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I kind of fail at posting lately, don't I? I've been twittering a lot; apparently I have finally unlocked the Secret of Twitter. It's kind of like being in a big chatroom with a bunch of people where nobody is really talking to one another, except when they are. Um. That made so much sense. Anyway, yeah. If you have a Twitter account and I'm not following you, let me know. If you want to follow me, I'm t_eyla over there same as on LJ.
My new uni trimester has started. Actually, it started last Monday already, but since I only have three classes a week, we haven't really done too much yet. My classes this term are Fiction Production, Producing TV and Studio Production. The latter two are my electives--they were both second choice, since my two first choices (Creating a Sitcom and Writing a Short Film) didn't run. But I'm still enjoying them quite a lot.
Fiction Production is basically the same like my class on documentaries last term, except with drama. (Duh.) Sadly, I didn't get the sweet Iranian tutor who taught my documentary class. Instead, I'm being taught by a big white British bloke.
I . . . can't really say yet if I like him or not. I'm sure he's competent and knows his stuff, but he seems very distant and not exactly too open to experiments and unconventional ideas. Or, well--to compare, Sweet Iranian Guy would always start his feedback or input with a phrase like "I really like it", or "I think that's a really good idea", and then still give you honest feedback. Yes, that means that sometimes you'd get answers like, "I really like it, but honestly, it's crap"--but even in that case, you felt like he at least appreciated that you tried, and valued your urge to experiment.
Big White British Bloke on the other hand is more the type to hand you a diagram and expect you to go by it. He recommended a book on writing scripts, Screenplay by Syd Field. I started reading it, and seriously, I can't read ten pages in that book without wanting to set fire to it. It's like reading a book on web coding, complete with diagrams and bolded catchphrases to memorize and little exercises at the end of each chapter. I'm sure that the basics touched upon in that book--the three-act-setup of each story, the guidelines to building a character, etc--are actually relevant. But I don't think they're relevant to the writing process. It's a great book for editors. It lists the components that each good story should have, and if you're an editor reading a script and feeling that something's just a little off, knowing the theory will certainly help you immensely to be able to put your finger on it. But I don't think it will help anyone ever to write a good story. If you want a book about the academic, theoretical setup of screenplays, read Screenplay. If you want a book about writing, about the actual process, and what happens in the brain of a writer while they're doing their thing, read The Writer's Tale, or, to a degree, On Writing. Screenplay won't get you anywhere at all, in that regard.
Anyway. I digress. Point is, Big White British Bloke is less of an ideas man and more of a by the book guy. And I would really have liked a somewhat more flexible tutor in my unit on drama.(*) But hey, you work with what you get. I have to write a two-page script by Monday--and he basically told us exactly what to put in it, and how to shoot it. Naturally, my brain went off and decided it wants to do something entirely different. I'll type it up and make him read it on Monday, and then we'll see.
(*)As an example, the tutor was talking about dialog, and about how everyday small talk and chitchat doesn't have any place in a script--and I was just sitting there going BUT WHAT ABOUT TARANTINO HUH? Does he want us all to write the equivalent of Terminator 3, where the main character speaks a whole 700 words throughout the entire 100 minutes of film? I love the quarter pounder/metric system dialog, or the bit about tipping in Reservoir Dogs. Don't tell your students that small talk has no place in a script, that's nonsense. And don't list Die Hard and the Indiana Jones movies as an example of great storytelling. Okay, Indie, maybe. But not Die Hard. /rant
Ahem. Yes. Producing TV is taught by a woman! This makes me happy. There are far too few female tutors teaching on my course. The two I've had so far both taught theoretical, academic units (History of TV and Contemporary British TV). In the practical sessions, all the tutors I've had so far were men, and the course leaders are all blokes as well. Talk about a male medium. But, yes, Producing TV is taught by a woman, and I really like her. She used to work for Channel 4 when it started out in the eighties, and seems to know what she's talking about. She's making us shoot yet another documentary, though, gah. Kind of a magazine-style current affairs thing. It's only two minutes, but still. I can be done with the documentaries now, plz? She said that in the second half of the unit, we're going to be producing a short drama piece, though. I'm really looking forward to that.
