We were introduced to theme in Screenwriting which is, in my opinion, the soul of any piece of writing. It is, after all, themes that move people, that mean something, that can contain truth. The characters, plot or setting may be memorable but what implants itself in the subconscious, and penetrates through superficial emotion, is that statement of belief. Do you know what you believe? If there is no theme in a film then the audience will try to create one. I know what I believe.
It was pitching time in Adam’s class and Murdo, John and myself eagerly sold our drama Corridors of Power; which I was loathe to part with, having invested so much time and energy in it’s creation. Anyway, who knows? Perhaps one day it will be commissioned and written! Hey, I can dream can’t I? One thing the exercise highlighted for me was that working in small groups is much more effective, and produces far greater results, than working as an individual. Ideas can be bounced back and forward and immediately discarded or developed which cannot happen in one mind (I could try conversing with the mirror) and that is why I know I will find the next assignment, to individually storyline a drama, far more challenging.
We all turned up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, on Tuesday morning to be confronted with the news that there was no technical class that morning after all. So that was fair enough, we’d have to just hang around until Gavin’s class in the afternoon. The thought was literally in my head when Gavin appeared to inform us that there would be no class that afternoon either. A day off! I set off back to the flat feeling slightly disappointed but also rather grateful for the unexpected break.
Silent films! They’re just like reading a book really… a book with lots of pictures! Actually I believe they are a cinematic form in their own right, and are still very relevant and enjoyable today (I mean Mr Bean is pretty much silent cinema!), the master of this form being Charlie Chaplin, I would argue from the examples that I’ve seen so far, and I thoroughly enjoyed The Kid. It’s just fantastic, feel-good, funny and flamboyant filmmaking. I love the unique mish-mash of Vaudeville-style slapstick comedy combined with cinematic techniques to provide entertainment which is an experience somewhere between theatre and cinema. In fact, I suppose it harks back to those Music Halls of the early 1900s and the birth of cinema.
The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall was a fantastic venue. Being there, on yet another field trip from our loving and generous tutor Andy Dougan, was like reliving life more than a hundred years ago. I could almost see the people crushed in their thousands in the gallery and hear the noise of shouting, heckling, laughter and applause. I could smell the odour, the urine, the decay and I could feel the cold… I could quite literally feel the cold which helped add to the experience and made it seem all the more realistic somehow. Seeing this place was very worthwhile because of its significance to the history of cinema. Knowing where it started helps put into perspective where it is now, and why. Aside from that, I am fascinated by history and the stories of people in different times and therefore I enjoyed the spirited and graphic description of the Music Hall experience that we received. All in all it was a very successful trip and on reflection it would be a fantastic location to make a film…
Friday morning brought us our first class on Sound. I’d say it was pretty sound… first class in fact! Actually I found it just slightly tedious and uninteresting, however I do appreciate that it is very necessary and there is an art to good recording and design and I have great respect for anyone who really understands how sound works. I remember doing some sound-related activities in Standard Grade Physics but I fear that this barely touched the surface. Anyway, at least we’ll soon be able to point a microphone into some poor actor’s face and produce something mildly comprehensible which is, I suppose, progress.
An enjoyable class on sitcoms to end the week. I Love Lucy (1951) was rather entertaining and displayed the extent to which it has defined the form of sitcoms as they are no different today. The Dick van Dyke Show is, I have decided, my favourite sitcom. It never relies on cheap, sex-fuelled comedy or unimaginative vulgar language for its laughs and true to the Carl Reiner format there is even a lesson learned in each episode. Unfortunately the episode we watched in class was not one of the best, it was rather slow in getting to the gags. The Simpsons delighted as expected. However, I disagree with the idea that they are not a dysfunctional family. They have love yes, even unconditional love but love alone is not sufficient to keep a family functioning properly. Respect, discipline and action are also required but the Simpsons are a perfectly functioning family for the purposes of the sitcom and I would not want them changed. Finally we watched an episode of Two and Half Men which succeeded in lowering the tone and the quality of the afternoon’s entertainment. It is programmes like these that give the impression that any kind of moral conscience, or will to communicate that which is good, on television died with Ed Murrow.
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