An Interview with Scarlett M.

Hello everyone! I would like to intoduce Scarlett M., another young filmmaker. Welcome to Never Annoy The Director! We are going to discuss your take on filming in general.



MITZI: What do you want to show others with your films (i.e. beauty, humor, ect.)?

SCARLETT M.:A new take on life. I want to show people a side of life they’ve never known. I want them to taste foods and hear slang they’ve never heard of before. I want to show “average” lives for the intricate stories they are.

MITZI: How old were you when you began filming and what started you?

SCARLETT M.: Hahaha…oy. About 13? I used a digital camera to film moments from a dance competition. I’d seen Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings about a year earlier and the complexity and depth of the filmmaking process inspired me to make my own films.

MITZI: Who inspires (inspired) you to film?

SCARLETT M.: Mr. Jackson inspired me to begin filming. Now that I’m considering filming as a career, I draw inspiration from everything from director Steven Spielberg (a living legend) to Imogen Heap’s music videos. Anything visually artistic, any storyteller, whether through words or dance or artwork, inspires me.

MITZI: What kind of camera do you use? What would be your ideal camera?

SCARLETT M.: I use a Canon HG10. It’s a handheld camera, so it’s easy to transport and whip out for a shot. Hmm…ideal camera? Something with obnoxiously clear pictures and great manual focusing.

MITZI: Who would you love to film with? (and we're talking anyone; your favorite director, the Queen of England or the girl down the block)

SCARLETT M.: I would love to film with the Bashaw brothers; I’ve never met them (creeper-sounding, I know), but I admire their YouTube productions. I really would just like to film with young adults my age who are testing out the same waters I am, like you, Mitzi ☺

MITZI: What qualities does a film have to contain for you to enjoy it?

SCARLETT M.: A good story, mostly. An inventive story that preferably takes you off guard. I’m into the cinematography as well. I’m a very visual person, so I like interesting cinematography. And good acting. I love acting that’s so natural you can’t tell if the actor is being herself or if the character is that developed.

MITZI: What qualities would a film you make have to contain for you to be proud of it?

SCARLETT M.: Good character development. A good story. Believability. Honesty. Beauty, even in showing how ugly a situation can be.

MITZI: What (in your mind) would be the hardest thing to film/capture on film?

SCARLETT M.: People’s emotions. Making tension come off strongly seems difficult to me. The actors have to create chemistry that translates to the audience. I’ve only tried to act a couple times and I know it’s hard.

MITZI: What location would you like to film at and why?

SCARLETT M.: Italy? Because it’s beautiful. ☺

MITZI: What is your favorite process of movie-making?

SCARLETT M.: I love filming because I love watching the script and the actors and the shots all come together. Editing is a close second. I love editing; I love organizing the story. I can get so caught up in it that it takes forever, though, which is frustrating.

MITZI: What do you find to be the hardest part of making of a film?

SCARLETT M.: Explaining to the actors what I’m looking for. I’m pretty shy, so it’s hard for me to lay out piece by piece what I want to see from them. I’ve learned the hard way that this isn’t the greatest way to handle directing, so I’m growing in that area.

MITZI: Is there any book you would like to see made into a film and how would you go about the process of showing what the story contains with your own insights?

SCARLETT M.: Hahaha…I’ve always wanted Robin Hood made into a movie. I know a Robin Hood film just came out, but it focuses on what happened before the legend begins, and I’d like to see the legend. I want to make people shiver with the beauty of foreshadowing and love and tragedy. I’d want to tell the story from Robin’s birth in Sherwood Forest to being buried there, according to Roger Lancelyn Greene’s version of the tale.

MITZI: Are there any particular projects you are working on right now? If so, please elaborate!

SCARLETT M.:(Very slowly) collaborating on a project called Chasing Genius, which happens to be your brainchild. ☺ I’ve recently realized that I’ve been into documentary-themed videos since I was little and wanted to make a full-blown one. I’ve also been thinking about making a film of my hometown, or a short documentary about I don’t know what. Just something to jumpstart my inspiration life.

MITZI: How do you progress in filming? Are there any procedures you follow or inspirations you try to capture?

SCARLETT M.: Yeah, usually when I get an impulse to make a film, I’ll discuss story ideas with my younger sister. After she writes the script, we move onto exact locations, casting, and costumes, transportation, etc. I direct; she stars in the film. After we’ve wrapped up, I typically edit. I get most of the score from freeplaymusic.com, which has hundreds of free music tracks for films that aren’t going to be sold for profit, like mine. Keeping up my energy and inspiration is really important or the thing’ll never get done. Reading the script and imagining the finished product help.

