OMG! production

We were given yet another interesting way to practice and keep on top of our camera and sound skills.. we were given a brief to create a short film; around 15 shots altogether, called "Oh My God!"

Our brief was:

-The character receives a phone call
-The character is being told some bad news
-They try to call someone, but no-one picks up
-Character runs
-There's a panicked feeling, as they rush to get to the gatehouse
-Runs and arrives in the gatehouse
-Get in and open the door
-There's shock on their face but the audience don't see what they can see.

In the lesson we also discussed the 180' rule. When filming, you have to imagine an "invisible line," in which you have to stick to one side throughout the entire sequence. This is to ensure you don't confuse the audience and for the left/right, right/left to still apply...

For example a car shot- You can't film both sides of the invisible line as it will look as if the object is changing direction, so it won't make sense to the viewer.

I was in a group with Tom, Chloe and Kieran, and we had to film left-right. We thought it would be effective if we had some repetition to the piece, so we decided the location should be the Hiscocks corridors as a starting point.

Chloe is our main character, and started with her sitting down in a Hiscocks kitchen; she receives the phone call, (W/S to a CU of her reaction).

Chloe tries to redial but with no response, she jumps up and runs out of shot.

This is followed by a series of shots running through the corridors, (CU/OS/ feet shot etc)

A shot we definitely had to add in is the OH shot of Chloe running out of the halls and through the grass. This is where we considered health and safety as Tom has been elected to climb the tree and get the shot!

Our next sequence for the short piece was fun to shoot! We had recently done some celtx work on the film 'Bullit,' where we broke down a car chase. This inspired us to do some sort of car scene and was perfect as Chloe had a car! Of course, Health and safety is once again a big factor, as we took into consideration the car park, Chloe and crew's safety and anyone else around.

We got some interesting shots both inside and outside the car, CU's and WS's to mix it up and make it enjoyable to watch for the viewer and to give us more of a selection with order when it came down to editing it.

The car pulls up, and we caught Chloe hurrying out of the car and running towards the gatehouse, shooting both the car and a separate shot of Chloe heading to the destination.

---We used a tripod for most of the shooting, to ensure stability and steadiness throughout the shots. However some of the shots we wanted to capture the rush and panic of Chloe, so the camera was used manually for this effect and think it worked well. We also used it for inside the car and of course up the tree.

THE EDITING PROCESS:

Chloe and I edited the piece and thought the outcome was good and well thought out. We did have some trouble, eg There are shots of Chloe, (extreme W/A) running, and the next shot was her getting into her car- we definitely could have used with another shot in between to link the two motions together.

Also another problem we had occurred when keeping with our left-to-right shooting for the entire piece, and we shot Chloe driving up to a hault; right-to-left. Luckily we quickly learnt in Final Cut that you can "flop" (flip) your shots, to make it work. PERFECT!

We wanted to use quick, short cuts throughout to emphasise the "rush" and urgency of where she needed to get to.. we've contrasted this with one of the last shots, where Chloe is running to the gatehouse, whee we held the shot for about 5 secs in the same position. I just thought it created an interesting change.

I'm getting better at logging and capturing, checking the settings and saving the project beforehand. We did have some trouble getting the footage online to use for every computer, in which Mike stepped in and came to the rescue!

We were all very pleased with the outcome.

MERGING WORK TOGETHER:

We were then paired together with a group who shot in Right-to-left so we could experiment merging shots together to create another story.

This was a lot of fun! And it really showed me how much of an essential role an editor has because they can create a different story after story with the same footage. I edited a version of the two pieces of footage, in which we chose to use for the final piece; and when I looked at other mates work, I could see how everyone can approach the footage with a different mind set.

I tried to make my final edit funny... with the conclusion being Mike being the person calling Chloe, and Chloe 'chasing' Mike to the gatehouse, so almost like a race, having called him again, running to her car to catch him. This, in turn, caused Mike to start running in the opposite direction, (right-left).

- I managed to make it look like chloe was trying to catch Mike.. having called him and running to her car to get him.. this in turn caused Mike to start running in the opposite direction, (right-left).

In another attempt to create a humorous under tone, I sped up Chloe's long shot running to the gatehouse.

I really enjoyed it editing this piece and think it was a really good exercise to further improve my Final Cut Pro skills.

Final Product:

Oh My GOD! from Rachel Sowden on Vimeo.

First and may i say PRODUCTIVE meeting!

Minutes- 28th January:

-All attended..

In our first meeting, we wanted to discuss further what we want to "say" in our piece.. our overall intention in the featurette.. the story within the story etc.

