Faster

So the first unit of my Film and Television Production university course focuses around the film genre of documentary, with the aim of creating my own 3 minute documentary within a group. Naturally, to prepare we were advised to increase our viewing of documentary film and TV and what better place to find this than Netflix! My first step was to look at the material in the documentary section of Netflix and add to my watch list all of the films that grabbed my attention with the aim of eventually watching them all.

I began with Mark Neale's 'Faster' (2003). This is a film that explores the world of Moto GP, narrated by Ewan McGregor, particularly focusing around the rivalry between Max Biaggi and Valentino Rossi, the injuries of Garry McCoy and the rise of John Hopkins. This sparked my interest as from the age of around 7, I remember sitting down on a Sunday afternoon with my dad to watch the Moto GP. When I was 12, I was lucky enough to go to watch one of the races at the Donnington circuit, complete with paddock passes!


There were lots of good things that I liked about this film. First of all, particularly during the beginning sequences, fast paced editing creates a  sense of thrill and energy reflecting how I imagine riding a bike at high speed would feel. This fast pace was also inter cut with contrasting slow motion shots which built a sense of excitement as it highlights the immense power of the GP bikes. Further to this, there is a scene roughly 10 minutes before the end of the film that uses a montage of narration - the names of Biaggi and Rossi can be heard building up the idea of the rivalry between them.


Overall,  I really liked this film- the content and the structure, however there were parts which personally I found did not fit the rest of the film. Specifically,  two of the truck drivers are interviewed which I think is an interesting point of view to include, they give a real insight into the world of the Moto GP, however the interview is filmed as they are driving along in the cab of their truck. In my opinion, this was quite distracting and reminded me of trucker programmes screened on television.

I love the mix of techniques in this film. Archive footage, in-car/ outside interviews, subtitles and the experimental feel of the editing (i.e. split screen). This film is well made, and explored a topic that I took great interest in.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Nothing beats a good 70's/80's Spielberg film, particularly ones about alien invasions! and 'Close Encounters of The Third Kind' (1977, Spielberg) didn't disappoint. With a budget of $18 million, it grossed over $300,000,000 !

The first signs to suggest alien life forms occur with an arrival of pilotless planes that went missing thirty years previously appear and a lost cargo ship materialises in the Gobi desert. This is followed with a series of blackouts in Muncie, Indiana.

The aliens are first seen by 3 year old Barry Guiler, who is woken by his toys moving in the night. They are then encountered by electrician Roy Neary who becomes obsessed with investigating these UFO's. The story follows the abduction of Barry, and the obsession of Roy's plan to discover the aliens, eventually ending in a musical conversation that results in a meeting between the humans and aliens.

As with 'ET' ( 1982, Spielberg), Spielberg sets much of the film at night. The unknown of the darkness implying a sense of mystery surrounding the aliens. The bright lights of the UFOs being out of place in the previously peaceful darkness of the night. Further to this, the audience never sees the aliens until the big reveal! (Sorry for any spoilers!) and it is implied that only Barry has seen them, the night he was woken up by his toys playing on their own.

During the communication scene, Spielberg creates energy in a variety of ways. Firstly, the music played by the humans gradually gets faster and faster. This increased pace helps to build energy and excitement, a sense of anticipation as to how the aliens will react. The use of lighting and colour also helps to create energy. The flashing lights of the spaceship are warm colours, implying that these aliens are friend not foe. The use of music as communication also creates a happy atmosphere, the music is oddly uplifting, creating a sense of excitement as it seems the human race are about to take a step forward, they have made an incredible discovery, giving the feel of a typical entertaining family Spielberg film.

Although the aliens themselves perhaps could have been a little more creative and perhaps a little more believable! the warming meeting of the two races creates a feeling of peace, perhaps a theme Spielberg likes to explore as there are similar feelings towards extra terrestrials displayed in 'ET' which was released 5 years later.

My favourite movies are late 70's/80's family productions. They are imaginative and easy to watch as well as generally being upbeat and enjoyable and Close encounters fits this category perfectly!



McCullin

'McCullin' (2012, David Morris, Jacqui Morris) is one of the most interesting films I have seen in a long time but at the same time one of the most moving and difficult to watch. It documents the work of war photographer/ photojournalist Don McCullin. The film follows the development of his career over three decades. What started out as a passion (photography) became a full time job, but one full of risk and danger.

The most impacting line of the film for me comes when Don recalls the time he was not invited to photograph one of the wars later in his career, but then suggests that this was not a problem as there would be another war for him to go to. His drive to capture the truth of war in photographs was incredible. Where there was a war, he was there. As noted by a few of the interviewees, unlike other photojournalists, Don would stay for the duration of military operations, living in the warzone alongside soldiers for up to two weeks, regardless of the danger it put him in (He was once shot, but this never discouraged his enthusiasm).

