4.27.2009

WWII Video (Another Francis Original)

So.. Here's a video I made last semester for History: West and the World class, we were creating different pieces for a WWII exhibit, I decided to make a movie, naturally.

Now this video was not exactly my vision, but the response has been good on it, so I'm willing to share it with ya'll. I wrote the script in, well I wrote it quickly in the morning of a Saturday last fall. The message is as clear as I could make it with voluntary actors from school, in my basement standing against a wall. The setup was interesting actually, I wish I had taken a picture of it, a 20" TV in the corner connected to my camera. My tripod and camera with a sketchy directors chair, tape all over the ground where I had to make sure I kept my stuff on because my dad likes to move everything, it's bloody annoying. I had a couch at one end of the room where my actors sat, and then two 1000 watt construction lights beside me facing the wall.

I sat under the camera, with a little remote, I click record and then I stopped it, I repeated this more times than I can remember, and in between each record I would yell at the actors or get up and motivate/encourage them to get into character (which was just to be themselves but with passion..) I believe we did three shooting sessions to create this. I cut out a lot of clips, I mean a lot... The song is by Explosions in the Sky, it was the best choice for length and flow.

Oh and the TV had what the camera was recording in real time so that the actors could see where they were on the screen. It worked very well.

A big thanks to Dominick Dekauwe, Dana Kissondath, Gordy Leslie, Ryan Seager, Herman Singh, Sam Hutchinson, Mike Henry, and Stephen Dustan for being my willing actors! No thanks to Rachel Laird who told me she wanted to come to my basement dressed as a teacher and just be in the video alone in my basement with her and the camera.. She would have been awesome too though.

Apparently, Maxine Schmidt is smooth, this is something I cannot confirm at this point in time, but soon.

Please make sure you watch it to the end if you enjoy it!! It's not done at the picture!!


West and the World WWII from Nick Francis on Vimeo.

WWII Project for the WWII Exhibit in Mr. Melnyk's West and the World History class.



The picture near the end is not the END. It's just a moment of silence. The video continues shortly afterwards.



- Nick Francis
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