The Trip - A Trip From the Small Screen to the Big Screen

Creating a Script is an important part of any movie. Writing is very important to drive the narrative and actions in a film. Script also as a profound impact on the feel of the film as well. It is important that the script is kept to during the filming of the movie it is the job of the Script Supervisor to make sure the continuity and script are followed on the set. Depending on how strict the director wants the film to be in continuity things such how much a cigarette has burned, how the actor’s clothes are, as well as how much food is eaten off a plate must be tracked and observed as multiple shots of a scene are taken as well as the shots progress to preserve the continuity of the story. This is important because if for example a cigarette is almost out at the beginning of a scene it can distract and jar the audience from the scene.

Writing is unique in The Trip because it was originally written as an episodic TV series for the BBC. This means that each episode was written with a beginning middle and end but left enough hanging to want to draw the viewer to tune into the next episode. The show was rewritten into a movie in a very smart matter. Each day of the trip is highlighted with a black shot with the day of the week that they are currently on. These title slides are obviously where each episode would of started in the original series. 

one of the Black Screens used to Signal the Progression to the next day

Despite the Structure of being episodic the writing of the film seems to rely heavily on the improv and chemistry of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon to carry the scenes through the restaurant scenes while any lull in the interaction between Coogan and Brydon is filled with documentary esque shots of the kitchen prepping the next course or even drawing out to wide shots of the car moving throughout the country side of the north of England. Using the improvisational scenes does have some drawbacks especially since Coogan and Brydon were very reliant on referencing recently released movies and culture that could be lost to audiences at a later time.

The Trip is a fine example of how a script can introduce feel and move a Film. From translating a episodic script to full length feature script. To the absence of direct lines at times to let the on screen chemistry of the actors to shine through improvisation and their conversation.

Hugo - A Tribute to Editing

The perception of the normal person is that a movie is simply shot in chronological order and then showed on the screen, as if the audience was in the eyes of the camera. The reality is that a movie is shot over several months, with many hours or even days of film to sort through and edit together to make a cohesive and meaningful experience for the audience. It is also important for the editor to work extremely closely to the Director in order to not lose the aesthetic and other qualities that the director was trying to capture during the filming of the Movie. The Editor for Hugo is Thelma Schoonmaker, Schoonmaker has worked with Scorsese on many films, notably Woodstock, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street. This close working relationship between Schoonmaker and Scorsese could be part of the reason the consistent aesthetic of Scorsese’s Films.

Hugo is an Important film because it is a tribute to film making and the silent era of films and the original camera “tricks” and special effects. Schoonmaker is quoted in Editor’s Guild Magazine as saying “You actually see him (Melies) at work and it’s stunning the way Marty’s (Scorsese) done it. We see what silent film making was like”. This tribute to the original camera “tricks” are actually editing cuts that make the imaginary real. Such as during the scenes where Melies is creating the skeletons he “pauses” the actors in place then removes the skeletons and continues shooting, which is an early version of editing.

Throughout Hugo the cuts and edits are very scenic but personal, Schoonmaker would begin the dialogue of a scene with a scene shot that highlighted the part of Paris that they were in and would then pull in too the characters that were containing the dialogue. As well as the scene where Isabelle and Hugo get separated in the crowd the edits and haste in the scene makes it feel like you are almost lost in the crowd with them. One of the most pivotal editing works in the film is the scene where Hugo get the automaton to start drawing, The movement from the Computer generated images of the robotic hand drawing to the faces of Isabelle and Hugo as they try and figure out what the automaton is drawing shows the emotion and excitement that has been building since the audience is introduced to the automaton.

Overall, It is apparent that the Editor and Editing is very paramount to an aesthetic of a movie. The obvious evidence that Scorsese has worked with the same editor throughout the years shows how much he values her work in portraying his visions. The editing also helps build and enhance the emotions of the characters as well as driving the story home to the audience.

Eraserhead - A Sick Movie Made by Sick Direction

Direction is pivotal to the creation of a Movie, We know many movies because of their directors and many people will follow a directors work; Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton, Stanley Kubrick, James Cameron, Michael Bay, and David Lynch. A lot of these directors get a following for their style of movie. Directors get this following because of the creative control they have over the movie. Directors Work with the producer to cast the film, select filming locations, coordinate sets, costumes, sound, shooting, editing, and cinematography. Because the director is the head of the creative control his/her films will take on a specific aesthetic just because of the director.

