Ghost Dog, The Way Of The Samurai

Having briefly checked out Jim Jarmusch and his film Broken Flowers I wanted to see a bit more of his work. I saw Ghost Dog in my local DVD store and picked it up. If Jarmusch's name wasn't on the front I would have walked on by and completely ignored this film, I don't particularly like modern gangster flicks, I tend to like the romance of the older stuff like The Godfather and Goodfellas, having said that I really enjoyed Ghost Dog.

I'm not going to go into the ins and outs of what I liked I just want to comment on Jarmusch's style of film making and how much I like his minimalist approach. The film plays out in a very slow fashion, very similar to Broken Flowers and the story doesn't really go very far, which I've come to expect from a Jarmusch film, but the film was incredibly engaging, the characters all seemed peculiar in their own unique way, Jarmusch's use of cartoons to foreshadow future events was a subtle triumph and very clever, it added a layer of strangeness to the film even though the themes were dark and serious, it also made me see that cartoons themselves can have hidden messages and meaning. The Itchy and Scratchy clip at the end became very powerful within the context of the film.

I went on IMDB and checked out the Ghost Dog forum to see what others had thought of the film and how they interpreted it all. The most obvious point made was that each character was pretending to be a somebody. All the gangsters in the film were old, past it, acting like the big cheese when all they really are a group old men playing mobsters who have no money. Even Ghost Dog, a man following the code of the samurai acts strange; the movements he makes when walking and using his weapons all seem to be over acted, flamboyant, like a child fantasizing he's a hero. These are some of the subtle features in the film, the story is simple but the themes are many and complex, it's a thoughtful film but doesn't really try to say anything I don't think. Jarmusch clearly has his own unique way of telling a story and I really have enjoyed both his film so far.

From what I can see Jarmusch is a very talented story teller, his films visualize his stories. This is what interests me so much about him. His films are not for everybody, if I wasn't so interested in writing and creating fiction then I'd probably pass up on his films. I don't think they are intelligent films, I don't think they are art house films, I don't think they have a life changing meaning hidden with the frames, his films in my view are just stories about people and perhaps people's perception of the world. Jarmusch may twist and change common perception within his films but I just think he's having fun playing around with it.

This style runs very close to the way I see myself making films. Now that I'm working on The Tower, and having worked on The Drop's script, with all the influences I have I do think I'm slowly developing my ability to tell stories that are unique, that do perhaps say something about the world around us, about human nature and sometimes I just want to write a great little twist that takes people off guard. This is what I want to do, I want to tell stories.

I must keep an eye our for more of his films and see if my own understanding of his work is right.

Jazz Tunes

I've always enjoyed a bit of Jazz ever since I watched Blade Runner, I love the way it seems to help my creative juices flow. Below I've just posted a few tunes for future reference.

The Romantics

I was first introduced to the Romantics through William Blake, the film maker Jim Jarmusch (who I have recently been made aware of) had said that Blake was a large influence during his early 20's so I decided to do a little reading, but, like always I was introduced to a much larger world of artistry. Blake was an artist that opposed oppression and monarchy, he was one of a few artists that, at the time, were involved in the romantic European movement, a movement that helped shape society today.

Early one, at the very beginnings of the movement, Europe was heavily oppressed by the government and religion. Before this time people where only as free as the law allowed. Children were forced to work in factories and at times put into shackles on the streets of London.  The early romantics began to picture a world of freedom, a world where people were not born into chains, this coincides with the American revolution so its clear to see that the world was going through a dramatic shift of ideologies.

Latter, the Romantics began to find nature. poetry from Wordsworth and Coleridge helped Europe see the beauty and power of nature, but more importantly they helped define what it was to be a Romantic. The Romantics believe that the power of imagination is what defines us as individuals. These simple ideologies are the root of all modern European civilizations, we are more free than ever before and through the Romantic's poetry, art and ideas we live as we do now; with opportunity, freedom of speech and creativity all in our daily lives.

