2D animation! that's what we chose to do. but ill get to that. first off I want to stress that this was a neat little project, only took about a couple of months, wasn't too hard and I learnt a lot from it. perfect. It was nice of Steve to let us decide as a class what we wanted to do for this project and most people did want to do this so it was all good. It was a little bit of an inconvenience as we were also doing our FMP along side this and If im honest my main priority was my FMP but I still enjoyed this project.
we looked at different forms of animation through the years, from the early Victorian Practinoscope to the modern 3D animation films like Toy Story and Wall.e, this was interesting especially to see how little it took to amuse people in the 19th century. the first stage of the project was to assess the different forms of animation throughout the years, I did find it hard to keep interested in this subject as some of the early forms of animation were extremely basic. It didn't help that I broke one of the models Steve brought in to show the class, my bad. we did son get to the more interesting stuff like Disney and stop motion animation, which I had always found fascinating. I was first set on doing a Claymation animation for the finished product but knew that they never really turn out as good as you expect, I had tried before in school and it was never as good as my expectations. we had a few laughs making our own thaumotrope when me and Tim Oates made an R rated animation of Ralf Harris with a Didgeridoo and a young boy.
when we came to choosing our groups I was determined to go with people who I haven't done before as I had generally stayed in the same groups throughout the two years and was kind of fed up with it so I looked for someone different. I went with Liam Foster and Claudia, we worked very well together and even come up with the story for our animation in about half an hour. we all then agreed to split the pre production between us and all did a fair share which was really professional of us and something I knew I wouldn't do if in my usual group. we decided that there wouldn't be a script as the charaters weren't really say anything during the animation, instead we thought of a soundtrack that would play for each location on the screen, for example in London there would be 'hail Britannia' playing over it.
the animating process was fairly straight forward we made paper cutouts of our characters and placed them flat on a green table which would act as a green screen for the characters to move across, the backgrounds would be added in post-production. we stood above the table with the camera pointed at the area where the animation was taking place, we took a single picture then moved the pictures slightly in each shot. we took Inspiration from south park which also use 2D cutouts on a flat surface to make their animations. we where stood above the table until Stephan came in and suggested that we mount the camera to a pole and face the camera down to get a steadier picture. this did at the time prove useful, however we were quite happy with the way it was before this suggestion by Stephan and we had to adjust the animation according to the new way of shooting. we wrapped up the filming feeling that we had made something better than we expected, we looked forward to seeing the final result once it had been edited.
We put all the clips onto the computer and put them in order, it took a little while for us to put it all together and we had to repeat some shots as there was a large chase scene in the film. Liam showed me how to add our animation to 'After Effects' and add in the desired backgrounds to each shot, I was amazed to the amount of possibilities After Effects had and the pictures looked great on the new backgrounds. Once we had all the backgrounds we put it onto premier pro and put them all in order, we now had a watchable animation but something key seemed missing, the sound. i took the liberty of filming myself watching the animation all the way through and speaking in the voices of the characters and then added them to the soundtrack. I did two voices, Neil and the French Unicycle guy and Claudia did the bride using the same process of watching it through and speaking into a camera. once the voices where all put on the only thing missing were the soundtracks to each locations, there were 10 locations and each needed a different music track on them. I downloaded some music and sped them up for each location to give it a more rushed feeling as if they were actually running through the locations, this worked brilliantly and all that remained was changing the sound levels which I did whenever a character said something interesting I turned that track up and the other down.
Once it was done we showed it to the class and people seemed to enjoy it which was a bonus, mainly because it featured the legendary Neil Hunt which seemed to make people laugh. The main criticism was that you couldn't hear each voice all the time because they are talking over each other, however this was deliberate and some people even commented that this worked well. It was good that Neil himself actually found it funny and enjoyable, he mentioned that the idea was clever and that the animation itself was impressive. So overall the animation turned out pretty good and the project was quite the success, i have learnt a lot about how stop frame animation works and i have a good experience a piece of work that i can show off.
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Radio drama evaluation
A good experience. That's how I would sum up the radio drama assignment, its been a fun process and I have taken a lot from it. I have always been curious into how to create a radio drama as I listened to a lot when I was a kid, so to have the chance to compose my own was a good bonus. I had a good background on different radio dramas so when I had to choose two to analyse in a presentation I was already experienced enough.
it started off when we were in class and had to decide our groups, i had the idea to put everyone's names in a hat and then pull them out to determine the groups. Without cheating i picked George Woodward Georgie Mould and Tim Oates to be in my group, which was a coincidence as we had been together in the multi camera assignment. we threw around ideas, if i'm honest they weren't serious ones and Tim was suggesting ludicrous ideas. However i figured a radio drama would benefit from being ridiculous as it would help the listener to understand and be interested in the story more. so we did something ridiculous. we thought of doing a noir sin city in space kind of idea where there was an intergalactic 'Brothel War' going on, it was just stupid enough that it might work. we made up the main characters, The sheriff who is the tough experienced main character, Elin who is the maniac pimp who has a vendetta against the sheriff and whichanus who is the sheriffs daughter and the sort of damsel in distress.
the story was coming together very well but the group kept falling out mainly due to Georgie Mould's constant absence. we were struggling to write the script because she had a lot of the notes on her and would only show up occasionally. so one day me Tim and George decided that we should just get on with the pre-production and try get it finished in one day. George managed the sound effects, Tim booked everything and did some paper work and i wrote the script. at this time Georgie had gone on holiday to Amsterdam and taken her laptop with her, therefore i had to memorize the script as best i could. I actually managed to remember it very well mainly because i used to read out the previous one i did on georgie's laptop out loud to get the pacing right, i guess that payed off well. once all the pre production was finished we booked out the studio down in the music department and decided on actors. I was always set on playing Elin the antagonist and the sheriff but we had to make changes to Whichanus because Georgie was away so we got Claudia to fill in, Tim played another minor part to fill in the gap.
the recording process went very smoothly and we managed to get it done in just over an hour, George was in the studio recording the process and setting up the mics, he was always going to be the technical member of the group so we let him be. there were only a few mishaps during recording mainly because of me and Tim laughing during takes but there were only a couple of them. we wrapped up the recording and went straight to the computer to start our own individual edits.
