I created a videography and photography page last year. Even though I only have about 20 likes, I got a phone call the other week asking for a wedding photographer. I did warn them I was only a learner, especially in the photography department, and offered expenses only. But he was very kind, liked my work and offered it as a paid position. I am a bit nervous (even though he only wants casual pictures, I still have some pressure to get key moments of the night) and excited as this is my first proper paid position and I hope it goes well! (maybe this can link to "online presence" and Professional Studies!) I also went to RoyalTeas over the summer and took a few professional pictures and the lady who owns the establishment loved a picture I took of her which now has over 200 likes. I asked for her to tag my professional page but I haven't had any new likes (doh). I'm quite proud of the picture though.
I proof read and edit my friends novels and one is now a pubished paperback! Very exciting stuff. Link for which can be found here: http://amzn.eu/8tKxisA I also manage his social media accounts. I've also applied for a role in Middlesbrough town centre at Christmas time. Sent off my CV so just waiting for a reply now.
"And the guy was pretty drunk, and he ripped some of my clothes trying to take them off me, and when I got up and started screaming he said, 'Did you want to make this music video or not?'" - Penelope Spheeris (director)
"The worst was when my agent sent another woman director in for an interview, and afterwards the guy called up and said, 'Never send anyone again who I wouldn't want to fuck.'" - Martha Coolidge (director and first woman president of the Directors Guild of America)
This took me a while to figure out (so please appreciate this and cite me if you wanna use it, copyright and all that jazz); with so much information out there, it was hard to calculate an average. This research is to compare with what we should get paid at University (just a bit more research into producing), and also for my Level 5 Professional Studies report. I have mostly used information for the United Kingdom (there is a huge difference in pay in different countries). Director; median salary is about £53,000 a year with an hourly wage of £25 Producer; median salary is about £57,000 a year, with an hourly wage of £27 DOP; median salary is about £48,000 with an hourly wage of £18 Sound; median salary is about £34,000 with an hourly wage of £16 Editor; median salary is about £33,000 a year with an hourly wage of £15 On average, a film crew is paid £7 an hour. A lot of different factors can determine the average, such as location, age, bonus' and even gender. Sources https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/jobs-film-average-salary-career-paths/ http://work.chron.com/salaries-film-tv-crews-29603.html http://www.payscale.com/ https://www.indeed.com/salaries/Film-Crew-Salaries
A while ago, one of my actors from Bad Luck made us an IMDb page. I procrastinated today correcting and adding details. I may also add pages for different films I have worked on (ones that I think are worthy of an IMDb credit). I also have a profile myself that is gathering up quite a few credits, so I may join the free trial of IMDB Pro to put a profile picture and claim the profile.
This blog post is basically a list of all the work experience I have had at CCAD (I've lost count of how many and what I have done, and is handy to have for marketing and also for my CV).
I have contacted 4 people in total to conduct an interview with, who I have found on the ICFC website. I have went with UK based cinematographers as that is where I am based and how they got into the industry here. Catherine Goldschmidt. Also co-founder of illuminatrix (another female cinematographer collective)
Suzie Lavelle (I really want her to reply as she has been cinematographer for Sherlock and The Living and the Dead!) Nicola Daley and Neus Olle. I have had Catherine Goldschmidt reply and interviewed already! I have another reply from Nicola Daley who I need to email back in two weeks as she is on a job at the minute. I will update this post if I get any other replies.
This blog post is a collection of secondary sources (websites and books) for my report, which I will update when I find them. I wasn't very successful on the book or journal front, but hopefully the newspaper articles will make up for it.
