Class notes on sound & shots, Thursday, 5/25

We'll work out credits soon. Look over your part to make sure it's correct.

Film premier at 7 p.m. on Friday, 6/9

Amulet looking like a bird is a good idea

Believe in what you are doing and express your artistic ideas

Music notes:

• When girl looks up at birds, music mood is wrong. It sounds like they're monsters out to get her. Instead, it should have magical life-after-death mood.
• Perhaps only drums at beginning and end, during the ritual scenes.
• We need some wind sound at beginning of the film.
• When girl is going across the log, music sounds too happy & not abstract enough.
• Important follies:
  • wind sound at right times
  • ambient forest sound
  • water when going across log
• Drums should fade out faster when girl runs into the forest.
• Silent pauses sometimes too long
• Score doesn't give a feeling of emotional conclusion at the end.
• Class could help musicians understand film more in-depth by explaining the story on an emotional level.
• Two instruments don't convey all of the mood in film.
• High-pitched flute shows girl's immaturity at beginning, but as girl learns more about life & death throughout the film, music doesn't update to reflect wholeness.
• Too many notes & movement at the beginning ritual. Could calm down music more. Remember that during the ritual, the girl is trying to figure out what to do in her environment.
• The girl, and each event and element could have their own melody, and they all add up slowly till the end. But we don't want too much melody, making it Disney-like.
• The beginning of girl's melody could start when she leans on the tree in shot 7 (the shot after she runs away from the ritual).
• In shot 22d (close-up of girl's face looking at bird after she builds bird altar), when girl re-opens her eyes after closing them, have some sad music start going.
• In shot 28, the birds spreading wings and taking flight should be accompanied by joyful music.
• In shot 29, after the girl finishes looking at the birds and looks back toward the ritual, need an important music transition from happy birds mood back to ritual mood.

• 1 & 2: At end of shot 1, girl could look over at grandma and give a quick glance. At beginning of shot 2, girl looks back.
• 2: Girl should be more reluctant to sit down. So grandma should start sitting down first, and then glance at girl to signal her to sit. Then girl sits down quickly.
• 4: To make better connection between girl, grandma, & grandpa, after girl glances at grandpa, she then turns to look at grandma. While girl looks at the grandma, grandma turns her head to look at the grandpa. Then girl turns back and focuses on the grandpa's amulet, then notices her own as before.
• 6: When girl runs away, grandma should first look at girl to show her concern, then the other elder glances at the grandma when grandma starts looking back.
• 7: When girl comes to the tree, she could lean against it somewhat facing and embracing it (instead of her back against it). Then she slowly turns her back to it while embracing herself.
• 11/12: Run is too "Olympic", like a race. Arms should be less stiff and symmetrical, sticking out as if they were helping her balance.
• 13 & 14: She could start standing up on log at the end of shot 13, and finish standing up in the beginning of shot 14. This way, she doesn't crawl through one shot, and makes the crawling-to-standing transition smoother.
• 22d: During close-up shot of girl looking at bird, head movements are somewhat mechanical. Timing of shoulder shift could be more natural if girl looks away first, then shift her shoulders (rather than both simultaneously).
• 26: Girl could grab the feather a little more gracefully?
• 26: When looking at the feather, girl's moving both the feather and her head, which looks artificial. Either keep her head or the feather still.
• 29: After girl looks back down from the sky, instead of looking to the side, rolling her eyes, and having a huge smile, she could look down at her amulet to make the bird-amulet connection, and have a smaller, happy smile.
• 29a-35: The feather could be put beside the clay in the cubby hole, rather than into the clay. Or it could be left out altogether. Final decision not yet made. If we don't put in feather in the final scenes, the girl need to drop it in a scene before, like while she is looking up at the birds in shot 29.
• 34: Girl could put ritual object at top instead of bottom of cubby hole
• Some discussion about the ending shots still pending.