Sunday, 18 March 2012
Friday, 16 March 2012
How We Are Working As A Group
As a group to start with we have had slight problems involving some of the group tasks which are now on our blog. This was because amongst our group we split most of the group tasks evenly to different individuals however, some didn't always do it on time. This meant that without all of our set tasks on our blogs we were not allowed to film until all posts were published. In addition to filming we didn't have much of a plan for what we were going to film, so we spent about half an hour to an hour creating a plan for filming.
Other problems which we experienced as a group was who was going to act as we didn't have any actors which would be useful. In the end I decided to be the actor as the others were confident that they could film properly. Nick in our group also volunteered to be one of the actors in our group which was the villain. We also debated a lot of the time as to how things were going to be done when going out and filming. For example, what time everyone was free and what time of the day would be best to film it in such as night or day.
One of the members within our group didn't contribute his ideas much even though we tried to encourage him a lot of the time. This was slightly annoying because it meant we would be short of ideas and have to do more of the work our selves. A lot of the time the group member was also late for when we wanted to film and became more and more frustrating as we had to film at a certain time of the day.
Overall in the end I think we have worked well as a group and combined our ideas and produced a decent film opening sequence. However, I do feel that because most of us know each other it gave some of us an excuse not to complete tasks that we needed to be complete.
Other problems which we experienced as a group was who was going to act as we didn't have any actors which would be useful. In the end I decided to be the actor as the others were confident that they could film properly. Nick in our group also volunteered to be one of the actors in our group which was the villain. We also debated a lot of the time as to how things were going to be done when going out and filming. For example, what time everyone was free and what time of the day would be best to film it in such as night or day.
One of the members within our group didn't contribute his ideas much even though we tried to encourage him a lot of the time. This was slightly annoying because it meant we would be short of ideas and have to do more of the work our selves. A lot of the time the group member was also late for when we wanted to film and became more and more frustrating as we had to film at a certain time of the day.
Overall in the end I think we have worked well as a group and combined our ideas and produced a decent film opening sequence. However, I do feel that because most of us know each other it gave some of us an excuse not to complete tasks that we needed to be complete.
Monday, 12 March 2012
Rough cut of our Opening Sequence
We showed both our teachers and class a draft of our current opening sequence to see what they though of it and what they though we could improve on. This helped us a lot as we were able to utilize a lot of suggestions such as adding more sound effects to make the genre more clearer to the audience and other editing effects which we used to make the atmosphere more creepy.
Some of the suggestions that we were given to improve our clip were to add a radio news beat behind the news report which we had recorded. This was to make it sound more convincing and realistic to the audience. Another suggestion which we were given was to cut the length of some of our shots as they dragged on a bit too much and ruined the tension that it builds up to towards the end. Having shots that last for a long time also made it boring for the viewers to watch as nothing interesting was happening.
When editing our opening sequence as a rough cut, one of our teachers showed us an example of how to change the colour saturation settings which we tweaked with until it matched the genre (horror). The colours that we changed it to is a slight blue/greyish colour that makes the scenes look more mysterious and atmospheric. We also used other editing effects such as fades, dissolves and a slow motion effect. We used the slow motion effect on one of our shots after one of our teachers suggested it as it didn't last for more than a second and was hard to see who the person in the shot is.
Some of the suggestions that we were given to improve our clip were to add a radio news beat behind the news report which we had recorded. This was to make it sound more convincing and realistic to the audience. Another suggestion which we were given was to cut the length of some of our shots as they dragged on a bit too much and ruined the tension that it builds up to towards the end. Having shots that last for a long time also made it boring for the viewers to watch as nothing interesting was happening.
When editing our opening sequence as a rough cut, one of our teachers showed us an example of how to change the colour saturation settings which we tweaked with until it matched the genre (horror). The colours that we changed it to is a slight blue/greyish colour that makes the scenes look more mysterious and atmospheric. We also used other editing effects such as fades, dissolves and a slow motion effect. We used the slow motion effect on one of our shots after one of our teachers suggested it as it didn't last for more than a second and was hard to see who the person in the shot is.
Monday, 5 March 2012
Problems During Filming & Editing
During filming and editing we had some issues where we didnt have enough or the correct actors. This meant that we needed to change our storyline and decided that we would film it mostly from the villains perspective. This turned out quite well in the end but meant that we had to change a lot of our posts such as the storyboard.
Whilst filming we had to decide who had the steadiest hand whilst walking with the camera as its from the villain's perspective. This took several practises but we eventually decided on who was going to film most of the shots. However, a lot of the shots filmed were shaky making it harder for the viewer to watch but this turned out quite well in the end as it adds to the effect of the villain's plan to kill someone. Other problems that we had when we first whent to film was that the location that we wanted to film in was private, therefore we were not allowed to film there on our filming day without permission. To solve this we used a similar location full of lots of people and transport.