12 Essential Women Cinematographers from Fandor on Vimeo. LINCOLN, K. 'The Female Cinematographers of Neon Demon, Creed, and Dope Discuss Their Experiences in a Male-Dominated Field', Vulture, 27 June 2016, p10 - they talk about raising a family??? Whyyyy? SILVERSTEIN, M. 'Statistics on the State of Women and Hollywood' http://www.indiewire.com/2014/02/statistics-240754/(02.03.2017) - Backup source for facts and figures (probably won't use it if the internet sources is still 10%, I will have to ask)
https://www.digitalbolex.com/grant/grant-statistics/ (02.03.2017) - Great stats, definitely use! [As of 2014, 14 of 374 members of the ASC are women, just 3.7%. The first studio film with a female director of photography was FATSO (1980).] COCHRANE, K. 'Why are there so few female filmmakers?', The Guardian, 31 January 2010, p52 - Pretty scary experiences of sexism and felony. They still talk about motherhood and raising a family! LEVITIN, J. (2012) Women Filmmakers: Refocusing Routledge. New York and London - p436 is useful ROBSON, C. (2016) Silent Women: Pioneers of Cinema Supernova Books. Twickenham. - interesting info on the first female cinematographer GOLDSCHMIDT, C. 'Women Working Behind the Camera: Our Story En Masse' http://cinemajam.com/mag/interviews/women-behind-the-camera (02.03.2017) - very long article which I have partially read through and picked out some interesting info LANG, B. 'Women compromise 7% of Directors on Top 250 Films (Study)' http://variety.com/2015/film/news/women-hollywood-inequality-directors-behind-the-camera-1201626691/(05.03.2017) - [Evidence suggests that women in positions of power are more likely to employ other women. On films with female directors, women comprised 52% of writers, 35% of editors and 26% of cinematographers. When men directed, the number of female writers shrank to 8%, editors fell to 15% and cinematographers dropped to 5%.]
Petcha Kuta Notes 1) What do these films share in common? Very surprised if you get this. Beautifully shot. Different genres. Indie and mainstream. All have female cinematographers. 2) No woman has ever been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. The first studio film with a female director of photography was FATSO (1980). Women comprised 19% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers working on the top 250 grossing films in 2015. 3) Pie chart= women in what roles of the industry. The roles with the least number of women hires are cinematographers, only 5 percent of whom were females. As of 2014, 14 of 374 members of the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) are women, just 3.7%. 4) Rarity. Why? Hollywood misogyny, lack of awareness, absence of opportunity? No expert and I am unqualified to say (but people are, which I will talk about later). 5) Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep and Viola Davis have all spoken out about this. Natalie Portman revealed to Marie Claire that she was paid a third of what Anton Kutcher was in 2011 film No Strings Attached. Women earn 77 cents to the dollar that men earn. Is this what’s putting women off? 6) People say “riskier” to hire women, but there’s male newbies too! No studies show that women aren’t a bigger financial risk. This isn’t what Hollywood is about. Evidence suggests women are more likely to employ other women. Sexism? On films with female directors, 26% cinematographers, shrinks to 5% on films with male directors. 7) Before you start, this isn’t a feminist inspired bash. I am weighing out all the options. While researching, I found a lot of sexist and even felony stories in the industry which were hard to stomach and would put anyone off working in the industry. Maybe this is what’s putting women off? 8) Questionnaires. Ask people what they think. Post it to a few professional pages too, I found a few contacts on ICFC (international collective of female cinematographers) website. 9) Interviews! Found a few interview sources but they were asking if it was hard to raise a family in the industry, which shows even more sexism. Would rather conduct my own. ICFC has a lot I can contact. Found four with email addresses and based in the UK.
Catherine Goldschmidt (Interviewed!) illuminatrix co-founder (another female cinematographer collective)
Suzie Lavelle (I really want her to reply as she has been cinematographer for Sherlock and The Living and the Dead!) (two more but no reply Nicola Daley and Neus Olle) 10) Female cinematographers and females in the industry are a dying breed. Why? A lack of female filmmakers has made it difficult to imagine women in charge. Cinematography is hiring a kit rather than a person- usually more males are tech savvy. But there are still biases we can’t control, and we need to support other female filmmakers.
Clearly female cast films are inspirational, so why aren't there many? And even then, why are they reboots?
The 'Sheboot'
This relates to my first Professional Studies report of remakes, but in more detail to a specific type (and fairly new and upcoming!) kind. With the new Ghostbusters out now, the female lead reboot is more popular than ever, with talks of remaking Oceans Eleven with an all female cast. However, are 'sheboots' the way to equality? Surely original female lead screenplays would be the right way to go?
