Planning
Treatment
My piece is a documentary called 'The point of pointe shoes'. It will be exploring the ballet dancers' tool of the trade. It will include the history of pointe shoes, what they are made of, how they are made, what they are made of and how to safely use them.
It will take place in a dance studio and a backstage dressing room. The first part of the documentary will be about the history, manufacture and anatomy of the pointe shoe. It will be filmed in a dancers dressing room with the dancer talking directly to the camera complimented with stock footage diagrams as necessary. The second part will be filmed in a dance studio and will have the dance demonstrating pointe shoe techniques and exercises.
If filming at location is unavailable due to COVID-19 restrictions then I will be filming at home by using bedroom furniture to create the dressing room and green screen technology to create the dance studio.
PLAN A. If filming is to take place at college using the dance studio and filming the dressing room scene at home
PLAN B. If filming at location is unavailable due to COVID-19 restrictions, then I will be filming at home by using bedroom furniture to create the dressing room and green screen technology to create the dance studio.
The documentary will use the filmmaker's (me) own involvement within the subject. I will combine the uses of script delivered to the camera and a voice over added during editing
Mediation is the process everything goes through before it reaches an audience. It is the link between the actor and the audience. Things we see in media are not reality but someone’s version of it. In my documentary the mediation process will be used on the script and how it will be written and re-written before it is finalised for production. Things we see in media are not reality but someone’s version of it.
Anchorage is the extra media that helps to anchor the meaning of the scenario in a particular way. It allows the audience to interpret the piece much easier. In my documentary I will use:
· Music – in documentaries music can carry a lot emotional weight. The music I use will link to the subject and also help enforce the large amount of work and effort needed to dance professionally
· Camera Angles – I will be cutting from a wide shot to a close up, which will help stop a scene from dragging on, but also add depth to my documentary .
· Voice over – this will act as a liaison between the action on screen and the audience.
Costumes
I will be using dance wear for the documentary consisting of ballet tights, practice tutu and dance top or leotard together with pointe shoes. The dancers hair will be in a classic ballet bun. This is a stereotypical image of a ballet dancer. Stereotyping can be used as a useful short cut for media producers to reproduce and represent groups of people. In my short documentary using a stereotypical image will save having to introduce her as a dancer by making the image easily recognisable. One of the down sides of stereotyping is that it an dehumanise people by reducing them to a few generalised personality traits.
Choosing the correct lighting in a movie is one of the more challenging tasks you’ll face. It’s possibly the most important aspect of filmmaking. It sets the mood and tone of every scene, and immerses the audience in your story.
When selecting your lighting kit, you’re faced with a LOT of options.
Lighting is one of the most important tools a videographer can use to tell a story, create a mood, and connect with the audience.
In the dressing room scene I want to create a warm intimate atmosphere with the uses of soft light. Soft light is characterized by the way it wraps light evenly around subjects and its ability to diffuse shadows, resulting in soft edges so you won't see any harsh shadows, dark areas, bold textures, or much contrast on your subject.
PLAN A I will use red LED lights to create this atmosphere.
PLAN B I will use red LED lights to create this atmosphere.
PLAN A I will use the dance studio lights. The mirrors in the studio can double the light source. This will be complimented by the use of a reflector to be used as the key light
PLAN B In the dance studio scene I want a lot of natural light enhanced by white light. I will place the key light off to one side of me to try and create a slight shadow on the opposite side of my face. I will then add a fill light on the opposite side of me to soften any harsh shadows created by the key lighting. I will also be using a back light.
· Which props and scene elements should be emphasized
· Whose perspective we’re seeing the scene through, and how much light they should be able to see
· How characters differ from one another in a frame
· Which emotions are being expressed through harshness of light, or its color
PRACTICAL SET LIGHTING
Often times, using existing lamps and light sockets around the set can be used to light a scene. This is referred to as practical lighting, and is particularly useful when you need to reveal wide portions of the set, or move around it in longer takes.
Natural film lighting refers to using and modifying the light that is already available to you at your location.
Restrict the space your dancers can cover to help you light a smaller area of the stage/space as evenly as you can
You have to decide if you want light all over to make the image light and airy, or if you want more directional light to add drama and power to the image. This decision determines the light source you use.
Sound
I will use a script will have some voice over narration.
PLAN A I will use a zoom mic
PLAN B The sound will be recorded on my phone
PLAN A and PLAN B The sound track will be added during editing.
