Lesson #11 / #12: Man on Wire

We have just finished watching the documentary "Man on Wire", directed by James Marsh. The topic of the documentary itself was already captivating, as almost all of us would never have the chance the experience wire-walking, but the director has additionally applied different techniques to enhance the excitement that the film gives us. For example, right before Philippe walked between the Twin Towers, to intensify the tension of the atmosphere, the director included shots of lighting / thunder / rain while Philippe's ex-girlfriend is speaking about her worries, which foreshadows that something bad might happen. It turned out that he successfully reached his dream and gained a lot of fame, however, on the other hand, his personality changed and he seemed to forgotten about those who have supported him along the way. His friend got expelled from America, while on the contrary, his is praised and admired by everyone. I also felt really bad for his ex-girlfriend, as she has been supportive from the start, yet Philippe seemed to have immediately forgotten about her and went on his "pleasure journey". 

To retell the story of Philippe and his team planning and sneaking into the Twin Tower, a lot of old photos and archived footage were included - they even managed to include old news footage. Flashbacks were involved as the film did not follow a linear chronological order. There was also docudrama, where they reenacted the actual events in a dramatic and vivid way, and these all allow us to gain deep insight into what was happening from different perspectives as the film crew was able to interview everyone who was involved in the actual event. 

I really admire how Philippe is able to pursue his passion. It was certainly very fascinating to see the behind the scenes of an "artistic crime", and I could never imagine myself having the courage to step and walk on a single piece of wire.

Lesson #10: Camera Techniques and Watching "Lift"

Today, our lesson started with Zhu laoshi teaching us about the Rule of Thirds and different shots and angles. Below demonstrates the key points of what we learnt today:

Rule of Thirds

To compose a well balanced, natural, and visually appealing shot, filmmakers often apply the rule of thirds. The frame is broken down into thirds (nine parts), and it is considered ideal when the points of interests (subjects) are placed in the intersections or along the lines.

Shot Types

(Extreme Close Up, Close Up, Medium Close Up, Long Shot... etc...)

When filming a conversation between two people, the ideal type of shot to use is "Over the Shoulder" - shot of someone or something taken from the perspective of another person / camera angle from the person's shoulder.

Angles

Angles help with shaping a character as it indicates his or her social status / position. Filming from a high angle allows the character to appear vulnerable, while filming from a low angle makes the character look powerful and superior. However, unless it serves a purpose (eg. portraying specific characteristics of people), it is best to keep the camera at eye level for a more natural shot.

* The exposure of the shot can be adjusted, however, it is important to make sure it is not overexposed so that the outlines of the face can be preserved.

Watching Lift - Documentary directed by Marc Isaacs

Lift, directed by award-winning filmmaker Marc Isaacs, was released in October 2001. The film was quite different in terms of its subject and style, as Isaacs documents his encounters with people in the lift of a typical English tower, having to carry a camera in the lift 10 hours a day for an entire week. Unlike traditional documentaries, Lift mostly involved short conversations with a variety of people and the use of (medium) close up shots, with some shots of other objects like flies and the lift mechanics to prevent the audience from feeling confined / getting visually tired because of the repetitive head shots. Marc Isaacs is very innovative and clever to include shots of a fly throughout the film, not only to fill in the gaps between the people shots, but as he shows the fly dying it helps indicate the end of the film. 

I really enjoy how Marc Isaacs chose a lift as the main setting of the documentary - because of this, only short small conversations can be collected on camera, and each conversation is like a snippet / fraction of the interviewee's life. The shots of the same people are spread out throughout the film, hence, with all these snippets, our curiosity is captured, as we attempt to piece the snippets together and form a clear understanding of people's lives. 

I notice that Marc Isaacs, who is asking questions behind the camera, often zoom in into the interviewees' faces, keeping the camera at eye level, which helps the audience focus on their emotions. I still remember the Indian guy whose eyes seemed lifeless and was frowning, but when Isaacs asked "What's on your mind?", he first responded with "Nothing much", even though it is clear that he is worried / depressed about something. As predicted, he later on revealed his truthful thoughts and explained that his parents both died over a span of three months and later on, when we discussed about him in class, Zhu Laoshi told us that he committed suicide after the release of the film. 

Marc Isaacs did do some prior research to get to know the interviewees better before installing himself in the elevator, but the relationship that he built with the people in the tower block is fascinating. He asks simple questions like "What did you dream about last night?" or "How was your day?", and along with the use of close ups, the personality of the interviewees can be identified. At first, the atmosphere of the lift was quite awkward, but towards the end, the interviewees' attitudes have changed - those that were nervous slowly opened up and people became really friendly. Some were so eager to talk to him that they did not want to leave the lift. It is interesting to witness the filmmaker's interaction with people of diverse backgrounds / different personalities, genders and age. Lift demonstrated to me that producing a documentary requires patience as it takes time for the interviewees to loosen up.