Preparation (Blog Post 2)

A blog post by: Kelsey Reid

Following the first meeting we started to work on the script for the film:

The location for scene 5 (or the 'reality scene', so to speak) takes place in a café and so we began forming a list of potential cafes we could call up to see if they’d allow us to shoot at their location. 

• Kapow coffee (have allowed student filming before)
• Chichini (have allowed student filming before 
• Pump n grind (closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesdays, therefore are potential days we could film their without interrupting business)

Once the script was finished we also started to think about planning shots to include in our shot list when it is written up:

Tarantism (Dir. Joachim Koester)

In the dance film Tarantism (2007) Koester shoots the dancers against black backgrounds. It’s noted that “The close-in camera and very black surroundings create a claustrophobic environment, a world to which the dancers are confined” (Porter, 2016). This is the same feeling and environment we want to put across in our film and so we thought it would be a good idea to include several close-up shots in our shot list. 

In addition, it’s states that “if the dancers stay too far from the screen the spectator loses contact with them” (Dodds, 2001) which is further reason why we feel it important to include mainly close-up and medium-close-up shots when film the dance sequence scene.

Casting calls 

• Starnow (casting website)

   

-      To no surprise we had more people apply for the role of the male café worker than the dancer/actor role because of certain criteria needed for that character e.g. needed to be able to speak another language fluently 

• Sent out casting calls on acting and dancing groups on Facebook - still waiting on responses.

Dance schools:

• Northern Ballet – would not give access to their dancers
• Leeds Beckett University (emailed 3 different key members of staff in Dance department) – still awaiting for response 
• Northern Contemporary School – sent out our casting call in their newsletter that went out on the Thursday 28^th February 2019 and started to receive applications the next day

Ideas for abstract look

GoFundMe 

-      To help towards props and actors travel and food

Searching for props 

Other movies watched

  

Cracks (Dir. Alex Pachón)

[Click link to see film]

This was seen during the screen dance lecture. We hope to achieve the same kind of screen dance film to this in the way diegetic sounds (in the case the cracking if fingers, feet, shoulders etc.) is edited in a way that works together to create some form of rhythmic beat.

A-Z of Aaliyah (Dir. Cara Stricker)

[Click link to see film]

      This screen dance creates a beautiful image of the iconic life   of the singer Aaliyah. Combining dance, poems and archive footage of her when she was alive - this film reflects the free spirited nature of the R&B singer. Though a lot of this film would have came together in the edit, it is evident to see how important choreography is in a screen dance film and something our group needs to keep in mind and act upon

     

     Additional references

Dodds, S. 2001. Dance on Screen: Genres and Media from Hollywood to Experimental Art.UK: Palgrave Macmillan

     Rosenberg, D. 2016. Dance with camera (a curator's POV). In: Porter, J. The Oxford handbook of screen dance studies. OUP USA:Oxford University Press, pp. 23-44