This Unit we are required to research, plan and produce a short video for multi-platform transmission that is a work of adaptation derived from a literary source. The unit calls for critical evaluation of contemporary broadcast drama. Considering the need for historical accuracy and how cultural perceptions of the present, past and future are formed.
This project I am working alone. This leaves me more room for creativity and direction to my own style of work. We have been given a selection of war poems and to select one to adapt and produce. Reading through all the poems I have selected 'Summer in England, 1914' by Alice Meynnell (1914).
Summer in England, 1914
On London fell a clearer light;
Caressing pencils of the sun
Defined the distances, the white
Houses transfigured one by one,
The 'long, unlovely street' impearled.
O what a sky has walked the world!
Most happy year! and out of town
The hay was prosperous, and the wheat;
The silken harvest climbed the down:
Moon after moon was heavenly-sweet,
Stroking the bread within the sheaves,
Looking 'twixt apples and their leaves.
And while this rose made round her cup,
The armies died convulsed. And when
This chaste young silver sun went up
Softly, a thousand shattered men,
One wet corruption, heaped the plain,
After a league-longthrob of pain.
Flower following tender flower; and birds,
And berries; and benignant skies
Made thrive the serried flocks and herds.
--- Yonder are men shot through the eyes
Love, hide thy face
From man's unpardonable race.
Who said 'No man hath greater love than this.
To die to serve his friend'?
So these have loved us all unto the end.
Chide thou no more, O thou unsacrificed!
The soldier dying dies upon a kiss,
The very kiss of Christ.
Under pressure we had 1 hour to read all 5 poems and choose 1 to work on. I chose this poem because this felt the most heart-lifting poem out of the selection, and feel I can make good use of colour for the film. Literature is not my best forte, so it took me a while to re-read the poem. I did not understand this poem, so I had to ask Helen (our tutor) what I could do. I told her I wanted to make a experimental film. She suggested to me that as a visual person I should take out one part of the poem and explore it further rather than analysing the poem verse by verse.
We talked about mood boards and putting down on paper what colours and sounds I could see whilst reading the poem.
What stood out for me was the verse:
'Most happy year! and out of town
The hay was prosperous, and the wheat;
The silken harvest climbed the down:
Moon after moon was heavenly-sweet,
Stroking the bread within the sheaves,
Looking 'twixt apples and their leaves.'
The colours I envisioned were oranges, greens, reds... colours of autumn.
Sounds I heard were mumbling of people in the market selling fresh foods such as fresh fruit, bread, eggs... Also sounds of the tractor harvesting the wheat, rustling of the leaves.
At home I looked at my art book called '...isms'. This is a book that helps understands art. I remember last year I wrote an essay based on surrealism which I had touched upon dadaism.
'Dadaism emerged during the first world war...', which 'gave way to surrealism in the mid 1920's.' Exploring and researching more about video art in the era of WW1 I would like to experiment and incorporate this type of art into my work.
Books
Film Theory and Criticism 6th edition - edited by Leo Braudy and Marshall Cohen
What novels can do that films can't (and vice versa) from Seymour Chatman pg445
From concepts in film theory, Adaptation by Dudley Andrew pg461
From Metaphors on vision by Stan Brakhage pg 199
Dracula - Original novel text by Bram Stoker
Theatre Productions
SIRO-A
Filmography
Avant-Garde 2 - produced by Bret Wood
Dracula pages from a virgins diary - produced by Vonnie Von Helmolt, Directed by Guy Maddin
Vampires: Why they bite (BBC)
Our Century 1914-1918 Beyond the Front prduced by Gaumont, Directed by Pierre Philippe
Under the skin (2013) - Directed by Jonathan Glazer starring Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Mc Williams
our century - notes
propaganda films - reassure people back home that the men have nothing to do other than wait for mail. Lady pen pal - romanticism.
'she becomes his dream and reason to live whilst he is dying in the muddy trenches
to her, he becomes another sort of dream, a dream of impossible romantic love, reminiscent of the middle ages.'
soldiers come home for leave and its different, changing. fashion becomes different but still accepting it. they have to 'endure' the event that has happened and that nothing has afftected society
nothing has curbed the city's appetite....this unpleasent moment will simply have to be endured'
world of mutation - fashion - shorter clothes, (women working), Hats style changed where women dont care for feathers or excessive, just the plain and basics.
food scarce - lack of meat, queues for food. Flour being brought over. ration cards.
new inventions made using what is available left.
audience appreciate dreams and fantasy. Fashion created by fantasy
Use of tanks to help harvest.
creation of submarines- women become life guards.
cinema
angular forms - fiest (italy)
picasso - vivre la france 'our future is in the air' painting - cubism
start of aviation.
windows taped to prevent large glass from falling, leading for artistic competition.
