Vanity - My 2nd Semester Film

The semester's coming to a close and I suppose now would be an alright time to reflect on my 2nd semester film, which I tiled 'Vanity'.

I can say I'm rather disappointed in myself with this project. I got my brain all wrapped around the idea of doing an environmental piece over Christmas. And although the final project has a much more solid concept than my original proposal, I still can't help to think that it fell short of delivering anything decisive.

The shoot was short, sweet and easy (something I have come to not expect at all, from any shoot, ever). With the help of two fellow film students over a weekend, I was finished. I can say I'm quite pleased with my photography. I shot all of the colour footage in my kitchen. I decided since I refused a light kit last semester and loathed myself for it (lit my bedroom with like... 7 IKEA lamps instead), I decided to haul a three point ARRI kit home. I actually had a great time lighting it, I wouldn't go without a light kit again.

This was my first attempt shooting on black and white. With the original intention of hand developing, I chose to shoot on black and white reversal. With the tip that the 85 filter would help bring out some cloud contrast, I used that to my advantage.  My disappointment with the black and white reel, however, was that some shots were too underexposed (as you will see), a few so much so they could not be used. The use of the negative print was a decision I made once I saw how fantastic some of it turned out. It took some trial and error to figure out how it would be assembled, but in the end, I think it is an effective closing - however aesthetically motivated the decision was.

Anyways, I suppose I should explain my motives to make this. Ever since moving to Vancouver and doing things like volunteering at the Vancouver Aquarium, I've become much more aware of environmental issues in general. Moving from small town, middle of Alberta to huge city sitting on the edge of the Pacific brought many issues to the forefront. I made it a priority to compost, recycle and be extraordinarily mindful of products I buy and use on a daily basis. As I continued these acts, however, I realized that no progress was being made. Some people make it more of a priority, others pay no mind to it. I learned of all the shortcuts the large corporations were taking around environmental problems. A handful of individuals are bailing water out of a ship of millions, filled with holes.

Basically, I made this film to illustrate the redundancies in the environmentalism movement. I can recycle everything for the rest of my life and it seems that that wouldn't help anything. My realization of this has sort of manifested itself in a sort of back of my brain constant madness/frustration. We're in too deep to beat around the bush. The facts have been presented in every possible way - it's horrifying to think about... and yet, the problem persists more than ever. It exists on such a broad scale that it's difficult to comprehend - the global ramifications hard to see when it's so expertly swept under the carpet. It's a similar frustration I feel when it comes to other over-sized, deeply engrained issues such as politics and media. Things that often result in the realization of futility and the inability to truly change what was set in motion long before I was born.


Vanity from Laurel Brown on Vimeo.

On Tumblr.

I took exerpts from The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, The Human, the Orchid and the Octopus by Jaques Cousteau and Silent Spring by Susan Carson. The narration was, once again, done by myself. I should have made it more of a priority to find another individual with, perhaps, a more authentic voice. The sound I used was a combination of Keneda by Geinoh Yamahirogumi from the Akira original soundtrack, Wounded Animals by Vangelis from the Blade Runner (LE) soundtrack and The Amazon Rainforest Part III from The Sounds of the Rainforest.

My problems with this film lie mostly in the fact that my vision was never that strong, nor was it every very clear. The issue I was addressing was large and overbearing, my presentation was lacklustre. It's an extremely important topic, and although I learned a great deal from the background research I did, it seems I failed to convey any specific feeling at the close.

The feedback I received post-screening was generally positive. It generated some good discussion points, but nothing outstanding. The fact that I have rudimentary skills at threading the Eiki projector and the fact that it kept skipping horribly on splices didn't help my nerves much that morning. Post-inspection of my film brought to attention sprockets that were missing entirely and some haggard looking splices. Since then, it has been respliced, but still skips occasionally (which you will see in the video).

You can take a gander at my previous film and subsequent reflection here. Or if you're on Tumblr, check it here.

In still film related news: if you live in the Vancouver area, the SFU first year film student screening is on April 6th at 7pm in the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema at the SFU Woodwards building. I highly recommend it if you're up for an evening of some truly fantastic and unique 16mm films.

