The Brief

For this task you will need a minimum of 15 minutes of recorded film or TV drama footage.  It could be your favourite soap, part of a film, or a collection of music where there is a new ‘cut’ or change in shot and ‘thumbnail’ these key scenes.

This is a great task for learning to quickly map out a scene where you will shift the pace and focus away from careful steady drawing to quick and speedy.  It’s a brilliant exercise for getting used to working at pace and will help you to redraw and replan work without getting stuck in the laborious trap of redrafting with too much detail.  Look to draw with clear singular lines and blocks of colour, be reductive by using economy within your drawing so you only draw what is most needed to describe the scene.

Limit your time to explore how many frames you can get done in up to a 2 hour time period but aim for at least 20 frames in a sequence, covering the variety of shots and cuts from your chosen footage.

My response to the brief

I have chosen the movie Erin Brockovich for this exercise.  I have used the start of the movie where they introduce the characters.  The attention to detail in this movie is incredible.  Every shot was carefully considered to draw attention to the narrative and to clearly communicate with the viewer.

I have used three pencils to do my drawings.  One thick graphite pencil to quickly fill in big spaces in grey, a regular pencil and a 0.5mm clutch pencil for details.

The movie starts with the interviewer talking, and the screen is black. This is to draw the viewer’s attention to the question or statement, “You have no actual medical training.”

Frame 2 is where Erin Brockovich is introduced to the audience. It’s a close-up of her face, showing clearly her expressions, makeup, and bare shoulders with a lace-strap top. She is talking to the interviewer.

Frame 3 shows the rest of Erin Brockovich by cutting to a half-body shot, where the viewer can observe more of this character by revealing what she looks like, what she is wearing, how she is sitting, etc.

Frame 4 returns to another close-up of Erin Brockovich’s face as she tilts her head and explains how her life has gone wrong and why she could not study to become a doctor.

In Frame 5, the camera shows the interviewer, whose face shows he is shocked by Brockovich’s answers and stories. He then starts explaining to her that this is not the job for her, and they cut to the next frame (Frame 6), where Erin Brockovich stands against a wall smoking, clearly frustrated.

Frame 7 shows her putting out the cigarette by standing on it with one foot. As she moves her left foot backwards to scrape the cigarette away, her other leg is revealed, and she is wearing a golden ankle chain.  This tells us more, by means of a visual language, about Erin Brockovich’s character.

Frames 8 and 9 are where she walks to her car, gets in and drives away.

Frame 10 then shows how another driver crashes into her car.

Frame 11 cuts into a scene in a lawyer’s office.  A middle-aged man walks into the door and greets the reception lady.  The name of the firm is clearly visible against the wall.  It is interesting to see how the director uses light and dark to draw the viewer’s eye to the man walking in.

In Frame 12, we see more of the office as he walks through the offices.  The camera angle shows the ceiling as well to create a feeling of deep perspective.  Once again, the director uses light to keep the viewer’s gaze on the main character of the scene.

Frame 13 shows an overall scene in which he stands in front of his office, with his secretary sitting at her desk, also in front of his office.  He then has a conversation with his secretary. 

The secretary tells him that his appointment is here, and they cut to a close-up scene of his face. He turns his head in the direction of the waiting room where Erin Brockovich is standing. (Frame 14) It is interesting to see how they frame the screen by showing the back of his secretary right up against the camera, drawing attention to his face and expression.

As he turns his head, they cut to Frame 15, which shows Erin Brockovich standing in the waiting area wearing a neck brace and looking around.  

The camera then goes back to a close-up of the man’s face to show his response to what he has just seen. (Frame 16)

In Frame 17, the close-up of the secretary shows her explaining further about his appointment, and the camera shows his reaction to what she just said in Frame 18 while he puts on his blazer.

In Frame 19, he walks towards Erin Brockovich to greet her with his hand while he apologises for keeping her waiting.

Frame 20 is a close-up of Erin Brockovich to show her reaction to his apology.

My reflection

When I started drawing in the beginning, it took me a while to get into drawing faster, but once I started concentrating more on getting the dark-toned areas down, the drawing went much faster.

It is interesting to see how perspective is created by framing the long rectangle frame with either an object in the foreground or the opposite person in the conversation. In this scene, there are many light sources everywhere, such as light coming from small windows, blinds, or many ceiling lights. The contour lines of the ceiling also create depth and perspective.  The most contrast is usually around the focal point of the scene.

Every frame in the sequence keeps the viewer in the loop by keeping a thread from the previous frame to the next; for example, he talks to his secretary in front of his office.  This establishes the scene.  The next shot is a close-up of his face with his secretary’s back right up against the camera, showing that they are having a conversation.  Even though they change the shot, they will still give the viewer orientated of how the camera is travelling through the scene.

This exercise helped me draw faster and explore new and exciting angles while keeping sequencing in mind.