at.

This is what I learnt from the video:
- He was introduced to the steadicam rig by Stephen Frears and immediately saw the storytelling potential.
- He first used the technique in Made in Britain (1982)
- All his films after this one, opened with a long walking shot.
- His film 'Elephant' let the steadicam shot take centre stage. It had no narrative, and no dialogue.
- His style has influenced others like Paul Greengrass, Harmony Korine, Ben Wheatley, and Gus Van Sant. Gus Van Sant went on to make a homage film in 2003.

I think Alan Clarke is a very interesting director, and I like his style. I will keep this in mind whilst preparing my idea for this unit.

Images:

Fiction Adaptation: Filming Inside a Car- Children of Men

Filming inside the confined space of a car can be difficult, especially if you want to do it in one take, so I was extremely interested to find out how director Alfonso Cuarón was able to do both in his 2006 film 'Children of Men'.

FILMING INSIDE A CAR- CHILDREN OF MEN

Here is the scene in question:


In this scene, the camera easily moves around the interior of the car, follow the action as it unfolds in this 4 minute continuous shot. It is clear that this scene required a lot of choreography, but it also required the invention of a new piece of filming gear: a two axis dolly. They had to build a special rig that could be placed on top of the car, and allow the car to move freely around the interior. The actors seats were built with backs that could quickly fold down so they could move out of the way of the moving camera when they weren't on screen. The special rig had space for the director, camera operator, and focus puller to sit on top of the car during the scene. The roof and windows of the car had to then be digitally replaced in post production. The car was also fitted with a driving controls on the front, and back, so a stunt driver could operate the car, so the actors could focus on the scene.

Here is a video about the special camera rig:


For my one take idea, I will obviously not be able to use a rig like this, but it has inspired me to think of new and innovative ways of filming, that allow a story to be told in an even more visual manner, without distracting the audience from what is actually going on.

Monday, 14 November 2016

Fiction Adaptation: Script/Cast/Locations

SCRIPT

As part of the pre-production for the fiction adaptation unit, I have produced a camera script. This script will help me as I prepare for production, as it will help me decide how I am going to pull this off in one shot. It will work alongside my camera movement test. I beleive the camera movement is the most important thing about this adaptation, as I am using the camera to tell a story, not the poem.




CAST

For this adaptation I don't need to hire any actors, as I am using the camera, and objects, to tell the story. There are no cast members, although I do need someone to play a dead body. I will look at using a friend for this, as I don't see the point in paying for an actor to just lay down on the floor for 10 seconds and do nothing.

I have a few options lined up for the vehicle.

LOCATIONS

 For my location, I need a large, open space to place my scene. I am thinking about using a field, of which there are many in Kent. I need to find one that works well for my story, is accessible, and looks good on camera. There are a few near my home which I have used before, and will consider for this production. Below are a few google images to help visualise the location I am looking for:






Images:
http://sinquefieldreserve.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Empty-field-corn.jpg
https://designshack.net/wp-content/uploads/vbrsite-1.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3090/2497534732_cb42ec7f95_b.jpg

Fiction Adaptation: Camera Movement Test

To help myself, and others, visualise my idea for fiction adaptation, I created a test video.

CAMERA MOVEMENT TEST

To create this test video, I used the Director Mode, and Rockstar Editor on Grand Theft Auto V. Although GTA is a game, I have found that it can be a very useful tool for testing out ideas, as you can record clips, and then edit the camera movement using keyframes. You can even control time of day and weather, as well as focus, and zoom.

I set up my scene using the game controls, and then I recorded my clip. I then used the Rockstar Editor to edit the camera movements and create my test sequence. I then exported the footage into Premiere Pro and added in a recording of Ross Sutherland reading my chosen poem.

Once I had worked on the audio, I colour corrected the footage to give people a good idea of the colouring I would like to go for, and then the test sequence was complete.


I think this test sequence will give people a good idea of what it is I am going for, and I'd highly recommend this tool to anyone else who needs help visualising their idea. All that is missing from this test sequence is the objects I will use to help tell the story, but the camera movement is still there.

Wednesday, 9 November 2016

Fiction Adaptation: New Poem, New Ideas


To begin the pre-production process for this new unit, I sat and read through my new poem choice a few times, and these are the ideas that are currently running through my mind.