This class is also getting me sort of interested in the legal aspects of the whole thing. I know, gasp--me, interested in law? But in the UK, all broadcasting media (except the BBC, to a degree), are regulated by OfCom, an institution that makes sure that channels don't resort to lowest common denominator television 24/7, and, on the other hand, that they don't get too offensive out of context. Now, I'm not usually a big fan of content regulation when it comes to creative media, but television is a creative medium only to a degree. It's also a huge business, and a really influential tool to sway the public's opinion in a quite subtle, almost backhanded ways. (Example: Fox News. >_>) I think in television's case, regulations, as long as they stay reasonable and actually keep the audience's interests in mind, actually promote the presence of valuable content--it makes networks think about what they're putting on air, beyond the aspect of "will it bring me truckloads of money?"(*)
(*)Take American TV, in comparison. They don't have any regulations, aside from the fact that all television in America is commercially financed. Whatever you're airing, your highest goal has to be first and foremost to get the highest possible audience figures--so you're going to make your content as inoffensive as possible, in order to avoid scaring audiences away. If you want to be a little unconventional, a little daring, you first need the funds to do so--and if you have money, you're not going to run the risk of losing it just because you wanted to be unconventional. Cue a television business that's dead afraid to ever do anything new.
My third unit, Studio Production, is basically the same I did last year, only taken to the next level of difficulty. It's a different tutor than last year, though, and while he's a bit of a smug asshole, he's also quite a competent teacher. His teaching style reminds me of my dad's, who taught me in a couple of seminars in med school. Yup, my dad can be a bit of a smug ass, too, but you actually learn something in his lessons, and he knows how to motivate people. Same with this guy. Thank god they don't look anything alike, though. >_>
Anyway, we've had two lessons so far. In the first, I was PA (Production Assistant), which meant I got to run around with a stopwatch and time people on their interviews. I felt a lot like Ianto. In the second one, which was today, I was on camera. I picked that job because I felt like chilling a bit for once and not busting my ass for the entirety of the class while the camera- and lights people put their feet up and chew gum.(*) But good god, never again. I was so bored. The class goes from one to five pm, and until three or so, I was literally just sitting around with nothing to do while the producer and the director were working out the running order. Then I got to set up a shot! Wow. That took, like, a minute. And then I got to stand there and point my camera at the show guests for the rest of the lesson. (I was covering close-ups.) I can tell you, that camera was set up perfectly. I think I adjusted the focus ten times just because I was so bored.No wonder all the guys always end up on camera while the girls take over the gallery.
But! Next week I get to produce. Win. The tutor was like, we're gonna have a game show next week! Who wants to do what? And I just went ME ME ME I WANT TO PRODUCE! Plz? This is awesome in two regards: one, it'll be the first time that I'll actually get to produce in a studio class (I always wanted to, but the job always got snatched away right under my nose), and two, producing's a gallery job. We're supposed to take alternately floor- and gallery jobs, which means that the week after, I can be floor manager. Which makes for yet another two weeks of me successfully avoiding ending up in front of the camera. >_> (Also, I've been wanting to try floor managing for a while now.)
(*)That's kind of how it works in the studio, especially when you're doing really simple setups where the cameras don't move around, but only keep a single shot for the entirety of the program. Camera and lights and floor manager don't really have anything to do until you actually start rehearsing--whereas if you're in the gallery, as a director or producer, you need to come up with the concept of the program, figure out the logistics and execution, time the program and make sure you do it all quickly enough so you can fit in at least two or three rehearsals before your on-air time. And you have to keep everyone happy, like for example the bored camera- and lights people. 9_9
Good heavens, look at that wall of text. I surely have a lot to say on the topic of my uni classes, don't I? Granted, there's not much else going on. Went out with a couple of people the other night, and actually enjoyed myself. Maybe I should do this more often. And I've been reading Storm Front (1st Harry Dresden novel) for weeks now, but somehow that book is not managing to captivate me at all. I read a couple of pages and then put it down to do something else. I don't actively dislike it, I just find it very unsurprising and bland. Do the books get a little more daring later on?
In regards to fandom, um. Nothing going on there. Except![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dontwanttogo, the Doctor Who rewatch project. We've only watched one episode so far, but I'm enjoying it. It's something to look forward to every week, and it's a chance for me to talk a lot about the Doctor. I love talking about the Doctor. In case you didn't know that.
Oh, and the drama that is going on with![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
house_cuddy is ridiculous. I do have to say, if I were a bit more knowledgeable about all the intrinsic relationships going on there, I'd report it on f_w, because that mod is behaving in an absolutely absurd way, and I would love to see him mocked and laughed out of fandom. Well. I'm sure even if I don't, someone else will. It's such a classic case of a megalomaniac asshat mod getting butthurt and going on a murder deletion spree, f_w's not gonna miss out. And all this even though I was never even a member of that comm. The ship doesn't matter, though--asshattery on the internet is asshattery on the internet, no matter if it's sailing a het ship or steering a slash steamboat. (Look at all those pretty alliteration. :3)
Last but not least, I actually enjoyed 5x12 of SPN. It wasn't too offensive (not any more than any other show on television), and the funny actually won over the embarrassing and trainwrecky. I'm impressed. I do miss Castiel, though. He's probably off going through the heavenly filing cabinets and looking for God's cell phone number. Damn the man, he never checks his voice mail.