MITZI: Is filming going to be your life, or will your life have filming in it?

SCARLETT M.: I don’t know. I wish I did. But I’m waiting on God to give me the answer at the right time. ☺



Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing these fun & thoughtful insights! I hope we can have you back again soon.

Sight in Solitary

Well, this is it. My first “solo”. A film made by one person; written, acted, filmed, edited and produced by the one and only Mitzi Rowan. A little more than an hour's worth of footage, about three hours worth of editing and post-production and whatever time it took to put it up here.... it was fun. Just one more thing to prove you can do anything (well, almost anything) with filming if you want to. It's no big hit; in fact, it's little more than a ramble. But it is my first one-person film for all to see. A mix of truth and fiction all bundled up in 14 minutes. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8U6NQciNQU

Chasing Genius!

Where have I been? Chasing Genius!

Seriously, this is one of the hardest filming projects I have ever done. Filming is the least of it. Gathering all the people involved together, discussing things over the internet, trying to get what I want out of the people as the director.

Due to the fact that this is an international project (as well as spanning many States), I cannot go and individually interview each member. And to me – that would almost defeat what I am trying to capture. I want to show the drive and enthusiasm that these young filmers have – and perhaps the best way to do this, is to make them film it themselves. Their own stories. That's what makes this such an interesting one.

For so long, I watched, communicated and was awed by these young people who are so driven to film, to make stories. Perhaps it is because young people often have such a hard time finding something and sticking with it... and here, I saw no trouble. These people want something, and want it bad enough to work at it. They inspire me to do more with my filming... and with life in general.

Can their story inspire others? That is the question I hope to answer with this documentary.

SCENE FADE IN

NARRATOR VO:
Once again it looked as if the annoying and annoyed director had vanished off the face of the earth...

DIRECTOR:
Cut!




Ok, so I've done it again. Disappeared, left my poor blog high-&-dry and completely post-less. And I have little excuse other than the struggles one human facing an ever-increasing mountain of schoolwork and an ever-decreasing hour-glass of time before graduation... and the urge to film. It is a completely undeniable fact of life for all of us young filmmakers. You either film through the problems... or quit and admit you're licked.

Fortunately, despite the fact that this blog has suffered, my filming hasn't. I am in the thick of writing yet another script (which is actually advancing), filming my first documentary and brainstorming two more. I also have one short film I am editing and another I am filming. So... things are progressing!

First and foremost in my mind right now, is the documentary project I am filming – presently titled “Chasing Genius” (name courtesy S.T.). It is the story of my story... and several other young filmmakers. Yes, you have it; it is an overview of the drive that makes us film and the struggles and successes we meet along the way. It is presently in the “baby stage”; basically some filmed, some scripted, some brainstorming. It's a lot of work – and a lot of fun!

(If anyone is interested in participating in the project, please email me or send me a message! We would be more than willing to consider you for the documentary.)

...and of course with graduation comes the thought (again) of a film school. Yay or nay? I don't know. Thoughts come and go; I look at schools, consider pros and cons. For me right now... doing a film project is enough. Is it for you? Comment below and give me your thoughts!

Inspiration... (or the lack of it)

After beginning my fifth script of the past three weeks, I begin to wonder if I have lost my inspiration. Which is really a stupid thing to say or think, because my inspiration always there. If anything I have too much inspiration and not enough in any specific field. Over the past weeks, I have covered ever theme from Medieval to the Second World War and right up to modern-day, paused to peruse a fantasy venture and frantically rummaged through the Civil War and struggled over a tale of grief and loss.

No matter where I go, there is not enough fodder to write. And were there enough, I haven't enough actors to form a cast nor a good enough camera to film it. I try to think of writing a genius film with a one actor cast – but somehow that doesn't ring true... although when you consider the first half of The Black Stallion, that's some pretty awesome stuff with only a boy and his horse.

I guess when it comes right down to it, my filming is struggling. I need to do something more expansive. Some script that gives me the freedom to write – to use my imagination and not always be stilted by the number of characters I can have in one scene.

In a way, I also want to get beyond scripting. With what I have done lately, it has kind of killed the genius for the story before it has really begun. I want to do something daring, something incredible and more than a little stupid. I want to try filming the first part of my NEW script idea without writing it out. With no real script directing me where to go, with no storyboard saying “stand here now”. Just the feeling to guide me.

