Bitter Little Twist- The video

Below is a link to the completed edit of Bitter Little Twist. I am very Happy with how it has turned out and am very proud of my direction of this film.


Bitter Little Twist

Reflective Self-Assessment

For this module we were given the task of filming two professional actors in a scene from a script we had been given. My role in this project was director for one scene and assistant director on Paul Manning’s scene. There were certain requirements to these scenes as we could not use wide angles and we had to incorporate the use of reflection from something like a mirror. Both Paul Manning and myself chose the script Bitter Little Twist, however our interpretations of the script were very different.     

I feel I have learnt a great deal as director for this project. Previous to this module I had never been tasked with working with such a large group, the first thing I learnt was how to manage, work and coordinate with the crew to complete the short film to a high standard.

I re-wrote the script I had chosen and worked with my team to try and bring the script to the screen. I had never heavily edited or adapted someone else’s work before, so in order to learn as much about the process as I could I decided to make major changes to the script’s setting, genre and story in order to learn what such responsibilities included, therefore the setting was changed to the USA’s south, the genre was changed to a western and the story was changed to be about a manipulative bride tricking the men in town to kill each other for her benefit. Making these changes involved working closely with Dan Walsh my script editor in order to create a script that could be considered a good quality and also realistic to film. I also discovered it was best to keep the script as close to the original as possible, a few action paragraphs were changed to emphasise the western feel and small changes were made to the dialogue in order to make the characters feel like the old west, otherwise I felt it was important to stay faithful to the source material.     

During pre-production I closely worked with my cinematographer Emily Burcham to mark the script with the shot list so we knew that every line and action was covered and preferably had multiple angles so that if one angle didn’t look good there were others to choose from in the edit. Emily taught me how to get the most out of each shot so that each one help get across the tone of the story and at the same time appear interesting, for example, towards the end of the scene, Tommy is shown to look into a mirror where his paranoia shows Hana in a black dress about to shoot him, it was Emily Burchams Idea to have the shot from Tommy’s POV in order to emphasise to the audience that this is Tommy hallucinating and is not actually happening.    

Prior to this module, I had not worked in a studio to film a high quality scene with large amounts of dialogue. I feel I learnt a lot from filming the scene in a workstation studio,  as before I did not realise how much control a studio gives you over the lighting you can use if you have a lighting set, using the lighting in the studio allowed us to set the tone for the film better and allow an easier time for the editor during editing. I also learnt about the difficulties of working in a studio in regards to recording sound, as at least in the workstation we had to work in the sounds of cars and traffic could constantly be heard in the background, the sound of the traffic in the background can be heard in the film, this is a problem I have had to work with my sound designer to try to fix, we have learnt how to lower the background sound and made the traffic much less noticeable. 

Of course a director’s main task is to direct their crew and actors, before this module I had never worked with a crew of this size, nor had I worked with professional actors before. I had no experience doing this, however I feel that I learnt how to handle myself in directing such a large group. I found the best approach when directing was to be friendly and confident during the shoot, I found a friendly attitude put both the actors and crew at ease, but I had to make it clear I knew what I was doing and what I wanted from all involved. Despite being pressed for time and having a large number of people to work with I felt it was important to make time to ask everyone how the shoot was going for them at that moment, by asking people if they were OK I was able to learn of a couple of issues that we were then able to work together to fix, for example I discovered a slight continuity error regarding the money on the table because I took the time to talk to my script editor Dan, Emily was also having and issue with the mirror showing the camera that I was able to help with once I discovered the problem.

Having never worked with such professional and passionate actors before, I learnt that how it important it was as a director to help them become their character and not just have someone in front of a camera saying lines. I sat down with both actors and told them who I had decided these characters were and why they were doing what they doing, I believe doing this allowed both actors to change their performance to get the scene to be as I had hoped it would be. I also realised that people will not always come to the same conclusions as you do, for example Claire thought that her character Hana had suddenly changed dresses and actually killed Tommy, where as I had interpreted the ending to be a hallucination that was a product of tommy’s paranoia, had I not talked to the actors about the script, then filming may have been extremely for the actors and I would not have got the best performance from them.

