Beyond Memory"

University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses Spring 5-13-2016 Can the Good Man Be Happy? The Production of "Beyond Memory" Madison Beaudet University of New Orleans, New Orleans, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Part of the Film Production Commons Recommended Citation Beaudet, Madison, "Can the Good Man Be Happy? The Production of "Beyond Memory"" (2016). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 2129. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2129 This Thesis-Restricted is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis-Restricted in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Thesis-Restricted has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Can the Good Man Be Happy? The Production of “Beyond Memory” A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts In Film & Theatre Arts Film Production by Madison Beaudet B.A. Portland State University, 2012 May 2016 Copyright 2016, Madison Beaudet ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures .................................................................................................................................. v Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER II – INFLUENCES ....................................................................................................... 2 CHAPTER III – WRITING THE SCRIPT ...................................................................................... 5 PART 1 – GENRE AND STRUCTURE ............................................................................... 5 PART 2 – EARLY DRAFTS ................................................................................................. 9 PART 3 – LATER DRAFTS ............................................................................................... 10 PART 4 – VALENTINE ...................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER IV – CINEMATOGRAPHY ....................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER V – PRODUCTION DESIGN AND LOCATIONS ................................................... 17 PART 1 – BASIC APPROACH .......................................................................................... 17 PART 2 – WARDROBE ..................................................................................................... 17 PART 3 – LOCATIONS & SET DECORATION ............................................................... 18 PART 4 – PROPS ................................................................................................................ 20 CHAPTER VI – CASTING ........................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER VII – PRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 24 CHAPTER VIII – EDITING ......................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER IX – SOUND DESIGN & SCORE ............................................................................. 33 CHAPTER X – COLOR CORRECTION ..................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER XI – EVALUATION .................................................................................................. 35 CHAPTER XII – CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 37 References ...................................................................................................................................... 39 Appendices ..................................................................................................................................... 42 Appendix A: Figures ............................................................................................................ 42 Appendix B: “Isolated Together: Existentialism in Film Noir, Auteur Criticism and Nicholas Ray ................................................................................................................ 45 Appendix C: “The Limits of Control: A Case Study in the Morality of Decentralizing Narrative in Film” ................................................................................................................ 68 Appendix D: Shooting Script ............................................................................................... 84 Appendix E: Death Wears a Sweet Perfume (March 2015 draft) ...................................... 100 Appendix F: In a Scent (April 2015 draft) ......................................................................... 118 Appendix G: Budget .......................................................................................................... 132 Appendix H: Schedule ....................................................................................................... 138 Appendix I: Cast and Crew List ......................................................................................... 140 Appendix J: Film Reference .............................................................................................. 141 Appendix K: Vita ............................................................................................................... 142 iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS University of New Orleans UNO Assistant Director AD Over the Shoulder OTS Point of View POV Automatic Dialog Replacement ADR iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Still from Le Samouraï (reference for Valentine’s room) .............................................. 42 Figure 2: Still from The Big Sleep ................................................................................................ 42 Figure 3: Comparison between Zia’s handkerchief and Bergson’s diagram ................................. 43 Figure 4: Still from The Darjeeling Limited .................................................................................. 43 Figure 5: Perfume bottle design ..................................................................................................... 44 Figure 6: Still from Le Samouraï (reference for edge frame composition) ................................... 44 vi ABSTRACT This paper details the production of the short film Beyond Memory from conception through completion. Particular attention is paid to the application of Deleuze’s time-image and film noir as a genre. Keywords: noir; Deleuze; Beyond Memory; film vi I – INTRODUCTION “...the simultaneity in one image of two things that would happen sequentially on the page – the train entering the station, the rain falling. In his view the cinema does automatically what literature wants to do and cannot: it connects two ideas in one time.” Richard Brody, Everything is Cinema p. 68 This paper seeks to detail the making of my thesis film Beyond Memory through the stages of development, pre-production, production and post-production. Rather than serving as a journal, this document is intended to explore the ideas that shaped the film and how I have tried to situate myself within a genre, engage theoretical and philosophical concepts, and explore the medium’s expressive capabilities. The first section outlines some of the major intellectual influences on the project, particularly the concepts of philosopher Giles Deleuze. Over the past couple of years, Deleuze has been a source of both intellectual stimulation and artistic inspiration. His book Cinema 2: the time-image provided much of the conceptual framework for Beyond Memory and shaped my approach to film as a medium. Next, I detail the process of writing the script with considerable attention paid to film noir as a genre. I utilize Andrew Dickos to explicate noir iconography, structure and character archetypes and Stephen Faison to provide an existential reading of these elements. I also draw from the novels and essays of Raymond Chandler for further examination of the private detective figure. After demonstrating my understanding of the genre, I describe how these ideas were employed throughout the various drafts of the script. The following sections explain the decisions made to turn these ideas into concrete expressions with cinematography, production design and casting. Section VII describes the major problems and successes on the set of Beyond Memory. Then, the editing, sound design and score, and color correction sections show how those expressions were refined. The final two sections evaluate successes

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