Scott Bradley Film

Here's a link to my website -
scottatbburn.wix.com/bradleyfilm

Here's a link to my production company FenixFilms -
http://sbradleyfilm.wix.com/fenixfilms

Here's a link to my Twitter account -
twitter.com/sbradleyfilm

Here's a link to my Facebook account -
facebook.com/scott.bradley

Here's a link to my LinkedIn account -
linkedin.com

Guest Speaker

Today we were treat to a guest speaker, Rob Taylor an experienced camera operator and DOP came in to the film school to have a little chat about his various experiences in the industry. However, Rob is not your normal camera operator, his work is predominantly out in the field making documentaries about wildlife and the environment  Filming in dangerous locales like bear infested marshlands and rivers with man eating cat fish swimming its murky waters. His work is beyond anything I'd ever imagine myself doing but his advice and experiences gave me a good insight of what life might be like when uni comes to an end. 

I think the big realization I had was that as a film maker today you really have to be freelance and with that tag you really need to be ready to move around go to where the work is. Rob has a keen interest in the outdoors and his work has taken him all over the world. Its actually both frightening and exciting thinking that in only a few years time I myself might be required to make such leaps across the world. You have to be brave when chasing work.

His other big piece of advice was the need for students and up and coming filmmakers to really develop their skills and become a product that they can sell to production companies. By learning about cameras, all types of film making, how to edit and getting your driving license are just a few examples of what you need to do to make yourself more employable. 

Susan Beir

Another Director I've been reading about, below are some notes that may help in the future.

• She she says she has to be terrified of the material and terrified about how she is going to put that material where it needs to go. This helps her deliver her best work. 
• One particular thing she learned very quickly was that when filming an actor delivering a long piece of dialogue how surprised she was that she really wanted to see the listener more so than the speaker. In the script the speaker is the focus but when your filming that may have to change. By shifting focus it can help give the scene a stronger emotional punch.  
• She says she's on a creative high when working on a film, even though its a very intense experience she really throws herself at it. It wasn't until she finished her first feature film that she realized just how hard it is to make a film. 
• Always think of the audience when writing a script or shooting, tell stories people want to hear. 
• She doesn't writer her own scripts but she collaborates with Andreas Thomas Jensen (who writes the script) and likens the forming of a script to building with Lego. They don't write a synopsis they develop themes and characters then develop the story from there. 
• When she is on set working with her actors she always considers the arc of the scene and tries to find the less obvious or less predictable journey through that scene which she believes is often the most realistic or natural one.
• She comments on how quiet and focused her set is and how it lacks any tension. She says that when you require your actors to do something quite frightening like a sex scene the best way to deal with it is just continue working as you do and don't make a drama out of it on set by throwing out your crew ect.  
• She tells real stories with human characters so she is not overly interested in fancy camera work or huge sweeping tracking shots, if it does not tell her story then it does not go into the film. 

Advice to young film makers -

"It may sound like a really stupid thing to say, but the best thing for film makers is to have a life. I think I am a bit wary of people who have been crazy about movies since the age of eight and live in the movie world. Of course there are exceptions, but in general the movies I enjoy have some relationship to life. I feel that for a director to convey life it is worthwhile to have some experience in it." 

Footnote -

I find her advice quite interesting they way she points out its really important to look beyond the world of cinema to help you become a better film maker because I've always been worried that I don't love cinema enough and that its one of my shortcomings. Cinema has always been one of my big pleasures but I enjoy sports, gaming and writing before cinema and Bier has given me a little more confidence that it is OK to not live and breath movies.

Its interesting because in the book that I'm reading Del Torro's advice is almost the opposite, he says that you really need to look back through history and watch all the movies you can that are worth while and really invest time into the workings of all your favorite films and talk about them, he reminds me of Peter Jackson, both were huge movie fans from such an early age. I think its important to have a middle ground, I know in my heart that not many 24 year olds have had the life I've had so with all those experiences I need to use them and let them help me create interesting stories and characters. I suppose I'm beginning to understand the term 'point of view' with regards to the tone and themes of a particular film.  

Oliver Assayas

 Continuing through the Directing film craft book I've been reading I've been introduced to Oliver Assayas, a French film maker with a rather keen interest in Asian culture.

Here are some notes -

• He says its difficult getting the best performances from your actors when you first begin making films because you don't really understand how to deal with them. You have to work out a way of functioning with your actors yourself. You have to learn and try new things with every film you make. 
• When your writing the script your writing for your actors so you need to think about the emotional context of the script and let the actors absorb it and then translate what you have written into a good performance. 
• When he writes a script he says he has a skeleton that he builds on throughout so he always knows where he is going and where he has come from. 
• He is a very precise writer and also on set he goes through set plans, camera plans and the respective positions of his actors religiously way before shooting even begins. 
• He keeps his actors on their toes by changing lines on set when necessary  he doesn't want his actors relying on what they have practiced in rehearsal. He also likes hearing the actors own input into proceedings. He feels his method allows the actors more freedom to perform. 
• He has worked with the same group of people (film crew) throughout most of his film making career. He says they all know how he works and in turn he understands them, it makes his film making process faster and more precise allowing him to have the room to experiment when the need arises. 
• He used to be a painter so he has likened camera movement to the stroke of a brush. Aided by his choice of cuts he says his films take on a rhythmic flow.
• He evolves the shot with each new take, developing new ideas and incorporating unforeseen opportunities.
• The trick that took him the most time to understand was the process of capturing those tiny nuances of emotion you can find on set, especially on location. You can have a real sense of space and see some small moments of beauty like a sunrise or rain. He feels its really important to get those elements into the film. 
• The thriller is the most experimental genre there is. 

Advice to young film makers - 

"Just look what's happening around you when you are shooting. No one really tells you that, but it's very important. Just don't think only of whats in your screen play and whats useful for your story. Open your eyes to the world you are creating around you and eventually consider it might be more interesting or stranger than you had planned."