Reading the module handbook for next year, however, I have just realised, says this;
"...a 2500-word report on a negotiated aspect of professional practice, eg. work experience or a specific career pathway"
So the above idea might be ruled out. I have a backup idea if that is true, focusing more on a job role. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Female Cinematographers Fun fact, a female has never been nominated for the Academy Award "Best Cinematography". My report would cover why female cinematographers seem to be non-existent and why they aren't getting as much attention as male cinematographers. This is something I'm personally interested in as I have recently wanted to look into cinematography.
I've added quite a lot of projects and information to it (it was addictive) and looks really professional and impressive (especially having experience with the BFI and BAFTA!).
As part of my Professional Studies and to also have contacts with the industry, I have joined the Student Register in BECTU. It was free, quick and easy and also comes with various different perks such as the Script Registration Service, invites to opportunities and discounts when you graduate!
After a quick briefing and meeting for Production, in the afternoon, we had John Bickerstaff come in to talk about his job and Anti-Terrorism. Considering the latest bombings in Brussels, this is very important and always relevant and we need to remain on alert. This is relevant to especially us because of our 'filming awareness' that can be considered suspicious behaviour. Filming chemical works and guns or any unusual behaviour are big signs of a 'terrorist recce'. Taking pictures of CCTV and buttons add to this. However, if they are clearly staged and angled, with full permission, we should be fine. If a security guard says they need to destroy it and won't listen to reason, they do not have the right to destroy it. It is the law! Did not know this until today. We also learned what to do in a bomb scare and what to do which was also useful to know (I'm surprised we were never told this earlier like in secondary as even though we probably won't use it, it is still useful to know).
Not knowing each camera lens and what it does was my downfall when I was on work experience with Maxy Bianco so I have researched into them for future reference. A lens may be permanently fixed to a camera, or it may be interchangeable with lenses of different focal lengths, apertures, and other properties. The two fundamental parameters of an optical lens are the focal length and the maximum aperture. The lens' focal length determines the magnification of the image projected onto the image plane, and the aperture the light intensity of that image. For a given photographic system the focal length determines the angle of view, short focal lengths giving a wider field of view than longer focal length lenses. A wider aperture, identified by a smaller f-number, allows using a faster shutter speed for the same exposure.
The maximum usable aperture of a lens is specified as the focal ratio or f-number, defined as the lens's focal length divided by the effective aperture (or entrance pupil), a dimensionless number. The lower the f-number, the higher light intensity at the focal plane. Larger apertures (smaller f-numbers) provide a much shallower depth of field than smaller apertures, other conditions being equal. Focal lengths are usually specified in millimetres (mm), but older lenses might be marked in centimetres (cm) or inches. For a given film or sensor size, specified by the length of the diagonal, a lens may be classified as a:
Normal lens: angle of view of the diagonal about 50° and a focal length approximately equal to the image diagonal.
Wide-angle lens: angle of view wider than 60° and focal length shorter than normal.
Long-focus lens: any lens with a focal length longer than the diagonal measure of the film or sensor. Angle of view is narrower. The most common type of long-focus lens is the telephoto lens, a design that uses special optical configurations to make the lens shorter than its focal length.
A side effect of using lenses of different focal lengths is the different distances from which a subject can be framed, resulting in a different perspective. Photographs can be taken of a person stretching out a hand with a wide-angle, a normal lens, and a telephoto, which contain exactly the same image size by changing the distance from the subject. But the perspective will be different. With the wide-angle, the hands will be exaggeratedly large relative to the head. As the focal length increases, the emphasis on the outstretched hand decreases. However, if pictures are taken from the same distance, and enlarged and cropped to contain the same view, the pictures will have identical perspective. A moderate long-focus (telephoto) lens is often recommended for portraiture because the perspective corresponding to the longer shooting distance is considered to look more flattering.