Also also also: my friend, classmate and fantastic filmmaker Aerlan Barrett guest posted an absolutely fantastic guide to the wonderful world of the Bolex over at Sad Hill Cemetery!

Scott Pilgrim vs 60 Seconds - VOTE

SIMON FRASER FILM REPRESENT.

VOTE - VOTE - VOTE - VOTE - VOTE

Amazing shout out from Edgar Wright himself.

Sometimes I draw weird things

If you're looking for a VIP pass of how my mind works, here is the entire tour:

Pencil lines

Digital 'rendering'

This sort of came together during a text message conversation I had over Christmas. Something about if sharks had thumbs what would humanity fight them off with. It also had something to do with there being a  Lethal Weapon marathon on television. It also may have had something to do with my aunt imitating my hand gestures in the Chinese Cultural Center, saying something about lobster claws and velociraptor hands, me combining words and creating the last hope for mankind against the sharks with opposable thumbs, jet packs and nuclear armaments. The lobsteraptor army is lead by the Gary Busey Lobsteraptor, ruthless mercenary.

That is all.

Paprika garlic chicken - so great

 Upon returning from the holidays, and rather inspired by a new Jamie Oliver cookbook I received for Christmas, I decided to cook my first whole roast chicken. I found this recipe whilst browsing magazines between these weird spa treatments (well, they were rather normal, but they were weird... at the same time). I decided to turn the other cheek when it was from Martha Stewart. I especially don't mind now because it was so damn delicious!

Serves 8 to 10 (if you made two chickens - I only made one)

• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt
• 2 whole chickens (3 to 3 1/2 pounds each)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 heads garlic, halved horizontally

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together paprika, oregano, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt. Place chickens, breast side up, on a rimmed baking sheet, and tuck wings under. Tie legs of each bird together with kitchen twine. Pat chickens dry with paper towels. Rub skin of each with 1 tablespoon oil, then with paprika mixture. Stuff 2 garlic-head halves into each cavity.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Roast chickens for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and baste with pan juices. Scatter remaining garlic-head halves around chicken; drizzle garlic with remaining 1/4 cup oil, then turn cut side down on sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Tent birds loosely with foil. Roast until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each thigh reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes more. Uncover chickens, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving with roasted garlic.

Paprika Rubbed Chickens with Roast Garlic

The roast garlic was sooo good. And the chicken made amazing leftover sandwiches! I enjoyed a couple on squirrley bread with a salad of tomatoes, lettuce and pea shoots and some quinoa. Anyways, I highly recommend it!

I also made some amazing white chocolate cranberry oat cookies - but I'm unsure of where the recipe came from. So delicious!

Giraffe and a new year.

Well folks, 2011 is finally here. I've told myself I'm doing a lot of things differently in these coming 12 months, so we shall see how that goes.

Just a short post today, as I need to hit the books before bedtime to get the ball rolling.

Here's a giraffe I made at the request of a friend of mine for her boyfriend's cousin.  See some 'in progress' posts here and here. I had some problems planning and assembling this one.  It seemed to take ages and ages to finish.

Due to the fact that sewing machines still put the fear of god in me, it was mostly stitched by hand - but thankfully my mom stepped in to help sew up the arms and legs with her intense seamstress skills on the day before I needed to ship it!

I used minky fabric for the body and felt for the details. The minky was horrifying to work with. It sheds and is slippery to sew with. But it ended up looking alright, thank goodness! I monogramed an M on one of the hooves for the eventual recipient. The lower legs and belly are filled with rice that I tied in bits of nylon stocking to give it a bit of weight. Unfortunately, I think I overstuffed it a little bit. I would have liked the legs to hang down a little more freely. As I am generally pleased with the body shape, I am not too pleased with the face. I had not devised a solid way to build the horns or make the nose a little more... nose-like.  I do like the eyes (from Suncatcher) and the eyelashes.

