Dispatches – Thu. Aug. 14, 2014 – Recommended Viewing Tonight on TCM & A Reminder for ABC Hello Folks, Charlie Chaplin fans and Film Students of all production disciplines should flip over tonight’s offerings on TCM. Documentary enthusiasts be advised that tonight is the finale of ABC’s NY Med. Overview – Tonight on TCM - 9:45: PM – The Kid (1921) 68 min. Dir: Charlie Chaplin DP: Roland Totheroh 11:30 PM Birth of the Tramp (2014) Documentary Short Nighthawk Special 12:30 AM – City Lights (1931) 87 min. Tonight on ABC – Reminder 10-11 PM – NY Med (Final Episode) --- --- --- Commentary – 9:45: PM – The Kid (1921) 68 min. Dir: Charlie Chaplin DP: Roland Totheroh Plot Teaser – The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy. The opening title: A comedy with a smile--and perhaps a tear.” Sir Charles Spencer Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) “The Kid” is one of Mr. Chaplin’s most endearing performances. An extraordinary visionary ahead of his time, Chaplin was a detailed and demanding director. He insisted on maximum effort and dedicated contribution of himself and his actors. I urge all Aspiring Directors to thoroughly read-up on the life and works of Charlie Chapman and study his films from artistic and technical perspectives. Above all observe his detailed mastery of body movement and control. His background as a dance is clearly evident in his 6th sense of physical expression. (On a personal note I think training in the basics of Ballet, Jazz and Tap should be required in any Media Arts and Film Program. Involved exposure to the fundamentals of Body Movement and Control will work wonders for developing creative minds, especially students heading for careers in Cinema.) Production Notes – Mr. Chaplin noted in his autobiography the scene in which the Kid is taken from the Tramp and nearly carted away to a workhouse, the young actor Jackie Coogan was made to cry by his father who told him that if he would not cry in the scene he would be sent to an actual workhouse. Apparently it worked. Many Chaplin biographers attribute the relationship of the Tramp (Chaplin) and the Kid (Jackie Coogan) portrayed in the film was inspired by the tragic death of Chaplins firstborn infant son just before production on the film began. The portrayal of poverty and the cruelty of welfare workers in the film is also reminiscent of Chaplins own childhood in London. The most famous and enduring sequence in the film is the Tramps desperate rooftop pursuit of the orphanage agents who had taken the child ending with the emotional reunion of the Tramp and the Kid. The shooting ratio was 53:1, far higher than any other Charles Chaplin film. Business Note - The failure of the original copyright holder to renew the films copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, be advised that many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film. -- -- -- Cinematographer Roland “Rollie” Totheroh (1890-1967) was the DP on Mr. Chaplin’s films for over 30 years. -- -- -- Nighthawk Special 12:30 AM – City Lights (1931) 87 min. Dir: Charlie Chaplin DP: Roland Totheroh Gordon Pollock Plot Teaser - The Tramp struggles to help a poor blind flower girl he has fallen in love with. Considered by many cinema pundits to be Chaplin’s best film, this exceptional work deserves far more than can be provided for in this motivational communiqué. I urge interested parties, Film Students in particular, to exercise mega-serious Self-Motivated Curiosity Based Learning and read-up on this important selection of iconic American Cinema. Production Notes – Director Chaplin re-shot the scene in which the Little Tramp buys a flower from the blind flower-girl 342 times. In his pursuit of excellence he was searching for a satisfactory way showing that the blind flower-girl thought that the mute tramp was wealthy. A directorial challenge indeed. This was Chaplin’s first film made during the sound era. He faced extreme studio pressure to make the film as a talkie, but such was his popularity and power in Hollywood that he was able to complete and release the film as a silent (albeit with recorded music) at a time when the rest of the American motion picture industry had converted to sound. Chaplin began shooting the film in 1928. Convinced that sound was just a passing fad, he decided to stick with his trademark pantomimic style. However, halfway through production he realized that the talkies werent going away after all so he shut down the film and tried to figure out how to incorporate sound. Production was also hindered by the Wall Street Crash. The end result - “City Lights,” as a silent film, was Chaplin’s most financially successful and critically acclaimed films despite being released well into the sound era. “City Lights” was Mr. Chaplin’s longest cinematic undertaking. It was in production for over three years, from December 1927 to January 1931. Even so, Chaplin he only shot for 180 days. Production was delayed on several occasions. In 1929, one break lasted 62 days. That wouldn’t happen now! -- -- -- Reminder –Tonight on ABC – 9:00 PM – NY Med Commentary for NY Med – (Drawn from previous Dispatches but amended) 10:00-11:00 PM - NY Med (Thursday nights on ABC) - This is a medical documentary series that follows the medical staffs and patients of Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center (both a part of New York–Presbyterian Hospital in New York City) as well as Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York and University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. The series is produced by ABC News. Each episode in this well-done 8-part quality realty series (now only 2 parts remain) deals with the gritty world of trauma surgeons and hospital staff. It provides an excellent and visceral insight into high stakes medicine through the human experience of unforgettable real-life characters. Executive producer Terry Wrong: Medicine is a universal subject. At some point in our lives we, or those we love, will become patients for one reason or another. This series takes you behind the curtain to learn about those we depend on to fix us and how sometimes they just cant. -- -- -- Observational Notes (revised and improved) - Film Students – take special note of the structure of the program and the action cinematography most of which had to be done on the “fly.” Think in terms of handheld composition and movement to follow the fast action as it happens. Note Lighting – Available and Generated - and observe the artistic acceptability of mixed color temperatures if and when they occur. In this kind of production creative tweaking of the lighting is not always possible, for camera placement, composition and camera movement, as well as lighting, light controlling media and production value emphasis must be prioritized according to the characters, action, story and subject matter at hand. Aspiring Camera Dept., Electric Dept. and Grip Dept folks, think of all production issues and equipment that might pertain to your respective departments and crew positions. For example, Camera Assistants, think in terms of staging your camera equipment carts for ready access but also to remain clear of the fast and fleeting subject action and what is necessary to follow that action. Camera Operators – pursuant to camera selection, note what hand held apparatuses you might need for shooting an assignment like this. Gaffers and Electricians – think in terms of where and how to mount small luminaires and what instruments to use. Peruse industry websites of suppliers and manufactures to examine the new LED and Fluorescent units that might be useful for this kind of lighting assignment. Grips – think about ways of mounting, masking or flagging lighting units in hard-to-rig situations. Note the interior architecture of the different locations on a shot-by-shot basis. Camera Grips, think of all possible dolly selections for when shots might require a more solid moving and articulating platform than handheld or Steadicam. Note potentially smooth hospital floors to avoid track. And think out-of-the-box when considering production budget and logistical challenges. For example – if adequate size film dollies are not available for whatever reason, what might serve as reasonable alternatives – hint (wheel chairs; gurneys, both readily in hospitals). Aspiring Sound Mixers and Boom Operators - be aware of audio capture. See if you can estimate what sound equipment was used on this series and the audio capture challenges therein. --- --- --- Thoughts - From the energized mind of Charles Chaplin - “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.” “A tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure.” “I thought I would dress in baggy pants, big shoes, a cane and a derby hat. everything a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large.” “Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.” “I do not have much patience with a thing of beauty that must be explained to be understood. If it does need additional interpretation by someone other than the creator, then I question whether it has fulfilled its purpose.” “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” --- --- --- --- Look, Listen, Learn – in 360. Enjoy the magic. And be safe out there. Frost
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:37:44 +0000
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