The

Directors Commentary

Ascension

GERSHON SNG

Film Rationale The Ascension is a magical realism film about a beggar who finds a box with the power to duplicate its content. It employs both Hollywood and silent film conventions in terms of pacing and direction; and is influenced by cubist editing techniques and the Bible. It is allegorical and explores the theme of greed in human nature. It was always my intention to carefully monitor all aspects of the pre, post, and production process as director to maximize synergy between my team in order to achieve a sense of escapism for the audience. I feel this was successfully achieved. Word Count: 99 Trailer Rational The trailer utilizes the hermeneutic code (Barthes) by building suspense around the box and the use of verse from The Bible but never reveals the function of it. This does not give the films narrative away too much but simultaneously attracts fans of suspense. Clear antagonism is portrayed through the selection of shots, which compliments the MTV-style editing cut to the upbeat soundtrack. The trailer further expands the targeted quadrants by addressing film scholars through the official selection and awards titles. Crosscutting and juxtaposing between footage from the film with the box shows its unpredictability and enigmatic nature. Word Count: 98

Pre-Production As director, I wanted to be engaged in the films process from the conceptualization of the script to the final mix. With the intention of entering the film into various film festivals, it had to appeal to the critical market, as evident in my trailers promotion of festival screenings and awards. I generated the initial idea, which was highly influenced by two shorts - Vicky and Sam (dir. Nuno Rocha, 2010)1 and The Black Hole (dir. Phil and Olly, 2008)2. The first is about a group of screenwriters who were brainstorming ideas. However, what they discuss starts becoming a reality before their eyes. The concept of giving superpower abilities to the characters gave me a sense of escapist gratification and inspired me to produce a film that evoked a similar emotion when viewing my film. Furthermore, the enigma of what the characters would utilize the power for captivated me and provided catharsis for me. The latter film garnered mainstream and critical success, which to me was attributed to the theme of greed that was explored. I thought most audiences could relate to greed, as it is a universal theme and not genre-specific, thus widening the viewership of the film.

(Figure 1.1) Screenshot from Vicky and Sam

(Figure 1.2) Screenshot from The Black Hole

3rd January 2011 marked our first group meeting where we brainstormed ideas for the film. As the director, I suggested we took a specific type of pacing for the film fast paced at the start to engage the audience. This was to be achieved by either fast cuts or by one seemingly long take with multiple edits and highly treated footage (the latter was executed in the final product). By 25th January 2011, we agreed upon my idea of a beggar who found a small box that could double its content once the lid was shut. However, he gets greedy and ultimately, upon attempting to fit a larger object into the box, breaks the lid, rendering the box useless. This similarly explored the idea of greed. 1 Vicky and Sam: http://vimeo.com/16044812 2 The Black Hole: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk 3

The scriptwriter thought that the ending of the idea was clichd and needed a plot twist. As such, we utilized Freytags dramatic structure to guide us on expanding the story. We questioned the reason behind the boxs power and came up with the idea that the bottom of the box was an opening to an alternate reality in which there was an infinite amount of resource. Thereby, representing heaven. Then, antagonism was introduced through the group of beggars. The exposition would establish the isolation of the protagonist through the setting; the rising action would be the introduction of the magical artifact. While the climax would be the antagonists attempt to obtain the box, the falling action would be the antagonist, portrayed as the villain, cornering the protagonist. The resolution would be polysemic in its reading as it could be seen as an act of sacrifice from the protagonist or the protagonists act of greed by destroying the box, he effectively keeps all the power to himself. From either reading, the story still establishes the negativity of greed and retains my idea of narrating a morality tale. After considering the practicality and suitability of the sequence (figure 2.2), it was discussed with the editor for visual effects possibility. I insisted test shots, as I wanted the graphics to suspend disbelief. The look of the film was envisioned to be similar to Momentos (dir. Nuno Rocha, 2010)3 in terms of color grading, setting, and makeup (Figure 3). (Figure 2.1) Test shots (Figure 3) Screenshot from Momentos (Figure 2.2) Final Product

3 Momentos: http://vimeo.com/17896628 4

I personally did some color grading tests to guide the editor as I had a very clear image of how I wanted the film to look visually (Figures 4). (Figure 4.2) After grading (Figure 4.3) Grade of Final Product (Figure 4.1) Before grading

Since I knew that this film was highly production and post-production intensive, a copy of the overall project timetable (Figure 5.1) and production-specific schedule (Figure 5.2) was emailed to the group just a little after pre-production. Pickup sessions were deliberately scheduled in case certain shots were of insufficient quality for post-production work. (Figure 5.1) Overall timetable for Film 5

(Figure 5.2) Production-specific schedule

The opening shot was a crane down, tilt up, track forward shot. It was crucial to the narrative as it serves as a representation of Christs descent down upon earth. I felt that a smooth execution of the shot was vital to enhance the narrative; the intention was that this represented a spiritual journey in which this angelic form can transcend objects. After much discussion with the team, I concluded that to achieve the shot, I had to resort to a crane system of some sort. My research included finding the appropriate system (including a jib, tracks, ballhead, etc), a rental company, transportation for the equipment to location, safety measures, and financing. My editor and I spent at least 4 days at the rental company rehearsing the shots and learning how to rig up the system safely. 6

 (Figure 6.1) At rental house, learning about the jib

(Figure 6.2) The use of the jib on set

In the closing shot, the protagonist had to be on a road for the car to run over the box. To achieve that, I had to scout for a suitable road that was wide enough and with little traffic (Figure 6.2). I abided by local film regulations and protocol by notifying the police through the Film Services Office. To get the school chop for the Police Notification Form, I had to personally convince the school principle to approve a release for it. I scheduled an overnight filming that commenced at 10 pm to avoid traffic, increasing the safety for my cast and crew.

