Keskarel this week: A message from Chris Arthur-Henly Robinson: Act 2, Scene 3 rewrite

from Christopher Robinson
to sylviatoyindustries
date Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 5:14 PM
subject Re: Beat 3 Actor's Script with shot setups numbered

Hello Sylvia, I think this is a pretty good representation of what we
discussed yesterday-

Beat Two Continued…

(On the subject of why K left home and went to live on the other side of town.)

K is fixing dinner for her husband; he is sitting at their table
reading a Russian newspaper.
a. Wide shot of K as we hear a bell sound, she walks to the oven and
takes out a chicken. (It is a whole chicken like the kind they sell in
China town.) We follow her (Medium shot with the hand held as she sets
the chicken on the table and smiles.
b. Close up of the chicken as it rest on the table.
c. Medium shot of K’s husband as he say’s, “Is this it? All you made
was a chicken?”
d. Medium shot of K as she says, “I am sorry I didn’t know that you
wanted any sides.”
e. Medium shot of K’s husband as picks at his chicken and say’s, “Its okay.”
f. Fade into an extreme close up of his mouth as he picks the chicken
with his hands, cut in to him putting the chicken in his mouth. Fade
out to a close up as we watch him chew, he eventually lets it dribble
out from his mouth in a lame attempt at spitting it out.
g. Wide shot of the two of them as they watch the food fall to the
table and they stare at it. The camera goes to a medium shot of K who
asks, “What’s wrong with it?”
h. Wide medium shot of husband as he says, “Nothing.”
i. Medium close up shot of K as she lays her head down and mumbles,
“Nothing you just spit it out.”
j. Medium shot of K’s husband as he laughs. “It’s just a little dry.
(We hear sobbing from the other side of the table, but keep the camera
on K’s husband, who says, “Its okay you’ll get better.”
k. Wide shot of the two as K looks up and say’s. “My mother never
taught me to cook like the other mothers did.”
j. Medium shot of K’s husband as he says, “its okay.”
k. Wide medium shot of K, as she covers her face and mumbles, “When
you talk to me like this it makes my whole world go black.”
l. Wide shot of the two as her husband smiles, “I said that it is okay
I know you will get better.”
m. Close up of K’s face as she grows more discontent, it scrunching up
until she fumes. We can hear her husband trying to comfort her in the
background, he says, “Everything will be fine you are my wife and I
married a beautiful woman that gets better with everything she tries
and I know that you’ll get…”
n. Wide shot of K as she knocks glass’s and a candle enroot to the
chicken, she picks up what remains of it. (Fade out into a very wide
shot) as she runs over to her husband, as she raises the bird up he
asks, “What do you think you are doing?”
o. Close up of K’s face as she raises the chicken up in the air, cut
in to the chicken in her hand, then back to her face as it swings
down.
p. Wide shot of the two as her husband gets hit.
q. Over the shoulder shot as her husband gets hit again.
r. Wide shot as he eventually falls to the floor, K stands over him
and hits him with the chicken until he passes out.
s. She bends down and pokes at him, when he doesn’t move she begins to
scream, “What is wrong with me? I have never hurt anything in my life,
why did I hit you my love? What is wrong with me?”
t. Extreme close up of her face as she looks up at the ceiling.
u. Fade out to medium shot as we follow her with a hand held camera
and watch as she grabs for some of her things and rushes out the door.

End beat two.

Keskarel: Act One & Act Two (scenes 1 & 2)

'Keskarel Remembers' - Act 2, Scene 1

Keskarel, having witnessed her neighbors' domestic violence, remembers her own. Nice silent acting by Diana Slampyak.

March 27, 2011 story conference

Keskarel - update this weekend

Work on Keskarel resumes this weekend with a Chris/sylvia story conference. Apologies to our readers (except the web highjackers, http://www.rohandbags.com/cheap-bvlgari-jewellery-c501.html, http://www.newshotlink.net/real-estate/commercial-construction/funding-affordable-housing-with-sustainable-planning/) - while i am not a "family guy," sometimes family comes first anyway.

sylvia

Wish Keskarel luck ...

sent our first application out this morning to this amazing venue, http://alliedmedia.org/

sylvia on flashbacks

i like this way of showing flashback from Harry Potter movies - "Anyone can examine the memories in the Pensieve, which also allows viewers to fully immerse themselves in the memories stored within ... ." i want the character to stay in the here and now while having the flashback. i hate it when the character, me and the story lose track of the throughline for the sake of a flashback. ah, well - off on another storytelling adventure.
sylvia

AD Chris to sylvia: "The characters have both become so odd we have no other choice ..."