the editing was brilliant. there is so much you can do by adding in wild tracks, music and sound effects to bring it to life. i was amazed how many loyalty free sound tracks were available to download which means you can be even more proud of your radio drama knowing its not ripping off anything else. It took a little while to getting used to the cutting tools on audition because they are slightly different to that of Premier Pro but it was fun to play around with the different effects you can put on tracks. there is so much you can do that you can give the impression your radio drama is the audio track to multi million pound blockbuster film Without spending a penny. the finished result was good and im proud of it, i like the fact i am both the main character and the main villain because its like im having a conversation with myself which is cool. It was nice to see everyone elses followed the same format which led me to believe the script i wrote was easily followable and that the audio was clear enough that people could understand the story. i enjoyed this project and it means i have something else to add to the growing number of good work I have.
it started off when we were in class and had to decide our groups, i had the idea to put everyone's names in a hat and then pull them out to determine the groups. Without cheating i picked George Woodward Georgie Mould and Tim Oates to be in my group, which was a coincidence as we had been together in the multi camera assignment. we threw around ideas, if i'm honest they weren't serious ones and Tim was suggesting ludicrous ideas. However i figured a radio drama would benefit from being ridiculous as it would help the listener to understand and be interested in the story more. so we did something ridiculous. we thought of doing a noir sin city in space kind of idea where there was an intergalactic 'Brothel War' going on, it was just stupid enough that it might work. we made up the main characters, The sheriff who is the tough experienced main character, Elin who is the maniac pimp who has a vendetta against the sheriff and whichanus who is the sheriffs daughter and the sort of damsel in distress.
the story was coming together very well but the group kept falling out mainly due to Georgie Mould's constant absence. we were struggling to write the script because she had a lot of the notes on her and would only show up occasionally. so one day me Tim and George decided that we should just get on with the pre-production and try get it finished in one day. George managed the sound effects, Tim booked everything and did some paper work and i wrote the script. at this time Georgie had gone on holiday to Amsterdam and taken her laptop with her, therefore i had to memorize the script as best i could. I actually managed to remember it very well mainly because i used to read out the previous one i did on georgie's laptop out loud to get the pacing right, i guess that payed off well. once all the pre production was finished we booked out the studio down in the music department and decided on actors. I was always set on playing Elin the antagonist and the sheriff but we had to make changes to Whichanus because Georgie was away so we got Claudia to fill in, Tim played another minor part to fill in the gap.
the recording process went very smoothly and we managed to get it done in just over an hour, George was in the studio recording the process and setting up the mics, he was always going to be the technical member of the group so we let him be. there were only a few mishaps during recording mainly because of me and Tim laughing during takes but there were only a couple of them. we wrapped up the recording and went straight to the computer to start our own individual edits.
the editing was brilliant. there is so much you can do by adding in wild tracks, music and sound effects to bring it to life. i was amazed how many loyalty free sound tracks were available to download which means you can be even more proud of your radio drama knowing its not ripping off anything else. It took a little while to getting used to the cutting tools on audition because they are slightly different to that of Premier Pro but it was fun to play around with the different effects you can put on tracks. there is so much you can do that you can give the impression your radio drama is the audio track to multi million pound blockbuster film Without spending a penny. the finished result was good and im proud of it, i like the fact i am both the main character and the main villain because its like im having a conversation with myself which is cool. It was nice to see everyone elses followed the same format which led me to believe the script i wrote was easily followable and that the audio was clear enough that people could understand the story. i enjoyed this project and it means i have something else to add to the growing number of good work I have.
Friday, 7 June 2013
FMP evaluation
My FMP. My Final Major Project. Just hearing the words FINAL and MAJOR should be enough to motivate anyone to shoot for the stars and make the best damn piece of work they possibly can. As this is your Final project. The biggest of the lot. Ideas filter through your mind on what this major project could be as soon as the beginning of the first year, how different will my mind set and skills be and how much more motivated will i be by the time i start my final major project i asked myself. Ive always found that if you can look back on previous work and cringe, be it that there is a terrible camera mistake or blatant continuity issues, that you are almost destined to improve. before my FMP my crowing achievement was my children's drama 'The Adventures Of Charlie Squibbs' and when i watched it again before starting the FMP i cringed. I then knew i was destined to improve on this and create something better,bigger,slicker and more entertaining which is ultimately what you want to do in this course, make something entertaining.
i started off like everyone else with 10 ideas, 9 of which i didn't really care about and the one i had seemed a little bit too ambitious. I think it is fair to say i wasn't entirely optimistic at first despite how much i bigged up the project in the previous paragraph. I knew this was a bad place to start and i wasn't sure what else i was going to do, my first idea was for a short film about a shopping center heist, which seemed like an interesting enough idea but the further i got into planning the more and more i thought how hard it would be to film. i knew i would have to ask shop owners to film inside their stores which would only be appropriate at certain times, arrange actors, compensate for if we cant film in a particular store, the realization was really getting hold of me and i was stuck. then an epiphany came in the form of Sebastian White, who over heard my idea and suggested and alternative. He told me about an idea he and Tim Oates had a while back about a man who kidnaps his own wife to get the ransom money to pay for an operation, the idea really grasped me and it felt more Do-able. so i did it! I had to make a few adjustments to my journal which was looking pretty slim at the time but that wasn't a problem. I rang up Sam Goodall who is a friend of mine and has been in a lot of short films for this college, i knew straight away i wanted him to play the main character 'Jerry' because i wrote it with him in mind. Sam was really enthusiastic about it when i asked him he said and i quote 'Yeah i'll defiantly do that!' to which i replied 'sweet!'.
After finishing my script the next mission was recruiting fresh faces to populate the world i wanted to create, Sam was in, he said he was but what about the rest? What about Jerry's enigmatic drunk friend 'Vince', who could bring to life a character that will probably be more loved than the main character due to his comedic input. I'll tell you who, Seb White. Obvious really, that took care of the two main characters and i was happy with that as Seb and Sam have good chemistry on screen and they were perfect choices. over the next week i managed to secure the rest of my all star cast with Claudia Hodgson as 'Sarah', which was a complicated role for her as she had to play 'A bitch', Neil Hunt as the doctor, Steve Launay as the boss and Adam Merchant as 'Corey'. there was still one missing however, a small part who would be a friend of the two main characters Jerry and Vince, i only intended this to be a minor part. However i went to a party with Tom White and he stressed that he would like to be in my film and he would play the part but he wanted to expand on it, his idea was both clever and hilarious and so i agreed.
