Apart from me resisting the urge to care for any character who I did finally focus on, the inherant boredom that proceeded completely killed it, stone dead, purely because there was no focus, the camera operator couldn't find a frame and the director couldn't peice together the story. Just an utter shambles. I'm saying this as an audience member and not a filmmaker. I know like anyone else, how hard the process is so the fact it was even in a cinema is achievement enough.
It brings up the whole cutting / time argument which I always found interesting and the advent of less structured cinematography.
The dawn of the MTV generation in the 90's, married with the forever dwindling attention spans of audiences in the last decade, has spawned a kind of overstylised kind of montage and imagery that attracts your attention by keeping your brain occupied by the speed of it as opposed to the clarity of what it is actually saying. You can conjure up notable directors like Michael Bay (although I quite like his films; The Rock, awesome) whose (5) second a cut has seen him hit billion dollar turnover's at the box office, yet very little critical acclaim, which sometimes doesn't really matter when the money begins to roll into the pot. Music video sylings that erupt in a (2) minute video, maybe not tolerated so much in the course of a (2) hour film. I look at films like The Battle of Algiers or A Bout De Soufle or Shadows or The French Connection moving towards Traffic, when I refer to the slightly less structured sense of cinematography where the camera provides the sense of one watching events unfold as opposed to being structured for a significant dramatic effect, much how events unfold in reality. The camera holds a balettic sense of capturing the action to a tee, perfectly and within the confines of time within a single take. I look at Godard's Weekend or Altman's Short Cuts. The mark of a directors true talents unmasked and unhinged within the terrifying confines of a single take.
It's the balance between style over storytelling. When the style dictates your storytelling and gets in the way of providing the audience with the information they need in order to engage with the story, is when you fundamentally turn the medium into video art, as opposed to entertainment. Controversially, contradicting my own filmic aesthetic, I would rather strive for the balance, something lovely to look at, which only cuts when it needs to or for effect, that tells a fascinating and engaging story.
Engaging story is where it lies. It dictates everything. Dictates what you shoot, how you shoot and how decisions are made to visually advance the story so there is universal understanding from an audience. I guess, with The Job, what we have is story; just simple non-contrived story.
I am reaching the close date when I finished the orginal 100-page script end of last year, when the title was still working, there was four writers on the roster and everything got very exciting for us.
Only now, things are even more exciting, the number of people interested is increasing and you suddenly feel that what your doing is worth the years you will be spending on it.
I can only speak for myself but if people keep wanting it, I'll make sure it happens.
I can only speak for myself but if people keep wanting it, I'll make sure it happens.
Ryan Jon Amey Henderson
Co-Creator/Co-writer