My brother has a passion and talent for performing as an actor. He's been writing scripts for quite a while. One of them, a stage play, was realized last year entitled "No Greater Love". It was superb. He got behind the camera for another script he wrote, a short film this time around and the following is the result. It's brilliant especially if you consider that it's his first, enjoy!
Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts
14 November 2013
06 February 2010
Excellent Commercial!
I have huge interest in trivia and behind the scenes stuff and consequently in the directing and production aspects of movies. Here is a brilliant advert/commercial followed by an excellent review by John Moore which I found extremely interesting. Something I'd love to do, some day, is make a movie. Check out this young (under 25 I reckon) film maker's blog- Life, by John
This was a remarkable change of pace from the typical PSA. It was beautifully shot, well directed, and had a good bit of forethought in the story being told.
Things that appeal to me about it are the environment. In the home, a father evidently teaching his daughter something about vehicle safety. It's cozy, it's warm, it's a place we all want to be.
The love between the members of the family is clearly portrayed as the commercial begins, and the daughter's panic stricken face betrays so much affection for her father that you can't help but resonate with the character. This is excellent casting, and excellent direction. If one were to look back at preproduction of this ad, one would no doubt find detailed storyboards and animatics prepared well in advance.
But the brilliance is also in the simplicity of the shots. One of the reasons the elements are so bold and so plain for the viewer, so memorable in the midst of a variety of other commercials, is the economy of shots. Thomas Jefferson said, "The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do." The same applies to shots within a film as well.
The breakdown of the commercial:
1. 00:00 Key Turning.
2. 00:04 Foot on the gas.
3. 00:06 Family watches, entertained - trucking right.
4. 00:10 Driving happily - push in.
5. 00:14 Family laughter, mid shot - push in.
6. 00:17 A happy father, - truck right.
7. 00:20 Daughter laughing, - push in.
8. 00:22 Fearful driver, mid-shot - push in.
9. 00:28 Panicked daughter, close up - push in
10. 00:31 Yanking the wheel, close up - push in
11. 00:35 Family leaps into action - push in
12. 00:36 Daughter at his side
13. 00:43 Her Fingers interlock
14. 00:46 Wife grabs him
15. 00:48 Her Fingers interlock
16. 00:50 Impact Close-up
17. 00:50 Impact Wide
18. 00:58 Glitter Falls
19. 01:02 A Family Embrace
You might say, "That's 19 shots in an 88 second commercial. That's averaging a cut every 4.5 seconds... How is that economical?" Well, in this instance, we're going to examine the setups and angles, or shots and not the number of times a shot is edited in, or cuts. There is a lot we were able to learn in this very short period of time, and a lot of action taking place. Yet the reason we were able to remember it all so very clearly, is that we didn't cut to a new angle every time.
The setups are actually very simple throughout the short. Shots 1 and 2 are throwaway angles. That's why the content in the shot is very limited. A key turns, a foot presses the gas pedal. But even though they pass by in six seconds, we know he's starting a car. There is very little to see in the shot, other than the hand with the invisible key, and the foot on the invisible gas pedal. This way, all our attention is devoted to the actions, not the environment.
This is true with every shot in the film; the environments are simple and unassuming, familiar to the viewer, so that the characters become the focal point.
Shot 3 we move the camera past the driver, to see the family on the couch. Now we have clearly established the locations of the characters, and the mood of the family. If we were to cut to the father first, his dopey driving grin would look ridiculous. Instead, because we see the family giggling and watching with awe, when we cut to the father driving, we realize he is intentionally entertaining them. His actions no longer seem silly, but noble, in a way.
Shot 4, with the father driving, is a setup (angle, lighting, dolly track, etc) that will be reused several times, with only slight variation. The same is true of shot 5. In all, there were probably only about ten setups in the whole film, allowing a lot of time for the audience to really study out each of the environments, characters, actions, and arcs within the short.
Even in the longest shot in the short, the end embrace, the environment is very simple. There are no props, no background furniture. The wallpaper is patterned but the pattern is so out of focus, we can only really study the family. They are even lit more brightly than anything in the background. It's a perfect close.
