Wrap

This semester has been the most difficult semester for me, basically because I did not imagine what the weight of this film would carry in my life.  Thursday Ben and I met in the edit lab and we tried to do our best to clean up little mistakes, there were still some things that irked me, but I had to let them go...for right now...if I didn't then I would have not finished everything for my other classes.  I've been playing the balancing act all semester long, but the end almost got to hard to juggle.  I am thankful to the class for giving their feedback and for all the input on all of the wonderful films and I hope to see you all at the screening...I know Cole is super excited...and I just pray that I don't disappoint him or his family or my family or the audience.

God Bless

Music & Film

As the weeks have passed and I have sat in front of the computer in the editing lab, the nit-picky is coming out of me and I unconsciously make notes in my mind that have been waking my up in the early hours of the morning.  My tears are still shed, even though this project has come a very long way, I wonder "Am I good enough?"  "Is this even worthy to share with viewers?"  "Will people understand?"  "Is it any good at all?"  And I don't know, the only thing I can do is take a leap of faith and believe in myself and all who has helped me with this project and pray to God to give wisdom to make right decisions.

So this past week I have been on my journey to find the right music to fit this film.  Last December, when I pitched this project to Andre, I had all intentions of writing the music myself (something else I like to add to my repertoire as a filmmaker) but time ran out and I had one minute of a song written; because scoring and song writing is another tedious task in itself.  I began searching for royalty free websites and Brian gave me  a great site, but not all the songs matched...I needed more.

Then my mind went to bands, I heard this great band at Cucalorus called Rio Bravo, so I started listening to their music more online and they still sounded great, but there was something missing.  I started thinking about other bands that I have come across in the downtown Wilmington scene and still no one.  I was running out of time and started begging on facebook to my friends who are also musicians, but no one could make something in time.  And then...

About two and a half years ago my best friend from high school gave me this CD of her friend's band called House of Fools, so I remembered them and started listening to the album again and I was like...THIS IS IT!!!!  So I called her, she contacted them and they said no problem.  It was a God send, two years earlier before I even knew of Cole and even thought of making a documentary, I had already had my music.  God is so good.

Now I am finished with adding the music to the tracks and Deanna is going to mix the sound today.  I also did some rearranging to the story and took some things out...TRT 15:24 w/end credits.

See you next week

Tha Biz-nizz

FESTIVAL

PRAXIS (Goldsboro, NC) – PRAXIS is an independent festival which “appreciates the hard work that goes into creating something from almost nothing.” This is a free festival (in both submission and attendance) and seems like a place that just truly appreciates good filmmaking. We also know that they like UNCW student work as evidenced from Shannon's email as well as photos from the website displaying past students at the event.

Cucalorus (Wilmington, NC) – Cucalorus is a festival here in Wilmington, NC. Although it's local, don't think it's a small festival. Cucalorus is actually a highly respected festival with submissions from all over the world. This last year they had a handful of portrait documentaries play, which leads me to believe that they like and will program them. I did however see a lack of documentary shorts, which is not necessarily a bad thing, and does not mean they wouldn't program Colestine. A huge positive is that this festival is local and easily attended.

VISIONS (Wilmington, NC) – VISIONS is a film festival located right here on the UNCW campus. It is relatively inexpensive ($10 to submit a film early) and if you're film is selected for screening, you're already in town to see it! There is a Documentary category  and just like with Cucalorus don't feel that this festival is low-key just because it's local, it gets work from all over the country!

NextFrame (Philadelphia, PA) – NextFrame is an international touring student film festival. That means if your film gets accepted it will play in several different locations, a definite plus! They seem to program a fair amount of narrative, documentary, experimental, and animation works which makes the chances of getting in in any format good.

Hearts and Minds (Wilmington, Delaware) – Hearts and Minds specializes in documentaries about “people, events and movements of great historical and social importance.” Our portrait documentary has a good chance of being programed as portrait documentaries are one of the main categories accepted!