We Started filming at my house in Gosport, the brilliant Mr.George Woodward gave us a lift,helped with sound and occasionally operated the camera, Also Tom White came along and helped with camera and sound even though he wasn't in any of the scenes we were filming on the day. we filmed a lot of the talking scenes and i was amazed to realize the extent of the excellent Digital SLR cameras and the quality you got from them, it really helped with motivating me to get the best shots i could. we mainly used a steady cam instead of a tripod, mainly because its easier and it gives the film a more gritty look like something in a Guy Richie film which was exactly what i wanted. All the Actors were brilliant, Claudia did a fantastic job of playing a mean character and Sam is just naturally brilliant and funny as an actor, God i was happy with my choice of actors. The next day we filmed 'The Kidnapping scene' outside my sisters house in Gosport, this was the first time for Seb and Tom to film which was exiting as they are the two funnier characters. i wanted a mid shot of Seb in the front seat and Tom in the back so they could talk through the scene whilst both being on camera. In order to control the light from the blaring midday sun i taped the bottom of my jumper to the top of the windscreen of the car and went underneath to get the shot, it worked like a dream. George put a Zoom H1 in the car so we could sync the sound and listen back. Seb and Tom did some hilarious improvising in the car to build up the tension the timing was just spot on, Did i mention i was happy with my choice of actors? Again we used the steady cam more than a tripod as i came to like the look it was giving. Most noticeably for a running shot which i ran back wards as Seb and Tom ran at the camera i had George behind me with a zoom H1 on a tripod to imitate a boom pole and with his hand on my back to stop me plummeting backwards.
We then spent the next day at College were we filmed all the scenes with Steve, i mentioned to him that there is a line where he drops a very indiscreet F-Bomb and i was curious to whether or not he would even do it, but he held it in until we finished all the bits we needed and then blurted it out in one take. Brilliant. We were aloud to film at the leg care center in 6th form to mimic a doctors surgery where we filmed the scene with Neil Hunt, however the woman were very inquisitive to what we were doing and kept interrupting. It seemed like they could only answer the bloody phone after i shouted 'Action'. Luckily it was only a short scene. we then wrapped up the day by filming the scene with Adam Merchant which was not as solid as i hoped but was good enough as again it was a small scene.
the next scene was the big one, The warehouse scene. I rang in advance to make sure it was okay to film and booked out the Digital SLR early, this was the main scene and it needed to be right. We set out to our biggest location yet Titchfield Festival Theatre and immediately hit an inconvenience, I didn't have enough money for a taxi so we walked on abit so the taxi would be cheaper and I forgot to mention that we needed a 5 seated taxi. So we had to walk a mile and a half. While the walk proved productive as we were all joking around and suggesting ideas for the film, I was feeling a bit foolish because I had not planned the trip well enough and was not 100% sure how filming would go as my confidence had waned. we finally reached the theatre and set up the first shot when disaster, the camera wasn't reading the SD card properly and I could only film for 20 seconds. I needed slightly more than 20 seconds. so I had to get a taxi back to college, run to the studio, change the SD card, ride my moped back and film the scene before we had to leave (we had been told to be out before 6) I was really under pressure. However despite all the mishaps we filmed a pretty kick ass scene and I was so relived to get it all over and done with.
editing went really well, the scenes seemed to work really well with each other and I constantly watched through it and thought to myself how good this is going to be, I mean it plays out like an actual film its great fun. I constantly teased small snippets to people around me to get them exited, this got to the point where I walked into the class one day and saw some of the first year students looking on my computer to catch abit more of the film. this did not amuse me though and I made sure they didn't do it again. I realised I had hyped up this film so much I was in need of a trailer to shut people up, I made one with Eurhythmics 'Sweet Dreams' playing over it, that shut people up for abit. once I had finished I had a 22 minute version of the film, which was way too much but I didn't really mind as I could just have an extended edition. I painfully sliced down my film, which is a soul destroying process to a more acceptable 16 minutes and submitted that as my FMP.
the reaction to the film was brilliant I was so happy to finally show everyone who was involved the finished product, plus to show everyone who had been eager to see it. I was a little bit sad that I couldn't show the full version but I was just really glad that people actually did enjoy it. the most amazing part was when people gave me feed back they mainly mention what they thought the story would be and nothing about the technical aspects. the main problem technically was the sound levels were sometimes too loud but that's easily fixable, also Neil Hunt mentioned some more suggestions to how I could change the story slightly such as if the character who got the job at the end could have been my character 'Ricky'. so all in all the feedback was very positive which I was hugely grateful for.
So there you have it, I did it! I took the step up and made something entertaining, it had been a strange old road to making 'Lets Kidnap My Fiancée' but I have enjoyed every moment. I even had a little look back at my previous legacy 'The Adventure of Charlie Squibbs' and my got it was cringe worthy. I can look at this film and feel satisfied enough that its better than anything I've made on this course. well I did get a distinction so that says it all I suppose.
i started off like everyone else with 10 ideas, 9 of which i didn't really care about and the one i had seemed a little bit too ambitious. I think it is fair to say i wasn't entirely optimistic at first despite how much i bigged up the project in the previous paragraph. I knew this was a bad place to start and i wasn't sure what else i was going to do, my first idea was for a short film about a shopping center heist, which seemed like an interesting enough idea but the further i got into planning the more and more i thought how hard it would be to film. i knew i would have to ask shop owners to film inside their stores which would only be appropriate at certain times, arrange actors, compensate for if we cant film in a particular store, the realization was really getting hold of me and i was stuck. then an epiphany came in the form of Sebastian White, who over heard my idea and suggested and alternative. He told me about an idea he and Tim Oates had a while back about a man who kidnaps his own wife to get the ransom money to pay for an operation, the idea really grasped me and it felt more Do-able. so i did it! I had to make a few adjustments to my journal which was looking pretty slim at the time but that wasn't a problem. I rang up Sam Goodall who is a friend of mine and has been in a lot of short films for this college, i knew straight away i wanted him to play the main character 'Jerry' because i wrote it with him in mind. Sam was really enthusiastic about it when i asked him he said and i quote 'Yeah i'll defiantly do that!' to which i replied 'sweet!'.