NEW POEM, NEW IDEAS

 When I read through the poem, these are the images I see:

  • A car parked outside a dental practice, or clinical looking building.
  • A car radio
  • Somebody filing a book on a shelf with the label "Greatest Achievements of Postmodernism"
  • A helicopter flying over a city on fire
  • A car filled with memories, and looking as though someone has been living there for a while.
  • An angel flying through the car
  • Sound effects of a war zone
I have a few ideas:
  • I'd really like to attempt doing something in one shot, or making it look like one shot. I've never tried this before. I could look at using the stedi-cam for this?
  • I want to use a car, and give it a personality, as though it's telling a story by what using what it hides in its interior.
  • I have an idea where it looks as though a car crash has just happened, and the camera is using the poem to guide the audience through the aftermath.
An example of a good one shot or "oner":


Images:
http://cdn.www.floridayig.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Idea.jpg

Monday, 7 November 2016

Fiction Adaptation: Poem Change

In preparation for the fiction adaptation unit, I have been working on my animation idea. Unfortunately, after much trial and error, I have decided that, within the timeframe given, I will not be able to do what I would like to do. Because of this, I have decided to change my idea, and change my poem.

I have now changed from "Wish You Were Here" to "Poem Heard on Heart 105" by Ross Sutherland. When I read this poem, I found it easy to imagine the imagery that could match it, and so I thought it'd be a good idea to use this one, instead of the other one. My next step will be to write a script, and create a shot list for this poem.


Or you can read it below:

Sunday, 6 November 2016

Fiction Adaptation: Essay Prep

Chosen Question:

“Discuss the view that ‘with a successful adaptation, the original work is transformed into something new and different, although retaining traces of what it was formerly’ with reference to at least one text adapted for broadcast on television”

Reading/Watch List:
-       And Then There Were None (1939) by Agatha Christie (text)
-       And Then There Were None (2015) by BBC TV (TV miniseries)
-       Family Guy: And Then There Were Fewer Pt 1 (2010, S9EP1) by Fox Television (TV series)
-       And Then There Were None (1945) by Twentieth Century Fox (Film)
-       Family Guy: “Blue Harvest” (2007, S6EP1), “Something, Something, Something, Dark Side” (2010, S8EP20), “It’s A Trap” (2011, S9EP18)
-       Adaptation in Contemporary Culture: Textural Infidelities by Rachel Carroll. (Chapter 4, 9, 13, 16)
-       Adapting Detective Fiction: Crime, Englishness and the TV Detectives by Neil McCaw
-       McDougal

Outline of my aims:

I want to look at the BBC adaptation of “And Then There Were None”, as well as the Family Guy parody, entitled “And Then There Were Fewer”.

I want to explore the themes of an adaptation, and look at what qualifies as a ‘successful adaptation’.

I want to explore the idea that adapting something into animation form, brings it to a new audience, and gives you endless possibilities.

To do this I will look at other adaptations/parodies that Family Guy have created, most notably, their parody of the original Star Wars Trilogy, which maintains many traces of the original films, whilst still being a typical Family Guy episode with gags and agendas.

I want to investigate the influence the adaptor has on the adaptation. E.g. Seth MacFarlane is the producer/writer/voice actor on Family Guy, and I believe his political and social views do affect the way the show tells stories.
I also want to look at how the current social environment has affected the original story of ‘And Then There Were None’, as the original had a racist word in the title. E.g. The BBC is quite balanced; how does this affect their adaptation?

Questions I would like to answer-

-       How has the current social environment affect the original story?
-       Do the adaptors personal views affect the adaptation?
-       Does animation give you endless possibilities when adapting a piece of work, as well as the opportunity to bring it to a new audience?
-       How do the three example adaptations differ from one another? Why do they differ?
-       Do the adaptations transform the original text into something new and different, whilst still maintaining traces of what they once were?
-       How do Family Guy use their status to bring old stories to a new audience? And how do these new adaptations/parodies differ from the original stories, whilst still maintaining traces of the original?

