Research and Planning: Video



Final Video:

 

Research and Planning - Print

The ediitng was done. so now we had to move onto the researching planning of the film poster and review. We had to look at other film posters and magazine film reviews to get inspiration. I looked at 'Q Magazine' to get case studies off. I also looked 'Empire Magazine.'

Editing the Video

Today we had set about in reducing the length of our film as it had gone over 5 minutes. Our teacher helped us with us as she told us where she believed there were unnecessary scenes. We had cut down  the film to 5 minutes, which was the maximum film tim. Even though our film did not come to our predicted time of 4 minutes, we were still really proud of the finished product!! By the end of editing I had learnt to use Final Cut Pro very effectively and could now use it easily.

Editing the Video

The film was nearly finished!! We just had to add in the finishing touches to it. Today we decided we'd spend this lesson on making the car crash scene. We didn't really know how to create a car crash effect. So we looked on youtube for inspiration.

We used this video to help us. We thought we'd speed up the clip which would make it more realistic. Also we slowed down the build up to the car crash. The scene where the protagonist is going to cross the road was slowed down. The car crash now looked more realistic. After the car crash we left a 3 second gap to build more tension. We used the group selection tool to move some parts of the clip to make a little gap. We were really proud. Our teacher also approved and said it does look real and so did other students. By the end of the lesson we were done. But we needed one more lesson to cut down some unnecessary clips as our film had gone over 5 minutes.

Editing the Video

Today we had to find a theme tune to play through our film. Me and my partner decided to use "Leona Lewis - Keep Bleeding." Adding the music did not take that long. But we were unsure on how loud the music should be. We kept the music at a medium sound and every time there is diegetic speech we put the music all the way down so the speech is clear and easy to hear. We used the razor tool to stop the music at the right time and also used the gradient tool which made the sound slowly fade down as speech was coming. I was really getting the hang of using the tools on Final Cut Pro, it became easier for me lesson by lesson.

Editing the Video

Today the teacher had set up a feedback session where the class would view each groups video and give feedback. This worked really well as we got a lot of feedback. A student said we could add in borders into the flacback scenes as this would reinstate that we are in a flashback state. Another student suggested we should use just one tune/song throughout the whole film as this would be more simple. The feedback was really helpful and we decided to embed feedback given into our film.

Editing the Video

This lesson we decided to add all the effects into our film. The technician helped us with this. To connote the flashback effect we added in a vignette which portrayed a flashback state very well. We embedded a vignette and borders into all of the flashback scenes . The film was really starting to come together now.

Editing the Video

Today we had much cutting to do as our film had gone way over 5 minutes. We started off cutting unnecessary clips. By the end we had cut the film to 5 minutes 4 seconds. We had cu off a great amount but this had to be done. After we had cut down the film we started embedding effects into the film.

Editing the Video

Today we started off by adding together the beginning parts of the film, we had set a target of piecing together the whole film by the end of today. It was difficult and frustrating but in the end we did it. The length of our film had came to 5 minutes 40 seconds and this was a big problem. The length had gone way over our limit. So next lesson we had set  a task of cutting down clips and add in the effects.

Editing the Video

We had a lot of work to do today as the deadline for editing was a few weeks away. We still had to put together the beginning part of the film so we started by trying to accomplish this task by the end of the lesson. We used the razor tool to cut scenes and we zoomed into each clip so its easier to cut IN and OUT. By the end of the lesson we had put together nearly all of the beginning scenes together! As we wasn't sure on how to use some aspects of Final Cut Pro we decided to look on youtube to see tutorials.

This tutorial really helped us reducing the shaky parts of some of thje film clips

Editing the Video

Finally we had all of our footage so we could get down to editing our film. We started by cutting some unnecessary shots as it just added to time span of the time. We did this through slips, we marked IN and OUT of the clip to take out the necessary part of the clip. We wanted our film to be four minutes long maximum so therefore we had a lot of scenes to cut. By the end of the lesson we cut a few shots and added together the first part of the beginning scene.