After finishing my script the next mission was recruiting fresh faces to populate the world i wanted to create, Sam was in, he said he was but what about the rest? What about Jerry's enigmatic drunk friend 'Vince', who could bring to life a character that will probably be more loved than the main character due to his comedic input. I'll tell you who, Seb White. Obvious really, that took care of the two main characters and i was happy with that as Seb and Sam have good chemistry on screen and they were perfect choices. over the next week i managed to secure the rest of my all star cast with Claudia Hodgson as 'Sarah', which was a complicated role for her as she had to play 'A bitch', Neil Hunt as the doctor, Steve Launay as the boss and Adam Merchant as 'Corey'. there was still one missing however, a small part who would be a friend of the two main characters Jerry and Vince, i only intended this to be a minor part. However i went to a party with Tom White and he stressed that he would like to be in my film and he would play the part but he wanted to expand on it, his idea was both clever and hilarious and so i agreed.
We Started filming at my house in Gosport, the brilliant Mr.George Woodward gave us a lift,helped with sound and occasionally operated the camera, Also Tom White came along and helped with camera and sound even though he wasn't in any of the scenes we were filming on the day. we filmed a lot of the talking scenes and i was amazed to realize the extent of the excellent Digital SLR cameras and the quality you got from them, it really helped with motivating me to get the best shots i could. we mainly used a steady cam instead of a tripod, mainly because its easier and it gives the film a more gritty look like something in a Guy Richie film which was exactly what i wanted. All the Actors were brilliant, Claudia did a fantastic job of playing a mean character and Sam is just naturally brilliant and funny as an actor, God i was happy with my choice of actors. The next day we filmed 'The Kidnapping scene' outside my sisters house in Gosport, this was the first time for Seb and Tom to film which was exiting as they are the two funnier characters. i wanted a mid shot of Seb in the front seat and Tom in the back so they could talk through the scene whilst both being on camera. In order to control the light from the blaring midday sun i taped the bottom of my jumper to the top of the windscreen of the car and went underneath to get the shot, it worked like a dream. George put a Zoom H1 in the car so we could sync the sound and listen back. Seb and Tom did some hilarious improvising in the car to build up the tension the timing was just spot on, Did i mention i was happy with my choice of actors? Again we used the steady cam more than a tripod as i came to like the look it was giving. Most noticeably for a running shot which i ran back wards as Seb and Tom ran at the camera i had George behind me with a zoom H1 on a tripod to imitate a boom pole and with his hand on my back to stop me plummeting backwards.
We then spent the next day at College were we filmed all the scenes with Steve, i mentioned to him that there is a line where he drops a very indiscreet F-Bomb and i was curious to whether or not he would even do it, but he held it in until we finished all the bits we needed and then blurted it out in one take. Brilliant. We were aloud to film at the leg care center in 6th form to mimic a doctors surgery where we filmed the scene with Neil Hunt, however the woman were very inquisitive to what we were doing and kept interrupting. It seemed like they could only answer the bloody phone after i shouted 'Action'. Luckily it was only a short scene. we then wrapped up the day by filming the scene with Adam Merchant which was not as solid as i hoped but was good enough as again it was a small scene.
the next scene was the big one, The warehouse scene. I rang in advance to make sure it was okay to film and booked out the Digital SLR early, this was the main scene and it needed to be right. We set out to our biggest location yet Titchfield Festival Theatre and immediately hit an inconvenience, I didn't have enough money for a taxi so we walked on abit so the taxi would be cheaper and I forgot to mention that we needed a 5 seated taxi. So we had to walk a mile and a half. While the walk proved productive as we were all joking around and suggesting ideas for the film, I was feeling a bit foolish because I had not planned the trip well enough and was not 100% sure how filming would go as my confidence had waned. we finally reached the theatre and set up the first shot when disaster, the camera wasn't reading the SD card properly and I could only film for 20 seconds. I needed slightly more than 20 seconds. so I had to get a taxi back to college, run to the studio, change the SD card, ride my moped back and film the scene before we had to leave (we had been told to be out before 6) I was really under pressure. However despite all the mishaps we filmed a pretty kick ass scene and I was so relived to get it all over and done with.
editing went really well, the scenes seemed to work really well with each other and I constantly watched through it and thought to myself how good this is going to be, I mean it plays out like an actual film its great fun. I constantly teased small snippets to people around me to get them exited, this got to the point where I walked into the class one day and saw some of the first year students looking on my computer to catch abit more of the film. this did not amuse me though and I made sure they didn't do it again. I realised I had hyped up this film so much I was in need of a trailer to shut people up, I made one with Eurhythmics 'Sweet Dreams' playing over it, that shut people up for abit. once I had finished I had a 22 minute version of the film, which was way too much but I didn't really mind as I could just have an extended edition. I painfully sliced down my film, which is a soul destroying process to a more acceptable 16 minutes and submitted that as my FMP.
the reaction to the film was brilliant I was so happy to finally show everyone who was involved the finished product, plus to show everyone who had been eager to see it. I was a little bit sad that I couldn't show the full version but I was just really glad that people actually did enjoy it. the most amazing part was when people gave me feed back they mainly mention what they thought the story would be and nothing about the technical aspects. the main problem technically was the sound levels were sometimes too loud but that's easily fixable, also Neil Hunt mentioned some more suggestions to how I could change the story slightly such as if the character who got the job at the end could have been my character 'Ricky'. so all in all the feedback was very positive which I was hugely grateful for.
So there you have it, I did it! I took the step up and made something entertaining, it had been a strange old road to making 'Lets Kidnap My Fiancée' but I have enjoyed every moment. I even had a little look back at my previous legacy 'The Adventure of Charlie Squibbs' and my got it was cringe worthy. I can look at this film and feel satisfied enough that its better than anything I've made on this course. well I did get a distinction so that says it all I suppose.
Friday, 26 April 2013
objectives 26th April
. do bolk of FMP filming at my house,work,sisters house get done by friday: finished bulk filming have inly 2 scenes left to film
. finish animation assignment: finished need to send
. do editing on finished filming: done a bit of syncing and a very very rough cut of some scenes.
objectives 29th april
.formulate a plan for graphics and get someone to show me how to use after effects
.make rough edits of the film and analyse (tone,pace,sound levels)
. film rest of film.
. do bolk of FMP filming at my house,work,sisters house get done by friday: finished bulk filming have inly 2 scenes left to film
. finish animation assignment: finished need to send
. do editing on finished filming: done a bit of syncing and a very very rough cut of some scenes.
objectives 29th april
.formulate a plan for graphics and get someone to show me how to use after effects
.make rough edits of the film and analyse (tone,pace,sound levels)
. film rest of film.
