Jay Cutler, professional body builder, on the bench press
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT OF INTENT
1. What is the story--the beginning,
middle, and end--of this scene in three or four sentences? In other words, what
happens in this scene as it starts, as it progresses, and as it ends?
The story is about a man
going to the gym to max out on bench and for his back exercises. The story will
begin with his walk, then his walk to the gym doors, and then it will finish in
the gym as he exits. I want to tell a story about how working out there are
others that are looking maybe judging you and how the machines will be there.
You can always go back for your personal use.
2. What, specifically, must the
audience understand narratively? How do you intend to communicate that
information?
I want to capture the other people
working out and how there are viewers. He is not the only one. I also want to
capture how the mighty bench press will stay at that gym even when he is done.
It will always be there for him to use and for his struggle and pain, but gain.
I will capture on a wide the people there working out and then right before he
works out I will pan to the people again and I’m hoping to capture someone
looking at the man. I will also stay at the equipment, the bench press, and
have that be in the foreground and he leaves the machine.
3. If this scene is from a longer
piece, what is the narrative, emotional and thematic purpose of the scene in
the larger story?
I want to show how much struggle and
pain someone can endure at the gym. They are putting themselves through the
pain. Also, I want to show how there are others watching you struggle. I don’t
know exactly how this man will react, if when he sees the others around him
before his work out if he will stay the same or look around a lot at the
people. I know when there was more people it would take me longer to start my
work out because I would wait until I felt like they weren’t looking.
4. What emotion do you want to
communicate in this scene? How do you intend to do this?
Pain and struggle, then
at the end some triumph that he did it. I will be close on him for his work
out, to capture the emotion on his face. Then, I will stay at the machine while
he leaves.
5. What is the first image of the
scene? What is the final image of the scene?
Low angle on his legs walking in for
the first image and then for the final image, we will be at the same low angle
but he will leave us and we will stay on the bench press.
6. Why is this scene personal to me?
What previous personal experience(s) does it remind me of? Why do I need to make this scene?
For me personally
working out used to be very embarrassing for me. It has gotten better now and I
have more confidence and more who cares what people are thinking about you at
the gym, however, when there are others I become more self aware.
7. What two visual elements (line,
shape, space, tone, color, rhythm, movement) will you use to help communicate
the emotion of the scene?
I want to use flat and
deep space. I want to make him feel very flat while he is on the bench press.
There isn’t much room to breathe. At the end, I want to create the most deep
space by him moving from camera away and I will close down to get more depth of
field. I will also use color in that I am going to change my white balance once
I enter the gym to more tungsten, more orange to have a warm, hot feel.
8. What are two or three potential
obstacles to creating a successful scene? How can you be prepared to overcome
these? Be specific!
Boy, some
obstacles are to have the camera movement be steady, to have these angles
actually work, for the man to perform well on the bench press, my aperture
switch doesn’t totally fail, or if there isn’t anyone in the gym at the same
time. I’m going to try to make the first shot be smooth as possible by getting
a rig. I will look who is in the gym before we go in to see who is there and
what does the set up look like. I can change my aperture while filming, that is
a nice feature for the Canon 5D Mark III. I will know exactly what white
balance I want so when I switch I will
go straight to that setting.
BEAT LIST
1. Visualize the event unfolding in your mind as
you answer these questions:
a) Where
is the action taking place? How will we know that?
The
action will be taking place in the gym. We will know that by what we see. We
will see the equipment, the weights, and the treadmills.
b) How
will the action unfold? In other words, what are "beats" of the action?
The man
will leave his car, enter the gym, get the weights ready, probably put his
headphones in, sit down on the bench, lay down, and the push up the bar with
the weight. There will be heavy breathing during his bench press. Then, I
imagine he will stand up and leave the bench press.
c) Who is
involved in this event?
The man
being the main focus, and there will probably be other people working out which
I want to show at the end because I want to show how others are trying to
become stronger. The man is not the only one.
d) Where
is the drama in the event? Is it between competitors? Are there spectators? Is
there some kind of physical risk?
The drama
in the event is man versus the heavy weight. He will have all the weight on the
bar and he needs to get it up as many times as he cans. There will be
spectators around. I do want to show how they can look at you as you are doing
this heavy lifting.
2. Decide how you will communicate the above
information to the audience in terms of beats or points of focus.
In other words, what specific images/subjects does the
audience need to see to:
a)
understand what's happening; We need to see the man enter in the gym, we need
to see the equipment, we need to see the weight that he is lifting, and we need
to see the others working out.
b)
connect with the people involved; his face before he lifts, while he lifts, and
when he is done, also the others working out because we can relate to them
c) grasp,
and feel, the drama. : the specific weight he is pushing, get his breathing,
capture the sweat on his face
3. Decide where the camera will need to move in
order to capture these images.
I will follow him from his car to the doors at low
angle right behind him, then when he enters the gym I will swing out to go wide
to get him entering and to capture the equipment and the people looking at him.
Then, I will track him as he goes to the machine, the bench press. Then, I will
do an extreme close up of the weight he is doing. Then, before he pushes up the
weight I will do a POV showing the others looking or working out. Then, I will
walk closer and frame him under the bench press at a high angle. I will then
try to come underneath him and show the bar going up and down. I will come back
up and it will be a close up of his face to show the pain and sweat. Then, I
will stay on the weight he did and have him exit clean then I will pan back and
show him exiting and I will stay at the machine to show how the machine will
always be there for him when he comes back.
4. Create a list of the above beats and images in
the order you think they will occur. (Don't move past each beat too
quickly--give the audience time to process the information!) For each
beat/image, include this information:
a) The
subject of the beat (what/who are we looking at?)
b) The
why. Why is each beat important? What is the purpose of the
shot in terms of story, drama, character? What impact will it have on the
viewer?
c) Include: 1) The type of shot (W, M, CU, ECU,
etc.); 2) the angle and type (High, Low, OTS, POV, etc.); 3) any visual
element(s) you'd lke to take advantage of in the location (Flat or Deep Space,
Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal Line, Warm or Cool colors, etc.) However, remember
that you are not to
1A: Medium: low: the man walking into the gym, flat
space and cool colors
1B: wide: high angle: the man walking inside the
gym, we see the other people working out, we the equipment, we orientate
ourselves, deep space, warm colors, I’m going to white balance to tungsten and
make everything very orange inside
1C: wide, eye level, tracking shot of the man
walking to the bench press, flat space and show movement from right to left, I
think he will pretty much stay on the same plane
1D: medium, low angle, the man getting the bench
ready, show the bench press with flat space and keep the warm
1E: medium, eye angle, the man sits on the bench to
mentally prepare, I will profile him looking off frame
1F: wide, eye angle, showing the others around,
they might be looking or not
1G: close up, high, the specific weight that he is
using, show where the pin is, flat space and high contrast with black weight
and white background
1H: medium, high, the bar right over the man, him
looking up preparing, flat space and lines, have the bar at a diagonal
1J: medium to close up, high, push in, as he pushes
the bar twice, I will come in slowly and really get that pain, that struggle,
the work he has to put in with the emotion, movement and creating more flat
space
1K: medium, low, I will capture the amount of
weight again, pan over to his feet, he will get up, I will stay low to show
that he has power now, and I will stay at the bench press and let him move on
or exit to the next exercise.
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