Editing the Video

The technician could not upload our beginning scenes onto the Mac as a software was needed. So we decided to work on what we had; the middle and the end of the film. We changed some shots around. For example, we removed some of the shots from the beginning of the film where the door opens and the camera goes around the room. This scene was too long so we decided to cut some of the shots using the razor tool. We only used the shots we thought would show a sense of continuity to the scene.
 

Editing the Video

We still haven't acquired the beginning parts of our footage so we started piecing together the end part of our film. At the moment the video does not look right as a chunk of the beginning is missing. We finished putting together the penultimate scenes today.

Editing the Video

Finally we have started editing. We had to commence editing a week later as our footage on the video camera got deleted. We accomplished a lot today even though we did not have the beginning part of the footage. We pieced together the middle part of the film and cut out numerous unnecessary shots. Today I learnt to use the razor tool precisely and it was very helpful in disectiing the footage.

Editing the Video

I was told to get on completing the film poster case studies as we could not get on with editing our film as someone deleted our film off the camera!

Shooting the Film

Filming is finished!! We shot all the scenes and concluded the filming today. The weather was a bit gloomy today and it had a bad effect on lighting. We looked back on the filming and noticed some of the room shots were a tad bit dark therefore we have decided to re-do a few shots next week on the 24th of November.

Research and Planning - Video

Today I imrpoved my script. My teacher gave some feedback which was very helpful. She said that the script seemed unrealistic. Therefore, I re-wrote the script however I did leave some elements of the old script in the new one. My teacher checked it and she said it was much better.

Research and Planning - Video

This is an improved version of our script. I had been told by my teacher to to improve the first scene of our script, which is the letter, as it sounded too formal and was not realistic due to the language which was utilised. Therefore, I took my teachers advice and decided to improve the first scene. In this improved version I have used less formal language and made it very conversational to give the effect of realism in the letter.

 

 

Short film script (Improved)

Scene 1:

Character 1: Honey I’m home! (Heads up the stairs)

Character 1: (Finds letter and starts reading it) Dear Tom, you may have noticed that I’ve not been myself lately. Well there’s a reason why I’ve been acting up. A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with cancer. This broke my heart into pieces. To be honest it’s not fair at all for you to be living with me and my illness. Things happen for a reason, maybe we were just not meant to be. The times we’ve had together were amazing and I will never forget all the things you did for me, you made me the happiest girl in the world. I guess destiny had other plans for us. I’ve got to go now. Just remember I will always love you, Emily. xxx

…..

WHAT!

Scene 2:

Character 1: WHY! (Punches the dashboard in anger)

Character 1: (In the car) How did I not realise what we she was going through! This is all my fault.

(FLASHBACK SCENE 1)

Character 1: Honey wake up, its past 12. We need to go.

Character 2:  Please baby 10 more minutes, I’m really tired.

(FLASHBACK SCENE 2)

Character 1: Hospital?! Oh it must be nothing, just them normal women things.

(FLASHBACK SCENE 3)

Character 1: Honey what are these pills?

Character 2: (Grabs pills off him) It’s nothing! Don’t worry about it

Scene 3:

Character 1: This all makes sense now.

 

Shooting the Film

Today we filmed many shots however we were not able to finish all the shooting. We shot the first three memory flash scenes and the opening scene of the film. We were not able to do the car scenes as we did not have access to the car as Pamela's dad works during the week days so therefore we'll have shoot the car scenes during the weekend. Penultimately we decided to meet on November 10th to finish everything off.

Shooting the Film

Today we was supposed to shoot our film but due to the weather we could not. The weather really let us down. However, for next time we now know that we should check the forecast before we set a date for filming.

Research and Planning - Video

Research and Planning:
I produced a film on Xtranormal which was very interesting. However, the actors voices sound very robotic and is hard to understand. But if you pay attention you can hear what they are saying. Here is a link to the film..
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13849926/research-and-planning-the-movie

Below is the written version of my research and planning


What research did you carry out into similar products and your potential target audience? In your answer you need to refer aspects of your case studies that were useful as research for your own production (similar products) and the feedback you received from the class when you pitched your treatment.