Cameras
PLAN A I will be using 2 Panasonic cameras. Camera 1 will be stationary, camera 2 mobile.
PLAN B I will be using 1 Apple iphone XR and 1 Samsung S10. It should be noted that in plan b the crew will be unfamiliar with process of filmmaking.
Editing
PLAN A and PLAN B
I will be using Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe After Effects to edit my documentary. I will be cutting between 2 cameras and adding a some stock footage at the beginning. I will also be adding the soundtrack and opening and closing credits.
Script
“THE POINT OF POINTE SHOES” Darcey Wood |
CWA Tennyson Avenue King’s Lynn Norfolk
|
DRESSING ROOM
Scene description/opening
DARCEY
There’s one thing that says ‘ballet’ like nothing else – and that is pointe shoes. These special shoes look delicate and dainty but these specially designed and created shoes are what keeps ballerinas on the tips of their toes and dance gracefully across the stage.
My name is Darcey and I am going to show you everything there is to know about pointe shoes. So lets start with a short history lesson.
Pointe shoes started when women began to dance ballet in 1681. Pointe shoes of this period originally had heels. The first non-heeled shoe appeared in the mid-18th century when dancer Marie Camargo of the Paris Opéra Ballet performed leaps that would have been hard in conventional shoes of the age with heels.
After the French Revolution, all standard ballet shoes were flat bottomed They were secured to the feet by ribbons and incorporated pleats under the toes which enabled dancers to leap, execute turns, and fully extend their feet.
The first modern pointe shoes appeared in the early 20th-century when Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova inserted toughened leather soles into her shoes and flattened and hardened the toe area to form a box. In this way, shoes gave extra support to feet.
Making pointe shoes takes around 11 different steps. Experts train for two to three years to become qualified to make them and most of them will never have seen a ballet! Once qualified, an expert shoemaker can create around 40 pairs a day because there is no switching from left to right with pointe shoes, all are the same.
They are actually made inside out so that the stitching is hidden. In conventional pointe shoes, the box is typically made from tightly packed layers of paper and fabric that have been glued together and then shaped into an enclosure. When the glue dries, it becomes hard and provides the required stiffness.
Dance Studio
DARCEY
Pointe shoes are available in many different shapes and styles and cater to different types of feet. Even though many variations exist between each pair of pointe shoes, the basic construction remains similar. Here is a quick view of the parts of the pointe shoe.
The box makes up the front part of the shoe, the box encases the dancer's toes. Being flat, it forms a platform for the dancer to stand and balance.
The shank supports the dancer's foot area. It brings to the sole a degree of stiffness that helps create the perfect arch.
The part of the pointe shoe that covers the top of the toes is the vamp. Extending from the drawstring to the platform of the box, the length of the vamp is critical in obtaining perfect fitting pointe shoes. Usually, the length of the dancer's toes determines the vamp length.
The flat tip of the box that the dancer balances all of her weight on is known as the platform. The size of the platform depends on individual dancers' preferences. The platform is sometimes darned to protect the satin tips and also provide more traction.
The sole is at the bottom of the shoe; a narrow piece of leather which is pasted on and then stitched around the edges for additional strength.
Encasing the back of the dancer's foot, the heel ensures the shoe remains on the dancer's foot. The heel should not be so high that the satin of the heel wrinkles.
This is a small selection of pointe shoes and as you can see are all slightly different shapes and finding the perfect fit can be tricky. Professional pointe shoe fitters are used to help find the perfect shoe.
The shoes need to be customized with ribbons and you also need to protect the platform of the shoe from tearing. This can be done by darning it with cotton thread or by gluing suede patches on to the platform like this shoe.
New pointe shoes are hard and unforgiving and need to be broken in. The best way to break in any pair of pointe shoes is through exercises during pointe class. Rolling through demi-pointe makes the shank more flexible without compromising its support. Pushing gently over the box on pointe helps the shank mould to the arch so that it will curve and conform when the foot is not on pointe. Simply wearing the shoes during exercise in class will warm and moisten the toe boxes, so that they will soften and form to the toes, becoming more comfortable with each use.
Dance Studio
Darcey
I’m now going to show you some simple exercises for pointe. The first one being ‘pony trots. Start with your feet together and go through demi pointe up onto full pointe then back down through demi on one foot then repeat on other foot, slowly get quicker and quicker making sure the toe part is creasing. Simple relevés start in first position and up into fifth on pointe, you can also go out into second. Remember straight knees and pull up out of your hips.
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