(Figure 7) 3 separate locations for the road shot, we chose the first for its secluded setting. Production Through film language, the closing shot, a craning up shot, was to suggest the ascension of Christ. It was supposed to mirror the opening shot, showing the cycle of Christ. Thereby, constructing a cyclical narrative. However, though we were able to successfully obtain the closing shot (Figure 8), we could not get a satisfactory opening shot. Hence, for the sake of the coherence of the film, it was my decision to remove the closing shot and replace it with the similar type of graphics seen in the opening.

 (Figure 8) Closing shot that was replaced in the final product

(Figure 9.1) 1:04:46 [Location: Chai Wan]

(Figures 9) For the majority of the film, we located in Chai Wan Park. However, the road in the latter half of the film was in a different estate (Sai Wan Ho). To sell the idea that the pursuit sequence was shot in one location I had to oversee the cinematography so as it would compliment the editing. To further enhance it, I directed my protagonist to look back at the antagonist just before the last shot in Chai Wan and likewise in the first shot in Sai Wan Ho, and hopefully, due to the matching gaze, our audience would not notice the issue of location continuity. Subsequently, we crosscut between both locations to add to the believability of the sequence. Lastly, the footage was color corrected to match the lighting conditions and then the sequence was graded to suit the pacing of the film. The last week of post-production was dedicated to focus group viewings for feedback. Part of the exercise was to test if the cut between the two distinct locations was explicitly noticeable. Never once was the issue of location continuity raised, which reassured me before submitting it as the final product.

(Figure 9.2) 1:04:47 [Location: Sai Wan Ho]

(Figure 9.3) 1:05:16 [Location: Chai Wan] 8

 Likewise, focus group viewings were conducted for the trailer. To test reception from a critical point of view, film students were asked for their opinions. Reception testing for the mainstream market, on the other hand, was tested through informal group meetings. Furthermore, it was uploaded to YouTube and placed as unlisted (figure 10) before the link was sent out to a selected sample, as YouTube acted as my dominant platform for showcasing my trailer. (Figure 10) Trailer uploaded to YouTube under Unlisted

Part of my job was to source the talent for each role to suspend disbelief. Since the film is set in Hong Kong I had to find Chinese and mature looking talents to assume the role of beggars. According to Buscombes Theory that Iconography dictates genre, I had to pay careful attention to the mise-en-scene. The costumes and makeup for the beggars had to fit the archetypal role and the set construction had to conform to the conventional looks of beggars living area (Figure 11) as portrayed by the media. For instance, the blue plastic cup (as seen on the right, circled in red) is an obvious tool associated with begging. The inclusion of this icon within this mise-en- scene reiterates that the protagonist is a beggar. 9

Post-production The concept of the film was highly ambitious as we had to produce 7 minutes of footage. This caused problems as I needed to cut through space and time without compromising the narrative. I worked closely with my cinematographer and editor as we used the pillar as a transition (Figure 12.1) to tell the story in a concise fashion.

(Figure 12.1) 01:01:11

(Figure 12.2) 01:00:31

(Figure 12.3) 01:00:33

Equally in terms of sound, a sound bridge was used to cut through time and space, as it would not be engaging nor would it enhance the narrative should the protagonist be seen walking down to the bin (Figures 12.2 & 12.3).

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 (Figure 13) 01:52:58 01:02:02 In the opening half of the film, when the beggar is alone, the music is slow in tempo but in a major tonality. I chose a slow tempo to highlight the beggars isolation; whist the major tonality is to give a sense of security and safety. The tracking out shot reveals more within the frame, foreshadowing that when the beggar understands the potential of the power represented by the box, the world suddenly appears to have endless possibilities. I directed my talent to look up so as to emphasize the extension of framing. However, as soon as he approached the group of beggars, I decided to end my composition, replacing it with a low frequency rumble. This provides the sense of insecurity. Subsequently, I collaborated with the editor to make sure the color grade changed to emphasize the impending antagonism. (Figure 14) 01:02:20 Change in color grade and music

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As director, I knew that the pace and intensity of the soundtrack would be crucial, and as we had no sound designer I constructed the sound composition myself. I scored the music loosely and only mastered for the final sound mix after the editing was done. This was because the editing took priority over the music in the film. However, my workflow for my trailer was different the trailer music was mastered before editing commenced (Figure 15). My research shows that this is a common practice of contemporary Hollywood trailers as they are relentlessly cut to the beat to engage audiences.

(Figure 15) Music produced on Logic Pro with Sample Libraries

The violin track (above) and Foley (right) were recorded live. Foley was then synchronized to the visuals in Final Cut Pro. Word Count: 1737

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