I looked at 3 case studies which really helped in evolving the current idea we had. From each case study I took one main aspect which I will deploy in our film. The ideas that I discovered in the case studies have been very influential as they will enhance my film. One idea which was very influential was the kind of shots we decided to use in our film, this notion I acquired from ‘Dear Dad’. For example, the scene when our protagonist is heading up the stairs we will use a low angle to convey the power he has. Then when he has read the letter and runs down the stairs we will utilize a high angle shot to convey his powerlessness over what he just read. Another key aspect which derived from my case study was using symbols and editing to show motifs in our film. This idea was taken from my case study ‘Twenty Pounds’. Another piece of research we carried was pitching our idea to the class and receiving feedback. This was extremely helpful as we were told what kind of location we can use. And as most of the class are the same age as our audience, the feedback given by them has been key in making our film to appeal to our audience as we will add aspects into our film which they have told us. One student suggested that we portray the antagonist always feeling weary and looking pale to reinforce the fact that she is an ill condition.  Another student suggested that when we are editing our film we should utilize a fade effect on Final Cut Pro to display the transition between the flashback and real time.  The sound of this excited both me and my partner and also believed this was a great idea which we could utilize. We took all the ideas given to us on board and decided to add it into our film. All in all the feedback that we gathered from researching has been very effective in piecing together our film.

How well did you organise your actors, locations, costumes and props? Consider how helpful your release forms, recces, risk assessments and production schedules were. Talk about the role of team meetings.

At first we had a panic finding our actors as the two people that we wanted to use could not come on the day we decided to film. Therefore we had to find other people to act for us. We searched high and low and finally my partner found two people who were free on the day we are shooting and also were willing to star in our film. So overall I believe we did organise our actors well. The talent release form was gave us a better communication with our actors as we provided them with our mobile phone numbers and also gave us another surety they will be our actors. The location we decided to use was a house and the outside of a hospital. From the class feedback we got another location we can use; the park. So in the end we decided to use Pamela’s house, my partner, Whipps Cross Hospital and Whipps Cross Park. The reason we decided to use these locations was due to the proximity of each location. Filling out the location release form was helpful in preventing restrictions on the day of the filming. Getting permission from each location gave us a surety that we were not bending any rules. They were all in a close range to each other. This would give us more time to film as we wouldn’t waste time in moving from each location. Producing the recce was very helpful as when we visited the locations we got ideas of where we could film each scene in that location. Filling out the risk assessment form prevented us from any accidents that could take place on the day of the shoot, so this was very helpful for the safety of the crew and actors. The production schedules were extremely helpful as this helped us in our time management and due to this we could completed all our tasks on time.

Evaluate your storyboards and scripts. In your answer you need to explain how you divided tasks within the group, identify any problems you had, suggest how you could have improved. 

I believe that me and my partner distributed the tasks between ourselves very efficiently. We decided that my partner will carry out the storyboard and I will aid her after I had completed writing the script and the recce. After my partner had finished the drawing side of the storyboard I helped her in considering what kinds of shots we can use to highlight a motif and shots to portray feelings. The storyboard that we both completed is very unambiguous and it clearly states what camera shot, dialogue and setting we utilise in each scene. On the whole we did not have any problems in tackling the storyboard as we accomplished it on time and also had no difficulty in completing it. The script on the other hand was a slightly harder task. As we wanted to make some emotional scenes due to the storyline we had to have a script which was well written and emotive. The first time I attempted it I was very bewildered as I had no clue on how to write an emotive script. To tackle this issue I went onto google and viewed other scripts which were similar to the one I was trying to achieve. These scripts were very helpful and also had an influence on my writing as I now had an idea what to write and how to write it.  In general, the script was a concern at first but then this problem was tackled with ease and was then accomplished by me on time. To be sincere I don’t think we could improve our storyboard or script in any way as me and my partner completed each task to the best of our ability. However, if we received some feedback from our class, I’m sure they would discover an aspect we could improve.

Evaluate your own, and your groups time management.