San Diego Black Film Festival (San Diego, CA) – A Festival which specializes in that films that, “must be directed, produced, or principally acted by an artist of African descent in the USA or in any country, or by a person born in any country in Africa, or whose subject matter relates to African American culture or any cultures of Africa (including Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, etc.) regardless of race.” Well known and renown, acceptance here would mean great things even though it is costly. A bit of a pipe dream perhaps, but still achievable with our little portrait documentary!

Urban Suburban Film Festival (Philadelphia, PA) – Another great opportunity for the African American filmmaker. Relatively inexpensive and well known. Has showcased short portrait documentaries of odd running lengths (15, 29, 37 minutes) and features a max run time of 75 minutes.

 Website

www.colestinefilm.com

Etching Out the Story

Editing is hard.  No scrap that, editing a documentary is hard.  I know the story, I knew it before I began filming, but I never would have predicted how hard it has been this semester to find a way to tell this story.  But in the words of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."  And that is what I have done.  I took my stone to where it could be somewhat recognizable to what I was trying to relay to the viewer, but I was unable to enunciate clearly, because of lanes and avenues I would travel down was not pertinent to my sculpture, I had to get back on track.


So I stepped away, forgot about the film and acted like I didn't have one to make.  I was no longer a filmmaker.  And after a week of not thinking about it, I came back and I found myself on the right track.


The things that are left to do for this film is the title and end sequence, Brian gave me a website for some really awesome fonts and I am hoping to find one that is grungy & elegant at the same time.  I gave my files to Deanna and she is working on the sound and then there is music, which I am willing to write myself, but I will not get to any of my other classes or finish any homework, because I really get in the zone when I write music, I will not sleep or eat, and I can't afford to do that now, but if I have to I will, I will just have to be more responsible.  My goal is to have everything finished by the end of November, so I can relax a little more going into December.  

Website in Progress

www.colestinefilm.com

Rough Cut

So I realized I didn't write anything about the rough cut.  It pretty much went well after I wrote a paper edit.  I thank the class for the feedback they gave me about what to do story wise.  Length will come into to play when whatever is pertinent to the story is fine tuned.  But generally my main focus was flow and redundancy and choppiness and was the story coming across and was it interesting enough to make people care and feel engaged.  Okay so I think that is it for now.

Oh yeah already made an appointment with Nate for color and we have begun clean up and I gave Ben the job of creating name cards.

This Weekend

Justin posing

Justin, a BCC Student of Cole's

Holden Beach, NC

The wind was blowing, my hair is horrid

Posing with the JVC on Holden Beach, NC

Holden Beach, NC

Holden Beach, NC

16mm

Got the b&w 16mm back today....be prepared to be very JEALOUS!!!!


Smooches

Spending the weekend with Cole

So tonight I went out and shot Cole teaching his continuing education class and I inhaled so much smoke it was not funny and I also stepped on a piece of cooling aluminum...OUCH!!!  The bottom of my shoe has evidence if no one believes me, and also my finger nails and ankles are black as smut, but that's what it takes to get the footage you need.  The bath tub is awaiting my presence when I return my apartment, because I am writing this from my new home...THE EDIT LAB.  :)

Tomorrow I am going to be conducting a interview with Cole and his parents are coming into town so hopefully I get some footage of them together and some footage of Cole while he was little if they remember to bring it :)

My 16mm footage should be in tomorrow (Friday) I will make you all feel jealous with it in my rough cut hehehe.

Recipe for Bath after a stinky day

• Hot Water
• Baking Soda
• Alcohol (rubbing)
• Vaseline Aloe Vera Bath Crystals
• Your Favorite Body Wash
• Baby Oil
• Milk (bath product/not drinking)

Enjoy!

Paper Edit

Paper Edit of Colestine 


Fade In -> Title Sequence (V.O. of Cole talking about the process of melting impurities from the metal over a tracking shot of the kilns at ECU.) <- cross dissolve -> Director credit

2 seconds of black

Cut to Cole and friends installing a finished aluminum sculpture on a golf course.

Go into Cole welding and talking about his different types of art.

