School of Art and Design 2012/13
Name: Tianchi Wang (Tiki)
Course: MA Film Practice
Date: 17th/September/2013
What is your subject of study?
My subject of study is how the director and script writer use film skills to change the character’s emotion is depicted in film, in particular to explore what is the director influence as opposed to the script writer.
What is your research question?
How do other directors present characters’ emotion change in fictional films?
Research aim(s):
What are the overall aims of the project?
To explore how director use filming skills to present character’s emotion changing and to influence audiences. (ways of shooting, write script, lighting...) To understand the process of director in films. (earlier stage, shooting stage and post production) To evaluate the different approaches to directors.
Research objectives(s):
What are the specific tangible project objectives?
Note: these are separate to what you personally need to learn in terms of skills and knowledge, see learning objectives below.
1. Read some books about directing skills.
2. Analyze some famous (good or bad) films.
3. Do some research in psychology, to explore the cause of people’s emotion changing.
4. Make a research presentation to explain my work.
5. Writ 2~3 short screenplays, create some characters by myself.
6. Film my screenplays.
Rationale
· What is the wider context of your project?
Read some books to explore director’s skills and ways of working. Judith Weston(2003), in her book “The Film’s Director’s intuition”, talks about the intuition of director. She discussed how to use intuition and cooperate with actors and script writers. Furthermore, Bruce Block(2001) analysis color, space, camera movement on the screen in “The Visual Story”. Then, I will watch different type films to explore how these films present character’s emotion. Korozawa Akira’s film “Rashomon” would be a nice example because this film not only presented character’s emotion changing in film, but also discussed humanity’s psychology problem. Through analysis films, I want to find how director cooperates with other staffs (like actors, cameraman) and let them perform better.
· How does the project relate to your previous experience/practice?
I have shot several short films, however, I could not use skills of direct very well to change character’s emotion. And it also makes me knew the screenplay is very important for a film.
· How does it relate to relevant current practices, debates and theory?
It relates to director’s way of work, different ways of work present a distinct result. “Psycho”(1960) is one of the most famous films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Another famous director, Gus Van Sant, remake this movie at 1998. The same theme, the same story, different director and directing skills will provide different feelings for audiences.
It relates to details in the screenplay, every behaviour of character should be significative. According to Sid Field(1982, screenplay is telling a story, telling a story is in order to show the characters’ emotions and personality. So every character’s behavior need to be existed for the story developing.
It also relates to the skills of shooting and editing, different focus shooting and different editing order will give audiences a very unusual feeling.
· Why is the intended research significant? (So what?)
Film as an audio-visual arts, concretely characters and voice is one of the most important characteristics. However, it also be a demerit of film at the same time. Ways of display character’s inner world have been limited.(Qingfeng Shao, 2007, “Audio-visual Language”) Characters are a film’s spirit. As a director, people need to grasp how to create them better in screenplays and present it better in films.
· How does this project relate to your plans for the future?
I want to write a fine screenplay, and create better characters in my film.
Methodology
· Outline the research, creative and intellectual methods you will employ to develop your research project.
Firstly, in terms of research philosophy, I will use positivism and interpretivism to do some comparison and research. This means I need to explain why the characters will feel scare and happy, and then utilize ways of observation, classification and interviews to explore the relationship of emotions to each other, get the changing of inner world’s reason and result.
Secondly, the research approach chosen is inductive. Through watch and analyze different types of films, choose some characters of representative to compare and generalize.
Thirdly, at the aspect of research strategies, case study would be the first step. Good and bad cases will provide some suggestions and problems. Therefore I can do some surveys on the Internet according to these problems and suggestions. The next step is to do some experiment, write some scripts and make several short films by myself, and analyze it as well.
· Identify ethical considerations where appropriate.
Consent forms will be necessary because my research maybe relates to people’s privacy. Generally speaking, People don’t talk something about the inner world and do not want anybody else knows why they are afraid. So privacy and confidentiality are very important when I analyze.
Learning objectives
· Link to your personal skills audit and development plan; identify the skills that you will develop and knowledge that you need to acquire. Match the objectives against the MA programme learning outcomes.
1.To learn and understand how to use directing skills
2.To study how to write a good script, and learn some ways of shooting and editing
3.To learn how to use different type cameras to shoot, (Canon 7D & 5D, Matisushita camera and Nikon D90) and how to shoot different style pictures
4.To practice editing techniques, include Premiere, Final Cut and AE
Submissions (practical and/or written work)
· Describe your intended body of work, including your reflective journal and the summative critical review
Film reviews would be an important part in my reflective journal. Some of them will analyze some impressive films and directing skills. The others will compare good films and failed films, find out the reason why it can be succeed/failed. Meanwhile, I will write 2~3 different type screenplays and shoot 1~2 short films in the end. I will write a paperwork to analyze my own work as well, find out better methods of work.
· Specify the audience and communication context for your project.
The audience of my project can be the people who prefer realistic themes. And crew in the group can communicate director’s experiences online.
· Describe how you intend to evaluate/ test project outcomes with your audience.
I would like to show several short films which made by myself. Meanwhile, I will find out the shortage of my work, analyze it and talk about how to avoid it again.
Resource implications
· List what resources are required within or outside of the University
Camera, lighting, voice recording equipment, tripod, computers and studio space.
