El Planeta

The event I chose to observe was a screening for the film El Planeta at the Roxy Cinema located in The Roxy Hotel. The screening of the film was followed by a Q&A with writer, director and star, Amalia Ulman. I would consider myself to be a cinephile, so I usually go out of my way to find independent films to watch. Independent films are usually huge inspirations for me. Hearing stories of how the filmmakers worked within a small budget, used cheap gear, as well as how the film came to be always inspires me to make my own someday. El Planeta happened to be one that I saw last year. 

About The Film

I already knew some background information of the film before going into the screening. First of all, this was writer/director/actor Amalia Ulman’s first feature length film. Not only did she write and direct it, she was also the lead of the film and even had her mother, Ale Ulman, co-star as her mother in the film. One reason for the screening was that, since it was released during the pandemic, it never got a chance to play in theaters, although it participated in film festivals, almost all of those were changed to virtual events as well. This screening was the first time the director , Amalia Ulman, got to experience it with a crowd. 

The First Few Steps

The screening was held at the Roxy Cinema on March 25th at 8:00pm. From the moment I stepped in, this place was not like anything I’ve ever seen before. The place was dimly lit, with brick walls, dark wooden floors, and filled with people talking to their friends at the bar. The front desk is the first thing when you walk in to which I asked where the cinema was and I was led downstairs. The closer and closer I got to the steps the more I heard music thumping. Walking down the stairs the music became clearer and I noticed there was the cinema and right next to it was a jazz club called The Django. Outside Across the room was the concession stand for the cinema. Not only would you get snacks and drinks there, you’d even check in to get your tickets. 

The screening had just sold out the night before, which gave it an almost more of a special feeling to be a part of it. I arrived about 20 minutes early and there were only a handful of people in the cinema in their seats when I walked in. As we got closer to 8:00, seats started to get filled more and more and what was a quiet room became a room filled with chatter as audience members started to chat with one another. Not necessarily talking about anything in particular. The time was around 8:15 and the lights dimmed down and the curtains rolled back and the film was about to start. 

The Reactions

As the film started, almost everyone jolted as the audio started, as the volume was really loud, almost a little too loud for how small the cinema was. Although the audio stayed like that through the entire runtime. The film features these small vignettes with each character where all the audio goes away and it cuts to a close up of the character. The crowd laughed the first time this happened as well as the times it happened later in the film. 

The unique editing didn’t just stop there, as a transition that was used multiple times throughout was a page wipe. Which almost looked right out of an old Powerpoint presentation. I’ve never seen anything like it in another film, and neither did the rest of the crowd as they all laughed at it. 

As the film went on, I kept looking around the room and never noticed anyone looking on their phones, nor was anyone talking during the film. I’m assuming a crowd that would come see an indie film like this, would be respectful of the film and keep their attention on the film, and the crowd I was with did. 

However, at the end of the film, when the words “Fin.” appeared on screen, one audience member audibly said “What?” out loud. The end is abrupt, although I thought the ending was straightforward and clear, obviously someone else did not. As the credits rolled, the crowd still clapped and cheered and we all awaited for the Q&A. 

Question & Answer Time

The Q&A began at around 9:40, meaning there was 20 minutes until the next screening began. As the director and moderators sat down, they introduced themselves and immediately asked for questions. 

Everyone was curious about why the film was edited the way it was, to which Amalia Ulman had replied that she used to make powerpoints for school, and almost always used the page wipe transition between slides. So she asked herself how’d it look in a film, and liked the way it came out and kept it in. Another question that was asked was about the cinematography, why the film was shot in black and white. Amalia replied that keeping the film black and white helped keep the budget low. Hiring someone to color correct the film would have been a large expense. Which is often the case for black and white films today. 

Conclusion 

Observing the screening of El Planeta, I noticed how they’re are so many more people with similar interests as me out there. I’m always intrigued by details and facts about behind the scenes. Whether that be why the film looks the way it looks, sounds the way it sounds, and so much more. When these audience members asked these questions, you can tell they’re truly interested in what Amalia had to say. Possibly because they wanna become filmmakers themselves, or wanna improve on their filmmaking.

Reflection

When I first started thinking about which event I’d go to observe, two came to mind, one was the screening that I ended up observing the other was a concert that I knew I’d be attending. I did not choose the concert as it landed on April 9th so it just wouldn’t have worked out. I was excited to go to the screening since I have since the film before and I always find it interesting listening to directors/writers talk about their work and why they did what they did and the way they did such things. I went in hoping to learn something that would even inspire me the smallest amount to finish some personal projects of my own. Hearing which camera they used, and how they stayed within budget certainly helps someone like me who wants to make a short film sometime soon.

Writing this paper, I’d hope whoever reading it would be interested in watching the movie El Planeta. Maybe even look more into the process of filmmaking itself. It’s something that I was always interested in, even when I was a kid. Today, as I made my way to CCNY on Convent Ave there was a film shoot. Just seeing all the crew and equipment gets me giddy. 

As far as the course learning outcomes that were applied during my writing process, I was able to develop and engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes and enhance my strategies for reading, drafting, revising, editing and self-assessment. This go around, I felt as if I had a better grasp as to what needed to be revised and edited even before I was peer reviewed. The peer review certainly helped but I’m glad that I caught onto some of my own mistakes early on. I was able to dive deeper into the collaborative aspect of writing much more with this paper then the last as me and Kianna gave each other some help even outside of the class of peer review.