This pattern is very apparent in the direction that David Lynch takes in EraserHead. The aesthetics of the movie can be attributed to Lynch’s directing as well as his writing choices. This gives Lynch an even more control since he wrote the film as well as directed it instead of having to interpret the writers vision he is the writer so he only has to try and translate his own vision to film.  Each choice made by Lynch helps immerse the audience into the aesthetic he is trying to create. The Choice to shoot the film in black and white helps set the mood of the film, it makes everything feel like it has a layer of filth on it from the industrial town it is set in. The lack of color also leads to things seeming more disgusting, such as the scene where Henry is carving the chicken that spills a liquid and starts moving (figure 1), in color it may have seemed kind of funny, but because we don't know the color of the liquid it becomes mysterious and disgusting.

Figure 1

In keeping with the creepy disgusting feel of the film Lynch choose to use a mysterious slimy looking puppet as the “baby” in the film that Mary Cares for in Henry’s apartment. Lynch chose to keep the creation of the puppet a secret, being quoted as forcing the camera operator to be blindfolded when he articulated the puppet.

The Creative control and direction skills needed to create a film like EraserHead are shown through the shooting schedule. Since Lynch was on a such a tight budget he had to span out the shooting of EraserHead over 5 years, which forced him to overcome obstacles such as the sets being torn down and rebuilt, the aging of the actors throughout different scenes as well as even his cinematographer dying midway through the shooting.

Overall EraserHead is a film only made possible because of Lynch’s creative control and his double duty as Director and Writer. These all contribute to Lynch being able to create an aesthetic that is unique to him and produces almost a cult like following.

Blow Up - Sound, The presence and Lack of

The use of Sound in a Film is key in determining the feel of a film. The presence or absence of sound can make the viewer feel emotions or tie them to the movie. Blow Up's use of sound is a prime example of this. The movie takes on a very natural feel because Herbie Hancock, who scored the film is quoted as saying "It's (the sound) only there when someone turns on the radio or puts on a record." This leads to a film that feels like almost real life. Because there isn't any unnecessary noise to distract the viewer, only the naturally occurring sounds. This immerses the viewer into the film.

The Sound design used in Blow Up also conveys feelings onto the audience. The sense of peacefulness inside the park when Thomas is photographing the lovers. The absence of sound beyond ambient is very important as well. Blow Up is known for its use of silence as an element, similar to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: a Space Odyssey.  The sense of mystery and almost dread that comes from the lack of sound during the scene where Thomas is investigating the figures in the photographs (figure 1). Another key example is during the scene where Thomas has discovered the body in the park and the scene is drawn out and suspenseful by the lack of sound the snap of a twig makes Thomas run as well as the audience almost jump at something so trivial.

Figure 1

Another Key use of sound is in the conclusion of the movie, The Mimes playing tennis with what is supposed to be an invisible ball slowly becomes more real to Thomas(Figure 2). The key use of sound to make the audience almost think it is real is enough to further blur the lines of what is perceived as reality and what is Thomas’ imagination. Is the ball real? was the body real, or a trick of the mind from searching too hard for something that doesn't exists. these are all questions sparked by just the sound in the

Figure 2

Overall, although Blow Up is surrounded by controversy due to its graphic content, the real shining star is the sound design that envelops and captivates the audience and has them asking key questions about the film

Living in Oblivion, a Sample of Cinematography as a storytelling tool

Cinematography is a pivotal part of any film. The Cinematographer is the chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, television production or other live action piece and is responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image. The study and practice of this field is referred to as cinematography. The Cinematographer creates this feel and look of a movie by coordinating cameras, lighting, filters, and lenses to reach the vision that was decided by the Cinematographer and Director.

The Cinematographer for Living in Oblivion was Frank Prinzi, He is known for his work on The Night of the Living Dead, Northern Exposure, and the TV Series Law and Order: Criminal Intent. The focus of this entry will be Prinzi’s work on Living in Oblivion. Prinzi focuses on making sure the viewer can follow the story of the Film because it rapidly shifts from shots of the crew making the movie, to actual shots from the movie being made. Prinzi uses shifts from Color to Black and White shots to help the view keep track of weather the shot is of the crew, or of the movie. Prinzi also used the shifts from Color to Black and White to progress the movie through the different dream sequences that happen throughout the film.

Besides his shifts from color to black and white Prinzi also finely used the focus of the camera to dictate the reactions of characters, such as during the bedroom scene between Chad and Nicole where Nicole has become frustrated with the unscripted things that chad is doing Nicole, she starts ranting at him and the camera loses focus on Nicole in the background as we see Chad’s reaction. (Figure 1). Prinzi’s Black and White shots almost take on a Film Noir feel, especially in the first scene of the film where the black and white scenes are very gritty and the color even feels gritty.

Figure 1

Overall, Prinzi’s usage of different techniques not only improve the storytelling of the film by making it easier to follow the progression as well as bringing in a specific aesthetic of almost of modern noir.