King Kong is one of the most remade films of all
time and also one of the most expensive remakes ever[1]. King Kong[2]was an epic film when it was
first made in 1933. TheChicago Tribunecalled
it "one of the most original, thrilling and mammoth novelties to emerge
from a movie studio”[3].
https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/king-kong-gif
The 1976
version[4] withJessica Langewas the fifth highest grossing movie
of the year and ultimately kick-started her career. The film received mostly
mixed reviews; according toEntertainment Tonight'sLeonard Maltin, the film
"...has great potential; yet it dispels all the mythic, larger-than-life
qualities of the original with idiotic characters and campy approach”[5].
The
2005 remake[6] withNaomi Wattswas made for a cool $207 million and
reaped a few million with a worldwide gross of $331,136,767. Reviews were
mostly positive, Entertainment Weeklycalled
the depiction of Kong the most convincing computer-generated character in film
in 2005[7].
http://gif2fly.com/King%20Kong.html
However, a few
people in the questionnaire made comments about King Kong and they were very
mixed. One person said that “the new King Kong was the worst parts of Hollywood
mixed together” but two respondents thought it was better than the original. Kong: Skull Island[8] is also
in the works and to be released in 2017 with various star vehicles such as Tom
Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson, it is sure to make serious box office.
I gave out five physical copies of the questionnaire to hand out in my Mam's shop. Even though she said no one would answer them but she's try, I managed to get three back. I think I will hand out a few in University and also spread the online version one since I am getting the most responses from that.
Here's the responses! One of the respondent's didn't take it seriously and put their occupation as "you and your mother's mug". One person said that the film industry should be more imaginative and not to produce as much remakes, but also said;
"The problem is more to do with studios and what they are willing to fund than a lack of ideas. Just look at the Indies"
Someone else also made a point that people, especially a younger audience, might not watch originals over remakes as they are 'old'. It might be worth finding some statistics on this.
Even though The Crow hasn't actually been remade yet, there are constant talks of a remake and looks more than likely. It has been on and off since 2008 as it can't seem to get a director attached. One person in the survey was passionate and intrigued to see how the remake would be like with "Luke Evans' performance" but I can't find a strong, reliable and recent source to support that Luke Evans will be starring nor if it is actually getting a remake.
https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/the-crow-gifs
The 1994 film The Crow will always be remembered because of the tragic death of its star, Brandon Lee, during the film’s production. The movie has gone on to achieve a cult status among fans, in large part because of the terrible accident. Recent years have seen an ongoing attempt to remake the movie, but the original director of The Crow really wishes they would stop, as any remake would surely have an impact on the legacy of the original.
When asked about the continuing efforts to produce a remake, Proyas gave a very honest assessment. He feels that the original movie should be allowed to stand in memory of Brandon Lee.
"I personally feel like it’s kind of unnecessary. I’ve said this many times, I’ve completed the original movie to honor Brandon and that’s the sole reason I did it. I’m happy I did it for that reason. I sort of feel like it’s his legacy and I personally don’t have a lot of time for people trying to reignite that movie in other ways. So you know, to me, this is one situation where it would be nice if Hollywood kind of left it alone and let it remain Brandon Lee’s legacy."
Relativity Media, the original producers of the remake, were sued over the question of whether they had the right to even make a Crow movie, and then they went through bankruptcy. As recently as six months ago, the original creator of The Crow, James O’Barr, swears that the movie is still happening but with everything that has happened "you’ll forgive fans if they’re a little sceptical". Add to that the fact that many fans have a strong memory of the original and it’s unlikely that Alex Proyas is the only one who doesn't want to see this movie.
I have put a questionnaire online using a website called SurveyMonkey. I have used it before for my A Level Media so I was familiar with the layout and how easy to distribute it is. I have spread it across Facebook and Twitter and I so far have 12 responses. I have included questions about age and occupation as I want a variation of opinions, expert and novices to the film industry, and see how they feel about the film industry producing so many remakes. Create your own user feedback survey
Most of the surveys back are from students aged between 18-29. This is fine but I will have to spread it further afield to get more varied responses and from different backgrounds. It might be an idea to hand out physical copies to people on the street. For my A Level Media, I gave my mother some physical copies to hand out to people in her shop. It will be a good idea to do this again for this. Most people think that the film industry should not remake classic films.
