shoni

I agree with theOven in his blog entry ‘Star Wars III…my conclusion…’ (note permalink not active) that Star Wars III ‘The Revenge of the Sith’ (directed by George Lucas) had a stronger storyline to the previous two episodes. I felt that the characters and the narrative were more evolved than in episode I and II. However, I was disappointed that the relationship between Anakin and Padme wasn’t developed further. Neither was there the tension that I had expected between Obi-wan and Anakin, at Anakin’s final turning point when he kills Mace Windu, before he turns to the darkside.

CGI and SFX used in the film were stunning but in contrast to Butch and theOven I didn’t like the opening scene. I felt that it was completely overwhelming and was longer that it needed to be. I tend to be more in agreeance to Maragaret and David’s film review . I think it would have been a better film with more drama, more dialogue and if the fight scenes had been used to enhance the story rather than as a display of SFX.

What I did like was the way in which the themes resonated in a contemporary global sense. In particular the parallels between the war against terror and the dark side’s war against the force. The film also highlights the potential for political corruption within a democracy. The Senate, as with governments, are given powers to make decisions but the power is abused and directed towards the darkside. Although the film presents the dark side and the force (good side) it also explores the many shades of grey in between. An example of this is highlighted when Obi-wan leaves Anakin for dead but doesn’t kill him. Obi-wan is incrediblely angry with Anakin, but he is also grief stricken having lost the ‘chosen one’ who he had thought of as a son and who he had mentored and nurtured since he was a youngling.

As theOven suggests in his blog the main reason audiences will go and see Star Wars III is to see the cycle completed. Revenge of the Sith links the original trilogy episode IV - VI with episode I and II. It is this episode that brings all the threads and missing fragments together. The Star Wars website has a trailer of episode III ‘The Revenge of the Sith’.

On the 30 and 31 May I attended the Convergence Jam at Storey Hall (RMIT University). In attendance were writers, directors, producers, games developers, animators, content developers and new media artists. Over the course of the jam a series of guest speakers presented. The most unique aspect of the conference was the opportunity to collaborate in teams to develop a converging media concept. The theme for the concept was ‘Spare Time’ and it was essential that the concept could be delivered across multiple platforms such as the web, game, interactive TV, mobile phones, film and television. Teams then had to pitch their concept to the expert panel with the winning team being awarded with a prize.

The event was opened by a welcoming address by Robbie Stamp (via video conference), Executive Producer of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, who addressed the concept of convergence as it compares to divergence. Stamp suggested that The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy was more a reflection of diverging platforms that had resulted from changing technology over a period of time.

One of the highlights of the event were two speakers, Keith Clarkson and Thomas Wallner, from Xenophile Media, a Canadian based emerging media production company. Keith’s presentation ‘How to finance your converging media production’ looked at finance opportunities and highlighted the benefits of the Canadian funding model.

Thomas’ presentation ‘Showcase of Xenophile Media convergent media productions’ was fantastic. ReGenesis is a television drama series about NorBAC, an organisation formed to investigate questionable advances in biotechnology. In addition to the television series Xenophile Media launched an extended reality game. I found this aspect of the presentation particularly interesting as the concept resonated with similar themes to the game concept that Joni and I had developed for Emerging Media.

Another production Thomas showed snippets of was Beethoven’s Hair a documentary based on a best-selling book that follows the journey of a lock of hair that was cut from Ludwig van Beethoven when he died. The team developed Beethoven’s Hair website as part of this project. The website is fantastic, not only does it provide additional stories and detail that could not be included in the film but it is haunted by Beethoven’s spirit.

The final project that they showcased were the Canadian 2004 Gemini Awards. Xenophile Media developed an enhanced event by introducing a unique synchronised television-to-web experience. While the audience watched the awards they were invited to be part of the action by answering questions, participating in polls, reading about nominees and competing for prizes. The enhanced event was the first of it’s kind to broadcast in real time. Broadcast on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) it was technically a difficult and complex event was to manage. It was however a success, which they attribute to audiences natural inclination to actively participate in these types events.

A Converegnce Jam review details some of the other speakers that presented on the day. A Convergence Jam forum has also been set up.

I recently went and saw Nyet Nyet’s picnic by the Snuff Puppets. Directed by Ian Pidd, the show was the collaboration of talented indigenous and non-indigenous artists. The performance was held at Birrarung Marr and featured an ensemble of larger than life puppets, dance, theatre and music. The show imaginatively brought to life a series of Bunyip stories that had been collected from throughout Victoria.

