We successfully completely our training to use the posh expensive equipment without breaking anything and having to sell our bodies on the street in order to pay for the damage.
The next important step was to get our locations and props sorted.
Tragically, this meant an entire afternoon dedicated to looking through shoe shops. Sometimes university is really tough.
So Annabel and I heroically rose to the occassion and sifted - very reluctantly, may I add - through the shoe displays in New Look, Russell and Bromley, and many, MANY more. We examined boots of all shapes and sizes and colours, and spoke to various managers about the possibility of using their shops to film in.
The problem seemed to be arising from the fact that the shop managers were reluctant to let us use their shops unless the boots featured were FROM said shop.
This was a problem because all the boots that we could afford without having to sell our bodies on the streets again were, simply, not very nice. Russell and Bromley was clearly out of the question.
Just as we were about to give up hope and go and curl up in a corner somewhere and cry, we stumbled upon a little shop called Moda In Pelle. Inside this shop, we saw something that made out jaws drop and little bits of dribble trickle down our chins.
This is what we saw:
The only problem was that the above glorious boot was worth £99 even in the sale. However, being the crafty businesswomen that we are, Annabel and I had a plan. After the puddles of our drool had been mopped up, we spoke to the manager suggesting that in return for advertising their amazing shop of wonders and boots of holiness on Youtube and amongst all of our student cronies through our film, that perhaps we could have a discount on the boots? It worked. Admittedly, we only managed to get a £10 discount. But I am happy to announce that the most incredible, breathtaking, pant-wettingly stunning, jaw-droppingly gorgeous boots are now mine. MINE. ALL MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have also consulted Mike, our tutor, mentor, and overall hero, and he has informed us that we can change the script however much we like.
So, in light of the above two things, we decided to go with Adam's idea of the shoe / girl love story.
And thence we marched, notebooks and laptops in hand, to the Harris Palace (aka. where I live), where we sipped tea and feasted on chocolates in the shape of rude parts of the human anatomy. Which, quite frankly, is how every intellectual discussion should be conducted.
We have now worked out the general plot of our film, and have decided on which role is to be allocated to who. I will be producer, actor and musical director, Adam will be the writer and director, Annabel will be editor, anad Josh will take on the role of cameraman. Of course, we will all contribute to all areas of the film-making process, these roles are more to establish a person who will bear the main responsibility of their area.
After our hugely intellectual discussions, Josh and I both turned into Mozzillas. Josh turns out to be an incredible guitarist and his musical genius could prove to be very useful indeed. I showed the others some piano pieces as well, and we decided that the second movement ('adagio un poco mosso') of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto could be a potential piece of music for the film. The mood of the piece seemed to change with the mood of our plot outline and could fit well if we edited it very carefully.
Here is a video of Glenn Gould playing the piece. Obviously, I will play it much better than him. OBVIOUSLY. And I will not make any of the silly facial expressions.
I actually wrote an entire string of shoe-related puns to begin this entry. I then deleted them. They were atrocious. I am occassionally overcome by a desperate urge to pun on a massive scale. But I have spared you unfortunate readers the distress, and indulged myself only in the title. I am trying to HEEL myself of this affliction. Oops! Sorry. I am trying.
The ideas are now fast-flowing and juicy. We certainly have plenty of potential material. There are two team members who have come up with substantial ideas for the film. Jane put forward the idea of making a film inspired by Thoroughly Modern Millie. Her idea was to make an adaptation of the title song (as shown below), and shots of the lead actress looking directly into the camera, showing her facial expressions (also as shown below!):
She suggested that we could do it in the style of a silent film with intertitles, but using a modern setting and language. There was a bit of dispute as to whether the language (of the intertitles) should be modern or not, as although it would demonstrate the point of the film, it would not be fitting with a silent film style.
Adam had an entirely different idea, which involved changing the plot of the script to a much greater extent. His idea was that the main character actually falls in love and has a love affair with the shoes, and is then betrayed by them.
Although most of the group members were excited by Adam's idea, we were uncertain as to how far we would be allowed to change the script within the module requirements, and decided to choose Jane's idea.