Monday, 15 April 2013
Fmp Diary
5th april
started adding more to my journal, threw around ideas for addition things to add in my film to make it more funny such as silly cameos.
8th april
started writing the script with optimism, should be finished in next couple of days, good thing about this story is new things come to me as i write which beefs out the content and improves it that bit more.
9th april
discussed with my sister using her house as a location for shooting in which she agreed and offered to help in anyway she can. result!
11th April
finished the script and am happy with it (at least to call it a first draugh) characters seemed developed enough. and the story seems to flow pretty well but could use more content in scenes to make it seem less rushed.
14th april
met with Seb white and discussed my film to him and he agreed to be one of the characters. also spoke to Tom white who said if i needed anyone else he'd be in it.
15th April 2013
finally started typing up my script onto celtix whilst making a few subtle adjustments which means i can officially call it a second draugh.
17th april 2013
scheduled my filming into blocks, so i can film multiple scenes at the same location on the same day to speed up process.
18th april 2013
secured Sam Goodhall as my main character, he mentions he is free all week and will definitely be in my film which puts pressure off finding a main character which is a huge bonus.
20th April 2013
secured Tom White and Claudia hodgson to be in the film, and arranged a date for first shoot Tuesday the 23rd will be the day when principle photography will commence.
22nd april 2013
wrote up a RECCE and a risk assessment for the shoot and arranged transport for the cast in the form of George Woodward.
23rd april 2013
filmed first section of my fmp! got scenes 1,3 and 6 out of the way had Tom White and George Woodward along to help film, the camera battery played up a little bit but overall lasted quite long, bit of a panic to get evrything sorted but all worked out okay in the end.
25th april 2013
filmed the second load of my film, did a scene at my sisters house in gosport. filmed inside a car but couldent get head shots of actors in car so had to film from outside and place microphone in car hopeing it will prove usefull. the filming went well as it was quite an actiony scene where one of the characters is kidnapped in broad daylight. should be interesting.
26th april 2013
manage to get all the filming at college done which means i can cross off scenes 2,4,6 and 10 which is a huge load. filming went well managed to use the leg care center in 6th form for a doctors surgery which proved useful. also managed to get the final scene of the movie done. only 2 more scenes to go.
27th april 2013
did a slice of editing on my film, and its looking really good the pace is lacking a little bit on some parts but thats the beauty of the cutting tool! you can shorten that bitch down. note to self: when filming next (which is the main finale scene) tell actors to be faster and more intense.
29th april 2013
managed to get the main scene done at titchfeild festivle theatre had a bit of trouble getting there as i ordered a taxi and dident compensate the fact that there was five of us and therefore couldent fit into the taxi. so we walked. and walked untill we made it there. and disaster! the SD card dident work and could only film for a inconviniont 20 seconds (i needed slightly more) so i had to get a taxi back to college change the SD card then ride my moped back down. then the filming took placer and we made the best funniest scene yet and i am extreamly happy with the footage. spent £10 today.
4th may 2013
been editing away on my FMP and adding things to my journal, keep in contact with the cast about my progress and were just waiting for when is convenient enough for everyone to film the last scene.
14th may 2013
finally finished the last scene and filmed at seb whites house. good scene, good introductions to tom and sebs characters and the lighting on the day was really good. glad to have all my film finished and ready for editing.
17th may 2013
added the new scene to the timeline and cut it down untill i was happy, i also put together all the clips and made my first official draft. unfortunatly it is nearly 22 minutes long! i will have to make a shorter cut for the project, and have an extended edition.
23rd may 2013
Finished! have a full version of the film at 21 mins 13 seconds (that version i will release on you tube) and a shorter cut for the project which is just under 16 mins long. it wasn't easy to cut down the film as some scenes need to be as long as they were otherwise the pacing and story seems off, however i think i managed to just about boycott making the film confusing. realized that perhaps i should have planned the film better so it could end up 12 mins long but i am happy to have a relativity long film which leaves just enough time for people to sit back and concentrate on it.
24th may 2013
journal just finished. thank god. wasn't a strong entry as i was focusing too much on editing this film as i was really determined to make it as good as i could. anyway its over and done with and another thing to cross off the list.
2nd June
Premiered the film..they loved it! really happy that people liked it and that i could show Sam,Seb,Tom and Claudia the finished result. only real issue was the sound levels but that's easily fixable. some good feedback from people mainly about the story and not the technical aspects which goes to show people were more interested in the story. awesome!
started adding more to my journal, threw around ideas for addition things to add in my film to make it more funny such as silly cameos.
8th april
started writing the script with optimism, should be finished in next couple of days, good thing about this story is new things come to me as i write which beefs out the content and improves it that bit more.
9th april
discussed with my sister using her house as a location for shooting in which she agreed and offered to help in anyway she can. result!
11th April
finished the script and am happy with it (at least to call it a first draugh) characters seemed developed enough. and the story seems to flow pretty well but could use more content in scenes to make it seem less rushed.
14th april
met with Seb white and discussed my film to him and he agreed to be one of the characters. also spoke to Tom white who said if i needed anyone else he'd be in it.
15th April 2013
finally started typing up my script onto celtix whilst making a few subtle adjustments which means i can officially call it a second draugh.
17th april 2013
scheduled my filming into blocks, so i can film multiple scenes at the same location on the same day to speed up process.
18th april 2013
secured Sam Goodhall as my main character, he mentions he is free all week and will definitely be in my film which puts pressure off finding a main character which is a huge bonus.
20th April 2013
secured Tom White and Claudia hodgson to be in the film, and arranged a date for first shoot Tuesday the 23rd will be the day when principle photography will commence.
22nd april 2013
wrote up a RECCE and a risk assessment for the shoot and arranged transport for the cast in the form of George Woodward.
23rd april 2013
filmed first section of my fmp! got scenes 1,3 and 6 out of the way had Tom White and George Woodward along to help film, the camera battery played up a little bit but overall lasted quite long, bit of a panic to get evrything sorted but all worked out okay in the end.
25th april 2013
filmed the second load of my film, did a scene at my sisters house in gosport. filmed inside a car but couldent get head shots of actors in car so had to film from outside and place microphone in car hopeing it will prove usefull. the filming went well as it was quite an actiony scene where one of the characters is kidnapped in broad daylight. should be interesting.