Okay, this is a very long entry now. I think I'll cut it off here before it gets any longer. What's up, f-list?
comment on LJ
My new uni trimester has started. Actually, it started last Monday already, but since I only have three classes a week, we haven't really done too much yet. My classes this term are Fiction Production, Producing TV and Studio Production. The latter two are my electives--they were both second choice, since my two first choices (Creating a Sitcom and Writing a Short Film) didn't run. But I'm still enjoying them quite a lot.
Fiction Production is basically the same like my class on documentaries last term, except with drama. (Duh.) Sadly, I didn't get the sweet Iranian tutor who taught my documentary class. Instead, I'm being taught by a big white British bloke.
I . . . can't really say yet if I like him or not. I'm sure he's competent and knows his stuff, but he seems very distant and not exactly too open to experiments and unconventional ideas. Or, well--to compare, Sweet Iranian Guy would always start his feedback or input with a phrase like "I really like it", or "I think that's a really good idea", and then still give you honest feedback. Yes, that means that sometimes you'd get answers like, "I really like it, but honestly, it's crap"--but even in that case, you felt like he at least appreciated that you tried, and valued your urge to experiment.
Big White British Bloke on the other hand is more the type to hand you a diagram and expect you to go by it. He recommended a book on writing scripts, Screenplay by Syd Field. I started reading it, and seriously, I can't read ten pages in that book without wanting to set fire to it. It's like reading a book on web coding, complete with diagrams and bolded catchphrases to memorize and little exercises at the end of each chapter. I'm sure that the basics touched upon in that book--the three-act-setup of each story, the guidelines to building a character, etc--are actually relevant. But I don't think they're relevant to the writing process. It's a great book for editors. It lists the components that each good story should have, and if you're an editor reading a script and feeling that something's just a little off, knowing the theory will certainly help you immensely to be able to put your finger on it. But I don't think it will help anyone ever to write a good story. If you want a book about the academic, theoretical setup of screenplays, read Screenplay. If you want a book about writing, about the actual process, and what happens in the brain of a writer while they're doing their thing, read The Writer's Tale, or, to a degree, On Writing. Screenplay won't get you anywhere at all, in that regard.
Anyway. I digress. Point is, Big White British Bloke is less of an ideas man and more of a by the book guy. And I would really have liked a somewhat more flexible tutor in my unit on drama.(*) But hey, you work with what you get. I have to write a two-page script by Monday--and he basically told us exactly what to put in it, and how to shoot it. Naturally, my brain went off and decided it wants to do something entirely different. I'll type it up and make him read it on Monday, and then we'll see.
(*)As an example, the tutor was talking about dialog, and about how everyday small talk and chitchat doesn't have any place in a script--and I was just sitting there going BUT WHAT ABOUT TARANTINO HUH? Does he want us all to write the equivalent of Terminator 3, where the main character speaks a whole 700 words throughout the entire 100 minutes of film? I love the quarter pounder/metric system dialog, or the bit about tipping in Reservoir Dogs. Don't tell your students that small talk has no place in a script, that's nonsense. And don't list Die Hard and the Indiana Jones movies as an example of great storytelling. Okay, Indie, maybe. But not Die Hard. /rant
Ahem. Yes. Producing TV is taught by a woman! This makes me happy. There are far too few female tutors teaching on my course. The two I've had so far both taught theoretical, academic units (History of TV and Contemporary British TV). In the practical sessions, all the tutors I've had so far were men, and the course leaders are all blokes as well. Talk about a male medium. But, yes, Producing TV is taught by a woman, and I really like her. She used to work for Channel 4 when it started out in the eighties, and seems to know what she's talking about. She's making us shoot yet another documentary, though, gah. Kind of a magazine-style current affairs thing. It's only two minutes, but still. I can be done with the documentaries now, plz? She said that in the second half of the unit, we're going to be producing a short drama piece, though. I'm really looking forward to that.
