The cinetrix, like Bill Murray's Herman Blume, finds herself in the shit this week, which is why it's been so quiet around here. Yes, it's finals, which means that a stack of papers beckons, in addition to the usual pesky freelance responsibilities.
The good news is that on the whole, the kiddies' work has been solid and, in some cases, even pleasantly surprising. However, the cinetrix finds herself wrestling with a phenomenon she's certain other film folks have faced: students referring to a sequence by its chapter name on the DVD. Granted, it becomes increasingly likely that filmmakers will construct their movies with an eye to their eventual DVD bow, but at present it's hard for me to believe that some chapter titles aren't simply descriptive afterthoughts drummed up by marketing departments and packagers.
Now I'm no hidebound auteurist, but it does bother me that my students might consider these titles as meriting equal consideration with, say, casting choices, lighting schemes, scoring, and what have you. That may be a discussion for another semester. In the short term, should there at least be [is there already?] some standard manner in which they reference chapter titles? Or should I insist on a strict minutes-into-the-movie approach in the unlikely event a reader might be consulting a VHS cassette or, hell, a 16mm print from Swank?
Third option: Does it matter not a nonce and am I just procrastinating? Your guess is as good as mine.
Back to it.