26th april 2013
manage to get all the filming at college done which means i can cross off scenes 2,4,6 and 10 which is a huge load. filming went well managed to use the leg care center in 6th form for a doctors surgery which proved useful. also managed to get the final scene of the movie done. only 2 more scenes to go.
27th april 2013
did a slice of editing on my film, and its looking really good the pace is lacking a little bit on some parts but thats the beauty of the cutting tool! you can shorten that bitch down. note to self: when filming next (which is the main finale scene) tell actors to be faster and more intense.
29th april 2013
managed to get the main scene done at titchfeild festivle theatre had a bit of trouble getting there as i ordered a taxi and dident compensate the fact that there was five of us and therefore couldent fit into the taxi. so we walked. and walked untill we made it there. and disaster! the SD card dident work and could only film for a inconviniont 20 seconds (i needed slightly more) so i had to get a taxi back to college change the SD card then ride my moped back down. then the filming took placer and we made the best funniest scene yet and i am extreamly happy with the footage. spent £10 today.
4th may 2013
been editing away on my FMP and adding things to my journal, keep in contact with the cast about my progress and were just waiting for when is convenient enough for everyone to film the last scene.
14th may 2013
finally finished the last scene and filmed at seb whites house. good scene, good introductions to tom and sebs characters and the lighting on the day was really good. glad to have all my film finished and ready for editing.
17th may 2013
added the new scene to the timeline and cut it down untill i was happy, i also put together all the clips and made my first official draft. unfortunatly it is nearly 22 minutes long! i will have to make a shorter cut for the project, and have an extended edition.
23rd may 2013
Finished! have a full version of the film at 21 mins 13 seconds (that version i will release on you tube) and a shorter cut for the project which is just under 16 mins long. it wasn't easy to cut down the film as some scenes need to be as long as they were otherwise the pacing and story seems off, however i think i managed to just about boycott making the film confusing. realized that perhaps i should have planned the film better so it could end up 12 mins long but i am happy to have a relativity long film which leaves just enough time for people to sit back and concentrate on it.
24th may 2013
journal just finished. thank god. wasn't a strong entry as i was focusing too much on editing this film as i was really determined to make it as good as i could. anyway its over and done with and another thing to cross off the list.
2nd June
Premiered the film..they loved it! really happy that people liked it and that i could show Sam,Seb,Tom and Claudia the finished result. only real issue was the sound levels but that's easily fixable. some good feedback from people mainly about the story and not the technical aspects which goes to show people were more interested in the story. awesome!
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
multi camera essay
Multi Camera production formats TASK ONE
Multi camera productions are live performed shows which record within a studio using 3-4 cameras to capture the actors. Some of the first shows ever recorded used the multi camera technique and it is still frequently used today. Multi camera shows are mainly used for TV shows that contain a significant amount of episodes within a series, this is because multi camera productions are a much quicker and more efficient way of recording compared to single camera. They are more useful if a show has a tight deadline or has a higher demand. Examples are shows like Eastenders and Coronation Street which are soap operas and have 4 shows broadcast every week therefore they extremely high demand for shows. Attempting to produce this using single camera would take at least twice as long and therefore the schedule of 4 shows a week most probably wouldn’t be met.
Examples of shows that are famous for using the multi camera formats are
Mork&Mindy which was the first show to use 4 cameras on set instead of the usual 3, this was because of actor Robin Williams dramatic fast moving performance in which 3 cameras weren’t enough to capture him in shot. The second is The Tonight show with Jay Lenno- this is an ongoing chat show in which presenter Jay Lenno interviews famous people it is one of the most tuned into shows in America.
The difference between single and multi camera are quite evident. single camera shows are used mainly on more high budget projects and have a very in depth post production stage as all shots taken in single camera are require to be fully edited once filmed this makes the process a lot more time consuming and therefore requires a larger group of filmmakers at different stages of products. The end result is usually more of a professional standard than multi camera as more time and detail will have been added. Multi camera shows are used when a show requires a speedier production and performs a lot of aspects of post production during filming which speeds up the production extensively. During filming a multi camera there is a vision mixer who cuts between shots as the performance is taking place, compared to doing so once the shots have been recorded. This saves going through footage and choosing which to use in a scene as you would in a single camera production. the end result means shows are produced more quickly and the acting seems more fluid as it is filmed live.
Chat shows are known for using the multi camera setup and for good reason, they follow a similar set of codes and conventions. Chat shows follow a simple yet affective plan for each show mainly filmed in front of a studio audience who are filmed clapping and laughing as the show progresses, the presenter will walk to a center camera and address the audience about what they will expect to see through the show. for example the Jonathan Ross show will begin with this format but will include clips for new bulletins or other popular media happens and use it as a jumping off point to start a small discussion as part of a comedy act. When a guest is brought out there is a transition between cameras which usual have one facing the presenter, one on the guest who could walk in and sit down and one on the audience to capture their reaction.
Multi camera productions are also used frequently to film quiz shows, the multiple camera setup acts much like it would in a chat show with one camera primarily faced at the quests and two more on the presenter and audience. Two shows that are known for slightly changing this format are Never Mind the Buzzcocks which is a comedy panel quiz show and the weakest link which is a general knowledge quiz show. Never mind the Buzzcocks has one guest presenter along with 4 guest comedians or musicians there are two regular panelists. The camera work is very dynamic as there are people on both sides of the set which must be captured, furthermore there are in show games which bring out more guests to stand before the panels this requires a camera to move position completely in order to capture all the guests as well as the panels.
the
show is known for bringing on celebrity guests who move around a lot during the
show and get out of their seats this means the cameramen have a harder job
capturing the whole show and keeping it seeming intentional because sometimes
they have to improvise shots.
The weakest link on the other hand is much more static show with a very different layout to most other quiz shows, there is a presenter in the center of the stage and a number of guests surrounding them. This means the cameras have to almost film the stage 360 degrees around. The lighting is very specific and is used effectively to hid camera peering into shot. There for the weakest link is a much more complicated technical achievement than Never Mind The Buzzcocks. The show also begins with all the guests in place there is no introduction in which guests arrive onto the set this is similar to Never Mind The Buzzcocks. The Weakest Link has a regular presenter whereas never mind the Buzzcocks has a guest presenter every show.