We then get introduced to Cole's everyday habitat, at his studio working. We also get a feel for the town in which Cole lives (using Super 8 footage as coverage for Varnamtown and Holden Beach.) We also go on a shopping trip with Cole to Robinson's Hardware, giving a sense of his everyday life.

We go into some more of the art process showing Cole working (All JVC B-roll footage with A-roll V.O. of Cole talking about making a cast.)

We will then go into Cole talking about how his childhood and nature are his inspiration for his art.

Then we want to travel back in time to Cole's parents talking about Cole as a child and as an adolescent. (I need to see if the parents have any home movies of Cole.)

Then we are going to travel forward (still back in time) to Cole's time at ECU and touch on his trouble and his second chance.

Next, we introduce Cole teaching at the schools along with showing the pour process of the art. We will show this process with the students and then have a section on one student he helped, Drayton Jones.

Go back to A-roll interview of Cole now teaching Continuing Education classes for Brunswick Community College (still need to shoot this footage.)

Show Cole's finished art and him reflecting and talking about life.

End Credits

The Sweetest Sound Breakdown

PART I

0:00-0:05          Mouse icon clicks home icon, then film/home movie icon.

0:06-1:34          Stock footage.  V.O. introducing the idea of the name and naming and having your very own name.  Jazz/Ragtime music plays.

1:34-2:43          Writing signatures of different Alan Berliners.  No music only the sound of chalk writing on a chalk board.  V.O. gives the thesis of the film.  The filmmaker hates sharing his first and last name with people.

2:35-3:15          Sound bridge transition.  The Name Game song plays.  Moderate cutting of MCU of different Jim Smith's saying their names to the camera.

3:16-4:02         Music stops.  Cut to Alan standing behind a podium, LS, saying "My name is not Jim Smith," at the Jim Smith name convention.

4:02-4:57         Graphic Match Baseball and sound.  The Name song begins again.  Clicking of computer & V.O. music changes, back to black & white stock footage introducing the next section.  Cut to multiple Linda's sitting together, each saying Linda separately.  Linda in red lights (black background).  V.O. talking bout Name Societies and why other people are happy about sharing the same name.  B-Roll from Linda reunion of happy women clapping and bouncing around.

4:57-5:27        Cut to B&W Stock footage, music changes to a more gloomy feel, different from the upbeat Name and Linda song from before.  V.O.  narration complains about sharing names with strangers.  B&W stock footage show people walking on sidewalk then to showing individual names etched in the sidewalk and the shot lingers on Joy.  Vox pop begins of a woman wondering what it would have been like if her name was Joy.

5:28-7:19       Cut to Dolores (the woman talking from previous click).  Multiple vox pop begins.  No music, only ambient sound from interviews.  The people talk about not liking their names and how their names reflect them and what they wished they would have been named.  Iris is the only one who does like another Iris when see meets them.  V.O. narrator also becomes off screen interviewer.

7:20-7:34       Cut to Alan etched in sidewalk (black & white footage), gloomy music begins again.  V.O. comforted by other peoples complaints, but still has a disdain with sharing his name.

7:35-8:39       Cut to stock footage of operator connecting a telephone call.  Title sequence begins.  V.O. shows different titles the was pondered over to call the film, while allowing b&w stock footage to support the various title names to show in the background.  Click continues.  Finally the title The Sweetest Sound written in white on a black background.  Ragtime music still plays.

8:40-9:29       Dialing of numbers sound over scrambled Alan Berliner names.  Telephone rings.  Newspapers getting ready for press roll fast on the screen.  Highlighted names in the newspaper appears on screen.  V.O. tells approximately how many names are published in the Times.  Ticking sound, like a timer, moves with rapid cutting images.

9:30-10:09     Cut to old radio (b&w stock footage) a hand changes stations, as different stations serve as a V.O. talking about different names and how people get their names.  A gunshot is heard.

10:10-10:36   Cut to B&W stock footage of boys running a race, while V.O. talks about the ranking of Alan the year he was born and the rankings of other boy names in the same year.

