Television 'The Small Screen' module summary

I was already exceedingly passionate and interested in the art of filmmaking when I began the RSAMD’s Digital Film and Television course in September 2009 – and I do believe that if I had been asked back then if I knew much about television, my response would have been an unhesitant ‘yes’ – although I now know that this was not the case. As it turns out, I knew very little about the historical and current landscape of television – its programmes, the makers, the range of genres, styles, the structure and the many formats. There is so much more to television than most of us know. Our television module – ‘The Small Screen’ – has helped to open my eyes to the vast amount that television can offer – the BBC’s motto, to ‘inform, educate and entertain’. Informing us of news events and current affairs – educating us though documentaries teaching us about history and wildlife – entertaining us with powerful, emotional escapist drama, light entertainment shows and comedy.

Television affects all society and culture – and in some cases very much dictates both (e.g. pop-culture – the music we like, the clothes we wear, the food we eat). I have learnt of the power that television wields and we have had the chance to debate the pros and cons of this.

Throughout this module, led by film journalist and author, Andy Dougan, we have experienced all genres of television, from powerful drama like ‘The Street’ to light entertainment reality shows such as ‘Big Brother’, through screenings, lectures and passionate debates. It has helped us to contextualise our practical work – our screenwriting, camera and editing work – and by placing these skills in context, we can improve, for I believe to be good at these you must know why you are doing them, what you are creating and for whom.

I really look forward to further work in this class - exploring these ideas further, and I feel our first module has really helped to prepare us – placing us in the right mindset.

Desperate Housewives

Okay, a tad embarrassing but now that it's out in the open, I feel I can continue.

My reason for watching this series was really one of pure coincidence. I believe it was a Wednesday morning, a few weeks ago. I was staying at my girlfriend's flat and she had already left for the academy early that morning so I thought I should spend my time constructively. I thought, a film and television student - I should watch a television programme however given that what was being broadcast at that point in time was mostly the likes of Jeremy Kyle, How Clean is Your House and A Place in the Sun - (programmes that, shall we say, are aimed at a particular niche market of which I am not a member) - I turned to the trusty DVD boxsets. The first thing that entered my line of vision was a show I had heard lots about but had never really watched - Desperate Housewives, series one. So I thought, 'why not, I'll try one episode' - this plan did not really come to fruition.

Desperate Housewives, the evidently highly addictive, Emmy Award winning show focusses on the women of Wisteria Lane and their struggles to cope with everything from murder to gardening - basically, American suburban life. Episode one of the first series opens with one of the central characters friends committing suicide - from this point on, she acts as narrator as the repercussions of this mystery start to unfold. The use of narration adds a creative, yet strangely creepy touch.

The stars of the show all give great comedic performances - the writers playing on every character's stereotype - Susan, the klutz - Lynette, the over-worked mother - Bree, the uptight and clean-freak housewife and Gabrielle, the spoiled ex-model. The show uses both hilarious and heart-breaking storylines and as well as the truly likeable characters to keep the audience enthralled. And I think it's fair to say, there are more than a few outrageous moments and situations to keep you going. For example, in series one alone, we are presented with Bree's husband's S&M fetish, Lynette's addiction to her son's medication, a suicide, a strangulation, Gabrielle's affair with a minor and a hit and run - things are only getting more outrageous and complicated as the series progress and now with series six now being broadcast - I'm sure we can expect a whole lot more!

The show is both laugh out loud funny and exremely touching - an unusual choice for me but nonetheless(having completed 4 series boxsets in only a few weeks), I feel, a good one.

A little time to reflect...

Here we are again - the end of another week and sitting down ready to document. Well, without further ado...

1st, 2nd & 3rd Feb
Monday - This chilly, bitter and overcast morning felt like the perfect welcome home to Richard - getting back to his roots, from L.A to Glasgae and from sun to sleet - I'm sure he was thrilled.

Anyway, he entered Room 1 on Monday morning to be met by 13 alert and eager faces, ready to learn how to write. I'm sure I speak on behalf of the class when I say that Richard has been truly missed and we were all very excited to have this intense block of screenwriting with him. We began with an outline of the plan for the next three days, one of which included a lesson set for Wednesday morning entitled, 'What we don't like about ourselves" - knowing from past experience (the post-secret lesson), the intensity of some of our screenwriting classes, a feeling of apprehension was shared by a few quick glances between ourselves.

The first two days we focussed on structure and character - doing exercises to demonstrate theory and looking at examples. I found that I got a far better understanding of how most film scripts are structured,and although I was less aware before, I can now see where this applies in the majority of films I watch.

I felt tired at the end of each day, the lessons are structured so that there is not one minute where you can sit back and just listen - it is a fully interactive experience, we are kept on our toes, constantly questioning ourselves and creating new ideas.

Wednesday morning finally arrived - we had been instructed the day before to bring in food and coffee to mellow this inevitably uncomfortable experience. However, I was surprised to find how easily and comfortably we all shared our answers to the question - Perhaps this is an indication of how close we have become as a class - we are able to share, without embarrassment or shame, some of our deepest feelings and worries without worries of judgement. I think this is a result of the kind of course this is that, although we have only known each other since last September, we feel more of a team than I did with anyone at school.