There was a short discussion about music, where I got into Mozzilla persona, and offered to re-write the theme song of Thoroughly Modern Millie, changing the tune enough to avoid copyright issues, and changing the lyrics to suit our film. We then decided to call it a day, as it had been rather an epic meeting, lasting for a good number of hours, and more tea and iced buns had been consumed than we were comfortable thinking about.
Although we feel we are now at least on track, the future of our film is still LACED with uncertainty...
We have been given a script to work on about shoes.
You would think I had reached the pinnacle of academic joy, no?
No.
The script we were given was OK, nothing more, nothing less. The language and plot were rather short of being inspirational, and even a script-writing novice such as myself could recognise that the formatting left a lot to be desired.
However, I can recognise that this script can, and most probably will, act as more of a springboard for further ideas, rather than an instuction manual which we must abide by.
I think perhaps that the best way to view 'What would you do for a pair of shoes?' is to look at all the things that need to be done to it to make it into something good. I feel that my fim-making group is strong and dynamic, and that between us we will create something out of this script that will put the original to shame.
I have also done a little research on the script. It was written by a previous 2nd year film student, and the finished result is on Youtube:
I thought the finished product was good, but not special. There are some good shots, but nothing that makes me gasp in awe.
Although I was, at first, concerned about the script we have been given, it has inspired me to do a better job - it has triggered my artistic competitive streak... which should be a good thing... provided it doesn't lead to arguments amongst the group!
I am well and truly ready to get my teeth into rewriting this script and making a great film!
Felix's Machines sent little shivers through my body, as though the very piano hammers in the film were plunking out their little tune on my own spine.
I suppose that the only way to categorise this film would be to describe it as a "music video", although there are elements to the documentary about it too; and it is also extremely theatrical.
This film was made by Tom Mansfield when he heard about a machine Felix Thorn had created in his bedroom that produced incredible percussive music. Shot from a huge variety of angles, it shows Felix's machine from every desirable perspective, really exploiting the intricacies of the sounds and mechanisms.
As the music progresses, the camera focuses in on close-up shots of all the different parts of the machine, and it is not until the end that we see Felix's machine as a whole.
I found this film completely mesmerising, and I know that this is not only because of the genius of Felix himself and his machine - the way this film has been made and put together is fantastic in its own right.
"This is a film that illustrates perfectly the simple pleasure of following ones [sic] nature, the viewer endeared to the protagonist by his refusal to give in to the demands expected of him by his father," states someone called Hamilton Patel who has left a comment about The Trampolinist on the BBC website.
This seems like quite an in-depth comment on a film that, to me, consists of nothing more than 51 seconds of pure and utter pointlessness.
Despite this complete pointlessness, I could not help but smile when I watched it. There is something about this film that israther endearing. And I did find myself uttering a breathy little snigger towards the end.
However, I can almost guarantee that the second time you watch it, it will only annoy you.
This is one of the most terrifying things I have seen in my life.
James Kim goes down a similar route with Pin Point as Hayao Miyazaki does with his masterpiece, Spirited Away. Both feature a young girl as the main protagonist, who is struggling to escape from her disturbing surroundings.
Spirited Awayhas been classified as a PG. I could only just cope with watching it... and I am 22. Pin Point travels to whole new realms of freaky.
It opens with the little orphan at the graveside of what we can safely assume to be a friend, and we quickly discover that the orphanage caretaker has been poisoning and killing children. As the film progresses, the subject matter becomes more and more sinister.
Spirited Away was a film that I could relate to, as it tapped into the fears and nightmares I had as a child without crossing any lines. It was also beautiful in many ways, from its themes to its animation.
Pin Point did not have any of these redeeming features. The animation was all right, but certainly nothing special, or even good. The music worked, but was nothing original. But worst of all, the plot appeared to have no point.
Don't get me wrong - I'm all for ambiguity in films and subject matter to make the audience think. But unless the message of this film is "let's combat child abuse through Voodoo magic", then there is no message. And if there is no message, then this is a film about child abuse for nothing more than entertainment's sake.
I am a Creative Writing student at Bath Spa University, where I am having the time of my life! I have previously been a student at the University of Manchester studying Music and Drama, and my passion for the performing arts will never leave me. Neither will my passion for steak and chips.
