Binnsy's Hovel

Well in the end the test wasn’t too bad. It was on Turner’s “Steamer In A Snowstorm” and Monet’s “Gare St-Lazare”, and being the Monet fan and the Romantic that I am, was able to blab on for a good four to five pages about how different the Impressionists and the Romantics were. Which reminds me, I haven’t posted Blake for over a year. How shoddy and awfully slack of me. But we’ll get to that.

Once again I find myself in a mode where I could be knocking out something for uni that could be absolutely spot-on brilliant. I just don’t know where to start. Where in first semester last year it was a thesis on blogging, this time round it’s on copyright infringement in film.

There are so many angles that I could potentially cover – from the educational use of film footage to product placement to piracy – I just have no idea where to jump in. But I have some rudimentary readings to do so hopefully something will jump out at me instead.

The third cut of Jon’s Story is done – I’ve cut it by about three and a half minutes and I like where it’s going. I sought advice on the first and second attempts by my tutors and they said that it’s very arty and slow, but it shouldn’t be.

For those who are interested, it’s the story of a young man who once worked for a secret government department tasked with aiding North Korea in restoring economic, social and political equilibrium. For one reason or another, he was ejected from this department, and his memory was wiped by a third party. With only a small collection of belongings, including a photo of a girl who seems oddly familiar, Jon must recover his memories and uncover his mysterious past.

So you can see that the mood we’re after is very Memento meets The Bourne Identity. The film I’ve been working on for the past couple of days is a mere 3 or 4 pages from the original script I wrote, which is around 30 pages in length. I solicited the help of a few actors from the performance faculty at uni and a few of my mates from class and we managed to get the thing shot in a day and a half, as published before. So now it’s a matter of culling the footage we have, such glorious footage as it is. One of my tutors told me to ‘kill your babies’, and though it’s a painful process, I’m learning an unbelievable amount as I go, and I hate to say it (though I do far too often), but Hunter, you’re right.

Speaking of Romanticism in all its glory, the Sydney Writer’s Festival begins this week, and though I won’t be able to attend even a day, it always sparks some interesting articles in the papers, and this one by Andrew O’Hagan is no different. Vive le book.

And, as promised, I finish this evening with some words from the master himself…

How sweet is the shepherd’s sweet lot!
From the morn to the evening he strays;
He shall follow his sheep all the day
And his tongue shall be filled with praise.

For he hears the lamb’s innocent call,
And he hears the ewe’s tender reply;
He is watchful while they are in peace,
For they know when their shepherd is nigh.

Until next time…

I’ve always found it somewhat ironic about any academic pursuit that it seems like the greatest idea in the world right up until the time you have to be tested on it; then, like some foul joke planted in the human psyche by the good Lord himself, you lose all motivation whatsoever and nothing seems to sink in.

I have a test today for art (specifically ‘From the Renaissance to Impressionism’) which basically involves two images, chosen from a list, that I have to compare in terms of social, historical, political context, aesthetic, style and technique.

Theoretically it shouldn’t be that difficult, and I’ve done well in the two similar tests we’ve had earlier this semester. But I still can’t help feeling that I’m underprepared. And going back to that heavenly psychological tedium implant, despite the fact that I love the Romantics and everything they stood for – I even have a Friedrich on my wallpaper – and I adore Monet and Pissarro, now I just can’t seem to hang on to a thought long enough to articulate it.

Somehow that inevitably changes when I get into the exam room, and I’m able to rabble on for ages about this stuff. Hopefully the same will happen today at 2pm.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Until next time…

Further editing and the complete kit and caboodle of post-production to be done on Jon’s Story – including sound editing, music composition and film quality adjustments.

A 1500 law essay due end of next week on copyright infringement in film.

A documentary to capture, edit and knock out some paperwork for.

A basic layout of a website to do for a client.

An art test on Thursday to study for.

Oh, I ask, will the fun never cease?

Until next time…

I managed to get a rough cut done today. Have also picked up a second-hand electric piano to lay down some soundtrack before I submit the thing.

I also knocked up a quick page for Binns Films.

So yeah. Fun.

Until next time…

It wasn’t quite as cold this morning, but then again it wasn’t nearly as early. We managed to get voiceovers done in around half an hour in the library, then it was another half an hour shooting one of the final scenes and we were all done.

