Priapus Productions Presents!

My favorite class this semester has been Technical Intro to Video Production, which is just what it sounds like - basic film making. I've really enjoyed the creative outlet this class has provided as well as the hands-on approach. I'm sorry that this is the only such class available to film minors, because I'd really like to expand on what I've learned.

Our first few weeks were spent learning the basics and getting into groups. No one in our group was experienced in this at all, so we had to figure out how to use the cameras (with no manuals) and so on and so forth from scratch.

We began to do one project a week. The first was simple Edison/Lumiere type stuff to show that we could actually point a camera at something and let light into it. The next few weeks were spent with exercises in different types of shots, different camera angles/movements, and various vectors. Most of them did not have storylines and the one that did isn't worth reviewing. In fact, I don't have copies of those early projects.

This film is the first one where nothing in particular was requested, but we had to show several things that we'd learned by then. We had one week to do it, and of course we all had other classes and lives, so the whole thing,throughout the week, was cobbled together over six or seven hours total. We did all the shooting in one afternoon, with few second takes. This is the second project where we had to edit, and the first where we put a lot of work into it. We not only edited the scenes together, but we also replaced all the sound with music and "special effects." We still were kind of groping in the dark, though, as will be obvious to you when you see the title!!!!! You see, while editing is essential to success in this class,it isn't actually part of the curriculum, so we had to figure it out with minimal instruction. Whee! It was fun and the professor was impressed with the progress we'd made since the lame early projects from just a few weeks before when we were still figuring the camera out.

The next project will be done in a couple weeks and has been in progress for over a month. It has a lot more time and effort going into it, but I'll talk about that when I have it finished and can post it.

In the meantime, here is my directorial debut, No Smoking.

Having Fun at an Audition

I love shit like this. Michael Cera (see "Superbad" post below) blows his top in a mock audition for "Knocked Up." Funny stuff.

Superbad

Some of my team and I were able to slip around the corner and go see Superbad this afternoon. I laughed my ass off. It was crass as hell, but as far as "high school rejects just wanna get laid" movies go, this was really, really funny. Lots of great acting, and a great script, but the highlight for me by far was Michael Cera. Anyone who's ever watched the most excellent Arrested Development knows him as George-Michael. His comedic timing is out of this world, and his character is absolutely believable as a slightly awkward high school senior who's horny as hell but still governed by a conscience. The movie pulls no punches with the over-the-top gags and language, but for this movie, it all works. A funny, funny way to spend part of a Friday afternoon!

The Royal Tenenbaums - Discussion (April 07)

As with the intro post, I'm posting this early so I won't miss it over the weekend. Don't read the comments til you've watched the movie!

You don't have to answer all these questions. You don't even have to answer any of them. You can just talk about your reaction to the movie. These are just some prompts to get you started. Spelling does count toward your final grade, however.

1. Like all dark comedies, this film depends on finding the humor in taboo/Not Funny subjects. When did you think they nailed it, and when did you just cringe?

2. This is pretty slow-moving for a comedy. If you were editing it, would you have paced it differently? What would you have cut or held a bit longer?

3. The conceit of the story being read from a book: distracting or crucial? How important is Alec Baldwin's narrator to the funny? Is this still pretty much the same movie without him?

4. How much of the comedy here is delivery versus writing? How crucial is this particular cast? If you read this as a script instead of seeing it performed, is it still funny?

5. There are several shots in this movie of Royal alone off to one side, with someone else walking in or out of the shot. What's the point of this and is it effective?

6. According to the grave stones in the cemetery, the story takes place in 2000-2001. What do the retro costumes and sets add? How do they reflect the story?

7. What do the particular songs chosen for the soundtrack add?

8. For Wes Anderson fans: how does this stack up with his other movies?

Bonus question for the silly: I find this to be a terribly quotable movie. Favorite lines?

The Royal Tenenbaums - Intro (April 07)

"Anybody interested in grabbing a couple of burgers and hittin' the cemetery?"



(Yeah, I know it's a day early. I won't be around tomorrow.)

I'll be back on the 15th with the discussion post. I'm not giving you anything particular to watch for or think about beforehand because if it's your first time, I don't want you to be unduly influenced. But you might get a general idea of what you're in for from my reasons for choosing this movie:

1. I wanted a comedy, because I didn't think comedy was much discussed during movie madness, and this is my favorite one. I'm a huge fan of Wes Anderson and also of the Stiller-Wilson pairing. Not to mention Gene Hackman, who is always brilliant but I think especially so in comedy. He's at his funniest here.

2. I thought it would be a fun movie to talk about because I think it'll get a wide range of reactions from love to hate to boredom.

3. I'd love it if this movie got a few more fans. I'd be curious to know who's seen it before and who hasn't. I hope everyone will watch it again anyhow.

4. Cause Looney said this is the one I should pick.*


*Just kidding Brad!