An amateur director would probably have had an entirely new shot every 3-5 seconds, to keep it 'interesting'. Rather than focusing on characters and clearly defining their goals, he would have distracted the audience with 20 unique setups, brightly lit and filled with distracting background props. This would not only hurt the audience's understanding of the short, but it would have also been twice as time consuming to shoot.
On a shoot like this, every setup would take 45 minutes to an hour. When storyboarding even your short films, consider the cost of every shot on a professional feature film. Choose your shots very carefully, and focus on clarity of the action for the audience. Remember, we're here to serve the audience with a story; not confuse them with unnecessary information.
Keep it simple, make it bold.
~ In Christ, John.
This was a remarkable change of pace from the typical PSA. It was beautifully shot, well directed, and had a good bit of forethought in the story being told.
Things that appeal to me about it are the environment. In the home, a father evidently teaching his daughter something about vehicle safety. It's cozy, it's warm, it's a place we all want to be.
The love between the members of the family is clearly portrayed as the commercial begins, and the daughter's panic stricken face betrays so much affection for her father that you can't help but resonate with the character. This is excellent casting, and excellent direction. If one were to look back at preproduction of this ad, one would no doubt find detailed storyboards and animatics prepared well in advance.
But the brilliance is also in the simplicity of the shots. One of the reasons the elements are so bold and so plain for the viewer, so memorable in the midst of a variety of other commercials, is the economy of shots. Thomas Jefferson said, "The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do." The same applies to shots within a film as well.
The breakdown of the commercial:
1. 00:00 Key Turning.
2. 00:04 Foot on the gas.
3. 00:06 Family watches, entertained - trucking right.
4. 00:10 Driving happily - push in.
5. 00:14 Family laughter, mid shot - push in.
6. 00:17 A happy father, - truck right.
7. 00:20 Daughter laughing, - push in.
8. 00:22 Fearful driver, mid-shot - push in.
9. 00:28 Panicked daughter, close up - push in
10. 00:31 Yanking the wheel, close up - push in
11. 00:35 Family leaps into action - push in
12. 00:36 Daughter at his side
13. 00:43 Her Fingers interlock
14. 00:46 Wife grabs him
15. 00:48 Her Fingers interlock
16. 00:50 Impact Close-up
17. 00:50 Impact Wide
18. 00:58 Glitter Falls
19. 01:02 A Family Embrace
You might say, "That's 19 shots in an 88 second commercial. That's averaging a cut every 4.5 seconds... How is that economical?" Well, in this instance, we're going to examine the setups and angles, or shots and not the number of times a shot is edited in, or cuts. There is a lot we were able to learn in this very short period of time, and a lot of action taking place. Yet the reason we were able to remember it all so very clearly, is that we didn't cut to a new angle every time.
The setups are actually very simple throughout the short. Shots 1 and 2 are throwaway angles. That's why the content in the shot is very limited. A key turns, a foot presses the gas pedal. But even though they pass by in six seconds, we know he's starting a car. There is very little to see in the shot, other than the hand with the invisible key, and the foot on the invisible gas pedal. This way, all our attention is devoted to the actions, not the environment.
This is true with every shot in the film; the environments are simple and unassuming, familiar to the viewer, so that the characters become the focal point.
Shot 3 we move the camera past the driver, to see the family on the couch. Now we have clearly established the locations of the characters, and the mood of the family. If we were to cut to the father first, his dopey driving grin would look ridiculous. Instead, because we see the family giggling and watching with awe, when we cut to the father driving, we realize he is intentionally entertaining them. His actions no longer seem silly, but noble, in a way.
Shot 4, with the father driving, is a setup (angle, lighting, dolly track, etc) that will be reused several times, with only slight variation. The same is true of shot 5. In all, there were probably only about ten setups in the whole film, allowing a lot of time for the audience to really study out each of the environments, characters, actions, and arcs within the short.
Even in the longest shot in the short, the end embrace, the environment is very simple. There are no props, no background furniture. The wallpaper is patterned but the pattern is so out of focus, we can only really study the family. They are even lit more brightly than anything in the background. It's a perfect close.
