Thoughts on Kirsten Johnson

I felt simultaneously unsettled and intrigued by Kirsten Johnson’s presentation. As she walked down the aisle with her bright orange shoes and fox-emblazoned jacket, I knew something different was in store for us. When she demanded that the class spout out words to describe her – her appearance, her character, her personality – the word “eccentric” popped to mind, yet I did not feel like speaking out. KJ presented a very boisterous and invasive demeanor and I felt more comfortable listening to her and studying what she had to say before participating. 

KJ roamed about the room, asking questions to random students, and discovering interesting tidbits of information that “hooked” her; pulling her into their stories; starting the thread of a relationship between them, albeit however brief. As she went on about her creative process, it became clear to me that she was the camera. She explored the room as if she would want her lens to – zoom in, pan right, tilt left, adjust focus between the “characters” of the lecture hall. As a documentary filmmaker, her stories are comprised of people and their environment. By building a genuine rapport with a person she then is able to dig deep into who they are, their interests, and extract a piece of them worth exploring in her work. Something interesting, beautiful, damaging, weird. 

The idea of her plopping down next to me and asking questions was a bit mortifying. I did not relish the idea of being put on the spot like that, but I understood it. As a filmmaker, she wants to create her story her own way. She’s not shy, she’ll be in your face if she has to, but she is also not rude. She simply knows what she wants and what she has to do in order to get it. She’ll lie in the dirt to get her low angle shot of the carrots. She’ll stand for hours to wait for the wind to blow a flag into frame. She is dedicated to her vision and her craft. I can absolutely respect that. It was eye-opening to see how such a wild personality could create such a quiet film such as The Above. That such beautiful subtlety bloomed from her adventurous and candid spirit. 

Personally, I wish to create feature films, but I can see myself taking a piece of KJ’s philosophy with me to my work. We need to be bold, ask questions, get down and dirty, and realize that we do have the time to create what we want. It took her 25 years to create Cameraperson, and the two minutes we stared into each other’s eyes for felt like an eternity, but it goes to show that time is subjective. It depends on the person, and it changes depending on how you decide to use it. There is no time to be scared of what you long to create.

The Whispers

Mission Impossible: Fallout - Editing Analysis

The Mission Impossible films have maintained their legacy of high-quality action films with Mission Impossible: Fallout, the sixth instalment in the franchise. There were so many incredible scenes to choose from this film, but I finally ended up selecting the bathroom fight between Ethan Hunt, August Walker, and John Lark's decoy. 


This is a brutal, close-quarters combat scene, filmed primarily in full, medium, and medium-close-up shots.  The stark, clean interior of the bathroom contrasts with their men’s dark suits, blood and sweat as the scene progresses. It begins with the three men tucked in one of the stalls, the decoy temporarily subdued. As the bathroom clears, the decoy awakens, and the fight starts! To make the combat as visceral as it is, a range of editing techniques are expertly interspliced implemented. 


Eye lines and eye sights are matched throughout: Hunt glances down at the decoy to realize he’s waking up, his eyes lined with where the decoy is slumped on the toilet (0:06); Walker on the ground but rising, his eyes trained on Hunt and the decoy out-of-frame towards our upper right (0:20); the decoy’s eyes snap to the mirror to see Walker rising behind him, he spins around to glare at him, we can see in the mirror how his gaze matches with where Walker is standing (0:50); Hunt on his knee catching his breath, looking towards the top left, the side we last saw the decoy smugly standing (1:19); the decoy bearing the gun down on Hunt (1:33); Hunt grabbing the gun and aiming at the direction of the other shot, his expression turning to surprise (1:40)…. For it is Isla, his old acquaintance; Isla glances down to her lower right, Hunt in the next shot down to his lower left, maintaining consistency as to where the decoy’s body is (1:45), also a nice example of the 180-rule; we can tell Isla’s attention turns to Walker, as he reciprocates with raised hands (1:53); the scene closes with Hunt, Walker and Isla looking down on the decoy’s body, although it feels as if it is a POV shot from the perspective of the body itself (2:04).


Another technique that was pulled off extensively was matched action. There were several moments of cuts mid-action during the battle: the decoy kicking Hunt out of the bathroom stall – we cut from the overhead shot to one closer to the ground to see more of Hunt (0:10); the decoy grabs his briefcase – cut to him slamming it into Walker’s face (0:13); the decoy spiral flips with Walker out of the stall (0:16); angle on the decoy as he rears back his arm – cut to Walker under him and his bug-eyed reaction at getting throat chopped (0:17); Walker grabs the decoy and hurls him through the bathroom mirrors in the center of the room – this action is matched between three cuts (0:25); Walker takes his jacket off with a cut in between, consistent action (0:48); Hunt charges and the decoy and tackles him through a partition (1:24). Despite a large number of cuts, the action itself never feels cut for it remains remarkably consistent throughout the entire scene. 


