SPASA TVC 2007

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Synopsis

This piece is a journey through some of the Disciplines & Specialties at UNTEC SPASA.

These Specialty areas of professional study and application are presented as a series of Experiences, woven
together through the visual motif of a continually forward-moving camera. The only time it’s not in full
forward-motion is when it slows down to an almost-static pause to “look in” on each of the following
Experiences.

The transitions between each Experience on our journey will be accomplished by a live element within the
scene serving as a frame-wipe to reveal the next vignette. For example, the transition out of the Performance
Technology vignette will consist of a stagehand rolling a flat. As the flat wipes frame left-to-right, everything
on the left side of it is the next vignette. The camera is moving forward throughout all vignettes, so as one
wipes to the other, the motion will remain constant.

 Film & TV vignette - I

SETTING: A richly verdant dell with a magnificent waterfall. Dappled light filters through the trees. Silver
ferns tell us we’re in New Zealand.
ACTION: We begin with an ECU of a Woman’s face - b/w, letterboxed (1.85). As a light wind gently blows
her hair, a tear rolls down her face Camera Left, while a waterfall cascades into a pool behind her Camera
Right. As the camera begins to pull back, the first sound we hear is a Director offscreen saying “Cut”.
Camera continues to pull back from the Woman, image expands to full TV, turns to colour, whilst we do a
180° circular move around to see, over the Woman’s shoulder, a film crew reconfiguring for another take, the
Director walking up to her to give her notes. Now we quickly move through that set and onto our journey
through the rest of the school.

 Dance vignette

SETTING: Sunlit Dance studio. Walls are white, conveying an open and airy workshop-studio environment.
The feeling is bright and fresh. Dancers wearing colourful garb.
ACTION: We descend into, then move through, a group of dancers in motion. In the foreground is Michael
Parmenter, the tutor/choreographer, commenting to the dancers about their work. We follow him in CU
through the dancers. They are gliding in pairs across frame. Michael turns around to express enthusiastic
approval of one of the dancers. Just after he turns, another dancer does his/her move in between Michael and
the camera, wiping frame. This is our transition.

 Editing vignette

SETTING: Edit Bay with a clean, hi-tech feel. All we see are the two people editing and the editing system
itself. The main components here, two computer monitors, one program display monitor and a waveform
monitor, are casting a technological-magical glow on the faces of the Editor and the Director who are deeply
involved in their project. The brand new MacPro hard drive, the small patch bay and the editor’s keyboard
are each in their own small pools of light, as well.
ACTION: Editorial assistant (shot chin to knee in fg), placing tapes on bench by editor, who then smiles
thanks and turns to monitor. As the Director is suggesting a different type of cut, Editor complies with one
hand on mouse and one hand on keyboard. Camera graces tapes, sails between Editor and Director whilst
gently diving for the keyboard. As soon as we see keyboard, editors hands enter frame as camera tilts up to,
moves towards, then dives into monitor, which contains our next scene. This entire vignette is shot no wider
than MCU, and is made in one fluid move.
 SPASA TVC 2007
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 Acting vignette

SETTING: Acting workshop. Sun streaming through windows at the back of the room, reflecting off the rich
wood floors. This feels like a place where creativity and technical craft meet. A circle of acting students
stands in mid-room. In the center of the circle stand a pair of actors with their tutor, Elizabeth Hawthorne.
The acting students standing the surrounding circle are all deeply focused on the action transpiring in the
middle. Elizabeth is working them through an improvisation exercise.
ACTION: As our camera penetrates the circle and moves towards the couple, the man attempts to embrace
the woman. She thrusts him away quickly. With this, the tutor gestures, with a flourish, as a suggestion that
she (the actress) might even just quickly leave. Tutor’s arm movement wipes the frame as our transition.

 Diploma vignette (Performance Technology, Scenic, Wardrobe Technology)

SETTING: Backstage in a theatre space which is abuzz with activity in the final moments of preparation
before a tech rehearsal. This is a dense but clearly-organized frame. A lot going on. As theatres are, this
space is fundamentally dark, but the stage area is washed with splashes of colourful stage lighting. This feels
like a space where exciting things are about to happen.
ACTION: Camera moves with fingers (CU in FG) fading up a dimmer on a lighting desk. As the dimmer
fades up, in the deep background we see, across the stage, a light fading up. This reveals someone putting
props on a mantle which is part of the stage scenery. As the camera pushes past the dimmer board, we see
that we are in the wings of a fairly large stage. We also see other actors waiting in the wings across the stage
for their cues to enter. The stage itself occupies the right 2/3 of frame. The left 1/3 of frame consists of a
wardrobe rack sitting just off stage in the wings closest to us. This rack is filled with a colourful cornucopia
of costumes, promising an exciting production being prepared for. A wardrobe technologist is taking a period
coat off the rack and placing it on an actor who is about to enter stage. Onstage already, an actress finds her
light and waits for the actor to enter. As soon as the actor leaves frame, a silhouetted stagehand enters CL
pulling a smaller flat, which is our wipe transition.

 Film & TV vignette - II

As our journey concludes, we find ourselves on the waterfall movie set where we began. Only this time,
we’re moving in the opposite direction, from the “back” of the set forward. As we glide through the set of
busy crew members in the final stages of readiness for the next take, we come upon our Actress. We circle
around her head-and-shoulders and focus on the Director standing next to the Camera. We move past the
Actress, over her shoulder. We are now just seeing the Director and the Camera. The Director is now looking
directly at us: straight into the lens. A beat, then she says “Action”. Fade to graphic. As we glide through
that set, we hear the AD o/s saying things like “OK, lock it up – and roll please”; Sound: “speed”; Clapper:
“marker” – by this time we’re at Director, who looks at us and calls Action. The effect here is that the viewer
is called to action.
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30-sec. spot Breakdown

duration elapsed

1 Opening Film Set scene 8 sec. :08 Light

2 Dance vignette 3 sec. :11 Light

3 Editing vignette 3 sec. :14 Dark

4 Acting vignette 3 sec. :17 Light

5 Diploma vignette 3 sec. :20 Dark

6 Closing Film Set scene 5 sec. :25 Light

7 End tag 5 sec. :30

Floating Graphic

Graphic typography, related to the content of each scene, will float through each vignette.
The actual text will be set in accordance with Marketing’s specifications, but could include
some of the following:

DANCE VIGNETTE:
Real Contemporary Dance and/or
Real Choreography

EDITING VIGNETTE:
Real Editing or
Real Digital Editing or
Real Non-linear Editing

ACTING VIGNETTE:
Real Acting or
Real Acting Workshops or
Real Acting Training

DIPLOMA VIGNETTE:
Real Stage Lighting
Real Scenic
Real Wardrobe Technology
Real Theatre

FILM SET VIGNETTE(S):

Real Movie Lighting
Real Film Sound
Real Cinematography
Real Film Directing
Real Screen Acting.