Okay I like this Sylvia will see what we can do, I told you we would have to do a flash back scene. I think we can make this a really great black comedy, or romanic dark black comedy dramady.  The characters have both become so odd we have no other choice, but to show scenes from their respective past to make them arrive at where they are now. If you have a chance I would like to meet tomorrow, maybe this time I can buy  you breakfast?
Chris

Keskarel - update this weekend: Big story development

                                                                                                                                                                                      Sat, Mar 19, 2011 at 7:54 AM

From: sylviatoyindustries

To: Christopher Robinson

Cc: diana slampyak

unfortunately, you will have to rethink everything, because i had an enlightening moment: "the thing that made K run away was that she got lost her temper and hit her husband so hard, she knocked him down. her own violence scared her so much she ran out of the house with practically nothing. for all she knows, she killed him. very important: she never ever hit or even yelled at anyone before this happened." so, 1.      they have to go outside to go to try to spy more closely on the neighbors. 2.      once they're friends, V takes K home to face her husband. that's the real end of the story. i'm sorry to make you rewrite this, but now we need the flashback scene. so, please write it with this scene interwoven with it. pasting it in so Dr D/blog audience can see it. Shot List : Act One—Beat #2 1. K is lying on the floor with a bottle of vodka by her side.             a. Aerial medium shot of K as she twitches around like a flounder and sips on vodka.             b. Close up of her face as she says “I wish we were drinking together.”             c. Aerial medium shot of K as she staggers to her feet with her eyes closed.             d. Close up of her as she opens them up. e. Pan out, medium bust shot as K as she walks to her mirror. f. Over the shoulder shot of K as she looks into the mirror, she tugs at her hair and says. “I have no where to go!” g. Mid body shot of K as she sighs and climbs over the tubs walls and stares out of her window.             g. A left hand mid level shot of K as she lifts up the blinds then the window.             h. Extreme close up exterior shot of K as she looks at two people practicing a play, all she can see is their shadows.             i. Long shot of shadows as they act out play.             j. Close up of K’s face as she watches.             k. Back to the shadows. l. Medium long shot of K as she ducts down. She puts her hands over her knees, rocks back and forth.  “I miss you.” m. Close up of her face as she says, “please find the strength to forgive me someday I can’t stand this place.” b. Medium long shot of K rising from the bathtub. c. We follow K with the camera (medium bust shot) as she walks out of her bathroom, her house, down the hall and arrives at V’s front door.             e. Long shot of K from behind as she knocks on V’s door.             f. Long shot as V as she opens her door, the camera slowly closes up on a medium over the shoulder shot as V asks, “What are you doing here?” g. Close up of K’s face as she says, “Can I come in? You’re my only friend and I saw something…” h. Over the shoulder as V interrupts with, “Oh no, no no. I would never, never; I don’t get involved with other people. I just wa…No no and I’m not your friend. What ever you saw is probably fine.” i. Close up of K as she says, “Please just let me in?” j. Over the shoulder of V as she says, “every time I see you your drunk its four n the afternoon.” k. Close up of K as she smiles and says, “this is because I always think about him and if he were here than we would be drunk together so it is okay.” l. Over the shoulder of V as she stares at K and says, “that doesn’t make any sense.” m. Close up of K, “it would if you knew.” n.” Over the shoulder as V says, “I don’t want to know I don’t care.” o. Extreme close up of K’s lips as she says, “please! I will sit by the wall; you can pretend that I am not here. p. Over the shoulder, “You can do that better at your own house.” q. Long shot from down the hall as K says, “I can’t stand it in my house.” r. Pan in to an over the shoulder shot as K says, “I can’t help you. I don’t have time for this.” She slams the door in K’s face. s. Long shot of K as she walks back towards the camera. t. We follow K into her apartment (medium bust shot) u. She opens her bathroom door and the camera follows her as she steps into the tub (faint shadows are still practicing the play) v. Long floor shot of her as she crouches down into the tub. t. Ariel medium shot of K as she lies down in her tub; we pan in on her face as she hums— End Beat 2