Moving on towards the 1800's the most famous of all the Romantics were Lord Byron, Shelly and his wife Mary. Marry went on to write the novel Frankenstein. Their work was slightly different from the likes of Wordsworth and Coleridge, their work was much darker, bringing about questions of science and the industrial revolution. Its funny, because during my A Levels I studied Shelly's Frankenstein and didn't like it all that much but now, as a much more open and focused soul I understand clearly the themes expressed in the story, the artistic flourish with every word. I think I'd like to go back and read the story again. 

The Romantics have quickly become a large point of interest to me, the fact that this movement played such an integral role in shaping the modern world is merely a small factor, for me, what's most important is their outlook on the world around us, especially the nature of humankind and the nature of our own planet, the questions of science and religion are still incredibly relevant today as they were almost 300 years ago.

Its seems we are all descendants of the Romantics.      

Low Light Filming Using DSLR

While out filming The Tower I really struggled with the lighting, as I'm using the camera on manual settings it was hard figuring out what settings are best for each scene. With lighter scenes any mishaps can be fixed during editing but all the low light scenes are harder to fix. This is because in low light areas the image becomes really grainy if the settings aren't right, I've done a little research and it seems the camera needs to be set with about 1600 ISO and the iris open wide. Best thing to do is go out and practice.

  Nighttime Shooting with a DSLR from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.

Leonardo Dicaprio

I'd say currently Leo is probably my favourite Hollywood actor. When I'm walking through a DVD store I'm instantly drawn to his movies, they just jump out at me and I have to buy them, rent them, watch them or whatever. I do think he is a very intense actor, in most of the films I've seen him star in he usually plays a broken, frustrated, angry, passionate character. Perhaps you could say he lacks versatility but nonetheless I find his performances captivating, he hooks me in and I cant take my eyes off him. Oddly, I think one of the reasons that's helped him develop into such a good actor is purely down to the way he looks. I don't mean it quite the way you might think, back in his youth he was the typical Hollywood heartthrob but as he's got older he's really shed his boyish good looks, what remains now are very sharp and intense features, you can see all the tiny nuances in his face which I think makes him very watch-able and very human. I think that, partially, explains why he's appeared in a few biopic films like The Aviator and J. Edgar, he adds a real, believable quality to the films he's in. I'm totally going out on a whim here and I could be completely wrong, its just a gut feeling, but I think he's certainly going to direct latter on in his life.

Forced Perspective

I happened to get talking about the forced perspective techniques Jackson employed when filming The Lord Of The Rings the other day. I sort of knew how it was done so I gave it a try.

This what the two bottles look like side by side.

Here's what they look like when I move them around.

Jim Jarmusch

I happened to watch one of Jim's films only the other night, 'Broken Flowers'. I enjoyed the movie but I didn't really soak it all up, so after the film had ended I went on-line and did some reading. The film suddenly became very clear to me, my own interpretations of the film started to develop further. It was an art house/independent film at its best. Its not a contemporary film, it doesn't follow standard procedure. Its almost like a poem. Suddenly I became interested in the guy behind the camera. I had never heard of Jim Jarmusch before, I almost feel ashamed now that I didn't know of this great guy before now. I'm not going to say I've become a huge fan, I've only seen one of his films but after doing some light reading on him, also checking out some You Tube interviews, I certainly understand some his ideologies and I'm interested to learn more about this film-maker

In one section of the first interview, displayed here, he mentions that he did not use storyboards or a shot list during the filming of Dead Man. This is interesting because Peter Jackson, another film maker I'm currently looking at explains that he filmed his first feature film, Bad Taste, with no story boards either. I think this proves what powerful tools their minds are, to process a film purely in their minds eye. But I also believe that it gives them complete control of their work, to bend and shape their film as they see fit. During my time making El Campamento I was forced to throw away my story boards and just film. Campo turned out fine and I'm quite impressed by some of the shots, I think as a film maker you have to trust your instinct and do what feels right.

