2008 Woodie Awards
Back to School
Alan Malnar
Issue date: 9/14/06 Section: Opinion
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Consider a new reality TV series entitled "Back-to-School."
Slices of life delivered in meticulous quasi-documentary fashion combine drama and humor culminating in an astonishing tale of universal appeal. Witness the gripping details-the daily incidents and accidents of college life.
Don't expect glamour and hollow entertainment here.
No islands of temptation lead weak people into moral degeneracy. Back-to-School folks have no time for such trifling nonsense. No treacherous scenes unfold in the Outback where survival of the fittest is obligatory. Back-to-school individuals, however, need patience, stamina, and fortitude to survive the rigors of academic life.
No coaching occurs off screen to create desired or fashionable effects. Nothing is stage-managed and maneuvered through trick photography, lighting, and costumes.
Back-to-School is REAL!
Some clever post-production techniques, however, do provide insight into that elusive butterfly known as the learning experience. The "cutaway shot," for example, can add extra dimension to audience perception.
Cutaways are "stand-alone" shots similar to still photography. Each shot implies individual meaning- but say you place two cutaway shots together? You can create an idea from the juxtaposition of these two images.
For example, place the shot of a ferocious dog chasing a terrified cat next to the image of an irate teacher trying to impress upon a fearful student the importance of one completing his/her homework.
The desired effect is pure visual poetry!
"Chill footage," too, adds realism to the text.
The director shoots the characters in a natural state. No interaction between director and subjects occur. The camera is simply "rolling."
Take, for example, the scene of teacher and student arguing… a quiz with a red "F" sits peacefully on the floor next to the student's foot. The teacher possesses an unbendable will. Not even a chainsaw could cut it. He feels as though he faces "insurmountable obstacles" with this "impossible" student.
Slices of life delivered in meticulous quasi-documentary fashion combine drama and humor culminating in an astonishing tale of universal appeal. Witness the gripping details-the daily incidents and accidents of college life.
Don't expect glamour and hollow entertainment here.
No islands of temptation lead weak people into moral degeneracy. Back-to-School folks have no time for such trifling nonsense. No treacherous scenes unfold in the Outback where survival of the fittest is obligatory. Back-to-school individuals, however, need patience, stamina, and fortitude to survive the rigors of academic life.
No coaching occurs off screen to create desired or fashionable effects. Nothing is stage-managed and maneuvered through trick photography, lighting, and costumes.
Back-to-School is REAL!
Some clever post-production techniques, however, do provide insight into that elusive butterfly known as the learning experience. The "cutaway shot," for example, can add extra dimension to audience perception.
Cutaways are "stand-alone" shots similar to still photography. Each shot implies individual meaning- but say you place two cutaway shots together? You can create an idea from the juxtaposition of these two images.
For example, place the shot of a ferocious dog chasing a terrified cat next to the image of an irate teacher trying to impress upon a fearful student the importance of one completing his/her homework.
The desired effect is pure visual poetry!
"Chill footage," too, adds realism to the text.
The director shoots the characters in a natural state. No interaction between director and subjects occur. The camera is simply "rolling."
Take, for example, the scene of teacher and student arguing… a quiz with a red "F" sits peacefully on the floor next to the student's foot. The teacher possesses an unbendable will. Not even a chainsaw could cut it. He feels as though he faces "insurmountable obstacles" with this "impossible" student.
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