Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Editing Style Review-kekexili
Kekexili is my favorite movie. I was totally shocked when first seeing it in high school. The desert, snow mountains, quicksand and sand storm brought me into a really natural world. I've never seen such a fabulous scene. Also, the slaughters of Tibeton antelope was another shocking point. I felt angry about the poachers and touched about the moutain patrol members. They contribute their youth, love and even lives to save those lovely creatures.
The fight between patrol members and poachers, between human beings and natures help this movie reach its top. I love this film, love feeling the heartquake.
The next few paras are reviews of its editing style required by Toula. Actually Kekexili is a film with simple editings as i think it doesnt need any stunning effects. Its nature is its beauty.
Kekexili (Mountain Patrol) is a Chinese film depicting the fight between a group of volunteer patrollers and poachers over the protection of Tibetan antelopes in the Chinese largest animal reserve-Kekexili. Large amounts of rare animals are living in this virgin place covered with desert. However, the slaughters of Tibetan antelopes break the peace of this land.
The film starts with one patrol member’s execution by poachers. Before execution, the member witnesses the death of an antelope. Scenes switch from the wide shot of poacher shooting the antelope to close-up of antelope struggling. There is no acrobatic editing here. Everything happens fast but naturally. The antelope’s unawareness of death and the poacher’s cruelty coherently express the severe situation of Kekexili- Tibetan antelopes are slaughtered every year. The moving scene to patrol member adheres to the principles of continuity, maintaining the looking direction to the antelope. Although the scene is close-up of member’s face. It can be figured out that his eyesight is kept on the struggling antelope. Despair and numbness is the messages delivered from his eyesight when he sees antelope being skinned.
The sudden killing of patrol member happens when a poacher is trying to release him. The spattering blood on beside poacher indirectly but obviously indicates his death. However, the scene remains at the wide shot of dead patrol member and beside poacher while other poachers are talking about skinning the antelope.
The simple editing style of Kekexili matches the movie theme. It is a natural place. There are no limitations of people’s behaviors, even killing. Antelopes there have total freedom but also high danger as they will face unexpected death every second.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Project Making Nine-Shooting B (2)
We did it~!
Yes, we did it. We finished our shooting in Wollongong...2 hours train trip from Central..hoho..good on us!!! Thanks for everybody, Arya especially!
Actually it was really surprising for us to hear from the Wollongong Beaten Park that we got the permission to shoot on their running track. We did hesitate at the very beginning cos it was indeed far away from Sydney. With such expensive camera gear, we worried and couldn't decided. But other places refused or ignored our requiring again. We had to go there without any choice.
Alright. Let's make it a trip. A short trip...just with a camera, tripod and accessories. We could have a nice trip, can't we?~:)
We set out from Central station on Sunday (2/12/07) 9:40 am and arrived at North Woll'g around 11:15 am. Sunshine gave us a warm welcome after a 2-hour trip. Everyone was excited about arrival and enjoying the fresh air.
Finding the way through Beaten Park took half hour. Camera and tripod became heavier and heavier during the process. Finally, we saw the running track...right in front of us!!!
Cheers...we found it!!! (It's true that we'v spend almost 2 weeks searching it...and now it's right there!! So real..so..exciting!)
Excitements motivated us to begin shooting...
Overview of running track...pan L to R...Pan R to L...beauty of the playground was recorded in our tape...
Emily running on track...tracking from CR to CL...
During this shot...weather seemed to change..shower seemed to come...we were scared..but prayed..don't shower..thank you!!!
Emily taking the baton...close up...
I personally quite liked this shot..it brought me there..where a person truely passed his life to the other...to fulfil his life goals...i was touched...honestly...
Emily running towards camera...
2 and half an hours later...we packed everything...we were gonna leave for Sydney...
Hunger and tireness brought us back from shooting...
They also sent us on train...sleeping..zzzzzzzz.....
5pm..we arrived at Sydney...hu.........
WE DID IT....
Yes, we did it. We finished our shooting in Wollongong...2 hours train trip from Central..hoho..good on us!!! Thanks for everybody, Arya especially!