In his second interview he mentions a few things regarding his time at film school. As I'm just about to embark on my own journey through film school I was pleased to hear some of his own experiences. He mentions that he learned a lot of things by attending film school but some of those things, in latter life, he would have to unlearn. Rules on editing and acting in particular he didn't like. He says when he creates he tries to create his own way, the only way he knows how. Its very inspiring, many of these thoughts are similar to my own. I have never been comfortable with the notion that I'm expected to make films a certain, by the books, sort of way. If I always have to return to the rule book whenever I'm writing or filming then I'll end up making a film that is not my own, if those films become a success or a failure is irrelevant. They are my films.

I will have to do more reading, I'm sure I've a lot more to learn from Jim.

 

  

JWT Live At The Grand, Clitheroe, 2011

I think this was my first crack at directing a small camera crew, I think the shoot went well.

DSLR Add Ons

Now I've had a few weeks to get to grips with the D3100 I've Identified a few pieces that I need to help me improve the quality of my filming.

Firstly I bought the Delkin Pop Up Shade, As I have no way of looking through the viewfinder on the camera I needed to make the LCD screen as clear as possible. This shade provides some much needed cover from the sun and other bright light sources. I've found focusing much easier since buying it.



I was also fortunate enough to have been given a tripod for free! Not just some crappy thing, a proper, pro tripod. Its the best one I've ever used. It was in pretty bad shape when I got it but after cleaning it up Its perfect.



The next thing on my ever growing list is an audio recorder. I've taken a look at this neat device called the Zoom H1 which seems really popular with people filming with DSLRs. The only issue I have with it is that it looks a bit plasticy - a bit cheap - and some of the out door tests I've seen do not make good viewing. Its clear that I would need a shotgun mic to add to the Zoom H1 which would provide better audio capture, even in hight winds. But even they don't seem to hold up that well out doors. So there are the clip mics, they seem by far the best option for vocal audio but cost a small fortune. In an ideal world I'd buy all them but I doubt that's going to happen. I think the best option for me is the Zoom H1 or a similar mic that I can boom and add a shotgun mic.

DSLR Filming

After finishing work at The Grand I felt it was important to get my own gear, I need to be able to get some kind of work done independently. I'd heard DSLRs where a good choice for video even though they are designed for still images. I recently bought the Nikon D3100 DSLR camera. I chose to buy this particular model mainly because of the price its obviously on the low end but came with a pretty decent lens.

Immediately I saw why such cameras are preferred by a lot of film makers, the image quality, particularly the depth of field is incredible. It really creates that 'movie' quality most hand held cameras don't get. After some practice I have seen however some glaring flaws, some unique issues that the Nikon D3100 has . Firstly it has no audio output so I cant capture internal audio using a shotgun mic attached. Secondly, the shutter is exposed during filming so the viewfinder is closed leaving the LCD screen the only way to see what your filming. This makes focusing a real hassle, especially when what's on screen is moving around. Another problem with all DSLR is the jelly affect that's created when you move the camera around aggressively or horizontally. Like all film-makers I'm having to learn how to deal with these problems, getting to grips with the technology and understanding its limitations is vital, when I'm story-boarding I need to create shots that the DSLR can achieve.

Whilst researching DSLR cameras I came across the film-maker Philip Bloom who is well known for using DSLR cameras for his own films. He's currently using the Cannon Mrk II, I've now come realize that maybe I should have gone with a Cannon and not Nikon because it seems most film people use Cannons, which is annoying because it wasn't too long after I bought the Nikon that I found this information out. Having said that, I doubt there is to much difference between a low end Nikon and a low end Cannon. Both seem to have the same flaws.

What's important now, for me, is to make sure I build the camera up. Buy the right parts to help me achieve awesome quality. There are the obvious adapters like an extra, larger, monitor to help during filming, an external audio recorder, tripods ect...  Each will cost a lot of cash. Bloom mentioned that using a DSLR right out of the box is probably not going to produce great quality film so I have to make sure whatever adapters I get will benefit the films I making.  

DSLR Video Test, 2012

WARNING. Bad Language & Crude Humor. Not Recommended To Be Seen By Anyone Living Or Dead!