We spoke about what we want to achieve...

That we wanted to produce a bulk standard featurette...

Perhaps add some stop/start animation? beginning sequence will be the journey there..car... etc after the audio of cheering so the audience can guess it has something to do with a crowd...

We found that the escape to sea piece was a good inspiration as it showed good example of interviews/who writes what/ etc.. The roles in the band.

We discussed about wanting to produce almost like a bio.. revealing the band and showing each individual's personality.

perhaps a build up to an inportant gig....



ACTION POINTS..

-email band.. get some more information on them/ contact details...

- research and watch some "behind the scenes.." footage of other featurettes.

Group Project!! Decisions decisions..

One of our last Project Production assessments is a group project; I'm working with Chloe and Patrick.
I found out about this project before Christmas and knew straight away that I wanted to do a music featurette. I really enjoy watching them, and finding out in a more personal level about the bands being interviewed. I like seeing them in a natural and informal way.

Ideas for the featurette:


-TOPCAT PRODUCTIONS ??

-MTV/T4'esk style; They are casual, young and funky in the style of editing, questions asked etc- quite tongue in cheek.


-Stop Motion for the introduction? We had an idea of fridge magnets moving around spelling out the titles, productions etc.

-We definitely want to use a photo montage in perhaps the middle of the piece, with the bands' own music over the top of it, just to make things more interesting.

-A 'backstage' view at some points; giving an exclusive feel for the audience watching.

-An ACCESS ALL AREAS .. get the audience to feel as if it's an exclusive insight to their "fav" band

-Including other aspects of their lives; for example jobs they do outside the band, degrees/ family etc. I think this will be effective as you get to know them all in a personal way.


-We want to shoot some of the footage on-stage for a point of view of the band, looking out into the crowd. 'The Final Gig,' and the build up.

-archive footage...perhaps shot in black and white.. grainy/ sepia; to give it a more antique look with the soundtrack on top.


-interviews.. We want to use different environments for the questions. We were thinking maybe one in a bar; showing the social side of the characters. We want it to be casual, like you know the person in a chatty manner, and cut to different shots of footage... Almost like the person being interviewed is narrating over it.

-Transport; We were thinking about shooting the journey there to set the scene for the introduction. I was thinking my car driving up there.. Get shots of the road signs... Chloe can drive up next to me to get action shots of the drive.


-I think Brighton would be a wicked city to shoot this featurette in. It's notorious for its' retro streets, and successful bands and has definitely been branded a funky place to live. Beach, Bands, Good times!

-Perhaps presenters? This is following the T4 style, where the presenter is sitting in with the interview, to create a more relaxed feel; and makes it a lot easier to introduce different parts of the show. Chloe would be an awesome presenter! So we will see..

-The beginning should be unusual.. I want the audience to not know straight away what they're about to watch; to intrigue them to keep watching. A shot starting off blurred perhaps, with the crowd cheering fading up... speeding up and then jump straight into introducing the band members.


-Pieces of footage showing the band members preparing for their gig; Song writing/ practicing/ tuning up etc.. We want to show just how passionate and dedicated they are with their music.




-specific shots.. peep show'esk? (POV) walking into the venue.. rip ticket etc


ESCAPE TO SEA!

I chose this video as an example as I think it had some good ideas in which we could develop on.

I liked the beginning sequence, as we are introduced to the members of the band, but not properly, so there's a bit of mystery, and shows a bit of their personality straight away.

I also liked the journey sequence the creators used; the use of spotlights, and street lights creates an interesting repetition. We were thinking about filming the journey to the venue to introduce and familarise the audience with the narrative of the piece.

The shot of the band on the stage was also really effective. I liked how you can see the vibrations of the tracks but keeps the camera so steady. It shows a short snippet of the band and what the programme will be about.

-WICKED SHOTS!! LA/W/A/POV/OH/OS/ ETC ETC ETC


http://


I think the piece is edited quite well, (the beginning section of the band members could have been better). Obviously our group project will be going into more depth but the ideas they have portrayed are a good starting point when thinking about editing and the different shots we want to include to make an effective featurette.

CAMERA bits and bobs..

Being on a Creative Media Course involves becoming very familar with high tech devices, something I have to admit was not my forte at the beginning of this year! However, I have definately improved and continue to practice so's not to forget all the things I've been taught! (Something that could happen as I have THE worst memory). I thought blogging about some of the equipment we work with continuously was a goooood idea!