10:37-11:31   Lone runner on screen.  V.O. talks about Alan and Al differences.  Stock footage of Al Capone is used.  Newspapers are shown and V.O. talks about following the success of other famous Alan's, then archived footage of a man reading a newspaper and not liking what he reads, throws the newspaper in the trash the same time that the V.O. says "When you add the name Berliner is when I have the problem."

11:32-12:00   Cut to stock/archive footage of a record spinning & music begins.  Click.  The camera pans across b&w stock footage of a crowd of smiling faces, while V.O. talks about obsessing over his name and who else has it.

12:01-12:26    Cut to different Alan Berliners in media, film, lawyers, photographers, etc.  Cut to stock footage of a mad scientist.

12:27-13:31     Sound of typing begins off screen.  Alan Berliner signs his name to a letter.  V.O. reads the letter.  Bundles of mail is shown (archive footage).  Scanned letters and addresses appear on screen, typing continues, which enhances the rapid cutting of the images.  A hand puts a letter in the mail.  Computer screen appears.  Search box is clicked.  Voice mail of an Alan Berliner plays & Alan Berliner leaves a voice message, while on the screen the computer is continually being clicked and searching for Alan Berliner's in different states and countries.

13:32-13:56     Cut to survey boxes.  V.O. ask questions about survey.  Black "X's" mark the answers that different voices answer; presumably the other Alan Berliners, but no one knows.  The questions are directed to when hear the name Alan Berliner what do they imagine for their Sex, Ethnicity.

13:57-14:08     Cut continuous search on the computer.  Off screen conversation between Alan Berliner the filmmaker and the wife of an Alan Berliner on the telephone.

14:09-14:19     Cut back to survey of an Alan Berliner's religion and age.  Click for image.

14:30-14:45      Map appears on screen of Washington State, Seattle in the middle of the image.  Filmmaker Alan Berliner talks with an Alan Berliner on the telephone.  A list of Alan Berliners and they're numbers scan on screen.  V.O. says that it took months to track all the Alan Berliners in the world down and that he invited them to his house for dinner.  A graphic of the earth spinning on the computer shows on screen.

14:46-15:10      Cut to computer scanning through different search pages rapidly.  V.O. talks about ego surfing.  Click.  Stock footage of a boy rolling down a hill in a tire, while V.O. talks about his ego surfing and having no idea of what he has gotten himself into.  Cut computer screen.  Mouse icon clicks E-go.

PART II

15:11-15:30      Computer screen is still on the screen.  Typing in a search box to find the meaning of the name Alan.  A computer generated voice tells the meaning and origin of the name Alan, which is Celtic and Celtic music plays at the same time.  Click.  Home Icon.  Film Icon.

15:31-16:06       Cut to Home Movie footage of baby Alan Berliner and his birthday cake when he turned two years old.  Celtic music still plays.  V.O talks about the name is a reflection of the namer instead of the named.  And also talks about meaning and that his parents didn't know the meaning of his name and questions how can you name someone without knowing the meaning.

16:07-17:19        A-roll of Alan's parents being interviewed by him off screen, juxtaposed with footage of him growing up.  Mother says that they picked the name because it sounded musical.  Alan Berliner on screen says his name multiple times, in an annoying tone, to prove that the name is not musical.  A list of "A" names scan on the screen and V.O. talks about being named after his grandfather Abraham, but changed to Alan, because Abraham was too Biblical.

17:20-19:23       Abraham Ben Usher, Hebrew name Abraham son of Usher, passing on Jewish religion.  A-Roll of Alan Berliner's father of who relatives were named after.  Names are emphasized with being shown on grave headstones, with a chisel sound on the soundtrack.  Cutting back and forth to the interview of father saying "I don't know," and "who?"  And "what?"  And highlights of names in newspaper.  V.O. for one other Oscar Berliner than his dad, then start to show stock footage of Oscar Berliner as a younger adult and then Oscar playing with and holding Alan as a baby.  V.O. interview with father talking about carrying on tradition and not ending it.  Gunfire explodes in the background.