The weakest link starts with all of its contestants in a common room
talking whilst music is played over. This is presumably made to seem as if it
is back stage. The cameras cut between the contestants as they prepare to take
part in the show. The title sequence then starts to roll which will be pre made
for the show. once the title sequence is over there is a static mid shot of the
presenter Anne Robinson who appears on the screen explaining the premise of the
show, the camera then zooms out to reveal a dark set which is lit in the center
where the presenter is stood with all contestants in place the camera zooms
even further back and looks down on the set. Then the vision mixer cuts too
another camera on the floor which crabs from the left to the right as Anne
Robinson further explains the show she follows the camera as it goes. There is
a light facing towards the ceiling behind each contestant, who can be seen
behind the presenter as the camera crabs. There is then a cut to the camera
looking down on the set as the lights all dip and go out momentarily. There is
then a mid shot of the first contestant who is dramatically and suddenly lit
from behind, the camera sharply pans to the left to reveal each contestant in
the same ways who all introduce themselves. There is then a quick change to
another camera which is on a close up of the presenter, then a swift change to
another camera which is crabbing around the set to capture everything
Multi camera productions are live performed shows which record within a studio using 3-4 cameras to capture the actors. Some of the first shows ever recorded used the multi camera technique and it is still frequently used today. Multi camera shows are mainly used for TV shows that contain a significant amount of episodes within a series, this is because multi camera productions are a much quicker and more efficient way of recording compared to single camera. They are more useful if a show has a tight deadline or has a higher demand. Examples are shows like Eastenders and Coronation Street which are soap operas and have 4 shows broadcast every week therefore they extremely high demand for shows. Attempting to produce this using single camera would take at least twice as long and therefore the schedule of 4 shows a week most probably wouldn’t be met.
Examples of shows that are famous for using the multi camera formats are
Mork&Mindy which was the first show to use 4 cameras on set instead of the usual 3, this was because of actor Robin Williams dramatic fast moving performance in which 3 cameras weren’t enough to capture him in shot. The second is The Tonight show with Jay Lenno- this is an ongoing chat show in which presenter Jay Lenno interviews famous people it is one of the most tuned into shows in America.
The difference between single and multi camera are quite evident. single camera shows are used mainly on more high budget projects and have a very in depth post production stage as all shots taken in single camera are require to be fully edited once filmed this makes the process a lot more time consuming and therefore requires a larger group of filmmakers at different stages of products. The end result is usually more of a professional standard than multi camera as more time and detail will have been added. Multi camera shows are used when a show requires a speedier production and performs a lot of aspects of post production during filming which speeds up the production extensively. During filming a multi camera there is a vision mixer who cuts between shots as the performance is taking place, compared to doing so once the shots have been recorded. This saves going through footage and choosing which to use in a scene as you would in a single camera production. the end result means shows are produced more quickly and the acting seems more fluid as it is filmed live.
Chat shows are known for using the multi camera setup and for good reason, they follow a similar set of codes and conventions. Chat shows follow a simple yet affective plan for each show mainly filmed in front of a studio audience who are filmed clapping and laughing as the show progresses, the presenter will walk to a center camera and address the audience about what they will expect to see through the show. for example the Jonathan Ross show will begin with this format but will include clips for new bulletins or other popular media happens and use it as a jumping off point to start a small discussion as part of a comedy act. When a guest is brought out there is a transition between cameras which usual have one facing the presenter, one on the guest who could walk in and sit down and one on the audience to capture their reaction.
Multi camera productions are also used frequently to film quiz shows, the multiple camera setup acts much like it would in a chat show with one camera primarily faced at the quests and two more on the presenter and audience. Two shows that are known for slightly changing this format are Never Mind the Buzzcocks which is a comedy panel quiz show and the weakest link which is a general knowledge quiz show. Never mind the Buzzcocks has one guest presenter along with 4 guest comedians or musicians there are two regular panelists. The camera work is very dynamic as there are people on both sides of the set which must be captured, furthermore there are in show games which bring out more guests to stand before the panels this requires a camera to move position completely in order to capture all the guests as well as the panels.
.jpg&imgrefurl=http://garryjlee.wordpress.com/page/3/&usg=__PvLIPPtx7n8Zbr3aPGrD97alepI=&h=768&w=1024&sz=127&hl=en&start=9&zoom=1&tbnid=vcUKp1fJLkDP6M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&ei=fIIPUfqhK8a3hAfL8YH4Cg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dnever%2Bmind%2Bthe%2Bbuzzcocks%2Bset%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26tbo%3Dd%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox%26gbv%3D1%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1)
the
show is known for bringing on celebrity guests who move around a lot during the
show and get out of their seats this means the cameramen have a harder job
capturing the whole show and keeping it seeming intentional because sometimes
they have to improvise shots. The weakest link on the other hand is much more static show with a very different layout to most other quiz shows, there is a presenter in the center of the stage and a number of guests surrounding them. This means the cameras have to almost film the stage 360 degrees around. The lighting is very specific and is used effectively to hid camera peering into shot. There for the weakest link is a much more complicated technical achievement than Never Mind The Buzzcocks. The show also begins with all the guests in place there is no introduction in which guests arrive onto the set this is similar to Never Mind The Buzzcocks. The Weakest Link has a regular presenter whereas never mind the Buzzcocks has a guest presenter every show.