Z1 W/A- This tends to be the best camera to work with when shooting projects and for the steady cam.

Some useful things to remember....

-Mostly always use a PAL (25 f/p/s)
-When setting up the camera, work front to back
-Framing and composition: Consider the rule of thirds, correct headroom, looking room etc
-Focus: Make sure everything in shot is visible and clear, (zoom fully into the eye of the subject and manually focus from there- then zoom out)
-Focal Length: Zooming in to set the shot, try not to zoom too much in the piece, can look amateur
-Filters: (WB) White Balance- Hold camera to something white, (white wall/ piece of paper etc), and press the button! Do this before adjusting aperture and shutter speed, and consider that filming inside and out is different and the WB will need adjusting
-Neutral Density (ND): This would be for a brightly lit day and will filter the camera as if it's wearing sunglasses... ND1: "tinted"
ND2: "Dark Glasses"

REMEMBER BEFORE FILMING...

Batteries charged?
Tapes labelled?
Bars and timing done beforehand...

Before filming any of your actual footage, 30 seconds of "Bars" should be shot. This is because Final Cut seems to like a "run up" to the footage, (PRE-ROLL). The bars will record sounds but not picture.

The camera has a Timecode which needs to be continuous throughout filming otherwise it will re-set itslef and the framing will be lost. This is where I've gone wrong a few times. Rewind to the end of the previous scene and the timecode will continue running from then.
Always leave a little space at the end of your tape for POST-ROLL, this will give Final Cut time to catch up with the data.
(If you feel the tapes running out, CHANNNGE IT)!

A DV PAL usually films about 65 minutes out of an hour long tape.

-F Stop (Exposure): This will be the Aperture, (amount of light) VS the Shutter Speed.
All exposure on the camera can be found on the "IRIS" silver button on the side.

-Shutter Speed: Default the setting to 50 for video cameras, (different for stills).

-Gain: When you're filming you'd want it at 0
-Zebra: Exposure consideration... Looking out for drastically different ligtht in your scene, for example a fairly dark room with a really bright room; this will affect the pixals in the camera.

Equpiment to accompany the Camera...

TRIPOD-This tends to go hand in hand with the Z1 when producing a film. It creates a steady platform for the shot and avoids "wonkiness" and the "hand held" effect.

Another useful piece of equipment would be the MONOPOD. This, like the Tripod, is used as a base and support for the camera, but can be used for shots that the Tripod can't achieve. Shooting L/A for example, or from above. I'd really like to work with this as I think it would be good for 'tracking shoes' shots.


DOLLY. This is used mostly for panning the camera around a shot and is useful as it's a lot smoother than perhaps holding the camera maually and trying to create the same effect. I would like to use this piece of equipment for my solo project as I'm planning to do a scene where the camera pans my car alongside it as I drive away.







FIG RIGS are something I'd never seen before this course. The steering wheel of any good shot- literally! You screw the camera in the middle of the device and hold it around the wheel. This gives stability and would be easier to move the camera around more smoothly and is also a lot better for balance.

Other pieces of equipment...





The Panasonic- Good for Archive footage/ hand held material.

The Rifle Mic- One of the more popular Microphones used for the audio your're trying to capture. Also used on a..... BOOM stand---->

And finally when working with audio..... are a must!

One shot Wonders..

ONE TAKE FILMS.

Shooting a whole film in one take is both demanding and precise; setting up and running through the piece is not only time consuming, but a necessity. The pre-production will also be longer than the post because it would just be choosing the right take and adding the final little tweaks. This also puts a lot of pressure on the actors and crew involved, especially the camera crew; hitting their marks and remembering all the shots needed to make the films work- The director would work along side and descibe what he/she wants.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK is a good example of this for his film "Rope."


The 1948 classic was filmed on only four reels of film, each done in one take. This would have worked at the time as in a cinema, the film would have been shown in four stages anyway, (changing the reels).

We, as a class watched the first few minutes of this film and it was interesting to analyse. We saw that instead of cutting away to a close-up for example, the camera would simply pan in and out and tracked the character as they walked etc. I have to say, it wasn't the most exciting film to watch but perhaps that's becuase I'm from a generation where films are short/quick action packed shots. I do, however, appreciate and respect the time consuming and patient job it would be able to create a one shot full length feature.

I think this is a good example for a one-shot film as you can see just how rehearsed everyone involved would have had to be to get this right. I think it's definately something I want to try as I know it would be a big build up in pre-production, getting it right...But obviously post would be a lot quicker than usual, perhaps only adapting the audio slightly.

Another gooooood example!....