I also found that it was best to not be too blunt when trying to change what and actor was doing, due to the small amount of time we had I knew we didn’t have time to “try something out” but if I disliked something about the acting then I would claim I had an idea that I wanted to use, if the performance was better I would encourage the actor to do it again if not then I praised them     

Before this module I had never had to work with an art director on set design in a studio before. I found that an open set gave Ali and I a lot of room to create a space that we felt helped create the atmosphere we were hoping for. It was also an interesting experience to work on a film in the western genre. I wanted to work on a western as I had felt it would be a fun and creative way to push our abilities to set a scene that was appropriate for the genre we were making.

As said before, I was under considerable time constraints on the day of filming, I have never had to film so much in such a short amount of time, I feel I learnt a lot about working quickly whilst also making a high quality short film. I found the best way to get everything done was to work quickly between takes during the set up. However when the cameras starting rolling, I tried to put the actors at ease as much as possible as I felt this would get a better performance out of them.

As well as all this I had my very first experience of working as an assistant director. I learnt my main responsibility as assistant director was time keeping, as Paul Manning’s scene was on a very tight schedule I was in charge of making sure we did not over-run as there would be no chance of a re-shoot. As well as time keeping I made sure that everyone of set was quiet before a take and that both camera and sound we ready before we would go for a take. On top of all this, I also used the clapperboard for the first time.  

In conclusion, I feel I have learnt a lot during this module, as there were plenty of opportunities to discover new ways of filming. I had new experiences such as working with a script editor, professional actors, a lighting technician and sound recorders using equipment to subtly change the sound. Previous to this project I had never worked on such a tight schedule, worked in a workstation studio or worked as a assistant director. I am also much more confident in my skills than I was before, something I hope will help my final major project in the second semester.   

  

Research Into Directing

Since my 3rd year on this course I have mostly focused on directing, I was asked to be a director on this module and so I have decided to take this opportunity to research directing and in particular directing actors. However on top of this I will also be researching western films and styles that I wish to emulate in my scene from Bitter Little Twist. I also feel it would be beneficial to research into the best ways a director can work with a crew as this is also something I shall have to do on this module and in the future.

One important piece of information I noticed during my research that I felt was important to both directing actors and to working with a crew was that it is very important to always keep the film a relaxed and fun place to work whilst also focusing on the task at hand. In the book Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video the author says that.

“A primary goal for a director is to create a supportive and creative environment that is conducive to good work. The actors will be able to focus on their work if the atmosphere created by the director and her crew is relaxed and cooperative. If bickering and general chaos occur on the set, it will be difficult for the actors to concentrate. “ ⁽¹⁾

As well as this advice being helpful for working with any actors that are on set. I feel that this atmosphere would immensely would relax and help any crew that you might be working with. Even from a practical point of view, arguments can lead to time wasting that will potentially rush a film later that could otherwise had more time to look better.

As well as keeping the set a positive place to work, I have found from my research that it is important to be careful how you give an actor direction, as even accidentally implying that an actor is doing something wrong can really hamper the actors ability to perform under a perceived criticism. The topic is discussed in Directing Actors by Judith Weston:

“Telling the actor what effect you want him to have on the audience is a perfect example of directing by describing a result. Instructions of this ilk such as "This scene should be funny," or "I need you to be more dangerous," or "Can you give him an epic quality? Can make actor's heart sink. The director wants him to do something different from what he is doing what can it be? from this point the actor-director relationship dissolves into a guessing game, because the direction is so vague. The actor tries something is this it? Usually it never is, because the actor has begun to watch himself, to worry about how he is doing, and what the performance looks like. It is death to an actor's gifts to put his concentration on the effect he is having on the audience...If you want the actors' help in evoking a particular mood, you might try instead an imaginative adjustment. An adjustment can be an "as if." For example, if you wanted a "chilly" atmosphere in a family dinner scene, you might ask the actors to play the scene "as if the first person who makes a mistake in table manners will be sentenced to a prison term.” ⁽²⁾