· Identify other organisations or individuals involved that you will rely upon and describe what role they will have
I consider I will need some actors to act my short film. And if necessary, the insurance will be relied on.
References
Cite material using the Harvard System referenced in the previous sections.
Books:
Akers, W. M. 2008. Your Screenplay Sucks! : 100 Ways to Make It Great
Shao, Q. (2007). Audio-visual Language. Beijing, China: Communication university of China Press.
Pepperman, R. D. (2004). The eye is quicker: film editing: making a good film better. USA: Michael Wiese Productions.
Movies:
Alfred Hitchcock. 1960. Psycho
Amour, 2012, Drama/ Romance, Michael Haneke
Ann Lee. 1994. Eat drink man women
Ashes of Time, 1994, Action/Drama, Kar Wai Wong.
Citizen Kane, 1942, Drama/Mystery, Orson Welles
Despicable Me, 2010, Action/Comedy/Crime, Pierre Louis Padang Coffin & Chris Renaud
Eight Below, 2006, Adventure/Family, Frank Marshall.
Duel, 1971, Action, Steven Spielberg.
Goodfellas, 1990, Biography/Crime/Drama, Martin Scorsese
Gus Van Sant. 1998. Psycho
Ingmar Bergman. 1957. Smultronstället (wood strawberry)
Milk, 2009, Biography/Drama/History, Gus Van Sant
Puss in Boots, 2011, Animation/Adventure/Comedy, Chris Miller.
Quill, 2004, Drama, Yoichi Sai
The Bucket List, 2008, Adventure/Comedy, Rob Reiner
Yimou Zhang. 2009. A simple noodle Story.
Bibliography
Cite essential background or contextual material using the Harvard System of referencing
Books:
Ascher, S., and Pincus, E. (2007). The Filmmaker’s Handbook. 3rd edition. New York, USA: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
BLEICHER, S., 2012. Contemporary Color: Theory & Use. Clifton Park, New York, USA: Delmar, Cengage Learning
Block, B. 2001. The Visual Story: Seeing the Structure of Film, TV, and New Media
Gove, Philip B. (1961). Webster's Third New International Dictionary. Preface. G. & C. Merriam.
Henson, W, J.2004. screenwriting: STEP BY STEP
HARTZOG, J., 2009. Narration in Film [online], 12/02/2012, Available at: http://home.roadrunner.com/~jhartzog/narrativefilm3.html
Hockley, L. (2001). Cinematic Projections: the Analytical Psychology of C G Jung and Film Theory. Luton, UK: University of Luton Press.
Jennifer, Van S.,Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know. Michael Wiese Productions
Kracauer, Siegfried (1960). Theory of Film: The Redemption of Physical Reality.
PEPPERMAN, R.D., 2004. The Eye is Quicker: film editing: making a good film better. USA: Michael Wiese Productions.
Rabiger, M. (2008). Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics. 4th edition. Burlington, USA: Elsevier Inc.
Weston, J. 2003. the Film director’s intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques
WOLLHEIM, R., 1984. The Thread of Life. Australia: The Press of the University of Cambridge.
Movies:
Alfred Hitchcock. 1954. Rear window
Alfred Hitchcock. 1963. The birds
Ann Lee. 2012. Life of Pi
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen. 2007.No country for old men
Korozawa Akira. 1950. Rashomon
Korozawa Akira. 1954. The Seven Samurai
Krzysztof Kieslowski. 1993. Trois couleurs: Bleu (Blue)
Krzysztof Kieslowski. 1994. Trois couleurs: Blanc (White)
Krzysztof Kieslowski. 1994. Trois couleurs: Rouge (Red)
Stanley Kubrick. 1980. The Shining
Yimou Zhang. 1988. Red Sorghum
Timetable
· Outline your plan of action; give dates of developmental milestones linked to the PGC / PGD / MA stages; include personal tutorials and your vacations.
Week 22 Write a short film screenplay. Write some journals of my work.
Week 23 Shoot the short film.
Week 24 Edit the short film and prepare the assessment (presentation).
Week 25~Week28 Read some books and do some research on director skills and psychology theory.
Week 29~Week 32 I will choose some good films and read the screenplay of these film. And I will try to write down the shooting script for understand how these director working.
Week 33~Week 34 Write two different type screenplays. Explore what different skills we need to use in different type scripts.
Week 35 Choose one screenplay I wrote and film it.
Week 36 Edit the second short film.
Week 37~39 Do some shooting practice, explore how to present character’s emotion through different shooting method.
Week 40~Week 41 Read some books about shooting and editing. Watch some films and do research on shooting.
Week 42~Week 45 Do some analysis work about other director’s film skills. Make a chart to analyze six other director’s films and screenplays.
Week 46~Week 48 Write some screenplays to practice film skills learn from other directors.
Week 49~Week 50 Cooperate with other directors to shoot my screenplays. Do shoot and edit film work.
Week 51~Week 52 The deadline for the production of the final film project. Write my summary document and prepare the last assessment.
Week 53--3 Holidays
Week 6 The deadline for the final assessment preparation
Week 7 Assessment Week
Agreed as a viable programme of study
Signature of student: Date:
Signature supervisor: Date:
Return the completed form to the MA Admin Office and your supervisor, and include it within your submission at the end of each stage (PGC / PGD / MA).