An amateur director would probably have had an entirely new shot every 3-5 seconds, to keep it 'interesting'. Rather than focusing on characters and clearly defining their goals, he would have distracted the audience with 20 unique setups, brightly lit and filled with distracting background props. This would not only hurt the audience's understanding of the short, but it would have also been twice as time consuming to shoot.
On a shoot like this, every setup would take 45 minutes to an hour. When storyboarding even your short films, consider the cost of every shot on a professional feature film. Choose your shots very carefully, and focus on clarity of the action for the audience. Remember, we're here to serve the audience with a story; not confuse them with unnecessary information.
Keep it simple, make it bold.
~ In Christ, John.
20 June 2009
Air France Pictures Are Fake!
Ahhh! The pictures I put up in my last post are fake! Watch this 15 sec trailer and you'll see the scene from which the pictures where taken. Thanks Mike, for enlightening me...
17 March 2009
White Man by Michael Gungor
Over the festive season, I came across Michael Gungor, a gospel artist and worship leader. I later found the simple but, I dare say, hair raising song, for some at least, "White Man". Michael is a gospel singer and so, I was rather curious to find out how such a title could sum up the idea of a Christian song. He released the song as a single off his "to come" album and it soon became a controversial song. I also found that he had written an article about the song and the about the response he hopes the song will retain. Have a read and a listen! By the way the video is not by Michael...
God is Not a White Man by Michael Gungor
Preparing for the release of their new project in September, Michael Gungor reflects on what has become a controversial single off the new album.
“Atheists and charlatans and communists and lesbians, and even ol’ Pat Robertson, oh God He loves us all. Catholic or Protestant, terrorist or President. Everybody, everybody, love, love, love, love.” (from our new song “God is Not a White Man”)“…some people are concerned about the word ‘lesbian’ being in the song.” (my advisers)
Listen, I’m not after being controversial. Bothering people just for the sake of bothering them is just annoying, and that’s not really the emotional response that I am hoping to elicit with our music. But you know what? And forgive me for being a little gross here, but sometimes cleaning out a festering sore can sting a little.
In the bridge of the song, my intent was to be as offensive as possible with that list. Many of us don’t like to think of God loving the people that we hate the most. The terrorist, the racist, the rapist, the Pharisees and the TV preachers. My hope was that people would notice any internal cringing in order to bring their own prejudices into the light.
I think that sometimes we fool ourselves by thinking our sin is cleaner than everyone else’s sin. “I don’t hate people, I just hate the people that hate people.” However, I believe that looking down on anyone as something less than an image and beloved creation of God is not only sinful, but at the heart of nearly all the problems of the world.
And in order to justify how we divide, compare, and rank ourselves, we often end up fashioning a god for ourselves that supports our decision. The Israelites fashioned a god (golden calf) that they thought would be a shinier and more tangible deity than the One who brought them out of Egypt.
Our early American forefathers fashioned a god that allowed them to have a “Manifest Destiny” to own this land, and that led them into the massive genocide that they carried out on the Native American people that lived here before us. Hitler fashioned a god that allowed him to exterminate the Jews. I wonder what kind of god that we have fashioned today that allows us to separate and hate each other like we do.
What kind of god have some Christians fashioned that allows them to look down on homosexuals? What kind of god have some Christians fashioned for themselves that is happy with our denominational separations and elitist attitudes? What kind of god loves this group of people over that group of people?
Certainly not the God of the Bible.The Bible teaches us that God is love, and as Christians, we are to be made into God’s image, not to try to make Him in ours. We are not to paint our own personalities and preferences on God’s face. We are not meant to control Him or own Him with our faith or our religion. Instead, we are called to give Him ownership of our lives through our faith.
What would a church look like that was rid of the ‘us’ versus ‘them’ poison that has plagued the world for so many thousands of years? What if we really believed that there is no more Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female? Perhaps we could become the Church that Jesus prayed for in John 17 right before He went to the cross. Of all the things that Jesus could have prayed right there, He asked that God would unify us. There is enough separation and division in the world already. It is what leads to things like war, racism, and poverty. If the Church is to become a new kind of humanity, we must unify in love as we shed the lines that divide us from the people that we are called to love and serve.