Whilst also being careful about criticism and directing actors, I must also be very careful to make sure my actor knows the context of the scene they are performing in, this is emphasized in Film Directing Fundamentals by Nicholas T. Proferes. in the book it is stated that;

“Much of the time scenes are shot out of sequence. Obviously the director must make sure the actors know where they just came from (even if the scene hasn’t been shot yet) and what they expect and what they want in the present scene.” ⁽³⁾    

Although not connected to Bitter Little Twist, I have found that I often find myself needing child actors in the films I intend to make. I therefore felt it was best to research directing child actors and working with them in general as this could prove very important to my career as a director. During my research of directing child actors, I found a piece of advice in Producing and directing the short film and video that I felt would be very useful:

“With all the variables to consider while casting children, an important one to remember is this: cast the parents. Beware the backstage mom or dad who hovers around and wants to be a part of the action. This is a warning sign. You want the parent who drops off the kid and asks for a pickup time or is content to wait in another room during the audition.” ⁽⁴⁾

As well as this advice the book also had an interesting piece of information on the actual directing of the child actors:

“With a young child…your approach will depend on whether you are directing one with little or no experience, or a professional. Some children who have been acting since they were very young understand how to relate to the camera and can take direction. Those who are not as experienced will require a different approach. If you have cast a child who is confident and motivated, the rehearsal period will have revealed if the child can take direction, repeat a performance, and is not distracted by the camera.” ⁽⁵⁾

During my research I came across a scene that I feel is very similar to what I hope to achieve in my interpretation of Bitter Little Twist. The scene is From No Country for Old Men. It shares several similarities to this scene from Bitter Little Twist as it is a scene about set in the south of the USA and is a man and a woman talking about a dead husband and money in a bedroom. Although my scene is different in that I the power is with the woman and not the man as it is in No Country for Old Men. The scene from no country for old men has close shots and fixed cameras during the conversation that I hope to also use in my film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZw1Ms1LvZc

As Bitter Little Twist features two important moments in which a character is seen through a mirror, I felt it was important to find some influence that could allow my mirror shots to be creative uses of characters using mirrors. I feel that this short film Le Miroir Court Métrage is an inspirational piece of work that holds similar styles to the piece that I am directing.  The short film has some similarities to Bitter Little Twist as it is a film that features a man staring directly at a mirror with contemplation of his life in his eyes. Similarly both Bitter Little Twist and Le Miroir Court Métrage both use the mirror at the end to bring a much darker ending that what the audience might expect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FQL6D_GDk8

In conclusion, through this research I have found a lot of information that is relevant to my specialism of directing. I have learnt that the balance between paying attention to the actor and crew is very important to get right as not giving enough focus to an actor may cause them to lose attention for the scene or begin to dislike working on the scene, likewise a crew needs the attention of a director in order to bring together the crew to get across not only a good piece of work but also one that is in keeping with the directors intended style. As well as this I feel my research has found scenes that will influence my directing when I direct Bitter Little Twist, in particular I feel that the scene from No Country for Old Men is very similar to how I want my scene to be filmed and acted. Finally I am happy that this research gave me time to look into directing child actors, something that I feel is very important to my future as a director.

 Bibliography

(1)  Rae W Peter and Irving K David (2010). Producing and directing the short film . Amsterdam : Elsevier inc.. p82

(2)  Judith Weston (1996). Directing Actors . Studio city, CA: Michael Wiese Productions. p14-15.

(3)  Nicholas T Proferes (2013). Film Directing Fundamentals . 3rd ed. Burlington: Focal Press. p130.