Keskarel this week

eager to see AD Chris's draft of a key Act 2 Scene, which he has promised to deliver today. apparently, the production is competing for his time with midterms.

once we have that scene, i will be able to shoot the Hamlet + Ophelia scene (script almost ready to post! finally!), which is part of the dreamlike sequence that i'm envisioning as an ethereal action scene projected onto Diana's/Keskarel's face. i can see it in my head, and began working it out in a shot study created from stills (http://keskarelamovie.blogspot.com/2011/02/shot-study-for-keskarel-act-2-scene-1.html). last Sunday's slightly glowing ambient light was perfect for getting a long clip of Diana's gorgeous face through Keskarel's window, and that will be the base layer of the dream/Hamlet + Ophelia sequence. look for the storyboard section of this sequence early next week.

thanks for reading.
sylvia

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Keskarel a Quicktime storyboard, Act 3

Still very rough - but the characters' growth was huge yesterday. and we are very excited that we seem to be going in the right direction with our story development. Thanks to AD Chris for the script the actors' improvisation is based on.

thanks for reading our blog.

sylvia

Keskarel and her neighbor this weekend: Improv + rehearsal

we are fortunate to have a mistress at improv for a star. Diana Slampyak has keen instincts, supreme intelligence and tremendous generosity - all the important assets of an improv actor and more. this rehearsal clip really illustrates Diana's skill. without much speaking, she drives the scene.

much thanks to AD Chris for his risk-taking shooting, and for writing this scene.

Keskarel, a Quicktime storyboard: Beat 3, Actor's Script

[AD Chris Arthur-Henly Robinson did the heavy lifting (i.e. writing) for this scene]

The electricity has gone out in Videographer’s apartment. All we see is the black of the camera as Videographer shuffles around, knocking things over.

a. Medium shot of Videographer’s door opening from the hall. DO AS PICKUP OR FROM B-ROLL
b. We only see her knees and feet as she walks to Keskarel’s door. DO AS PICKUP OR FROM B-ROLL
c. Medium shot from behind of Videographer as she knocks on the door.  Keskarel then
opens her door and stares at Videographer. After several seconds of silence Keskarel ask
Videographer, “Why are you here?” ONE/ THREE
d. Medium shot of the back of Keskarel (from inside her house) as Videographer says, “My power went out. I need to charge my battery right now or—just let me in!” TWO
e. P.O.V. medium shot of Videographer from behind as Keskarel opens her door. Keskarel walks
inside without saying anything. THREE /ONE

The door closes and we pan in on Videographer’s hand as she plugs her charger into an electrical outlet. We then go to a mid shot of Videographer as sighs and sits down next to the outlet, we do a close up of her face as she looks around the house and asks, “What’s wrong with you why don’t you have any furniture?”
b. P.O.V medium mid body shot of Keskarel as she responds with, “There is no point to furniture.” FOUR
c. P.O.V. medium mid body shot of Videographer as she shakes her head and says, “You’re in America and in this country we have furniture. Its part of the American dream, it’s why people like you come here to buy furniture.” FIVE
d. P.O.V. Close up of Keskarel as she says. ”That is not why I came here.” SIX

We pan out and watch Keskarel as she takes a drink of something, we close in
on her face as she say’s