Fiction Adaptation: Essay- Background Research

I'm using my blog as a good place to store my research for my Fiction Adaptation essay, so I don't lose it. Below is a summary of the research I carried out:

TV/Film Sources:

And Then There Were None: Series 1, Episode 1. (2015) BBC One: 26 December. 21:00hrs

And Then There Were None: Series 1, Episode 2. (2015) BBC One: 27 December. 21:00hrs

And Then There Were None: Series 1, Episode 3. (2015) BBC One: 28 December. 21:00hrs

Family Guy- And Then There Were Fewer: Series 9, Episode 1. (2010) FOX: 26 September. 22:00hrs

Family Guy- Blue Harvest: Series 6, Episode 1. (2007) FOX: 23 September. 22:00hrs

Family Guy- Something, Something, Something, Dark Side: Series 8, Episode 20. (2010) FOX: 23 May. 22:00hrs

Family Guy- It’s A Trap: Series 9, Episode 18. (2011) FOX: 22 May. 22:00hrs

Clue (1985) Directed by Jonathan Lynn [DVD] USA: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment


Online Sources:

1. Conlan, T. (2015) ‘BBC’s And Then There Were None puts a darker spin on Agatha Christie’ In: The Guardian [online] At: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/dec/13/bbc-and-then-there-were-none-agatha-christie (Accessed on 01.11.16)

2. Travis, B. (2015) ‘And Then There Were None, BBC1: four things you need to know about the Agatha Christie adaptation’ In: Evening Standard [online] At: http://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/and-then-there-were-none-bbc1-four-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-agatha-christie-adaptation-a3144051.html (Accessed on 01.11.16)

3. Chan, C. (s.d) 10 Things You Didn’t Know About And Then There Were None. At: http://www.agathachristie.com/watch/and-then-there-were-none/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-and-then-there-were-none (Accessed on 01.11.16)

4. SparkNotes Editors. (s.d) SparkNote on And Then There Were None: Themes, Motifs & Symbols. At: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/andthenthere/themes.html (Accessed on 01.11.16)

5. Novel Guide. (s.d) And Then There Were None: Theme Analysis. At: http://www.novelguide.com/and-then-there-were-none/theme-analysis (Accessed on 01.11.16)

6. IMDB. (s.d) And Then There Were Fewer. At: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1610751/ (Accessed on 01.11.16)

7. IMDB. (s.d) Clue. At: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088930/ (Accessed on 01.11.16)

8. Kaminska, B. (2011) Full Analysis of The Family Guy. At: http://thefamilyguyanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/normal-0-21-false-false-false-pl-x-none.html (Accessed on 01.11.16)

9. Ryan, J. (2015) Where Are Those Good Old Fashioned Values? Family Guy and Satire in Family Guy. At: http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6582&context=etd (Accessed on 01.11.16)

10. Stein, S. (2016) ‘Mystery’ In: The Paris Review [online] At: http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2016/02/05/mystery/ (Accessed on 01.11.16)

11. IMDB. (s.d) And Then There Were None. At: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3581932/ (Accessed on 01.11.16)

Book Sources-
Christie, Agatha (2007) And Then There Were None. UK: HarperCollins

Key Points-

1.

· To reference quotes from this text: (Phelps 2015, cited in Conlan, 2015)

· Screenwriter Sarah Phelps said “This book is genuinely terrifying … nobody is coming to save you … no dapper Belgian detective, no twinkly-eyed and steely spinster is going to arrive and unravel it”.

· Phelps says the audience should be prepared for something much darker “that gets that little vulnerable spot in your brain and goes (mimes turning something)”

· Phelps said the book, which she had not read before. “profoundly shocker” her and is more “terrifying and brutal” than she expected”.

· It is “searing” in the same way as Scandinavian dramas such as The Killing and The Bridge are, in contrast to other dramas that use death as an entertaining plot device.

· Phelps also wrote the 2011 adaptation of Great Expectations, which was celebrated.

· Phelps explains “Whenever we think of Murder She Wrote, Midsummer Murders, Poirot, Marple, [it’s] murder as entertainment – teatime entertainment – isn’t that weird? Those shows are kind of ‘Argh, I’ve been killed with a letter opener to the eye’, it’s [about] the unravelling of the plot and the life is irrelevant. In this book you take all that, murder as entertainment, and you turn it on its head [and say] ‘this is an abomination, this is the wrath of God’. What this does, and the Scandi dramas do, is they go, ‘This is what murder is. Murder is an absolutely horrific crime. You have taken a life.”

· Phelps also translated JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy to the small screen in 2014.

· She said “When I was writing I kept thinking of the Greeks, thinking of the remorselessness and the poem as actually a Greek chorus: ‘You’re not going anywhere, you’re pinned, you’re fixed, here is the eye of God, it doesn’t blink, look at you squirm.’ It’s terrifying.”

· “I think this book has a worrying purity to it because of the beauty of the plot. And there’s a real dark, murky, curious, difficult undertone which just makes you think about what it means to take a life”

· “There is something else … the most forensic examination of guilt, transgression.”