19:24-21:00      V.O. talks about Freud.  B-Roll of particles separating on screen.  Name has to do with the soul.  Stock footage of an eclipse is shown, and Heavenly bureaucracy is shown through black & white cloud storms and death is shown by a black hawk flying over camera.  As V.O. talks about parents different beliefs, shows B-Roll of young Alan.  Film Projector sound rolls on the soundtrack.  Click.  Berliner birth certificate is shown on screen.

21:01-22:40      Cut back to parent’s interview saying Alan Berliner was a nice name.  Cut to Alan Berliner saying Alan Berliner multiple times rapidly.  V.O. begins of use to liking his name.  Alan Berliner chant continues.  B&W stock footage of classroom scene, when he was the only one with his name and his advantages in school.  Alan Berliner chat ends.  Off screen typing begins as stock footage students painting in the classroom.  Cut to kids running out of school and playing in the schoolyard.  V.O. talks about how he bypassed bullying and other taunts dealing with children names.  Film projector sound continues, V.O. talks about the study and reputation of names, showing individual white kids faces that may match with the name mentioned in survey, and then a kid erasing when he got to the name Alan, no survey results for his name at the time.  

22:41-23:44       Cut to vox pop study of the perception of the name Alan.  Ambient sounds.  People on street saying the name Alan.  Cut to Mom A-Roll saying Alan.  End on different perceptions of spelling Alan, Allen, Allan.

23:45-24:28       Cut to A-Roll with Mom, wishing to spell Alan’s name the French way, Alain.  V.O. ask parent’s what if he was a girl?  Leading into the next section of introducing his sister Lynn Ellen, A-Roll.  Her birth certificate shows on screen.  B-Roll of Lynn as a baby, Lynn continues interview in V.O. and naming her kids.

24:29-24:53       Cut to Lynn pregnant with husband.  A baby cries off screen.  Cut to b&w stock footage of baby getting feet printed.  Baby cries off screen.  Cut to baby sleeping.  V.O. reason for name.  Click.  Jade highlighted in newspaper appears on screen.

24:54-25:14        Cut to child Jade bouncing a ball on concrete.  V.O. of Alan’s mother talking about Jade’s complicated name.  Cut back to Jade, her ball rolls away & Jade runs off screen.  Typing continues

25:15-25:35        Cut to grassy field, Jade runs on screen in different clothing.  V.O. talks about his nickname as Uncle and introduces his second niece Starr.

25:36-26:20         Back to A-Roll interview with Dad.  Click.  Cut to Starr highlighted in the newspaper on screen.  Risk in naming Starr Silver, B-Roll of Starr, then cut to A-Roll of Mom & Lynn (cut between).  B-Roll of Jade pushing Starr on the swing.  V.O. interview continues.

26:21-26:59         Piano plays on the soundtrack, back to the gloomy sound.  A star is drawn on wood, followed by various names drawn on and etched in wood.  V.O. talks about nieces as singular characters in a novel, not ever belonging to a name society or inviting twelve other ones to dinner.  Stock footage of young Alan on boat and swimming at the beach.  V.O. talks about dinner as a casting call of who is the real Alan Berliner.  Music stops.

Part III

27:00-27:22          Cut to A-Roll of Dad reassuring his son that sharing a name isn’t that bad.  Cut to individual Alan Berliner’s baby or pictures of them way younger than the present and a V.O. of each Alan individually introducing himself.

27:23-29:29          Cut to Alan’s apartment introducing an Alan to the other Alan’s.  V.O. from the different Alan Berliners begin over the mingling on various topics from their A-Roll interviews, juxtaposed to finding out who is related.  Cutting back and forth between A & B-Roll.

29:30-29:37           Cut to direct address question from an A-Roll interview.  What is your favorite color?  Click.  Favorite Color written in white on a black background.  V.O. from different Alan’s answering the question.

29:38-30:39          Cut back to gathering at apartment, A-Roll interviews continue and walla walla from the gathering is in the background of the interviews.

30:40-30:51         Cut to direct address question from an A-Roll interview.  Describe your handwriting.  Click.  Handwriting written in white on a black background.  V.O. from different Alan’s answering the question.