a. “I have no American dream, I have no Russian dream, the only dream I dream is my husband.” SIX
b. P.O.V. Close up|We pan over to Videographer as she laughs to herself. She looks up at Keskarel and then says, “I don’t see the point of moving here without a dream? A real dream you can hold in your hands and feel. I don’t care what happened to your husband, you’re here now and he is wherever—and I don’t care where, where ever is, but you need a little hope you need some furniture, a bed or a coffee table or something.” SEVEN
f. Pan back to Keskarel, she responds with “This is a free country.” SIX
g. P.O.V. medium mid body of Videographer as she giggles and says, “I suppose it is, you got that right.” EIGHT
h. P.O.V. medium mid body of Keskarel as she says, “Why do you point that camera at me when I am looking out my window or emptying my trash?” NINE
i. P.O.V. medium mid body of Videographer as she shakes here head, camera pans out and we go into a medium shot of the two as they stare at one another, Videographer then says, “I point that camera at things so I won’t forget—” EIGHT
j. P.O.V. medium mid body shot of Keskarel as she says, “Okay—would you like a drink? I mean it is Russian and I know I came here from there, but now that you’re here would you want to have a drink?” SIX
k. P.O.V. Close up of Videographer as she laughs and says, “I don’t drink.”  SEVEN
l. A long shot of the girls from down the hall as they stare at each other.
m. Pan over to Videographer (Medium shot) who is looking away, after several seconds of silence she looks back over at Keskarel and says, “Okay give me the dam thing.” TEN
n. Low Angle (medium shot) we see Keskarel hand a bottle of vodka over to Videographer.  ELEVEN
o. Close up of Videographer’s face as she takes a sip. Once she has taken a sip she spits it out all over the floor and wipes her mouth off. We pan out to show her face as Keskarel rushes to the bathroom gets some towels and mops it up.  TWELVE

oo. Full body shot. We pan out further to show Keskarel wiping it up and see Videographer saying, “That was awful, how do you drink that stuff?” THIRTEEN
p. P.O.V. medium mid body shot of Keskarel who folds the towels up, smiles and say’s “It makes the day go by faster.” FOURTEEN
q. P.O.V. medium mid body shot of Videographer who says, “What happened to you? You live here by yourself—I guess it isn’t my business.” FIFTEEN
r. Long shot from the hall of Keskarel & Videographer as Keskarel bangs her hand against the wall and says “None of your business you make everything your business.” SIXTEEN
s. Close up of Videographer as she looks away at her charger, which is still blinking red. TWELVE

SS. Pan out to show Keskarel getting up, once up she extends her hand. Videographer looks up at her then back at her charger as Keskarel says, “I want to show you something. I don’t want to fight, I am sorry.” ELEVEN
t. Close up of Videographer as she says “I’m fine right here” TWELVE
u. Pan out (medium shot to show Keskarel with her hand still extended. After several seconds Videographer reaches for it and up she goes.  SEVENTEEN

We switch to the left side, behind the bathroom door and pan out to show Keskarel as she pulls Videographer into her arms.
a. Shot from above as Videographer is reluctant. EIGHTEEN
b. P.O.V. medium mid body shot of Videographer as backs away, brushes her self off and says, “What are you doing hugging me?”  NINETEEN
c. P.O.V. Close up of Keskarel as she shrugs her shoulder and says “I have no friends or husband to show it to, but you.” TWENTY
d. Medium/long mid body shot of Videographer and Keskarel as Videographer shakes her head and says “I’m not your friend honey. Sane people don’t live in houses with no furniture, not in America,” You need a man or somebody to get you some furniture. I TWENTY ONE

dd. P.O.V. Close up of Keskarel as she says: “I have - I had a husband - I only want to know one husband.

ddd.  Medium/long shot of Videographer and Keskarel as Keskarel says: A man is not always a good thing. I have to show you something, please” TWENTY ONE
e. From down the hall we film Keskarel as she grips Videographer’s hand and guides her into the bathroom. Keskarel says "I need you to turn on camera." We stay on the door until it shuts. SIXTEEN

End Beat 3.

Keskarel - update this weekend

way too much to do, my friends! ay yi yi.

Sunday, Diana Slampyak & Nena St. Louis will be 1) rehearsing and 2) shooting Keskarel + Videographer scenes that Chris wrote for Act 3 of Keskarel. Chris will be directing with moi teching and watching his back. lots of setups on Sunday - i think this shoot is going to turn into two.

Chris started working on the 'keystone' scene of Keskarel's story arc this week. it is a 2-week assignment, but he's excited about it and hopes to have a draft to post sooner than that.