Other problems that we had when filming was that the weather was different everytime which meant that we couldn't use a lot of the shots we had filmed because of continuity. To counter this we changed the effect of the lighting in our shots when editing in final cut express. This added to the effect of horror and made the sky look less obvious when it changes from dark to bright.
Another problem that we had when filming was that we filmed the victim (me) getting onto a 151 bus but then getting off a 154 bus. This was because the 151 bus whent a different route to the road we wanted to film up. We didnt solve this but tried to make it look less obvious by cutting the shot on the 151 straight to the point where we got off. When editing our opening sequence another group was also using the same mac as us which meant that only one group could use it at a time. This was very annoying as both groups needed to edit and we had already uploaded all of our clips to the same mac.
Towards finishing our opening sequence we noticed that there was a shot that cuts from 1 person being in the shot to another person also being in the shot. To hide this we added the effect of a cross dissolve which we used to signify time passing.
Overall I think that as a group our filming and editing whent really well and were happy with what we produced in the end.
Whilst filming we had to decide who had the steadiest hand whilst walking with the camera as its from the villain's perspective. This took several practises but we eventually decided on who was going to film most of the shots. However, a lot of the shots filmed were shaky making it harder for the viewer to watch but this turned out quite well in the end as it adds to the effect of the villain's plan to kill someone. Other problems that we had when we first whent to film was that the location that we wanted to film in was private, therefore we were not allowed to film there on our filming day without permission. To solve this we used a similar location full of lots of people and transport.
Other problems that we had when filming was that the weather was different everytime which meant that we couldn't use a lot of the shots we had filmed because of continuity. To counter this we changed the effect of the lighting in our shots when editing in final cut express. This added to the effect of horror and made the sky look less obvious when it changes from dark to bright.
Another problem that we had when filming was that we filmed the victim (me) getting onto a 151 bus but then getting off a 154 bus. This was because the 151 bus whent a different route to the road we wanted to film up. We didnt solve this but tried to make it look less obvious by cutting the shot on the 151 straight to the point where we got off. When editing our opening sequence another group was also using the same mac as us which meant that only one group could use it at a time. This was very annoying as both groups needed to edit and we had already uploaded all of our clips to the same mac.
Towards finishing our opening sequence we noticed that there was a shot that cuts from 1 person being in the shot to another person also being in the shot. To hide this we added the effect of a cross dissolve which we used to signify time passing.
Overall I think that as a group our filming and editing whent really well and were happy with what we produced in the end.
Saturday, 3 March 2012
LiveType Title Practises
When using livetype for the first time we experimented with creating a film title and adding several effects to make it more effective. The title which I created we decided to use for our opening sequence as it suited the genre horror well.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Research Into Film Companies
Here are some film companies that I have researched into their history, what kind of films they make etc.
Universal Pictures: Universal Pictures is a very well known worldwide film company that is in fact the second oldest movie production company in the world. The company also goes buy the names of Universal Studios and Universal City Pictures. The Universal Pictures company was founded by a German-Jewish immigrant that lived in Oshkosh, Wisconsin as he managed a clothing store there. Universal Pictures built their first giant hilltop studio in the year 1915 on the site of a chicken farm. Back then one of the ways in which they made money was to charge tourists 25 cents to watch filming of silent movies which featured actors such as Lon Chaney and Rudolph Valentino. Universal Pictures is also well-known for producing some of the most popular old time horror films which includes films such as "Dracula (1931)" and "Frankenstein (1931)".
Throughout the years Universal Pictures have currently produced over 3424 films covering a wide range of different genres. Some of their most popular films include Jaws, The Mummy, Jurassic Park and The Fast & Furious.
Universal Pictures: Universal Pictures is a very well known worldwide film company that is in fact the second oldest movie production company in the world. The company also goes buy the names of Universal Studios and Universal City Pictures. The Universal Pictures company was founded by a German-Jewish immigrant that lived in Oshkosh, Wisconsin as he managed a clothing store there. Universal Pictures built their first giant hilltop studio in the year 1915 on the site of a chicken farm. Back then one of the ways in which they made money was to charge tourists 25 cents to watch filming of silent movies which featured actors such as Lon Chaney and Rudolph Valentino. Universal Pictures is also well-known for producing some of the most popular old time horror films which includes films such as "Dracula (1931)" and "Frankenstein (1931)".
Throughout the years Universal Pictures have currently produced over 3424 films covering a wide range of different genres. Some of their most popular films include Jaws, The Mummy, Jurassic Park and The Fast & Furious.
Monday, 20 February 2012
Contingency Plan
Contingency Plan
Cast dropping out
If we have a member of our cast dropping out it is going to affect us in a big way as everyone has a big roll and we are all needed. This means that we will need a new cast member who can act and if we film some of our opening sequences featuring the person who has dropped out it is going to cause a big continuity error. This is because we will not be able to finish filming the opening sequence and we wont be able to use another actor as it will confuse the audience. If this happens we will have to re-film all of the scenes featuring the actor that dropped out using someone else who we know and trust.
