"ROMA - Rooftop Scene"
Tanner Liddiard
Film 05B
DP: Avery Marshall
DIRECTORS RESPONSE
Give your overall response (2-3 paragraphs):
Write about your overall response to your film in 2-3 paragraphs: Were you successful at achieving what you set out to do? What are you proud of? What did not work as you expected? Why? What did you learn?
This piece was particularly enjoyable. The pre-production again was an uphill battle of trying to find a location and actors. However, miracles happened and we made it to the shoot day, which went pretty well, all things considered. I loved how the black and white turned out, as well as the blocking. The sun set very quickly, however, and I wasn’t able to get the look I had originally hoped for. I loved working with Avery and learned a lot from trusting his vision and fitting it into mine. Directing in Spanish was hard, but overall it was a great experience.
Briefly discuss the following:
What, specifically, did you want to communicate? Were you successful? Why? Why not?
I wanted to communicate a feeling. A calm, everyday, domestic scene of simple living. I think for the most part I was in this case. I would have liked to spend more time with the actors explaining this, I felt like they lacked understanding and therefore the motivation behind their actions.
How, specifically, did you try to communicate this?
The writing by Cuaron was great, for starters. He painted a beautiful picture in the text. I tried to focus on the quiet moments and the little interactions the characters had with each other.
What did you learn about storytelling:
The dance of choreography with the actors and the camera can tell a story in and of itself. The words spoken aren't all that important in this case.
What did you learn about working with actors and getting performance:
Directing in another language was both a challenge and a huge help. She knew enough english that if I wasn’t using the best descriptors in Spanish, I could throw some english words at her and vice versa.
What did you learn about blocking the camera and actors?
Again, purposeful movement in that dance can be potent. The dolly felt much more controlled and calm than the gimbal, which is what the story needed.
What did you learn about visual elements such as lighting, composition, framing, etc.?
That last shot with Cleo and Pepe lying together, I had originally blocked more how the original film ended up doing it, with Cleo and Pepe lying opposite each other. However, as the sun went down, we started looking at other solutions. We ended up going with the slanted lines, which I Avery and I both thought made for a beautiful composition.
What did you learn about design and art direction?
Black and white makes things SO much easier! That clothesline was bright blue, but no one knew! Haha! Also, little things can distract, like the strap hanging down from Cleo’s apron.
What did you learn about the Production Process such as pre-production, collaborating with crew, securing equipment, etc.?
It’s hard to lock a location for the week of. Time is key for many people and they will be more open to letting you use the location if you give them advance notice. If not, parking lots work alright.
What was it like to watch your film with an audience? Did they understand it? Miss the point? Why did they respond the way they did?
They did understand! They were unsure of the tension, but that’s what I was going for. The theme was perfect, and I was happy they were able to - for the most part - experience what I wanted.
If you could remake this piece knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?
Do it on an actual rooftop in Mexico. Also, I would make finding my actors an even higher priority.
After screening the film in class, not before, watch the actual version of the scene you shot. How does it compare to your scene? What choices did the director make that were different than yours? What were the same? How did the director address problems you experienced?
Okay, this was crazy. It was really close, relatively speaking. The sun was up in his. I also like how they changed the script, similar to mine. We both cut out that whole exchange where Pepe is freaking out because Cleo is “dead”. The pacing just felt better that way.
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