The story of the Nyet Nyets was one the highlights of the evening. They were these fantastic green puppets with enormous sagging breasts that came from the spirit world. They captured people and suckled them, which turned them into spirits. Then there was the story of Yaroma, an enormous pink creature that tried unsuccessfully to eat a young man by sneaking up behind him. At one point Yaroma manged to swallow the man but spluttered him back out again.

Some of the stories were humorous and others I thought would have been scary for young children. There was also a modern bunyip story called No Camping about a bunyip in the guise as a park ranger who frightened unsuspecting campers who ignored the No Camping sign. Overall it was a fun and visually stunning show. An article in The Age ‘Pulling the strings on ‘hairy’ mythology provides an insight in to the research and development of the production.

I have woven a mythological narrative through a story about an Indigenous woman and her past for a short film project. I thought that puppetry may be a way to bring the mythical narrative to life and to distinguish it from the rest of the story. The other alternative I am considering is animation. The Nyet Nyet’s Picnic and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy have inspired me to consider the use of puppets in film.

Yesterday I went to the Australian Screen Directors Association (ASDA) Capturing Performance Workshop. Nina Landis presented a session on ‘The Art and Nature of Acting’ which examined the history of acting techniques and their influence on current methodologies. She gave a historical overview of Konstantin Stanislavski, Michael Chekhov, Uta Hagen, Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg and the relationship between the methodologies that they practiced. I found the seminar very interesting as I have a strong interest in performance. Stanislavski in particular was a prominent influence in my acting studies at The Victorian College of the Arts. Nina illustrated how Adler and Strasberg had interpreted Stanislavski in very different ways and the how this had influenced and informed their different style and working methodology.

‘Love not yourself in art, but the art in yourself’ (Stanislavski).

Dennis O’Rourke presented a seminar on ‘Capturing Character in Documentary’. Dennis has directed a number of documentaries including The Good Woman of Bangkok (1991), Cunnamulla (2000) and more recently Landmines: A Love Story (2005). He used examples from these films to illustrate his process for developing character, performance and story. Dennis emphasised the importance of familiarity with the people or person central to the story. In contrast to the ‘fly on the wall’ observational documentary he talked about the necessity that the filmmaker immerse them self in the story. He believes without that level of immersion and familiarity the story will lack intimacy and emotional integrity.

Kate Woods presented a fantastic workshop on ‘Directing Actors’. She worked with two professional actors firstly with a scene from Wild Side and then with a scene from Changi, to illustrate different rehearsal techniques. The techniques that Kate used to develop the scene from Changi strengthened the actors’ performances significantly in a very short space of time. Despite the material being new to the actors, they were able to deliver a convincing performance that evoked a strong emotional response from the audience. At one point one of the actors started crying and Kate questioned him about whether his character would reveal that emotion despite the intensity of what he was feeling. In response to her feedback he swallowed back his tears and composed himself, which strengthened his character by layering sub-text with text. It was very moving to witness this process in such a transparent way.

I was awed by Kate’s sensitivity to the actors combined with her ability to provide strong direction at such a vulnerable moment. It is a delicate process to negotiate. In reflection of my own practice I know that I have the sensitivity to the actors process but I wonder whether I would be able to stand outside the actors space and provide that level of direction. I was so emotionally absorbed by their performance that I would find it difficult to say anything at point in the scene like this.

Generally the workshop wasn’t as hands-on as I had expected, but it encouraged me to consider the approach that I will take to directing the documentary for Trades Hall, about women and work. It was also fantastic to see some of the techniques that an accomplished director, such as Kate Woods, uses with actors. I am interested in exploring some of the text-based methods that Kate used in my own work.

I was, however, amazed at how gender specific the language that the presenters used was. There were numerous references to ‘camera man’, ‘lighting guys’ and ‘his’ or ‘he’. I think it is also interesting to observe that the characteristics that some successful female directors embody reflect characteristics displayed by their male peers. This is common in male dominated industries and reminds me of the culture that existed in outdoor education when I was working as a teacher. In the past there has been pressure on women leaders to adopt behaviours of their male peers in order to succeed in their chosen careers. I think younger women who assert their own style of leadership have challenged this culture in many industries. I think some industries that remain male dominated are still trying to challenge these stereotypes. Given the ratio of female to male directors, I think we are yet to expereince the cultural shift that has occurred in some other sectors.