Some handy things I learned with this one:

• Build complex felties out of paper first, serves as a 'measure twice, cut once' substitute and creates a handy pattern as well
• Never work with minky ever, ever again
• Rice works MUCH better than tapioca pearls if you want a little weight
• Rice works even better when put in bits of an old stocking tied at the ends to keep things nice and tidy
• To, once again, not leave these kinds of things to the last minute
• Giraffes look sort of dumb without their horns

I've got some other things to post, recipies and Christmas crafts mostly - but that can wait until another time.

I hope everyone had an absolutely fantastic break. I certainly did - though coming back to my empty basement suite was a bit of a shock and I'm thankful I have people here I can bum around with every so often or else I'd get awful lonely.

Some classmates from the film program and I went to see a Taxi Driver/Raging Bull double bill at the Cinematheque the other night. It was so fantastic seeing Taxi Driver properly and seeing Raging Bull for the first time. But walking out of the theater after that much Scorsese was a little disorienting. I'm also very, very excited that the Cinematheque is getting in a ton of Chaplin feature films in on 35mm and showing them throughout January and February! Unfortunately, due to my measly student funds, I'll have to pick and choose which of these I attend. It'll be like trying to pick which child you like the most.

Other news I'll sum up here: I'm currently in an obsessive Harry Potter state, I cooked my first whole chicken last week, that was pretty exciting, the word of the day today was infarction and I've started studying chemistry on my own time to make myself feel less dumb.

Anyways, that's that. Hope all is just peachy with everyone and the new year is treating you all very well!

From here.

The Frets

 Ladies and gentlemen, I give you The Frets. My first year film at Simon Fraser University. See my previous post on production.

This was a very personal project for me - after being rejected from this film program a handful of times, I wanted to complete this on my own. I think I really needed to prove to myself that I finally belonged in this program. I picked a concept that I could relate to, simple as it was. Unfortunately, I think I kept it too simple. To me, my camera work was a little dry. If the scratches weren't present (for whatever reason), I'd put everyone to sleep. Most of my shots worked out great - fantastic exposure (I think it's pretty good, I mean, for someone who still doesn't completely understand exposures), great colour.

As per first year requirements (and much to my immense delight), this film was shot on 16mm film with an old, spring motor Bolex and cut on a Steenbeck flatbed editor. One thing that I really wanted to do with this first film is experiment with the medium of film itself. You can't take paint and bleach to video - so I went a little crazy. After cutting my film and putting together a solid cut on the Steenbeck (one of these badboys), a set up a work table at home consisting of a transparent cutting board propped up on stacks of paperbacks, a bare lightbulb, a film reel winder on top of the desk, and a pen stuck into the chair to put my take up reel on (which was interesting). I also had a little standup magnifying glass and a wide variety of acrylic inks, paint brushes, q-tips, tiny glue applying brushes, x-acto knives and a large jug of bleach. The hand work on this was excruciating. 24 frames go by each second. So to make anything consistent, it was extra killer (the breakfast foods especially destroyed me).

The night before I showed it in class, I was up all night - still scratching and bleaching away (trying so hard not to pass out from chlorine fumes). I left the sound mix for last (aka starting it three hours before class started). Originally I had a much more complex sound track planned. But I quite like how it turned out. I had my bff and amazing talent, Durae over to do voice overs. Upon going to put them to the film, it just wasn't flowing. SO. Me, who hates my voice, at 6 am, after a night of too much bleach , an entire box of Pot of Gold chocolates (yes, I am THAT disgusting) and a good solid 20+ hours of zero sleep, does this voice over. Upon listening to it back, all I could think of was Nicolas Cage's Charlie Kaufman in Adaptation. This has also been pointed out to me numerous times after the fact. Good thing or bad? Not entirely sure. At around 8:30 am, I wrapped it up, synced sound one last time and bit my lip. My loathing for this project was so unimaginable - an hour before class and I thought it was the worst, an abomination to film.  The biggest pile of steaming bullshit this world has ever seen. The whole way to class, my heart was pounding in my ears as I was thinking of some way to apologize for it's horribleness to the entire class.