Now it’s time for editing, audio engineering, scoring the music and DVD authoring. Luckily I have two weeks to finish it all off, considering I have an art test on Thursday and am shooting a documentary on Tuesday and Friday. I also have a Law essay due the following week.

Oh, how tremendously everyone loves the final weeks of semester.

Until next time…

It was a bitingly cold, crisp and all-round chilly kind of a morning that greeted Binnsy and his actors as they arrived on-campus to begin the day’s shooting. Luckily the cafe was by this time well and truly open for business, so the principal crew were able to acquire a caffeine hit before the real action of the day was begun.

Come 9am, the opening scenes were being shot, and all measures were in place to ensure that the shooting went smoothly and without hiccup. Four scenes were shot in two hours, before the required break at 11am for Binnsy’s tute and a bit of a spell for the talent.

A couple of hours later it was all happening again, as another of the actors arrived for their short part, and Binnsy’s tute group for a different subject was forced at gunpoint respectfully asked to assist in playing a news crew. The live cross was shot without hitch, and then it was just the principal group again to lead on into the afternoon.

Lighting issues forced production to slow down a little (a novel concept in the world of film, where shooting schedules are made to be butchered) to wait for the sun to set, giving them a little time to do some initial rehearsal runs for the voiceover sessions on Saturday.

Once the sun had sunk to its mark (as the sun, naturally, answers only to the screen direction of Binnsy) the final scene of the day was shot, a short review of the footage took place and the day was a wrap.

I’m astounded, stunned and incredibly proud of what we got done today. I was expecting us to have to carry at least three scenes over to tomorrow, in addition to any that needed to be re-shot from today, but we only need to shoot one scene before we get into the voiceover sessions.

I’m stoked by how amazingly talented everyone is that worked with me today, from the two principal characters to my beloved tute group that stepped in at a moment’s notice despite the absolute shitload of work they have stacked up at home. If any of you guys manage to read this: THANKYOU.

Looking over the dailies, as I’ve been doing for the past two hours or so, the stuff we got looks awesome. Some of it is a little out of focus, a little grainy, perhaps the exposure is a little off. But I think all this combines to create a unique effect, which I’m starting to warm to.

All in all, today was a great day, and incredibly productive. Tomorrow we have one, perhaps two scenes to shoot if we need to, and then it’s probably between one and three hours cooped up in the library study rooms to record voiceovers. Will let you know how it all goes!

Until next time…

I find it somewhat coincidental and synchronicitous that a day or so after I watched this episode of The West Wing, Downer’s been roped into a similar situation as that faced by Leo McGarry when he tries to convince President Bartlet that a missile defence shield would be a good idea (despite several failures and its being a gigantic waste of time, money and effort). I guess we’ll see.

I’m all set for my first big shoot tomorrow. All the equipment’s ready, props all done (I even fashioned a fictitious brand of scotch to disguise the real brand on the label underneath), script adjusted and new callsheets and shooting schedules made. So we’ll find out tomorrow if my best-laid plans were even laid to begin with.

Until next time…

Does anyone really give a shit if Mrs Bunsen Honeydew (aka Mrs Rudd) forgot a paycheck or two in the Dark Ages? I mean, does that really affect your opinion of Mr Bunsen Honeydew and the Muppet Party (aka Kevin Rudd and the ALP) in some huge, irreversible and monumental way?

Didn’t think so. I love elections. Can’t you tell?

Until next time…

I’ve been incredibly frustrated over the past few days with my body’s reluctance to resume a semi-normal sleeping pattern. I’ve had to readjust myself over the past few months to late nights getting home from work or ferrying my girlfriend from her work to her house, plus late-night additions and revisions to scripts or general uni work.

But over the last few days I’ve had a go at committing myself to get back on track. I’ve been very good – going to bed no later than 11pm and trying to get up around 7am or 8am. But it hasn’t been working. I was running on around 3 hours’ sleep yesterday, and I was able to wangle a bit of extra sleep when I didn’t have to go into uni today. It’s still incredibly annoying though. I have to work tonight, but I hope to be in bed no later than 11:30 or midnight, so we’ll see how we go.

Until next time…

Interesting phenomena of the universe as noted by Binnsy, Item 2: How your coffee tastes completely different if prepared in each of the following ways:

Curious.

Until next time…