(4) )  Rae W Peter and Irving K David (2010). Producing and directing the short film . Amsterdam : Elsevier inc.. p112

(5) )  Rae W Peter and Irving K David (2010). Producing and directing the short film . Amsterdam : Elsevier inc.. p113

Professional Documentation: Working with my Editor

I worked closely with my editor Christian Beckett to create a scene that both captured the feel of an old west film and also brought in an almost supernatural feel of paranoia. In order to do this to the best of our abilities, both Christian and I met several times and made notes on how we felt each edit could be improved. Such edits included removing Hana's entrance so she is in the scene from the beginning, and adding working on the colour correction to help the scenes feel both modern and older at the same time. Below are photos and notes taken during one meeting.

Professional Documentation: Working with my Lighting Operator.

Due to the sudden change of mood towards the end of my scene, I felt that lighting would play an important role in getting across to the audience that Tommy is becoming more and more paranoid. in order to help this I worked with Tom Newsham to decide how to best show the shift in tone of the scene whilst also keeping the western feel I was hoping for. Tom and I decided to go for relatively normal lighting until the dance number with the sole exception being a minor increase in colour when Hana enters the scene. Tom Newsham and I also agreed that from the dancing onwards, that the scene would go darker, and would gain a subtle red feel to it, indicating the danger and sense of death going through Tommy's mind. Below are notes taken from discussions with Tom Newsham about that lighting.

 

Professional Documentation: Working with my Art Director

Ali and myself quickly realised how important the props and costume would be in order to get across the feel of a western film.

A stetson was quickly purchased.

As well as working towards a western theme, we also had to get acquire costumes and props that were needed for the story. Ali and myself went on a prop hunt in sheffield and we very successful working together to find items such as the rings and books in order to make our film. Below are photos of the notes in script we made together.

 

Professional Documentation: Working with my Script Editor

Due to the script being kept deliberately vague in order to inspire creativity during the module, there were only a few changes made to the script when working with my script editor Dan Walsh. Most of these changes can be scene on the noted script below. Aside from small changes to the action, such as the roll of pound notes being changed to dollars, Dan and I chose to change small parts of the dialogue to help give the characters a western feel, for example, Tommy's line:

"Your husbands dead isn't he?"

was changed to:

"Your husbands dead ain't he?"

Below are pictures of the notes I made with Dan.

  

Professional Documentation: Working with my Sound Editor

I worked closely with Alex Rhule-Martin to focus on the sound for the scene I was directing. I really wanted to be creative with the sound and use it to help show my audience that I tommy is slowly going more and more paranoid as the scene goes on. To help emphasise this I Alex and I agreed that the sound should start off very quiet and limited before becoming more and more uneasy as the music keeps going. Below are photos from notes taken in the script when working with Alex on the sound.

Professional Documentation: Working with my Camera Operator

I worked with Emily Burcham to prepare shots that fit the module guide but also gave the western feel we were hoping to emulate. Below are pictures of our draft marked up script.

Storyboards

Here are some of my storyboards that I worked on with Emily Burcham.

Professional Documentation: Working with my Producer and Camera Operator- Shot list and Schedule.

I had to work with both my camera operator Emily Burcham and Producer Ellen Saputra in order to work out how we would film on the day. With Emily Burcham I worked on the shot list and created the following:

   

When scheduling with Ellen, I was told that I had way too many shots on my shot list. I was advised to try to half it, I agreed to attempt this and made the following. 

Here is the schedule for the original shot list I made with Ellen:

  

Bitter Little Twist- Directors statement

When I directing this scene I hoped challenge the skills and abilities that I had learnt working on a my last 2 projects whilst also being as creative as possible. I chose to work on a scene from Bitter Little Twist as I felt it was the best way to work on those skills creatively. In order to make things slightly more challenging I decided I would create a scene set in a different time period than the modern day, I chose to go with a western as it was creative and also fit in with much of the themes and dialogue already in the scene I was to direct. I also felt that directing actors who would be using an accent that was not their normal accent (in this case Southern USA) I felt would add on another challenge when Directing the best performance from my actors.

Bitter Little Twist Mood Board

This is a mood board I created to help get across the feel and style I was going for to my crew.