(no subject)

[lierdumoa]

Yesterday was our last day of filming for the class project. David and I decided not to involve ourselves as much today. I think we both felt like we were being too controlling in the project. At some point in the night our group's instructor got really exasperated at people for being incredibly inefficient. Then the village idiot dropped the camera. His name is Jesse, better known by his white rapper alias Misolanius (omg it's like miscellanious only horribly misspelled, get it? Get it?!?)

Specifically, he had the three legs of the camera stand balanced unevenly. Looking over, I thought he had it that way on purpose to get a particular angle. Then he let go of the camera stand and it started tipping over. I yelled about three times in succession but unfortunately it wasn't soon enough and the camera still fell about four feet to the concrete floor. Luckily the camera still worked fine.

At which point Jesse tried to cover his ass by saying, "You know, none of this would have happened if you guys hadn't been so anal." I gathered that he was pretty much trying to say, "You guys were being too demanding of me and that's why I screwed up so it's really all your fault." I don't think he actually knows what anal means.

Our group instructor heard this and snapped, "What are you talking about? If we had been being anal this would never have...never mind. Let's get a move on guys."

Bryant had his turn as director. It went something like this.

Bryant: "Okay, so I want five bajillion zooms in this shot."
Me: "But won't that look soap-opera-ish and tacky?"
Bryant: "I'm directing."
Me: ::is bitter::

Bryant's scene is the final shot in the movie. Why? Why did he have to fuck up the ending shot?

Our instructor kept giving out leading statements like, "So our subject looks like he has a giant spotlight on him. In his jail cell. Is that what you want in this scene?" Then, after getting no reaction from the first statement, "Because, you know, I think it might look kind of fake and go against everything you were taught in class...but that's just me."

Eventually we got to the point where I had to do camera work. For the scene Jesse was directing. Joy. I ended up doing two handheld shots. He would make me frame the shot, then after 12 minutes of rearranging the set complain that I was no longer holding the camera steady. Grrrr. Aaaargh. Also, he kept saying, "roll camera" before setting up the scene properly, to there's a good minute or so of completely useless footage on our tape from me recording before the director got his shit together.

He also instructed me to do lots of tacky zooms. At least I got them to look smooth after the third try.

We finally finished when David went vigilante and did his own camera work for all the scenes he was directing, not bothering to use the tripod but simply holding the camera as steady as he could or propping it up on whatever chair/ledge/couch arm was available.

Our instructor ended up driving me and David home. During the car ride he had a long, somewhat restrained vent, at one point saying, "So I noticed how you guys decided to step back a little and let the rest of the group handle things for a change. And then everything fell apart."

It's good to be appreciated.

Comments

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

God, what a revolting day. ):

{{{E}}}

I never got far enough in my film classes to experience crap like this. I'm almost relieved.

[lierdumoa.livejournal.com]

The problem is that while at a regular university, this would be a class taken later on by film majors, here it is a requirement of all students, including those who have no interest in visual arts of any kind.

But eh, I suppose I need the experience of working with people I hate. It will come in useful at some point, I'm sure.

[adrienneherbst.livejournal.com]

...and THAT is why groupwork sucks. However, glad that the instructor knows your and David's worth. And sort of glad that he saw Misalanious drop the camera, which should get him exactly the kind of evaluation he deserves. >:P

[lierdumoa.livejournal.com]

It's Misolanius. You're spelling it all wrong.

::snerk::

[dualbunny.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...I'm sensing a reason why films are generally directed by one person in there somewhere. :P I think you did a remarkable job enduring it. ;)

[lierdumoa.livejournal.com]

Heh. Well, you do what you have to. And yeah -- the editing part is going to be hell, I think. I'll have to find lots of really diplomatic ways to say, "It's not that I don't respect your opinion, just that your opinion is always terrible."