"A classic is a classic for a reason, because it is so good that it is loved and treasured. They should not be remade, it is simply not necessary."
"Absolutely not! If it isn't broken don't fix it, there is no need to remake classics, it just tarnishes the reputation"
A few have said yes, I particulary like this response:
"Yes - they make money, as marketing budgets don't have to be as huge. They ride of the original. They bring old stories to a new generation, the vast majority of whom, don't watch films more that 5 years older than they are."
One film that kept creeping up for people's favourite films being remade was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
"I know there are some out there, it's tricky to think of them on the spot. I don't hate the Johnny Depp version of Willy Wonka, but I much prefer the Gene Wilder one. I have heard that they are remaking American Werewolf in London and I think that is a mistake, the idea of changing anything about that film makes me cringe. I definitely won't be watching that."
"Charlie and the chocolate factory.. Big name actors try too hard to enhance their careers/reputation. The original is natural, innocent and genuine."
A few people have said 'no' or 'N/A' or 'yes' to other questions which I'm not too happy about. I WANT TO KNOW WHY!!! Most people have said that there are so many remakes as they make money and people would be willing to see it if they liked the original.
"I suppose there is a school of thought that there will be a ready made audience for a story and characters that are already liked. It's all about the box office."
However, when I asked them if they would want to see one of their favourite classic films remade, most of them said no.
"I would tend to avoid a remake of a favourite, I would think that it would not be possible to make it better. It is a favourite because it couldn't be any better. It could only be worse, it would be sad to watch something I liked being changed."
There was a relatively even split when I asked if the film industry should not produce remakes. One particulary controversial person said 'yes' but failed to say why which I was upset about. I liked this particular response:
"It has to be easier to remake a movie than to start from scratch. The ideas and characters and story have already been thought out. It takes less imagination to remake than to make something new and different. It is always risky to be innovative. But surely the movie industry should be imaginative and bold. There are always new stories to be told, writers never run out of ideas."
Most people have said yes to less remakes as 'classics should be left alone'. There are a few sensible people saying it's fine as long as people have room to pitch their own original ideas.
"I suppose there will always be a market for remakes, the industry will look at a successful classic and say "we can make it better". But I doubt if it's what the public wants. We want new original classics."
One person who filled out the questionnaire also thought of something they forgot to put on the survey. They said that we don't remake classic books, so why do we remake classic films? It's quite interesting. *UPDATE 22.02.16* I now have 20 responses. This response to the final question I really liked.
"The film industry should get their shit together, grow some balls, support original concepts and take a risk. It's not like they can't afford it."
I have no idea what lesson number we are on. Today Adam and James came in (graduates) to talk about their film Ripper and also their film experiences inside of CCAD and out. They funded their film Ripper using a fundraising side called Indiegogo. With a bit of a slow start, they luckily befriended a millionaire (Millionaire Mike) as you do, which got their campaign off to a huge start. Casting was also lucky as a casting agent owed them a favour so she stepped in and got a few actors for them. They also had a Game of Thrones actor on board at one point but he had to drop out because of 'reasons'. They also talked about different job roles and which ones were paid. The major ones that were paid were the DoP and the gaffer, but significantly less than what they are used to due to the low budget. They also talked about their different projects at CCAD. One (that must not be named) was sued for copyright by a Hollywood lawyer with big scary emails (they nearly had a heart attack as they thought it was for Ripper that was weeks from filming, but was actually a student film/trailer they did). The budget for this one was huge due to filming in the middle of nowhere, with a fight sequence. They also talked about different actors, one was head hunted from Ripper for a casting agent and also stars in many of their CCAD projects. My favourite one they did is From Lust Till Dust. It was really interesting to hear and I have learnt a lot from the talk. I have added them both on Facebook (they also mentioned contacts are HUGE; befriend everyone) and I can't wait to see their future productions.