Wednesday afternoon consisted of individual tutorials with Richard to discuss the short film scripts we had written over the Christmas period. I found Richard's advice constructive and I feel I would approach the same story slightly differently now, having had this block of lessons.

4th Feb
On Thursday morning we had an interesting talk from John Yorke, the controller of Drama at the BBC. He took us through how television drama scripts are structured, comparisons between 3 and 5 act structures and the formulas behind writing successful tv drama. It was exciting to have someone so successful and high up in the business to talk to us - talking from real experience - this is one thing I like about the course - the chance to meet and make contacts with real, experienced industry professionals.

On Thurday afternoon we had our History of Cinema class with Andy where we talked about the editing styles of both Russian and German Expressionist cinema. Another interesting class full of info that helps us to contextualise our practical work.

5th Feb
On Friday morning we watched another, and my favourite so far, film from the silent era, and none other than the king of silent cinema, Charles Chaplin in City Lights. Made a few years after the invention of talkies (films with sounds), City Lights was a hilarious, yet sweet and touching film. It follows Chaplin's reoccurring character, the little tramp, as he falls in love with a blind girl and convinces her he is rich by befriending an alcoholic millionnaire. Another 'great' from Chaplin.

On Friday afternoon we had a group tutorial in the Fyfe to discuss our group task - the class has been split in two - one side arguing that television is part of the glue that hold our society together and the other arguing that television is nothing more than a box of lights and wires - I am a member of the latter. We discussed with Andy how we were planning on taking the research forward so that we can then form a presentation to pitch at next week's debate. I enjoy these interactive activities as it lets us share how passionately we feel about certain subjects and simultaneously learn from one other.

TO BE CONTINUED...
Tune in next week to hear another exciting adventure from DFTV1.

A Week's Worth of Reflection

25th & 26th Jan

The beginning of this week started slow as we had two days off from the Academy. Monday morning's class with Kim Millar had been cancelled (disappointingly I must say as I was really looking forward to continuing where we had left it the week before). I believe Gav and Ray had an industry event to attend so Tuesday's technical classes were also cancelled.

27th Jan

However there we all arrived, bright eyed and bushy tailed on Wednesday afternoon for Andy's class on television. Again we were in the boardroom (another exciting feature of Wednesday's classes), to watch and discuss the television broadcast that has recieved the most viewers ever for one single programme - the Morcambe and Wise Christmas Special 1970-something. Having never seen any Morcambe and Wise shows before, I found this very interesting, firstly to see what the hype around them was about and to see exactly why it recieved the most views of all time! I thought it was a nice mix of witty humour and good music (Elton John's star appearance).

28th Jan

Thursday marked a milestone in DFTV 1's filmography - our first shoot. This was a collaboration with the Technical & Production Arts course to execute a 3 camera shoot of a live gig. Our call time was originally 9 o'clock but was changed until 12. However , I came in at nine anyway to use the edit suites for a music promo I have been editing - I am finding the suites excellent to use - it's very nice to work in a professional environment with a pro set-up - I'm finding it helpful to have as much time as I need to get used to the set-up so that when we work on projects in the future I will be better prepared. I was given the role as camera assist on our shoot - this involved the set-up of one of the cameras - setting the viewfinder, monitor, back-focus, white balance, exposure etc. I believe this was beneficial as it allowed us to practically apply the skills we have learnt in class in a realistic situation.

29th Jan

On Friday morning - we had our usual screening - another silent film named Sunrise, I found myself totally emersed in the story, both the performances and the visuals were also stunning. Andy had told us about this near the beginning of the year and had told us how good it was so I was very pleased we were finally getting a chance to see it. The cinematography and use of moody lighting gave the film a strangely mysterious feel although the interaction between the two leads was both tense and touching in equal measure. It was essentially a very sweet film and, unlike in some of the other films of the silent era that we have seen, I was not aware of the absense of dialogue - the film was carried with effective subtle gestures and glances.


Anyway, that's all for that week - to be continued...

A little bit of reflection

Monday 18th Jan

This is a lesson we were all looking forward to - the first of our promised host of various industry practitioners that would be gracing us with their prescence throughout the course. I'm not sure exactly what we were expecting but one thing I can say, and I think I speak on behalf of the majority of the class also, is that we did not expect Kim Millar, a successful soap storyliner and writer, to be so young. Having heard all about her career and having researched her online before the class, I was very impressed that someone her age had achieved the success that she had.

I felt this was a very educational, interesting and exciting lesson. We discussed her career, the path she had taken to get there, exactly what the job involved with the odd anecdote about some soap opera celebs! We have been set the task of creating an original soap character and to write them in to one of the big soap operas - Coronation St (which Kim assured us was, by far, the most well respected and best written soap out), Hollyoaks, Emmerdale or Eastenders.

I believe we get the most out of lessons where people can share their own experiences - able to tell us what it is really like out there, how to make it, to cope. This is the type of learning that best suits me, hearing about it first hand then getting to do it yourself rather than just discussing the theory of film and television production.