The photographs shown in the film are horrific and it is difficult to imagine being in such a situation, they only reveal a tiny fragment of what living in a warzone would be like. All the photos capture perfectly the truth, McCullin only once set up a photo, laying a fallen soldiers possessions around his body, however he claims that was a one off, only done to convey a deeper human meaning, this was a man with family, with people worth fighting for.

McCullin dislikes the term 'war photographer'. He took the photos to convey a truth, capturing war as it really was. However this lead to several difficult situations for him. He would often be taken to  places by local people to see people in unbelievable situations, but sometimes he struggled to find the reason for his visit as some were too difficult to photograph. McCullin took care in what he photographed and was respectful in his approach. He tells stories of murders happening in front of him, but of which he would not shoot.

Morris uses a mixture of archival footage and talking heads with McCullin narrating much of the film. A great contrast is created between McCullin now- shot in his home, and the black and white war photos. It creates an almost unreal feeling, that such horrors could occur, creating a greater impact on the audience, making the film more moving.

The black and white photographs suggest a reality, the gritty truth of war providing an insight to the viewer of life in a warzone, which was exactly what McCullin was trying to do. Revealing the horrors of war in the aim of discouraging it.

The voiceover of McCullin himself draws the audience to feel part of his story. The talking heads provide a personal feel that makes the audience feel as if they know Don, immersing them in the film. It feels like a conversation with him.

McCullin now photographs landscapes, as highlighted by the long shots of him walking through the British countryside. It suggests a  peaceful end to his career, his escape from the tragedies he has witnessed. Although it isn't an easy watch, this film is well structured to create an insightful documentary. It reveals McCullin not just as a photographer but as a genius. He knew the exact moments to take a photo, one frame to reveal an entire story, making him the greatest war photographer of all time.

The Abyss

I was on the phone to my uncle the other day discussing underwater camera work, he mentioned that I should watch 'The Abyss' (1989, James Cameron), by coincidence when I switched the TV on that evening, 'The Abyss: Special Edition' was showing! So I decided to sit down and watch all 3 hours of it!

I was expecting this film to be a little bit darker than what it was, saying that, there were some scenes containing floating dead body's and exploding equipment due to the huge pressure (sorry for any spoilers!), but it was actually a much 'happier' story than I was expecting.

After a US submarine sinks a team on an oil rig are recruited to search the wreckage. Whilst exploring the darkest depths of the ocean, they come across an exotic species living at the bottom of the ocean. Unlike the usual aliens terrorising the planet, these aliens are peacemakers attempting to stop war occurring amongst the human race.

This film has a claustrophobic feel about it, I found myself holding my breath along with the characters as disaster follows disaster! A hurricane, a betrayal and several deaths! One of the most heart wrenching scenes is when the only way of escape for husband and wife Lindsey and Virgil Brigman is for Lindsey to drown herself with the hope of being revived the other end.

Almost the whole film is located beneath the waves, giving this film a unique and distinctive feel. It was filmed in one of NASA's pools with the surface being covered in black ping pong balls to create the eerie darkness of the ocean floor! The use of close ups also helps to build the feel of being trapped beneath the waves in the darkest depths of the ocean.

The special effects throughout are convincing, particularly the scene where the alien life form mimics the humans on board the submarine, moulding its water like material to match the faces of the crew on board. 

The only criticism I would have about this film would be the reveal of the alien spaceship during the final sequence. Personally I would have preferred the mystery of the alien life form to be left to the imagination, saying that however this is a fantastic film that I would definitely recommend watching.

Canon DSLR

After working with DSLR cameras at college, I decided I would buy one myself to improve the quality of my films. I purchased a canon 650D with a 18-55mm lens and a fixed 50mm lens.


I knew the basics from college but had never been brave enough to fully explore the cameras features for fear of breaking it! but now I had my own, I had the opportunity to do so!


There are hundreds of different settings and I could ramble on for ages! Instead I will mention a few of my favourites.


Probably the most helpful id the moveable display screen. It flips away from the camera and rotates making particularly low and high angle shots much easier to get right. There is also the option to switch between the display screen and the viewfinder when taking photographs.

Aside from the physical features, there are also several in-camera features to enhance the footage. I recently filmed a music video in monochrome, without having to add effects during editing. My favourite photos are those that are in black and white so instantly adding the effect gives me the finished product straight off!


The ability to alter ISO and aperture can help to create a variety of moods within shots - bright and happy, dark and tense before editing has even begun.


I recently purchased a shotgun mic to accompany my camera. So far its working great! It attaches easily to the camera and provides clear sound much louder than that recorded by the cameras internal microphone.


This is my favourite piece of equipment and to  anyone looking to get into photography or film I would definitely recommend this product. For me the additional recording switch to the on/off button makes putting the camera into film mode a lot quicker which is why I chose the 650D as opposed to the 600D. I hope to invest in more lenses in the near future, the first on my list being the micro lens for extreme close up photography!