30:52-31:07        Cut back to gathering at apartment, A-Roll interviews continue and walla walla from the gathering is in the background of the interviews.

31:08-31:19       Cut to direct address question from an A-Roll interview.  What do you do for a living?  Click.  Occupation written in white on a black background.  V.O. from different Alan’s answering the question.

31:20-32:30       Cut back to gathering at apartment, A-Roll interviews continue and walla walla from the gathering is in the background of the interviews.  V.O. introduces the other Alain Berliner filmmaker, saying how he looks more like a filmmaker.  V.O. answers the survey question all of the Alan’s in the apartment are middle class white men and secretly wishing to be a child or a person of color to be deemed the real Alan Berliner.  Over B-Roll of all Alan’s standing together and talking.

32:31-32:55       Cut to direct address question from an A-Roll interview.  What word do you use the most at work?  Click.  All Alan Berliners answer on screen in A-Roll interview in individual close up shots, and the last Alan Berliner (whose story is being told) says cut.

32:56-33:22       Cut to all Alan’s taking a picture in apartment, while V.O. reveals what he has learned about all the other Alan’s.

33:23-33:48       Overhead shot of a table set for dinner that looks like a clock, right after V.O. talks about watches.  Piano comes back to the soundtrack.  Jump cut to each individual Alan sitting down one by one, filling the table in the overhead shot.  V.O. talks about all the Alan’s being in his story.

33:49-35:24       Camera spins in the middle of the table.  Transitions to each conversation at the table about the Alan Berliner name.  V.O. talks about discomfort of sharing name and owing one of them money.  Shot stays on the filmmaker while everyone else in talking his looks like it is pondering.  V.O. stops & on screen Alan asks, “So what do we do now?”

35:25-36:06       Another direct address & spinning camera asking to talk about Jewish religion.   All the Alan’s talks (V.O.) over lapping each other while individual face is shown at the dinner table on screen.  The last Alan to speak is done in A-Roll, because he is not Jewish or a non-practitioner unlike all of the others, he is a Christian.   

36:07-36:32           Cut to stock/archival footage radio and hand changing the dial.  Cut to crowd of people of all sexes and nationalities.  V.O., presumably from a radio program, talks on how to tell a person’s nationality by his/her last name, except in the United States, between black & whites.

36:33-38:01           Title cards flash on screen with last name in the U.S. with the number ranking underneath.  A ticking sound of a timer is on the soundtrack, the title cards are written in white on a black background.  V.O. talks about his family and most common name in the world, amongst Jews, Blacks and Latinos, and also all the Alan’s voices trying to guess the most common name in America.  Beep sound, ticking stops and Smith is revealed.

38:02-38:39            Cut to filmmaker, of doc, Alan on screen saying Berliner rapidly multiple times.  V.O. over woman on the phone, cut to stock footage of man holding a telephone away from his ear, she is trying to pronounce Berliner.  All the Alan’s pronounce the way people have pronounced their names wrong in both A-Roll & V.O. Cut to Dad saying it doesn’t matter, then all the Alan’s say how it made them feel.  Individual Alan’s have one letter cutting to each one until Berliner is spelled.

38:40-39:45           Cut to scanning dictionary on screen.  Click.  Looking up Berliner name.  Beep.  Click.  Classical music on soundtrack, V.O. Alan’s explaining last name is like Berlin.  Beep.  V.O. encyclopedia finds Emilie Berliner, A-Roll interview the man who invented the gramophone and microphone.  Cut to b&w stock footage of gramophone and train station.  Cut to archival footage of President Kennedy at the Berlin Wall giving a speech.  The crowd cheers and roars.  V.O. reveals name is linked to pastry.

39:46-40:59          V.O. most Berliners come from Poland, Austria, Russia & Hungry, not Germany.  Where does the name come from, A-Roll of all Alan’s saying they don’t know or predicting where the name Berliner came from.  A flute begins to play.  Cut to redheaded man walking in the woods, V.O. how redheaded man adopted the name Fox.  Montage of names and old picture film soundtrack.  V.O. Jews only had Hebrew names.