  

i have been SEO'ing my brains out this week, and doing marketing research for Keskarel, and still have not written the Hamlet + Ophelia scene/s yet. i will just have to find my back into the writer part of my brain somehow.

too much to do but more to come ...

sylvia

A message from sylviatoyindustries

i love art - create your own little world and then explain it in your own words. however, since particularly if you're a solo artist, your own words usually don't get you press: if you're a video performance artist and 1) you need somebody who claims to be a critic to get a quote from and 2) nobody in your vid does anything disturbing except in character and with motivation that make sense according the throughline, send me a link + one sentence summary of the throughline. C A V E A T: not even the most fabulous thumbnail will make me watch/write unless you send me a one-sentence summary of throughline. 

i'm on FB at ifitsnotaboutamovieitsnothere.

sylvia

sylvia's March 6, 2011 report of story conference

have a great week.

- sylvia

Keskarel - update this weekend

AD Chris and i will be on our feet with a Hamlet + Ophelia improvisation, creating scene/dialogue for our two actor characters, whose rehearsals Keskarel mistakes as domestic violence. watch for a video pasteup of our story conference early next week, AD Chris's polished script to follow apace.
sylvia

Keskarel this week: Chris's Assignment

Wed, Mar 2, 2011 at 3:25 AM

From: sylviatoyindustries To: Christopher Robinson

this is what i have to go to LA to shoot (both actors there): i need a scene with two actors rehearsing these bits (below) from Hamlet, with dialogue and banter that would be normal between two scene partners. let's talk about it, but meantime please watch the Hamlet videos that are embedded on the Keskarel blog, especially the Kenneth Branagh: HAMLET    Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;     And thus the native hue of resolution     Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,     And enterprises of great pith and moment     With this regard their currents turn away,     And lose the name of action.--Soft you now!     The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons     Be all my sins remember'd. OPHELIA     Good my lord,     How does your honour for this many a day? HAMLET     I humbly thank you; well, well, well. OPHELIA     My lord, I have remembrances of yours,     That I have longed long to re-deliver;     I pray you, now receive them. HAMLET     No, not I;     I never gave you aught. OPHELIA     My honour'd lord, you know right well you did;     And, with them, words of so sweet breath composed     As made the things more rich: their perfume lost,     Take these again; for to the noble mind     Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.     There, my lord. HAMLET     Ha, ha! are you honest? OPHELIA     My lord? HAMLET     Are you fair? OPHELIA     What means your lordship? HAMLET     That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should     admit no discourse to your beauty. OPHELIA     Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than     with honesty? HAMLET     Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner     transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the     force of honesty can translate beauty into his     likeness: this was sometime a paradox, but now the     time gives it proof. I did love you once. OPHELIA     Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so. HAMLET     You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot     so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of     it: I loved you not. OPHELIA     I was the more deceived. HAMLET     Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a     breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest;     but yet I could accuse me of such things that it     were better my mother had not borne me: I am very     proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at     my beck than I have thoughts to put them in,     imagination to give them shape, or time to act them     in. What should such fellows as I do crawling     between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves,     all; believe none of us. Go thy ways to a nunnery.     Where's your father? OPHELIA     At home, my lord. HAMLET     Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the     fool no where but in's own house. Farewell. OPHELIA     O, help him, you sweet heavens! HAMLET     If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for     thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as     snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a     nunnery, go: farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs     marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough     what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go,     and quickly too. Farewell. OPHELIA     O heavenly powers, restore him! HAMLET     I have heard of your paintings too, well enough; God     has given you one face, and you make yourselves     another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp, and     nick-name God's creatures, and make your wantonness     your ignorance. Go to, I'll no more on't; it hath     made me mad. I say, we will have no more marriages:     those that are married already, all but one, shall     live; the rest shall keep as they are. To a     nunnery, go.     Exit OPHELIA     O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!     The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword;     The expectancy and rose of the fair state,     The glass of fashion and the mould of form,     The observed of all observers, quite, quite down!     And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,     That suck'd the honey of his music vows,     Now see that noble and most sovereign reason,     Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh;     That unmatch'd form and feature of blown youth     Blasted with ecstasy: O, woe is me,     To have seen what I have seen, see what I see!

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