A few close-ups were inserted to intensify crucial moments: the decoy waking up (0:03); the pipe the decoy rips out from under the sink, a weapon was not used until this point so this adds to the escalating intensity (0:28); a tight focus on the sharped end of the pipe aimed at Hunt’s throat (0:44); and the combined technique of the close up with switched focus between the decoy and the gun as he’s almost got Hunt in his sights sets the stakes high (1:33) – could this be the end for Hunt? 


All in all, this scene is fast, relentless, and sharply executed. Every motion and glance and are matched perfectly to what is happening within the scene, and the damage done to the characters (and the bathroom) is consistent. What results is a gritty and nerve-wracking battle that has us wincing with each blow. The editing draws us in and keeps us completely invested.

Audio Portrait of Onofrio

A Soundwalk Down 42nd Street

Lunch

An electronic beep-boop as the machine accepts my card payment. Pans clang against each other. Aluminum sheets crinkle. The oven cranks open, the server slides the wooden peel under my slice and deposits it on my paper plate. I tuck into the corner booth with my food and chow down excitedly. I notice that the same repertoire of sounds recycle: customers huff orders, the ringing phone, clattering pans, the peel scraping under each slice. The ice in my Cherry Coke becomes more audible with every sip – gives me a relieving shiver. The sounds of traffic seep inside from the open door, coalescing with Jon Bon Jovi on the radio – “you give love – a bad name”. Beneath the song is a steady whirring, perhaps the air conditioner or some sort of fan. Upon finishing I hear a gooey crunch, and a woman mutters to her husband “that was a cockroach”.

Street

Outside the street screeches. Loud. Resonant. Thundering! It feels like an eccentric conversation, nearly impossible to hear my own thoughts. Car engines rev, impatient honks as the light sparks green. Taxis constantly interrupt and barge in, tires squealing as they weave through traffic. The busses have split personalities: the grumbling type even at a red light, and the one that sputters and sighs into silence at each stop. On the sidewalk, wheeling luggage against the cement, pounding sneakers, clicking high heels, and multilingual conversations make up the pedestrian soundscape.

Grand Central

Greeted by an invasive, metallic clanging – a homeless man shakes coins in a plastic cup. I progress down the lavish passageway towards the main concourse, where the entire world changes… Hundreds of voices blend into an undulating wave. Resounding, yet a subdued kind of racket. It becomes part of the scene and it feels as if I am in an underwater biome – NYC Atlantis. I explore. Wheels strain under people’s belongings, arduous steps as they ascend the staircase / gallop down it, camera shutters click incessantly. The static of the NYPD officers’ walkie-talkies go off the hook, moments after a blaring announcement over the sound system interrupts to remind all that there is construction on several staircases. I stroll in and out of random shops, amused how they act almost like air pockets, where the undulating wave of voices is replaced by a hip radio station and a hungry cash register.

Underground

My keychains jingle as I trot downstairs, surpassing the rhythmic tapping of a cane. I breeze through the swiveling turnstiles and descend further. Here, the trains are kings and they conduct their own symphony. The 5 comes crashing down, its timbre monumental – the bass of the track. A downtown baritone 4 runs parallel, providing a complementary chord. Finally, the uptown 6 demonstrates to be the tenor as it shrieks towards me – ascending in both pitch and ferocity – and hisses to a stop. The doors whip open – I squeeze inside – the doors shut, hushing the train “station” tunes. 

Define a Space

Artist's Statement

In this era of cinema, it feels as if something significant has been lost. When one goes to the theatre or checks out the trending trailers on YouTube, if it is not another superhero movie that is about to release it is a sequel, spin-off, remake, reboot, reimagining, adaptation, or the 7^th installment to an insatiable franchise that is not worth our time. Where have all the original movies gone? Nowadays movie culture is synonymous with familiarity, which not only comforts audiences and film executives but cripples the potential to create something new. Something that is fresh, mysterious, innovative, and necessary to witness on the silver screen. 


As a developing screenwriter and a future director and producer, I strive to bring back the original, intelligent blockbuster. My work primarily deals with the action, thriller, psychological, science fiction, and horror genres with overarching themes of brutal physical and mental struggles, shedding of innocence, and the embracing of hidden truths. I strive to create daring worlds for audiences to escape into from the “familiarity” of the content around them. Primarily, to understand that even within the most abysmal darkness lies hope and the opportunity to achieve what you want, so long as you are willing to fight for it.


The spark of ingenuity seems to be fading and as a future filmmaker I aim to change that. To inspire and entertain with my original stories. To prove to the head honchos that film executives should loosen their reins and allow creative filmmakers to shine. That different, unfamiliar territories need to be embraced, not feared. As it stands, the state of film has gotten boring and predictable. Not to say that existing properties are all bad, but they are simply overwhelming and their balance with original content must be restored. 

Let's shake things up. Let's be unique!