41:00-41:24          Yiddish music plays on the soundtrack, V.O. naming Hebrew names.  B-Roll of stock footage of Jews and V.O. of getting last names.

41:25-41:37         Title card white writing and black background, Grandparents Surnames, V.O. of Alan’s saying the surname of their grandparents, and then saying Berliner at the same time.

41:38-43:37       Cut to computer screen, typing in Berliner.  Click.  Typing.  Click.  Classical music on the soundtrack.  Computer & letters on screen.  V.O. B-Roll b&w Berlin, Germany supporting footage, like Bear, Russian Army and Hebrews.  Cut to Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island story, stamp on screen freeze frame.  Computer on screen zooming out on the name Berliner.

43:38-47:13       Click.  B-Roll of stock footage digging through archives.  Water is swishing on the soundtrack.  B-Roll stock footage of Ellis Island.  Computer screen Ellis Island workers names and job position.  Click.  A-Roll of Ellis Island workers setting the record straight on name changing that never goes on at Ellis Island.  Ambient sounds.  Vox pop on beliefs about Ellis Island.  B-Roll footage of workers checking immigrants identification (stock footage) cut to title cards of immigrant’s name and can hear the immigrant saying their name on the soundtrack and walla walla.  B-Roll of immigrants with V.O. on why names changed.  Stock footage of An American Romance and B-Roll of films showing a situation when a name might change.  V.O. conclusion to never know where name came from.

47:14-47:59        Cut back to Alan’s taking a photo in the apartment, V.O. saying the first and only Alan Berliner meeting.  Click.  All the Alan’s walk off screen, leaving a bare brick wall in front of the camera.

48:00-49:36        Electricity & lights stock footage are on screen, the sound of electricity in on the soundtrack.  Scanned finger prints cutting on the screen rapidly and also rapid cutting of the Alan’s faces.  End on Alan the doc filmmaker.  V.O. Alan decides to make who he is, the faces of each Alan morph in to each others.  The sound of a thunderstorm is on soundtrack.

49:37-49:49        Alan Berliner signs his name, white writing on black background, sound of chalk writing on a chalkboard.  Storm sound continues with V.O.

49:50-53:12       Rapid cutting to grave headstones, flash on screen, with the sound of a sewing machine and chisel on the soundtrack.  Flashes end on memorial wall with ambient sounds.  Names begin to flash again on different textures and sewing machine continues.  Anonymous is the most common Name in human history.  Shading with black to bring out name that has been imprinted on white paper.  V.O. & sewing machine continues.  Cut to Holocaust Memorial 6 million numbers carved into stone wall.  Various Jews read names of Jews with same last name, voice overlap, images cut to each person reading.  Chisel sound, cut to graveyard headstone, chisel sound.  Then computer dial up.  Loading symbol on screen. 

53:13-53:48           Beep.  Click.  V.O. cyber grave. V.O. all Alan Berliners saying their names.  Stock footage and sound of instruments tuning, names still being said by the Berliner’s.

53:49-56:46           Piano gloom plays again.  Alan’s at the table toast each other in a circle at the dinner table.  Click.  Website.  End title sequence.  Ragtime music & clicking and V.O. continues, Alan Berliner as alphabetically blessed.  Copyright Al Berliners say Berliner.

This film used archival stock footage.  Home movies.  A-Roll interviews.  Vox pop.  Photographs.  B-Roll.  Computer digital images & animations.

Aluminum Fowl Breakdown

0:00-0:50         Sound of Water and talking enter screen before image.  Abrupt entrance 

                          of image.

0:51-2:11         Sound bridge of voice and clucking move into Title Sequence.  Sound bridges with   

                          B-Roll and builds with a Man talking and barking dogs in establishment of setting.

2:12-3:25         Cut to the assumed narrator throwing rocks and voice over begins.  B-Roll of each 

                          fight is cut to with a cut to black first; adding intensity.

3:26-4:55         Beat comes show transition to the introduction of two of the narrators brothers. 