The weakest link starts with all of its contestants in a common room
talking whilst music is played over. This is presumably made to seem as if it
is back stage. The cameras cut between the contestants as they prepare to take
part in the show. The title sequence then starts to roll which will be pre made
for the show. once the title sequence is over there is a static mid shot of the
presenter Anne Robinson who appears on the screen explaining the premise of the
show, the camera then zooms out to reveal a dark set which is lit in the center
where the presenter is stood with all contestants in place the camera zooms
even further back and looks down on the set. Then the vision mixer cuts too
another camera on the floor which crabs from the left to the right as Anne
Robinson further explains the show she follows the camera as it goes. There is
a light facing towards the ceiling behind each contestant, who can be seen
behind the presenter as the camera crabs. There is then a cut to the camera
looking down on the set as the lights all dip and go out momentarily. There is
then a mid shot of the first contestant who is dramatically and suddenly lit
from behind, the camera sharply pans to the left to reveal each contestant in
the same ways who all introduce themselves. There is then a quick change to
another camera which is on a close up of the presenter, then a swift change to
another camera which is crabbing around the set to capture everything
Andrew Sharp
Monday, 7 January 2013
fmp task 1
Documentaries are designed to give an audience a hands on look at a specific subject, question, conspiracy or anything that has enough potential to be debated about. It is important that once an idea has reached the point where it has enough interest to make a documentary about it that the facts are correct. there's nothing worse than reporting on a massive topic and getting all the facts wrong, if a viewer with enough of a back catalogue of knowledge on the subject hears a false piece of information then they will be switched off and pick further holes in the documentaries also as most documentaries are mainly aiming to get across one point of view it is important not to be too bias towards your point. There should be a balance of information towards and for a point of view or the documentaries becomes too one sided. I chose three documentaries to explore these points:
Super size me
Super size me is a documentary were veteran documenter Morgan Spurlock embarks on a 30 day experiment in which he must eat nothing but McDonald's for breakfast lunch and dinner. This is a test in response to an enquiry by the MacDonald head office that there is no proof that if someone were to eat a McDonald's meal everyday that they will have increased health issues. the primary objective of the documentary is too see whether or not someone would suffer from increased health issues if they ate nothing but McDonald’s every day. The documentary starts off with a brief overview on the current situation of obese Americans. They explain that 1 in 4 Americans is obese which is equal to half the adult population of the USA. points are discussed in a voice over as to whether or not this is caused by the fact McDonald's in vast supply across America or that people are not properly looking after themselves and eating food which they should know is bad for them. While there is a balance between the two points of views there is still an overall feeling that the documentary is against the fast food restaurants. this is too be expected as the main objective of the documentary is too clearly see if fast food is ultimately bad for you in long term.
The documentary follows Morgan as he records his health during his experiment. He begins by going to a number of specialist doctors (cardio vascular, dietician e.t.c) to record his health before starting his 30 day binge. the reason to use Morgan is a fair choice because the doctors all agree he is in 'perfect health' for someone his age which means any changes will become clear and will more clearly allow people to see the damage that can be done. In cutaways when the voice-over explains more about the back story to the matter of McDonalds being unhealthy there are several shots of obese people synced in time with the voice over. This makes the impact of what is being said even greater, it gives the viewer visual evidence to help sway towards the side that the documenter is on. this method also can exsadurate the point so that you are even more convinced by what you are hearing, though as far can be told there is no false information given during these scenes. The documentary stays true to its fair test as the results are given at the end of the experiment and the host gives his own opinion as to what he feels about the subject. He tries hard to recognise both sides of the argument but ultimately he wins over one side by proving that McDonalds does in fact increase health issues which tips off the documentary as a success to proving a point.
Loose change (2nd edition)
This is a critically acclaimed documentary which attempts to piece together the events of September 11 2001 (911) and argues that the attacks that took place on 911 were planned by the American government. It was made by Dylan Avery who is an American filmmaker that has long been questioning the events of September 11 2001 he spent 2 years collecting the evidence he needed to make his documentary.
The documentary explores its point of view with archive footage from news reports, phone camera videos and interviews. Dylan Avery acts as director and also provides a constant voice over with the help of his footage to explain his points. With the voice over pointing out certain things you are obligated to believe what you see, for example if there is a video of a man being interviewed the voice over might mention that they are lying because of their expressions, you may feel forced to believe this because the voice over is the only guide you have. Though the evidence is thorough and correct, there is not a fair balance between the two points of the argument, the documentary is solely intent on their side of the argument. The information is thrown at you with hard research to back it up however there is not much mention to how people who disagree feel on the subject. There are quotes and interviews of people disagreeing but they are made to look foolish as if they are lying or hiding something through what they are saying. This represents anyone who disagrees as either foolish or a liar, it is not a fair way of represent the other side of your argument because both points of view are not equally explored. There is however a good balance of objective and subjective information throughout the documentary.
The documentary has small animations which show typed quotes from people, a variation of both people in government and the public. There are several interviews of people giving their opinions and thoughts on different aspects such as whether or not the towers collapsed from the damage of the planes or from controlled explosion from within the building. This is a very subjective aspect of the documentary which gives it a sense that the information is not just based on what the documenter feel but how a number of people are also involved. Though there are several versions of this film and many recut versions the primary subjectivity that the 911 attacks were emitted from the US government stay the same.
Punks not dead
This documentary is about the argument that true punk is not as popular in modern culture as it was in the late 80s and early 90s. It explores the history of how punk came to be with the small rebellious cults to worldwide trends in music fashion and mainly attitude and representation. It was directed by Susan Dynner and includes archive footage from bands and interviews it also has interviews recorded especially for the documentary with some of punks biggest stars. The documentary really gives you a firsthand look on how the influences of punk feel about the genre. The use of such a-list stars of punk such as Billie Joe Armstrong from green day makes you feel like you are hearing a genuine opinion from a professional it really helps you trust the documentary to report on the right things. The interviewees speak about how the phenomenon grew by going into depth about how the media reacted. There are interviews from bands that started punk such as the Ramones and also bands who are considered to be ‘carrying the torch’ of punk into the modern world such as green day, sum 41 and my chemical romance. This gives a certain balance to the documentary as you are hearing two points of view from two different types of sources who will bring the argument forward and get more of a debate going.
The documentary also argues that the real threads of punk thrive off the American retrospective and that punk should be embraced and even savoured because it has become a blueprint to the world we live in today. This is explored through both public and media attention with on the street interviews with members of the public on how they feel about punk in modern culture. The documentary tries hard not to be bias and identifies that there is a very two sided argument to what they are disusing for it is widely known that punk is disliked by a lot of people just as much as it is liked. The objectivity is clear that punk should be seen as more of a ‘way of life’ rather than a rebellion but it is such a two sided argument which brings in a large subjective aspect to the matter. All people are represented as normal people who are simply stating a point, this is deliberate as the documentary is trying to play on the fact that punk is indeed a way of life. Though the documentary also balances things out by showing the ugly side to punk which is primary the statement that it is a rebellion against the government. There are shots of riots and children swearing which is the stereotypical way that punks are portrayed in the media. There is a huge presence of representation through the media with people slating that the government turn people against punks. The other side is that punk should be seen as a violent rebellion because of the way it changes people. These are all matters which are explored within the documentary and they are all represented with respect for both sides.
By Andrew Sharp
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