ALEXANDER SOKUROV's "RUSSIAN ARK"

(The trailer fades in and out but every scene you see has been filmed continuously.)

This a 2002 Russian film and was captured using a single 96 minute steadicam sequence shot. The location was The Hermitage Museum In St. Petersburg. Sokurov was given permission to shoot there for a weekend, which wasn's a lot of time to film it and get the perfect shot. This would put a lot of pressure onto everyone in the film to hit their marks at the right time.

A plus for this film would have been that the whole film was shot in mute and the audio was added in post production, which meant that Sokurov followed the camera and shouted out the shots needed and his vision for the film as the camera moved along with him. This would have made things easier for everyone.

I enjoyed this film as it was such a big vision to get right, and the shot was very adventurous- making its' way around the whole museum with a narrator talking over it. The whole shot was very "floaty"- ghost-like.

So the post production would be quicker than most other films. However, the pre-production took three years to complete- Planning the whole film step by step, considering...
-lighting
-exposure
-white balance
-actors
etc ETC
Also, ensuring the cameramen chosen were reliable and good enough for the job... A lot of pressure for one weekend of filming after such a long time!

There was 20 minutes of film that was shot at the beginning.. The director had to decide there and then whether to start it all again or carry on and this would be the final film. The whole production took 4 takes... The final product being the final take... LUCKY!

EVERYONE'S AT IT.....

http://www.single-shot.co.uk/

-Beach Jam by Tula Parker and Anna Weatherston

I loved this little piece! I thought it was so inventive, very engaging and really enjoyable to watch.
I thought the beginning was very clever, starting off blurry with the sounds of cars, making the viewer assume these are real cars, before revealing what we're really watching.

At first I was a bit confused with where this was going, but I love the camera change when the car goes into the air, tracking it until you see the final outcome.

This was also done in ONE SHOT.. A film, no matter how short or long it may be, should always have a beginning, middle and an end to the piece with developments between the two points- start and finish!

IDEAS FOR A ONE SHOT:

We were asked to shoot our own One Shot Film. I had an idea...

-A journey from house to bus stop (some sort of destination)..Showing the simple journey of up and out for an everyday student. I would have the camera tracking the body of the person around the house, panning up and down and she buttered some toast, went to the fridge etc and finally walk out of the house.

-I wouldn't have revealed the face just yet, and have the camera tracking her feet, legs as she walked, catching some of the cars driving past etc.

-She would stop for a moment, and at this point the camera would pan around her the shot is now in front of her- This is where it will pan up to see the face and show finally where she's going.. The bus stop. Not very exciting, but I thought chosing something simple would make it easier to get the shots perfect and interesting.

So preparing for this shot means rehearsing it through with the character a couple of times, walking and practicing the shots outside; considering people/cars etc and the journey there, and obviously checking the camera's in top notch condition- batteries, set-up etc.

I intend to film this soon to see the outcome!!

Editing in film.. old school examples!

Through out the past couple of weeks I've continued to research into editing- the styles and effects editing has on piece. I've come across some interesting old edits...

-This is an awesome example of "busy shots." This piece was by a man called "Dziga Vertov" who we, as a class, have looked at previously. This piece was, however, edited by his wife "Elizaveta Svilova," who helped with with the process of deleting and adding new frames into the film. This was an experimental silent documentary film, in 1929. It involved no actors, no story.

"Every frame is important." I stick by this, through experience. I've done edits when we've been praticing filming, and sometimes you wish you've filmed a tiny shot in between another shot. It also shows a narrative and shows that putting shots together creates a story.

This is a good example of editing as it shows the power of juxtaposition.

I also think this has every effect under the sun- At the beginning there were short shots which repeated over and over, moving into montage sequence which really kept you engaged. There were blending of shots- merging into a similar shot and so forth. As you watch further into it, you can also see the shots being sped up/ rotated etc- there really is a big mix of what to expect in the piece.

There was also an interesting point where you could see a reaction from people watching the stop time animation- a new technique no-one had seen before. So when this first came out, it could feel like a reflection of the people actually watching it.

A modern example of combined "storyline" focus would be Mike Figgis' "Timecode."
there were actors but no script, so similar in that sense.

The film shows four storylines on a split screen simultaneously at the same time, changing the audio from screen to screen for the audience to follow and to understand which story to focus on. The director is guiding the eye of the viewers with their ears which I find effective as it makes you concentrate a lot more on each individual event that is happening.

