The last time I did a film school post was two weeks ago! I apologize for the big break in posts but it's called an intensive for a reason. I've had some requests to write about my program at Ryerson (Summer Film School) and will be breaking it down to the classes I've attended.

Ryerson's Sound Stage

Motion Picture Production:

The last two weeks consisted of filming our first assignment, a 30 second documentary style film with a still camera. The equipment? A Bell & Howell 16mm. This thing has got a parallax lens, what does that mean? It means when you look through the lens you don't see what's going to be on the film!

Crazy, I know. As a digital age millenial, I had a lot of trouble wrapping my mind around this. We actually had to use a tape measure to check the distance from the lens to the subject, adjusting it manually. Then we had to use a light metre to manually measure the aperture and f-stop.

This was definitely a learning experience, once we developed the film we saw our mistakes, our out of focus shots or over/underexposed shots. Now this may be an archaic way to produce films but the images were beautiful! I would say I have a love-hate relationship with film but I am excited to create more projects using the medium.

So, here is some recommended readings/viewings from our MOPRO class:

No electricity needed, just wind and go!

1.  "Toward True Cinema" - Vorkapich Theory - we are currently learning about film history and now examining experimental film and using the medium not just as a way to reproduce theatre or photography but as a way to play with motion and emotion. Salvko Vorkapich is who we are studying and modelling our assignment #2 after.
   *unfortunately I cannot find the article online but look it up for one of the founding articles of avant garde cinema
   
2. "Meshes in the Afternoon" (Vimeo) - Maya Deren is one of the founders of experimental/personal film. We watched this in class yesterday and were all stunned by the in-camera effects, Freudian themes and eerie storytelling.
   
   
3. "Stages of Production & Personnel" (PDF) - Some film school information about the basics on a production. 

Richard Sheppard, director of "Girls" and "The Matador", wrote and directed this hilarious homage to dirty London dark comedies - Guy Ritchie would be proud. Not only does Dom Hemingway load up the audience with commentary on life after prison but the excellent writing allows us to see what everyone experiences: getting old, being irrelevant.

The chemistry between these two is amazing.

It's been a while since I've been to an acting class and when I was in Vancouver visiting I dropped into my old haunt, at Shea Hampton's studio. Seeing my lovely friends definitely made me nostalgic to the days of being a thespian, it also made me realize many things from the new perspective of a writer/director.

As a filmmaker it is your responsibility to make sure cast and crew cooperate,  even if you have an amazing script/cinematographer/etc, your film can flounder if there is no teamwork.

Joss Whedon and really famous faces, on set.

1. Learning How to Work With Actors

There is a well known gap on film sets between the crew and the actors. Oftentimes I have found that resentment and tension can arise because of the misunderstanding between roles. Crew will complain about lazy actors and actors will complain about harsh directors.

This is why it is important for filmmakers to attend at least one acting class, to see how much heart and soul actors put into their craft. For filmmakers their craft is the camera, the shot, the story - for the actor, their craft is their emotional life and vulnerability. Two artists with two different tools, one with a camera, the other with their mind and body. 

Actors are actually cry-babies!

Attending an acting class allows you to witness how much work actors put, not only to memorizing their lines, but in getting to be vulnerable. On-set you're so busy prepping the lighting or directing the shot that you don't see how the actor spends their time getting emotionally prepped for a scene.

This is important especially if you're a technical director, it is important for you to go to a class to learn how to direct actors. The acting language can be the biggest barrier between an actor and their director. When the director tells the actor to "Look more sad" this will result in a lot of retakes.

An acting class will show you how actors respond best and how they actually aren't narcissists but sensitive artists that really want to please you!


2. Understanding Different Interpretations

Acting is interpreting the script, it is reading between the lines and responding to what happens in the scene. What makes an actor stand out is their interpretation of the story and character. A lot of the times this can be mistaken for bad acting.

Going to an acting class you can usually see numerous actors doing the same scene and how it changes from person to person. This is important to understand that each actor brings something of themselves to the character and some may be more suited than another. Their interpretation is what can make or break a role!
Seeing various takes from different actors on one scene can really open your eyes. Sometimes an actor will completely surprise you, whether it is with their looks/take on the character/speech!

Going to an acting class will keep your mind open to the possibilities a character and actor can offer, it will also make you realise that most actors aren't bad, their interpretation just didn't suit your vision. 


3. Auditions Are Terrifying

As I come from an acting background I understand the horrors and stress of auditions: the hours you spend pouring over a script or rehearsing with a friend, the money you spend to get an acting coach to assist, that shift you had to get covered at work... all to walk in a room for five minutes and be written off.

Having sat on both sides of the audition room I can identify with the terror of the actor as well as the exhaustion of the director/producer/casting director. Seeing numerous amounts of people a day butchering your script can put you on edge. But if you attend an acting class and see how passionate and for lack of a better word, desperate, actors are you would actually feel more empathy towards them.

After all, they spent hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on acting training/headshots/submissions, just so they could act in front of you for three minutes.

Lastly, you bridge the gap. 

Everyone on set wants to tell a compelling and authentic story, no one wants to be on a film that is ripped apart. Attending an acting class when you're a writer/director/crew member is an act of good faith, a helping hand to the other side of the camera. We all want to create something amazing and memorable, if you come to an acting class you could find your next muse or a fellow collaborator!

An example of great partnerships.

What makes a great filmmaker is not just their dolly shot or expensive equipment or groundbreaking script - it's their ability to lead a team to create a world where audiences can escape. Be a great and partner with your actors and crew! 

I was first introduced to "How I Live Now" when I worked at the library back in middle school. The YA novel by Meg Rosoff was a fresh new perspective on young love in a time when Twilight was booming.

The film, starring one of my favourite actresses, Saoirse Ronan, and directed Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland") follows the same plot line.

In the not-so-distant future, Ronan plays Daisy, a complex American teenager. She is sent to the UK to stay with her cousins in the country side. Her cousin, Isaac (Tom Holland), a precocious fourteen year old picks her up at the airport and she is incredulous that he's driving her. Beneath this humour there is political tension, world powers are on the brink of war. Daisy arrives at the country house and is at first reluctant to enjoy the beauty and freedom that is available. Her aunt leaves the children as she must go to Geneva, they are then free to roam and enjoy the summer. Daisy quickly falls in love with the place... and her older cousin, Eddie (George MacKay).

Yes, I said cousin. Moving on.

They are quickly ripped apart when London experiences a nuclear attack. The UK is declared a military state and the girls are put into a foster home where they ration water tablets by night and work in farm labour camps by day.  The boys, sixteen and fourteen, are conscripted to fighting the unknown enemy. From here they promise to meet back at home, Daisy plans her escape, following dreams of Eddie and knowing she must return to meet him.

Watch out for this talented young cast!

Ignoring the incestuous undertones, the film really is beautiful. The young actors have so much depth and really do the story justice. Raw cinematography and strong performances move the film along. Saoirse Ronan is the perfect balance of annoying angsty-in-love teen caught in the middle of war with a cast of other talents. The writing could have been a bit better with dialogue or the use of voice overs but over all the film succeeds in telling a broken love story.

"How I Live Now" is a lesson in subtlety, Macdonald unfolds the story by what we don't see.

A masterful example of this is the scene where the nuclear bomb goes off, you don't see anything. You are just there enjoying a summer day with the children in the countryside when all of a sudden the dogs go off barking, a gust of wind comes from nowhere, the sound of something BIG goes off and then ash begins to fall.  The youngest cousin, Piper (Harley Bird), begins to dance - "It's snowing!"

How haunting and eerie.

7/10 Stars