Actually it was really surprising for us to hear from the Wollongong Beaten Park that we got the permission to shoot on their running track. We did hesitate at the very beginning cos it was indeed far away from Sydney. With such expensive camera gear, we worried and couldn't decided. But other places refused or ignored our requiring again. We had to go there without any choice.
Alright. Let's make it a trip. A short trip...just with a camera, tripod and accessories. We could have a nice trip, can't we?~:)
We set out from Central station on Sunday (2/12/07) 9:40 am and arrived at North Woll'g around 11:15 am. Sunshine gave us a warm welcome after a 2-hour trip. Everyone was excited about arrival and enjoying the fresh air.
Finding the way through Beaten Park took half hour. Camera and tripod became heavier and heavier during the process. Finally, we saw the running track...right in front of us!!!
Cheers...we found it!!! (It's true that we'v spend almost 2 weeks searching it...and now it's right there!! So real..so..exciting!)
Excitements motivated us to begin shooting...
Overview of running track...pan L to R...Pan R to L...beauty of the playground was recorded in our tape...
Emily running on track...tracking from CR to CL...
During this shot...weather seemed to change..shower seemed to come...we were scared..but prayed..don't shower..thank you!!!
Emily taking the baton...close up...
I personally quite liked this shot..it brought me there..where a person truely passed his life to the other...to fulfil his life goals...i was touched...honestly...
Emily running towards camera...
2 and half an hours later...we packed everything...we were gonna leave for Sydney...
Hunger and tireness brought us back from shooting...
They also sent us on train...sleeping..zzzzzzzz.....
5pm..we arrived at Sydney...hu.........
WE DID IT....
Project Making Nine-Shooting B
Fun and tireness are always together
Last week's shooting failed to meet our requirements. Then shooting will continue this weekend. Our schedule is filled with shooting in Faye's house and Wollongong Beaten Park.
Cos it's the 2nd time of taking the same shots, shooting went quite well. Although we did spend lots of time on finding the best angle, the whole process ended within 3 hours, from 4 pm to 7 pm. Actually, we found it difficult to shoot the scene of Emily opening the laptop and Amelia entering.
After discussion, Faye and I decided to shoot the Amelia entering in use of Emily's angle who's actually lying or twisting on bed because of sudden painfulness. So the frame will be a bit tilted and distorted. Several rehearsals helped us find out the angle and put it into practice. I think this shot took around 7 takes or more. I was doing the camera work actually in this shot. I found it quite hard to handle the camera as we wanted to suddenly zoom in when Amelia entering. Each time she entered, the position was different. So it was a bit tricky for me to exactly follow her track and do the exact zoom in. Luckily, practice makes going. This shot was finished after trials. I thought it would be good when playing on screen. However the results told me the truth. All other group members said it was over close-up when Amelia entering. The first shot was the best of all...*-*..~~~Anyway..i learned a lot of skills in shooting during this afternoon. And i believed that we did a good job!
(To be continued....)
Last week's shooting failed to meet our requirements. Then shooting will continue this weekend. Our schedule is filled with shooting in Faye's house and Wollongong Beaten Park.
Cos it's the 2nd time of taking the same shots, shooting went quite well. Although we did spend lots of time on finding the best angle, the whole process ended within 3 hours, from 4 pm to 7 pm. Actually, we found it difficult to shoot the scene of Emily opening the laptop and Amelia entering.
After discussion, Faye and I decided to shoot the Amelia entering in use of Emily's angle who's actually lying or twisting on bed because of sudden painfulness. So the frame will be a bit tilted and distorted. Several rehearsals helped us find out the angle and put it into practice. I think this shot took around 7 takes or more. I was doing the camera work actually in this shot. I found it quite hard to handle the camera as we wanted to suddenly zoom in when Amelia entering. Each time she entered, the position was different. So it was a bit tricky for me to exactly follow her track and do the exact zoom in. Luckily, practice makes going. This shot was finished after trials. I thought it would be good when playing on screen. However the results told me the truth. All other group members said it was over close-up when Amelia entering. The first shot was the best of all...*-*..~~~Anyway..i learned a lot of skills in shooting during this afternoon. And i believed that we did a good job!
(To be continued....)
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