Under the skin (2013) - Directed by Jonathan Glazer starring Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Mc Williams
our century - notes
propaganda films - reassure people back home that the men have nothing to do other than wait for mail. Lady pen pal - romanticism.
'she becomes his dream and reason to live whilst he is dying in the muddy trenches
to her, he becomes another sort of dream, a dream of impossible romantic love, reminiscent of the middle ages.'
soldiers come home for leave and its different, changing. fashion becomes different but still accepting it. they have to 'endure' the event that has happened and that nothing has afftected society
nothing has curbed the city's appetite....this unpleasent moment will simply have to be endured'
world of mutation - fashion - shorter clothes, (women working), Hats style changed where women dont care for feathers or excessive, just the plain and basics.
food scarce - lack of meat, queues for food. Flour being brought over. ration cards.
new inventions made using what is available left.
audience appreciate dreams and fantasy. Fashion created by fantasy
Use of tanks to help harvest.
creation of submarines- women become life guards.
cinema
angular forms - fiest (italy)
picasso - vivre la france 'our future is in the air' painting - cubism
start of aviation.
windows taped to prevent large glass from falling, leading for artistic competition.
Dracula - Pages form a virgins diary by Guy Maddin
Use of colours
Tones - black and white, yellow, blue, purple
Intors of characters on a separate slide with name.
Ballet with classical musical score running through the back.
Silent but picks up sonds to exxagerrate emotion ( footsteps ) ticking clock to show passing of time.
Highlights the red out of black and white
Lighting soft but mostly dark
Use of title cards for dialogue.
Dreamy - soft focus.
Dance choreograpy
People dressed as bats with wings, horns and tails enter the room to take the garlic out of the room to help Dracula get into the room.
'Death is only the beginning!'
Grave - no clear scenery, use of props, fog on the floor. Its very dark with spots of lighting. Soft lighting to highlight the lucy and dracula.
Like a silent movie, but use of certain sounds to point out, highlight or emphasise action or emotion.
Some slow movement so make the action longer.
Pink tone - love, happiness
Reading diary, - eyes of reader, the book, re-enactment of what is being read.
Bright, lifting music
In the devils lair, girl changes from innocence to being sexual. We know Dracula is controlling her because we see him open his eyes. The next shot is of her coming out of the lair and her innocence is brought back.
Entrance of lair representing a womans vagina - symbolism of sex
Dracula Ripped off the skirt - taken virginity/innocence/purity
Green money shoved opinto the mouth with dagger in it could mean free from money.
Some use of Shilloettes
Dracula could be a symbol of sexual fantasy. Women wearing long floaty dresses.
Agatha Christy - torquay - poisonous gardens WW1 (One Show) Thurs 23rd Oct.
SIRO-A
On Saturday 15th, I attended a Japanese convention called Hyper Japan at Olympia. There were many events on stage all Japanese themed such as Sushi making, Cosplay (costume playing), Japanese fashion show. One of the performance was a Japanese group called Siro-A. These had caught my eye because they were quite innovative.
Siro-A are a group of guys who uses technology such as projections, light animations, laser effects mixed with electro music to create unique theatrical performances.
What really interested me was the use of words that was projected onto the screen whilst performing. The words were written in the shape of the object. Such as the word 'forest' written in the shape of trees through a forest. Together mixed with the music, the audience could understand what was going on even though there were words on the screen without visually seeing the objects.
For example in this performance they performed a clip of Rambo where he runs through the forest and there are bullets firing at him. Even though the audience can not see the physical forest, they used the word 'forest' across the screen so the audience can visualise the background and the word 'tree' in the shape of trees. I like the play on words, this proves that even though there is no imagery, the words can describe what the audience can imagine in their minds. The music also helps with the performance because it is recognisable.
A good start Sei-Kai, but make sure you use the blog fully to ensure you demonstrate thorough critical analysis and your decision making process as well as critical reflections to show your learning. More detail needed
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