Tuesday 19th Jan

Our day began with Ray's technical class where we focussed on lighting. Putting the lamps up and donw and setting up the cameras under different lighting conditions. I have used a lot of the lighting before so I knew some of the stuff we were learning however I feel it's always good to over things again an again - always improving. Also to know how things are handled in the industry - standard precedure - the lingo!

The afternoon consisted of a short tutorial with Gav in the edit suites to discuss our editing theory and practical assesment we sat before Christmas. I felt this went very well - we discussed some of the correct terms to use for certain editing techniques for the theory test and he was very pleased with my cut of the 'Dukati' Motorbike commercial. I enjoy and feel I get a lot out of the classes and discussions I have with Gav - he is very approachable and takes an interest.

Wednesday 20th Jan

We had our television class with Andy, discussing the impact of reality television from COPS to Big Brother Season 500! As usual it was packed with interesting facts and debates. I think because our class is so small - these kind of lessons are very open - anyone can give their opinion and discuss the topics.

Thursday 21st Jan

As we only had tutorials with Adam on this day - I was only in for a very short period of time. We discussed the television ideas we had written proposals for before the new year. We discussed the idea and how to develop it - Adam suggested ways of expanding the themes which I found very useful. We will be taking these ideas forward for the foreseeable future so I feel it is very important now that we are satisfied with our plans.

Friday 22nd Jan

Here came another silent film, Nosferatu - as I had fully expected not to be totally enthralled (having not enjoyed Battleship Potemkin the week before), I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really getting involved. It is very early cinema although it really sets up the 'vampire' genre which we are all so used to today.

All in all, a successful week I feel. Heres hoping the next week will be the same!

My Sister's Keeper - Christmas Highlight

Now, normally when we hear the word 'highlight', we assume something happy, something joyous. However - as good as this film was, it was no happy experience. I, admittedly did not choose the film to watch, it was my sister's choice, telling me she had seen it before and that it was definitely worth seeing. Had it not been for the subtitles, I probably wouldn't have heard the film through the deafening sobs.

I thought this film was excellent, a truly touching story with incredible performances and approporately moody cinematography.

Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, 'My Sister's Keeper' tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who sues her parents for "medical emancipation" and the right not to donate a kidney to her sister, Kate, who is terminally ill with cancer. Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) gives a very convincing and subtle performance which drives the emotional weight of the film. Her dying sister, played by Sofia Vassilieva, although not as demanding a role, is equally as convincing and along with Cameron Diaz, Joan Cusack and Alec Baldwin creates a film with uniquely powerful performances.

The gritty cinematography shows the landscapes of southern California in a different light, we truly feel for all the characters involved. One scene in particular, where, knowing that their daughter will die in a few days, Kate's parents grant her the wish of taking her to the beach. Watching her brother, sister and father play catch from under a blanket on the sand, Kate accepts and becomes at peace with her fate. This scene is a pivotal moment for Cameron Diaz's character as she accepts the inevetable and decides the spend some quality time in the last moments of Kate's life.

I found that, although and uncomfortable experience, it was a worthwhile one, a compresensive guide to evoking emotion in an audience.

Sherlock Holmes

I must admit - as a film student this is poor - but this is the ONE new movie I saw over the festive period, not only that but two days before we returned to the course.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect - Granted, I had heard rave reviews but I knew very little about the character of Sherlock Holmes, plus the fact that it had been directed by Guy Ritchie (not famed for his amazing movies - having been nominated for two Razzie awards for worst script and worst director - the latter of which, he won), however I let neither of these put me off. I went with several friends, two of which are avid Robert Downey Jr fans, which as you can guess, somewhat influenced our choice of film - it was either going to be Holmes or Avatar (unfortunately in 2D).

I was pleassantly surprised to be exiting the cinema, 128 minutes later, very satisfied. The film had flown by - I had been fully engrossed the entire time.

I found the story extremely engaging - it had the right amount of mystery and suspense, balanced with heart-pounding action and yet pulled off some very soft, touching and emotional scenes. The dialogue worked very well - playing, not too heavily, on Holmes' eccentric nature while also portraying the strong and intellectual character within. Watson could have been written and played as a weak sidekick, naive of Holmes' genius and trying to contradict him with science, however he appeared strong, powerful and intelligent while still encompassing a subtle vulnerability so as not to relinquish Holmes' position as leader.

It was also incredible, visually. It portrayed 19th century London beautifully - realistic yet with a sense of fantasy also. The setting felt, not so much a backdrop, but an engaged and interactive environment in which all the characters worked within.

The film was very fast, this pace kept the film moving dramtically - almost every moment revealing something new, either about the plot or about a character. Small humorous moments lightened the films essentially dark and mysterious tone - this was brought about by Holmes' dog whom he experiments on but who Holmes' repeatedly says - "doesn't mind".

If there is one thing I didn't like quite so much about the film - it would have been Rachel McAdams' performance. I don't think it was necissarily bad - I just felt it was nothing special - a lot more could have been done with her character. Probably partially to do with the writing however I just feel that it was one element that let the film down a little.

All in all, I think this is a movie worth seeing. I don't think it will go down in cinema history as a classic but it is a truly enjoyable watch!