Being a bad actor or actress
Our opening sequence is based on the genre horror and doesn't require cast members to have fantastic acting skills. However if our actors fail to act and we are unable to find anyone else we will have to take it slow and just do small little takes so we can make it seem like it (he/she) is better and so it doesn't look so bad. For example, we may feature them in scenes where their face cannot be seen as they may laugh and this will not be viewable to the audience this way. If it was being shy of the camera or not being able to act while on camera we might have to ask them to stop and step in with someone else or even have someone from the group do it.
Being Unreliable
Having a actor or a cast member that can't seem to meet up outside lessons will not work, because if we go out for the day and they can't come then we could miss something, we would not have the whole group there meaning that someone is missing out on ideas and plans. plus them not being there means they will have extremely little inout in to the filming.
Crew being late/getting lost
If one of the crew members is constantly being late it means we can't start filming and therefore we lose more time. Meaning we do not have the time to do everything and film what we need. We could then be missing scenes or detail within a clip because we were on a tight schedule. If we get lost we could lose a few days or worse if we can only go there two or three times, then we might not be able to film there again, meaning we might have to change location losing more days and editing time as well.
Locations not letting you film there/being too noisy/having to many people in the background
If we can't film in a location then we will have to find a new one, as their is nothing we can do about it. However if we can explain to them and they might change their mind and allow us to film there. If a location is to noisy we could come back at a later time/date to see if it has calmed down. If not we could just film the acting their and then do the dialog somewhere else. If there are too many people in the shots we will come back at another time or change the type of angle or shot we use to minimise the amount of people in the shot.
Battery Running out
To avoid the problem of the battery running out we might take another battery with us, or another camera. We will always charge the camera before so we know it will be charged and have a full battery. however if we forget to do that then we would come back and edit what we have and try to work around it. Hopeful this won't happen as it is easily avoided.
Continuity Problems
Continuity is going to be one of the hardest things for us. However one of our members is normally a bit OCD about it, as he finds it annoying when things don't match up. If it's a small detail we might redo the shot unless we can find away around it. We are going to look out carfully to aviod any errors and waste of time. This includes actors wearing the exact same clothing after each scene and until we have finished filming a scene we will be sure not to move anything around.
Cast dropping out
If we have a member of our cast dropping out it is going to affect us in a big way as everyone has a big roll and we are all needed. This means that we will need a new cast member who can act and if we film some of our opening sequences featuring the person who has dropped out it is going to cause a big continuity error. This is because we will not be able to finish filming the opening sequence and we wont be able to use another actor as it will confuse the audience. If this happens we will have to re-film all of the scenes featuring the actor that dropped out using someone else who we know and trust.
Being a bad actor or actress
Our opening sequence is based on the genre horror and doesn't require cast members to have fantastic acting skills. However if our actors fail to act and we are unable to find anyone else we will have to take it slow and just do small little takes so we can make it seem like it (he/she) is better and so it doesn't look so bad. For example, we may feature them in scenes where their face cannot be seen as they may laugh and this will not be viewable to the audience this way. If it was being shy of the camera or not being able to act while on camera we might have to ask them to stop and step in with someone else or even have someone from the group do it.
Being Unreliable
Having a actor or a cast member that can't seem to meet up outside lessons will not work, because if we go out for the day and they can't come then we could miss something, we would not have the whole group there meaning that someone is missing out on ideas and plans. plus them not being there means they will have extremely little inout in to the filming.
Crew being late/getting lost
If one of the crew members is constantly being late it means we can't start filming and therefore we lose more time. Meaning we do not have the time to do everything and film what we need. We could then be missing scenes or detail within a clip because we were on a tight schedule. If we get lost we could lose a few days or worse if we can only go there two or three times, then we might not be able to film there again, meaning we might have to change location losing more days and editing time as well.
Locations not letting you film there/being too noisy/having to many people in the background
If we can't film in a location then we will have to find a new one, as their is nothing we can do about it. However if we can explain to them and they might change their mind and allow us to film there. If a location is to noisy we could come back at a later time/date to see if it has calmed down. If not we could just film the acting their and then do the dialog somewhere else. If there are too many people in the shots we will come back at another time or change the type of angle or shot we use to minimise the amount of people in the shot.
Battery Running out
To avoid the problem of the battery running out we might take another battery with us, or another camera. We will always charge the camera before so we know it will be charged and have a full battery. however if we forget to do that then we would come back and edit what we have and try to work around it. Hopeful this won't happen as it is easily avoided.
Continuity Problems
Continuity is going to be one of the hardest things for us. However one of our members is normally a bit OCD about it, as he finds it annoying when things don't match up. If it's a small detail we might redo the shot unless we can find away around it. We are going to look out carfully to aviod any errors and waste of time. This includes actors wearing the exact same clothing after each scene and until we have finished filming a scene we will be sure not to move anything around.
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