4:56-5:50         Cut to black.  Beat of hip hop song graphic sound match as narrator continues to 

                          to talk about his family/lifestyle.

5:50-6:30         Cut to black.  Music crescendos and come to an abrupt cut off.  Cut to black.  

                          Silence.  Ambient diagetic sounds w/scuffling enters screen.  V.O.  introduces 

                          Brother with fascination with aluminum. Crowing in background.

6:30-7:18         Cut to black.  Crowing continues (sound bridge) crowing crescendos image 

                          appears.  Crowing grows and mixes with music.

7:19-7:50         Music takes over.  Time lapse of chickens.

7:51-8:32         V.O. image of a brother floating in a pool.  Crowing & ambient sounds in the 

                          background.  Narrator talks about his philosophy.

8:33-10:36      Sound bridge of crowing to brothers outside w/fire.  No V.O. Sound of 

                         fire crackling.

10:37-11:47    Music & montage of Aluminum Brother & Brother w/chicken covering 

                         everything in aluminum.  No V.O.

11:48-12:19    Dog barks before image and music cuts from previous scene.  Sound of crowing,

                         dog fighting, ambient outside sounds as brother chase each other.  Chase a crow

                         and messing around outside.

12:20-13:02    Ambient outside sounds over End Title Sequence.

This film used B-Roll and A-Roll interview voice over for information.

The Process

Take metal from junkyard	Cole is at ECU partying
Melt metal in crucible @ 2000 degrees	Cole gets in trouble/disappoints his parents
Pure metal separates from impure metals	Cole getting more into his art and learning from teachers
Clean off impure metals	Cole allows nature to inspire him
Pour hot metal in a cast/mold	....
Metal cools and forms	....
Take mold out of cast and clean	Cole volunteers his time to teach his craft
Polish & paint add finishing touches	Cole mentors an adolescent like himself
Put out for display	Cole teaches for BCC

Thesis

Sculpting is molding materials into a new form.  When it comes to sculpting metal, the metal has to go through a cleansing process, like baptism or being born again, in order to be transformed into something new.  The same is true for the artist who makes such creations.  Some may say that artist just make art for the sake of making art, but that idea is dated and superficial, artist create because it causes a renewing of their person and a change of their spirit.  The saying, "It's not how you start out, but it is how you finish," might seem cliché, but this is the key to art and the artist, both the material and creator begin one way, but they are, by the end, renewed into something more ethereal. 

Before I Go On

Before I go on any further I must write an apology to all of my 497 classmates.  What I showed in class today was never how I pictured this Colestine documentary, I have always known what I wanted, but for some reason I have allowed opinions of others over take my vision, I receive suggestions on how to go about things when I have not shown any edit to critique, but I allow myself to be intimidated by others and I automatically assume they are right; how often I forget that we are all in school learning how to make our art grow.  I have lost some of my integrity as an artist and I have to remind myself that I am making MY film...not a film from the chorus.  Bare with me, it is time for me to close my ears, and pray and meditate on my heart, and Colestine will be the best it can possibly be.  And be reassured none of this rant is addressed to any of you.

Got Vision?

The hardest thing I am finding that I am having trouble is how I want to present Cole's story.  I know what I want to tell, but the order is confusing the daylights out of me.

The following is what I had in mind.

• Introduce Cole             Introduce Sculpture

• Talk About Trouble     Talk about the beginning stages of art process

• Lesson Learned            The Art (Sculpting & Melting of Metal)

• Cole Now (Teaching)   The End Product (Something New & Refined)

Many suggestions are needed after watching what we put together in class, I would love for you all to reiterate your suggestions here on my blog, so I can take the time to meditate on them and put them to work. 

The List

• Get over the fear of making wrong artistic choices
• WAKE UP!  And get with the program
• Write a clear treatment (What do you want Sheena?)
• Sound...
• Go and check-in with Cole w/camera and mic
• Never shoot on tape again
• Create the best Title Sequence ever
• Get Crunk....Music Please
• Next time Mike says something about you shooting on Film (Punch him in the FACE)
• Make sure the film is worthy of footage
• Pray (Jesus help me!)