Tomorrow the multicam starts

Byrichard

Today’s been a long day, beginning at 9 with lectures and finishing at 1800 with tape logging and transcribing. It passed through some studio work, laying the floor, and such.

Tomorrow we start at 9am and continue till night in order to get all our shots finished with. We’ll get a lunch break so have to factor that into any planning.

I should have an early night but it’s halls and there’s alcohol around so others are drinking the night away and forgetting to adjust their volume control.

Vivement Samedi

La Grande Illusion des Quatre Cents Coups

Byrichard

C’est deux films que je vient de regarder.

I’m watching a lot of DVDs at the moment. I have neither television nor a fast connection, therefore, I take advantage to study the cinema. It’s a good way of spending time, of being transported into other timezones, towards other cities

I constantly find more information as the days’ progress

Only a few more days till my group’s multicamera and I’ll be busy every day until the end of the week. On the positive side, I haven’t been to the student bar to socialise. I have busied myself with work instead and my productivity has gone up.

I no longer see the appeal of going to a bar or nightclub where there are three or four people checking for trouble makers. Where alcohol is served to intellectuals great conversations ensue, where it is served to the less enlightened there is nothing but “ruine de l’ame.”

Last night I dropped by the library and explored the index pages, looking for information on documents. I found something about Arte and the films it selects. I found a few articles about Chinese cinemas and tributes to Jean Rouch. I photocopied them and have yet to read through them and digest the information that they provide.

I am getting closer and closer to the point at which I feel I can begin interviewing the relevant people as part of my research. That should be the best part of the work I’m doing at the moment.

I want to try making an observational documentary again, exploring new ideas, and getting an insider’s understanding of what I’ve been studying.

All that remains from this day

Byrichard

Today a friend of mine was in the news, after being arrested and released in China. He’s a photographer.

At the same time, I’m in England and I am no longer welcome to a place where I have spent many hours.

I have three documents loaded within the browser to continue work on the dissertation proposal I am going to continue on within the next few minutes or within the next day or two.

I’m going home in about 28 days or so, that’s four weeks.

I have a documentary meeting, a tutor meeting, and a  multicamera meeting, all for around the same time. There is also a globalisation meeting. After that, I may go home and edit what should have been edited already. This depends on what’s decided during one of the meetings.
It’s the daily life of a student.

Dissertations, documentaries and such

Byrichard

I’ve been reading about documentary makers and it’s interesting. Today I read about several of them, took notes, and explored the ideas that they demonstrate. The one that has confused me is Kossanovksy and his ideas of Dogma. I’m wondering how you do a documentary without having interviews or cutaways. Does he mean that we should not use them gratuitously or in some other manner? I need to do more search on this particular aspect.

Once more I’ve watched Control Room, the documentary about al Jazeera. I found it interesting.

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First time directing a multicam

Byrichard

Directing a Multicam is easy, after being a cameraman at many conferences. it’s a matter of knowing which shots you would like to have had with just one camera but couldn’t get. It’s easy, switching from one source to another and making sure the pacing is right and that there are not too many screw-ups.

Overall it went well and I enjoyed it. It was different today as I was a simple camera operator. I had to concentrate on getting the right shot and fight away the desire to sit down or do something else.

On both days the last speaker was the more entertaining of the day.

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Casino Royal in Leicester Square

Byrichard

I went to Leicester Square tonight and I saw many celebrities for the opening of Casino Royal, the new bond film.

Among those present were the scissor sisters, Girls aloud, Richard Branson, Mohammed Al Fayed, Paris Hilton, Sting, Elton John, Eva Green, The songwriter, Miss MoneyPenny, Dame who plays M and a few other celebs. It was good fun in central London.

I have uploaded some pictures.

One of the images is of a friend shaking hands with Daniel Grey

Casino World Premiere

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Sunday afternoon

Byrichard

Soon I may have internet access in my halls again and at that point the writing will begin again. it’s hard to be inspired in a library. On the positive side I’ve watched up to three new documentaries since last night so I’m wondering whether to look at the origins of french and English cinema.

I had some inspiration whilst attempting to watch Nightmail by Grierson.

Tonight I shall be watching Philibert’s L’empire des Sourd, documentary I recently read about.

I went to see Borat and it’s really amusing, a good excuse to laugh for more than an hour.

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Multicam work

Byrichard

There’s a studio, three cameras, four female dancers, one male. It’s a cabaret show yet no one is in costume. That’s because it’s a practice session for those who will be using the studio in two weeks.

I don’t like having a prompter on the front of the camera because it makes smooth movements harder to achieve. It doesn’t matter. I’ll get it right for the proper costumed event.

Project progression

Byrichard

I’m only a few words away from the completion of the dissertation but over the past two nights I haven’t had as much sleep as I would like to have had, thanks one night to myself and thanks the next night, to the people I’m living with.

It’s a problem when you’re kept awake till 4 am and sometimes I wonder whether I shouldn’t take a hotel room and sleep there every few nights, just to catch up on the lack of sleep. of course it’s a waste of money so I would prefer not to.