Entry #7

Feb 23

To help storyboarding, we took photos of possible shots. They can are shown in the photos section of this blog.

Bernice has the right idea in the sense that she's experimenting with angles and is more interested in the aesthetics of the frame rather than the realism of the movie. I don't believe Film Noir is a realistic genre, it is a caricature of the dark side of human nature. 

I also rehearsed with Medora and Andy with their lines. From experience and seeing previous student work, the acting can make the difference, because audiences (our classmates and friends) don't really pay attention to the camerawork or the theatrical elements because they are distracted by the acting on how poorly it is. I am not expecting great, professional acting, just acting that blends in with the frame, and acting that does not distract the intent of the movie.

For Andy I know that he can't get the same 1930s voice, but his voice is low enough. He just needs to get the personality and aura correct.

I forgot to mention this in my previous entry that I wrote the parts specifically for Medora and Andy so that they can blend into the character easier. Andy is generally an introverted person, so I wrote quite a lot of voice overs and short lines for him. For footnotes, I told him what the history of the character would be if he existed; always depressed then he accidentally murdered a prostitute he fell in love with, and he has been hiding, trying to avoid reality all the while. 

For Medora, I simply told her to have a lot of sex appeal. In the film she plays a prostitute, and later we find out that she is the sister of the Andy's victim. I tried to make her enigmatic, but at the same time, Andy manages to penetrate into her heart. I wanted her to watch the first scene in Sin City and try to imitate the actress. 

For Andy I told him to watch Robert De Niro clips in Taxi Driver. It's because in that film, Robert De Niro's character is expressive, but only to himself. It's exactly how Andy's character should feel. 

I took what Ms Wong said to me about how I should be uncompromising in having the actors get into their character. Although it does seem very totalitarian and undemocratic, it's probably necessary to get some decent acting.

IB Learner Profile:

Communicator: Discussed actors with their character's emotions and state of mind.

Open minded: Let actors improvise and add their own creative touch to the characters

Caring: I know that I'm not dealing with professional actors or even drama students, so I considered that their acting would not be superb. 

Thinkers: Exercised initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems and make reasoned, ethical decisions. 

Balanced: Understood the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve person well-being for myself and others.