Figgis had an unusual way of filming as the script wasn't written. The work came from the actors involved; the director simply gave them a scenario and the 'jist' of what wants to be said and the actors took it into their own hands. A typical day of filming would be one or two takes a day, all the way through, and be reviewed at the end to suggest different ideas/ how the performances were etc, as the story was done by four cameras in one take.

There are pro's and con's to filming in this way. The negative things could be that you have to make sure the actors are doing their best otherwise the stories don't work as there's no script to use as a back up.

A very big plus, however, is that the post production is a lot easier because only little tweaks will be needed to finish the film as they will all be one take. Even though this does save a massive amount of time after filming, the pre-production would take a lot longer than the average film as they would need to set everything up, make sure all the actors hit their marks and cues at the right time, practice all the way through before filming so's not to waste film, and in order to correct any alterations needed.

The film was in fact the final take!

Another good example of editing would be Micheal Kahn, a prestigious film editor, collaborating with major directors such as Stephen Spielberg for over 30 years, winning academy awards for his editing in...

Raiders of the lost ark (1981)
Schindler's List (1993)
Saving private ryan (1998)

He is one of the few editors who still edits on film.. although having edited digitally with films not directed by Spielberg- It is said that he wouldn't use digital edits with Spielberg as they got so far using the same technique, why fix something that's not broken?

"We started that way and both really enjoy it." (Kahn)




I decided to use this clip as an example as I love the way Tom Hanks, (the main character), is introduced to the film; very subtle and you don't see his face straight away which airs a certain mystery on who he is to the film and why the focus is on him. There are also other shots of the men around him; quiet, heavy breathing so you know there is anticipation of what's to come.

I think the style of editing is suited very well to the genre of the film; quick, snappy edits and cut- aways in some parts, and lingering eery shots in others. I thought it was an effective introduction for any film as it dives in straight away, so you know to expect some action!

Featurette feeling..

I've been researching featurettes recently to get a better insight on what we want to achieve from this group project, and came across some good examples that I feel will be very helpful when thinking about the structure our piece wants to be.

KOALA FRIDAY

This is a documentary featuring the Brighton based band "Koala Friday," who we were in fact going to use as our subject matter for this piece, but in the end decided upon a band which will give us more of a narrative for our filming.

However when I came across this video on 'YouTube' I did find it a perfect example of what we want to try and portray- The Informality, how relatable the band seem and the narrative in the piece, (backstage/ going on for a gig/ offstage etc).

At the beginning it had a clear title showing the audience what it will be about. We do want our featurette to be clear, but the idea of having perhaps a few shots merged together before the proper introduction, is, to me, more engaging as you're intrigued at what you will be watching.

I also liked the car scene at the beginning, (something we have discussed about for our interview section in the piece), as it shows the band very natural and relaxed, so you can see that they are just normal guys- perfect for the fans! The subject of their conversation is also nothing to do with their career, (talking about their lunch prices?!) which I think provides the audience with a much better insight on their "favourite" band.

The narrative of the documentary is appealing for people interested in their lifestyle and what 'a day in the life of' is all about. The camera takes us on a journey; from the car, to backstage/onstage, and their reaction after the gig when they are in high spirits. I really liked the shots when they were on stage, as it felt as if you were an audience member- again something we want to achieve.

This featurette is something that is very similar to what Patrick, Chloe and myself want to film, from the shots to the narrative. The end of the video was also very effective as there were stills of the band with their track over it- exactly what we thought would look really good! There was also text showing the audience the conclusion of what the band have achieved.

In an objective sense, there were a few bad points to the video. I thought some of the camera filming looked quite amatuer and shaky. We would avoid this by using tripods/ monopods etc, to keep a professional feel to a informal narrative.

Another point would be perhaps there were too many spots which were quite boring- we want to keep it 'on your toes' busy- we want it to reflect the bands' lifestyle.

Another example:

Even though it's "behind the scenes as a photographer.." this is exactly what we're looking to achieve.. the was he narrates it/ the use of stills.. music... and overall outcome and conclusion.

Even though it does reflect the way we want our piece to be filmed, it does drag on a bit and I found myself skipping a lot of it- we don't want this for our documentary- the audience should be engaged and interested in the band's story want to know more.

I did really like the beginning of this, as it showed the narrator as the actual photographer- we hear his voice throughout the featurette so you know who the voice belongs to. He introduces the piece in his car, driving (something we want to incorporate).

This video is a lot more professional than the previous example- filming and audio. But was it as fun and interesting as it could be?

I'll continue to research into this genre of Television to get inspiration for our group project.

DOM BOWER