It's a lunatics idea, but I am trying it all the same. Just watch and see how stubborn I can get. In a way, it isn't as stupid as it sounds because I am filming it and acting it, so I know what will happen. I know where I want it to go and how it should move. The script already is written – in my mind.

And even if this gets nowhere, at least I will have accomplished something. I will have looked through a camera lens and made some footage – be it decent or not. I will not just be standing still, scratching away with my pen on five different scripts.

Do what it takes to DO SOMETHING!

To The New Year

The meeting with Dave Carlson and his cameraman, Dave Rolls, went great – it was fascinating to watch the methods used to film the show, and pepper both of them with my questions. Which they answered most helpfully. More than helpfully.

The ice wasn't too cold and although they only caught one fish while I was there, it was still a very useful time for me. We discussed everything from the Principle of Thirds to the perspective. It was great.

Probably the most important thing I learned was that I need to contact people who do this kind of thing for a living and talk to them – at very least try to get an interview. I am now doing my research on a guy named Neil Rettig who is: a) an expert cameraman, both still and motion b) films well enough to receive three Emmys c) does documentaries with everyone from National Geographic to the BBC and d) (best of all) he lives within a few hours of me! So that is very exciting. I hope to get in contact with him sometime in the near future.

And back to the same old, same old – I am still looking for a camera and trying to narrow down the search. My budget is really about $1000 or a few hundred above that if I really like what I'm seeing. Which narrows it down a lot. I now have all the smaller filming models – none of the professional cameras. However, I happened onto Sony's new creation, which is basically, a professional camera for amateur/private videographers. (link) It's got a lot of what I'm looking for, but at $2000 it's a little out of my range. So for now, I'm just waiting and watching.

Other than that, I am once again struggling with scriptwriting – I want to write, but I'm not sure how to make all my various ideas flow into one script. And of course, I always have to hold myself back because of casting limitations. But it's coming (if slowly) and I am, as usual, learning. I think that the new year will bring a change in the speed my filming stuff is progressing and I will begin at last to advance. So – here's to the New Year!

I read a quote recently that went "talent does what it can. Genius does what it must" That seemed to sum up most of the people I have known who are into filming. So, here's to you!

New Script

Ok, so I'm writing a new script. Of course my scripts always come better when I don't know what they are going to be about, but somehow, this time – I need to know. I need to know a little more. Sometimes that's how it is.

All I know is – I have a script inside me. I have a story. Waiting, longing, itching, dying, struggling to be told. And my poor stupid fingers cannot take those words from my heart and put them on the page. So I must take them to my brain first and have to look at them, coldly and calculating, find a home for each and every word that screams to be written.

I must be insane to do this.

So I take this feeling, this thing inside me that wants to come out, and I put it in my heart – and it is so empty, so bare-bones. I know what I want out of it – and yet it will not come. It just stands there, shivering, wishing it wasn't in the spotlight of my mind. Because it's not ready to be told. But it must be told. And I force it to stand there, quaking, my flashlight beam on it, as I stare at it, trying to keep it from vanishing. It is so pale and weak, so faltering and covered in ragged holes, I am almost tempted not to continue. Merely to take my light off of it and let it go back to my heart to hide a while longer. But it can't. It has to be told.

Alright. It is so flimsy – I must give it something to brace itself up on. A history of steady evenness and stubbornness... although it is too cowardly to be brave. It is so pale in places – so dark in others. But really very bland. It needs something of color, something of life to let us know it is alive and not just a blade of grass shaken by the breeze. So I will give it a country of great color, with a war raging across it's snowy landscapes and creatures of magnificent power... although their dimness tells me they are fading. And then I see how sad it is, even in the dark spots my flashlight won't show I can see tears and tremblings. So I now I know there is a future that is failing and no one to stop it.

And then it comes to me. The reason for the shaking, the trembling – the reason for the fear despite it's outward steadiness. There is only one being who can stop it. This war that threatens to annihilate everything. And yet, this being is so frail, so cowardly. It has nothing that the magnificent creatures have, and yet....

There is something there. Something lurking beyond the beam of my light. A secret that must be kept and yet longs to be told... a mystery that must be solved and can only end...............

Oh. My flashlight batteries just died. Darn. I guess I'll have to go charge them.