Posted July 22, 2008 Michael Gungor is the lead singer and worship songwriter of the Michael Gungor Band. The group's new album, Ancient Skies, is releasing September 9, 2008 from Brash Records.
White Man
Words and music by Michael Gungor and Lisa Gungor
God is not a man, God is not a white man
God is not a man sitting on a cloud
God cannot be bought, God will not be boxed in
God will not be owned by religion
But God is love, God is love,
and He loves everyone
God is love, God is love,
and He loves everyone
God is not a man, God is not an old man
God does not belong to Republicans
God is not a flag, Not even American
And God does not depend on a government
But God is good, God is good,
and He loves everyone
God is good, God is good,
and He loves everyone
Atheists and Charlatans
and Communists and Lesbians
And even old Pat Robertson,
oh God He loves us all
Catholic or Protestant,
Terrorist or President
Everybody, everybody, love, love, love, love, love
Yeah, I say God is love, God is love,
and He loves everyone
Stop the hating, please just stop the hating now cause God is love
© 2008 worshiptogether.com songs/ASCAP. Admin by EMI CMG Publishing.
_______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________
God is Not a White Man by Michael Gungor
Preparing for the release of their new project in September, Michael Gungor reflects on what has become a controversial single off the new album.
“Atheists and charlatans and communists and lesbians, and even ol’ Pat Robertson, oh God He loves us all. Catholic or Protestant, terrorist or President. Everybody, everybody, love, love, love, love.” (from our new song “God is Not a White Man”)“…some people are concerned about the word ‘lesbian’ being in the song.” (my advisers)
Listen, I’m not after being controversial. Bothering people just for the sake of bothering them is just annoying, and that’s not really the emotional response that I am hoping to elicit with our music. But you know what? And forgive me for being a little gross here, but sometimes cleaning out a festering sore can sting a little.
In the bridge of the song, my intent was to be as offensive as possible with that list. Many of us don’t like to think of God loving the people that we hate the most. The terrorist, the racist, the rapist, the Pharisees and the TV preachers. My hope was that people would notice any internal cringing in order to bring their own prejudices into the light.
I think that sometimes we fool ourselves by thinking our sin is cleaner than everyone else’s sin. “I don’t hate people, I just hate the people that hate people.” However, I believe that looking down on anyone as something less than an image and beloved creation of God is not only sinful, but at the heart of nearly all the problems of the world.
And in order to justify how we divide, compare, and rank ourselves, we often end up fashioning a god for ourselves that supports our decision. The Israelites fashioned a god (golden calf) that they thought would be a shinier and more tangible deity than the One who brought them out of Egypt.
Our early American forefathers fashioned a god that allowed them to have a “Manifest Destiny” to own this land, and that led them into the massive genocide that they carried out on the Native American people that lived here before us. Hitler fashioned a god that allowed him to exterminate the Jews. I wonder what kind of god that we have fashioned today that allows us to separate and hate each other like we do.
What kind of god have some Christians fashioned that allows them to look down on homosexuals? What kind of god have some Christians fashioned for themselves that is happy with our denominational separations and elitist attitudes? What kind of god loves this group of people over that group of people?
Certainly not the God of the Bible.The Bible teaches us that God is love, and as Christians, we are to be made into God’s image, not to try to make Him in ours. We are not to paint our own personalities and preferences on God’s face. We are not meant to control Him or own Him with our faith or our religion. Instead, we are called to give Him ownership of our lives through our faith.
What would a church look like that was rid of the ‘us’ versus ‘them’ poison that has plagued the world for so many thousands of years? What if we really believed that there is no more Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female? Perhaps we could become the Church that Jesus prayed for in John 17 right before He went to the cross. Of all the things that Jesus could have prayed right there, He asked that God would unify us. There is enough separation and division in the world already. It is what leads to things like war, racism, and poverty. If the Church is to become a new kind of humanity, we must unify in love as we shed the lines that divide us from the people that we are called to love and serve.
“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of
them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be
in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the
glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in
me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me
and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Posted July 22, 2008 Michael Gungor is the lead singer and worship songwriter of the Michael Gungor Band. The group's new album, Ancient Skies, is releasing September 9, 2008 from Brash Records.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