This class is also getting me sort of interested in the legal aspects of the whole thing. I know, gasp--me, interested in law? But in the UK, all broadcasting media (except the BBC, to a degree), are regulated by OfCom, an institution that makes sure that channels don't resort to lowest common denominator television 24/7, and, on the other hand, that they don't get too offensive out of context. Now, I'm not usually a big fan of content regulation when it comes to creative media, but television is a creative medium only to a degree. It's also a huge business, and a really influential tool to sway the public's opinion in a quite subtle, almost backhanded ways. (Example: Fox News. >_>) I think in television's case, regulations, as long as they stay reasonable and actually keep the audience's interests in mind, actually promote the presence of valuable content--it makes networks think about what they're putting on air, beyond the aspect of "will it bring me truckloads of money?"(*)
(*)Take American TV, in comparison. They don't have any regulations, aside from the fact that all television in America is commercially financed. Whatever you're airing, your highest goal has to be first and foremost to get the highest possible audience figures--so you're going to make your content as inoffensive as possible, in order to avoid scaring audiences away. If you want to be a little unconventional, a little daring, you first need the funds to do so--and if you have money, you're not going to run the risk of losing it just because you wanted to be unconventional. Cue a television business that's dead afraid to ever do anything new.
My third unit, Studio Production, is basically the same I did last year, only taken to the next level of difficulty. It's a different tutor than last year, though, and while he's a bit of a smug asshole, he's also quite a competent teacher. His teaching style reminds me of my dad's, who taught me in a couple of seminars in med school. Yup, my dad can be a bit of a smug ass, too, but you actually learn something in his lessons, and he knows how to motivate people. Same with this guy. Thank god they don't look anything alike, though. >_>
Anyway, we've had two lessons so far. In the first, I was PA (Production Assistant), which meant I got to run around with a stopwatch and time people on their interviews. I felt a lot like Ianto. In the second one, which was today, I was on camera. I picked that job because I felt like chilling a bit for once and not busting my ass for the entirety of the class while the camera- and lights people put their feet up and chew gum.(*) But good god, never again. I was so bored. The class goes from one to five pm, and until three or so, I was literally just sitting around with nothing to do while the producer and the director were working out the running order. Then I got to set up a shot! Wow. That took, like, a minute. And then I got to stand there and point my camera at the show guests for the rest of the lesson. (I was covering close-ups.) I can tell you, that camera was set up perfectly. I think I adjusted the focus ten times just because I was so bored.
But! Next week I get to produce. Win. The tutor was like, we're gonna have a game show next week! Who wants to do what? And I just went ME ME ME I WANT TO PRODUCE! Plz? This is awesome in two regards: one, it'll be the first time that I'll actually get to produce in a studio class (I always wanted to, but the job always got snatched away right under my nose), and two, producing's a gallery job. We're supposed to take alternately floor- and gallery jobs, which means that the week after, I can be floor manager. Which makes for yet another two weeks of me successfully avoiding ending up in front of the camera. >_> (Also, I've been wanting to try floor managing for a while now.)
(*)That's kind of how it works in the studio, especially when you're doing really simple setups where the cameras don't move around, but only keep a single shot for the entirety of the program. Camera and lights and floor manager don't really have anything to do until you actually start rehearsing--whereas if you're in the gallery, as a director or producer, you need to come up with the concept of the program, figure out the logistics and execution, time the program and make sure you do it all quickly enough so you can fit in at least two or three rehearsals before your on-air time. And you have to keep everyone happy, like for example the bored camera- and lights people. 9_9
Good heavens, look at that wall of text. I surely have a lot to say on the topic of my uni classes, don't I? Granted, there's not much else going on. Went out with a couple of people the other night, and actually enjoyed myself. Maybe I should do this more often. And I've been reading Storm Front (1st Harry Dresden novel) for weeks now, but somehow that book is not managing to captivate me at all. I read a couple of pages and then put it down to do something else. I don't actively dislike it, I just find it very unsurprising and bland. Do the books get a little more daring later on?
In regards to fandom, um. Nothing going on there. Except
dontwanttogo, the Doctor Who rewatch project. We've only watched one episode so far, but I'm enjoying it. It's something to look forward to every week, and it's a chance for me to talk a lot about the Doctor. I love talking about the Doctor. In case you didn't know that.Oh, and the drama that is going on with
house_cuddy is ridiculous. I do have to say, if I were a bit more knowledgeable about all the intrinsic relationships going on there, I'd report it on f_w, because that mod is behaving in an absolutely absurd way, and I would love to see him mocked and laughed out of fandom. Well. I'm sure even if I don't, someone else will. It's such a classic case of a megalomaniac asshat mod getting butthurt and going on a Last but not least, I actually enjoyed 5x12 of SPN. It wasn't too offensive (not any more than any other show on television), and the funny actually won over the embarrassing and trainwrecky. I'm impressed. I do miss Castiel, though. He's probably off going through the heavenly filing cabinets and looking for God's cell phone number. Damn the man, he never checks his voice mail.
Okay, this is a very long entry now. I think I'll cut it off here before it gets any longer. What's up, f-list?
comment on LJ