Thoughts and Reflections on Lesson 1

Director's Gaze- 28th September 

Before the first session the set reading was: "Lars Von Trier" 

 Badley, L. (2010). Lars Von Trier. University of Illinois Press, pp. 155-179

 Thoughts on the reading: Having never heard of this director before it was intriguing to read his stylistic approaches to film through the use of specific rules he has set out. Von Trier invented something called  'Automavision'. 

In the article Von Trier mentions  "When I film I put up the [fixed] camera, I make the shot that I want, and then I press the button on the computer, and that gives us 8 or 9 offsets." (Von Trier, 2010) 

Automavision sounds like an interesting concept as by limiting human interaction you have a completely unique piece that is from a different perspective and maybe a new form of representation. From reading the article it was clear That Von Trier is inspired by other directors and films e.g. for 'The Kingdom' he was heavily inspired by David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks' and Japanese horror films. He designs pieces based on previous representations and ideas. It's Interesting to see how ideas are developed and maybe I could find inspiration from the films I have watched when creating my final project. 

Von Trier often creates pieces of work that represent his perspective on things without actually experiencing them as he has made various films based in the US e.g. Dogville and Manderlay (US Trilogy) based around a small American village. 

The director states that he has never been to America. So my thought on this is that he creates representation based on his own views and perceptions of that country and their society, ideals etc. 

 Lecture: The lecture was based around learning different techniques in order to make sure an actors performance is believable (a physical and emotional journey). By doing this a story and character is represented in the most natural way, I think that the techniques mentioned are all important aspects of directing actors. 

• Subtext 
• Point of Change 
• Four Levels of "Wanting"

We also watched a documentary: 'Ten Meter Tower.' To me the film  seemed like an exploration of subtext and the people participating overcoming their fear and and making a decision in a natural environment where their emotions are real and in the moment. The film creates an honest representation. It also seems like an engaging way to present these emotions. 

Workshop: In the workshop we were shown the use of manipulation in Directing and how it is effective in getting a natural performance from your actors. After watching a demonstration it seemed like a difficult to thing to do. It was obvious how the manipulation created a realistic performance that the actor believes is motivated but I think I would find it quite difficult if I attempted to use it in one of my projects. 

My Project ideas: This is section of the blog will cover my ideas for the final film project of representation. So, in terms of ideas so far I think I will try to create a realistic piece based on other people's perspectives of something to get a realistic representation of life. Maybe my own perspective vs. someone else's? I will stick with this idea for now but will think more about other ideas I can come up with.

Bibliography: 

Lars Von Trier, 2010

Badley, L. (2010). Lars Von Trier. University of Illinois Press, pp. 159.