· Phelps did change the ending of The Casual Vacancy, but says it was important to stay faithful to Christie’s plot and “not do something like Big Brother”, keeping the author’s principle that death “had to mean something”.

· “You have to be faithful to Christie because she’s making you think about really important moral points”.

· She has however “ramped up” some elements: “Everyone in the book is quite polite and clipped. They’re a whole lot less so in the adaptation because I kept thinking ‘what would you do if you were on an island and people kept dying?’. I think I’d be bouncing off the walls at some point”

· She also made some changes to how characters die, or where they die, purely for plot reasons.

· And of course as per usual, the producers had some influence on the adaptation, as they would not allow her to use the word ‘cunt’ in the script, saying a producer said “Sarah, it’s Christmas. We’re not having ‘cunt’ at Christmas”.

2.

· And Then There Were None is widely regarded as one of her most ingenious works – packed with revelations, murders, and social commentary, with a puzzling mystery at its core.

· This must be one of the BBC’s best-looking series of the year – the whole production glowers as foreboding wide shots and sumptuous landscapes give the impression of very bad things to come. The atmosphere is brilliantly maintained, with the tension ramping up as you question who might be bumped off next.

3.

· Agatha Christie was compelled to write ‘And Then There Were None’ because it was such a difficult plot to write effectively that the idea fascinated her. The story line went through massive rewrites before she was ready to write it.

· As Christie worked on the stage adaptation of ATTWN, she decided to change the ending to a 'happier' one where characters survive and fall in love, because as the play was being performed during WWII, she thought that the original ending would have been far too bleak.

· ATTWN is arguably Christie's most parodied work. Some examples include a Superman comic book that borrowed heavily from Christie's plot and the animated television series Family Guy which produced a parody titled 'And Then There Were Fewer'.

· Some film adaptations have set the story on a mountaintop chalet, the Iranian desert, and on an African safari. However, the 1945 film kept the setting of an island off the coast of England.

· Voted the World’s Favourite Christie in a global vote across 100 countries in 2015.

4.

· Key themes explored by ‘And Then There Were None’:

o The Administration of Justice

o The Effects of Guilt on One’s Conscience

o The Danger of Reliance on Class Distinctions

· Motifs:

o The “Ten Little Solider Boys” Poem

o Dreams and Hallucinations

· Symbols:

o The Storm

o The Mark on Judge Wargrave’s Forehead

o Food


· This source also has some good information on the context of the book.

5.

· Other themes explored by ‘And Then There Were None’:

o Guilt

o Concealment

o Justice

o Suspicion

6.

· And Then There Were Fewer has an 8.3/10 rating on IMDB.

· It was written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong.

· It was directed by Dominic Polcino.

· Partly based on the 1985 film ‘Clue’, as well as the Agatha Christie novel ‘And Then There Were None’.

7.

· Clue has a 7.3/10 rating on IMDB.

· Directed by Jonathan Lynn

· Written by Jonathan Lynn

· Based on the board game Cluedo

8.

· Explores the key principles of transmedia in Family Guy:

o Spreadability vs. drillability

o Continuity vs. multiplicity

o Immersion vs. extractability

o Worldbuilding

o Seriality

o Subjectivity

o Performance

9.

· Looks at:

o The history of animation

o Family Guy’s anarchic essence

o Parodies & satires

10.

· The original book was released in the UK with the title ‘Ten Little Niggers’. It was later republished with the new title ‘Ten Little Indians’.

· However, in the US the original title was considered too offensive, so the book was released with the title ‘Ten Little Indians’.

11.

· The BBC adaptation of ‘And Then There Were None’ has a rating of 8.1/10 on IMDB.

· Based on the book by Agatha Christie. Adapted for screen by Sarah Phelps.

· Directed by Craig Viveiros, Basi Akpabio, Rebecca Keane.

· First major English adaptation to give the General his original surname, MacArthur. Earlier screen and stage adaptations changed it to MacKenzie or Mandrake, to avoid referencing WWII hero, General Douglas MacArthur.

· This is the first version where Anthony Marston’s victims are children, like in the book. In other versions he has also be changed to a Russian Prince (1945), a pop singer (1965), and a French crooner (1974).

· This is the first and only English adaptation of the story which follows the ending from the book. All previous productions follow the stage play version, which was a happier ending where the final two characters survive.