I could hardly concentrate on the films that came before mine (I was glad I had other opportunities to see them, because they are amaaaazing (I will never see escalators the same way ever again)). My heart was in my throat. The butterflies in my stomach turned to bees. I was shaking and sweating. My hands still smelled like bleach. I fumbled the film into the projector, I was on the brink of apologizing for the dreadful end result - then, without saying a word (well, after panicking at the lab instructor because I didn't know where the focus knob was on that particular projector) proceeded to stare at my feet while it played.

The Frets from Laurel Brown on Vimeo.

What I heard was laughter, than applause. My heart slowed down a bit, the class began to discuss. With every word, I started to feel so much better. Having done scratch work on film themselves, they understood the trials that are involved to do it. I even got a compliment pertaining to my, "... unique perspective of the world," and even my voice over. I wanted to say grandiose things about my film, having my faith in life restored, but all that came out was a nervous dribble of words about nothing in particular.

Post screening, I have got to mention,  I experienced such a feeling of elation I had never felt in my life.

I have wished numerous times to myself in the past years that I wish I had gotten into the film program previously. But here is something I have discovered, coming to the end of this first semester, I am so happy to be with the fantastic people in my class. We are all very different, ranging talents, backgrounds and ideas, but all of us have this common thread running deep within us - an intense passion for film. Each film that was presented was completely different, personal journeys, exploring the medium of film, the artistry of it, the processes and labors. Each unique, fantastic and inspiring. I will be proud to work with these people for years to come.

And I just have to mention - that a computer did not touch this film until it was recorded to be put on the internet this morning. Four days after it's completion.

Thank you for reading all this - I just thought I would preserve it for those rough patches where I need something to hold onto for dear life.

Sorry for the cheesiness and nostalgia. I think it's appropriate right about now.

Hey there, ho there, DECEMBER.

Oh December, how bittersweet your arrival.

I did a lot of Christmas shopping today. Most of it in fact! Now I have sewing supplies spread all over my living room floor, am chiseling haystacks off of a plate I neglected to put parchment paper on and watching some good ol' Pulp Fiction.

Last week, I said goodbye to a feltie that's been with me for a little while. Little Buckaroo!

May he find peace amongst the dutch tulips!!

School is done on Monday, thank goodness. Monday is also the day I show my film to the class. When you show your film to the class, the following things happen: fingers trembling with trepidation, load the projector, fiddle with the sound, roll it, short round of applause, the class talks about your film for a while without any of your input, then you get to talk about it, then you take some questions, then you sit your ass back down. Needless to say, all I'm feeling is fear... but that is normal.

I picked up some inks from Opus, along with a variety of super skinny paintbrushes and my very first real X-acto knife in preparation for the post production portion of my film. Opus is now one of my favorite establishments because they give student discounts. I love a solid business who knows the financial perils of the student. I finished a rough cut today and will spend the next few days doing some all-too-fine work under a magnifying glass.

My one paper for the term is complete, pathetic as it was. My lame math presentation is done, thanks to one super group member who thanklessly did most of the work. Once my film presentation is done, it's on to studying for three exams. I will be done the Fall 2010 semester on the 14th and will be flying home to chilly Canmore on the 17th! I'm fairly excited to have a home visit after an entire year. Hard to believe it's been so long!

In recent (as in 10 minutes ago) news, I have finally started assembling this giraffe for my friend Amanda to give to her boyfriend's cousin who is two years old! I just put these fantastic eyelashes on it, aaand I sort of had to share it ASAP. SNEAK PEAK.

Working with the minky fabric has been a little bittersweet. Although it is extremely soft, it has a bad bad habit of looking a little mangy at the seams, and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it. It was probably a fabric made for more large scale things like baby blankets.... but it will have to do!!

State of the floor. I'm going to have fun vacuuming out all of the minky bits out of the shag. Not.

I'm really happy to be sewing again. I haven't finished anything since the Rainbow Owl. I've sold a couple of felties since then. I seem to be missing them a little more than I had expected. I guess every feltie I make has a little bit of my love stitched into it (corny much?!). Bahaha. Anyways. Life goes on. More felties come to life!

Back to felting I go!

I do plan to finish that VIFF review sometime...