I believe that I managed my time very well as I had completed all the allocated tasks on time. The group’s time management was also managed well as my partner finished all her tasks on time. I also had the time to improve my work due the efficient time management.

How well have you presented your research and planning?

Presenting this task has been challenging. I had been recommended by my teacher to use a creative technology to present the research and planning on. The creative technology I decided to utilise was called ‘Xtranormal.’ This software had been unknown to me and at first I felt alienated by it as I did not have a clue how to use it. I went through the tutorials and this assisted me in getting to grips with the software. Once I had the basics and played around with some of the tools I started on producing my ‘Xtranormal’ film. This software had aided me in presenting my film in an unorthodox way and made this task much more interesting. Generally, I do believe that I have presented my research and planning well due to the platform in which I conveyed it in and also due to the creative technology I used;  these aspects made this task much more interesting to undertake and also easier to convey.

Research and Planning - Video

Sunday 27^th October

Location: West Street Bus Stop, Leytonstone E11

Contacts: Pamela 07769 123456

Crew: Pamela (director / camera / sound)

Saleh (director / camera / continuity)

Unit transport: 257 bus from Stratford (10^th stop)

Directions: When you arrive at the bus stop, we all will meet there and go to main (Pamela). 

Equipment: Mini-DV cam, tripod, 2 batteries, charger, 2 mini DV cassettes, MP3

Props: Couple’s photo, flowers, keys, ring, mobile phone, clothes for change

 

Call times: 11 am on location

11.15 am at Pamela’s house (crew and performers)

 

Schedule:    11.30- 13.30 SHOOT       Shots 1-5, 19-34, 42-50

13.30- 13.40 BREAK

13.40- 14.10 SHOOT       Shots 35-40, 52,

14.30- 15.00 SHOOT       Shots 7-17

15.00- 16.00 SHOOT       Shots 53-60

 

Shooting Order:

Scene	Shot No / Storyboard ref.	Int / Ext Time	Location	Characters
1	1-5	Ext / day	Pamela’s house	Gabriela
4	19-23	Ext / day	Pamela’s house	Lucas & Gabriela
5	25	Ext / day	Pamela’s house	Lucas
6	26-31	Ext / day	Pamela’s house	Lucas
7	32-34	Ext / day	Pamela’s house	Lucas
10	42-43	Ext / day	Pamela’s house	Lucas & Gabriela
11	45-46	Ext / day	Pamela’s house	Lucas
12	48-50	Ext / day	Pamela’s house	Lucas & Gabriela
8	35-36	Ext / day	Pamela’s Road	Lucas
9	37-40 + 52	Ext / day	A car	Lucas
2	7-11	Ext / day	Whips Cross Park	Lucas & Gabriela
3	13-17	Ext / day	Whips Cross Park	Lucas & Gabriela
4	19-23	Ext / day	Whips Cross Park	Lucas & Gabriela
13	53-60	Ext / day	Whipss Cross Hospital	Lucas & Gabriela

 

Research and Planning - Video

Location release form

 

 



Research and Planning - Video

Talent release form

 

 



Research and Planning - Video

Risk Assessment

 

 



Research and Planning - Video

 

Storyboard

 

Research and Planning - Video

Short film script

Scene 1:

Character 1: Honey I’m home! (Heads up the stairs)

Character 1: (Finds letter and starts reading it) From your dearest fiancée. You may have noticed that I’ve not been myself lately. Things happen for a reason. A few weeks earlier I was notified by the doctor that I’ve been diagnosed with cancer. I don’t think it’s going be fair for you to live with that. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I made you go through all this sadness. If only you could look through my heart to see who it is beating for, you would know the depth of my love for you. And no matter the seasons that will come and go you will always be here in my heart. I will be watching you from heaven; I will make sure that you are always safe. The time we’ve had together has been sown by perfection. But now our time has come to a halt. An eternal halt. When I met you it felt as if destiny brought us together but destiny has now also departed us in the coldest way. Writing this letter is piercing my heart into pieces. You're my heart, my best friend, and my one true love. I’ll always love you.

…..

WHAT!

Character 1: WHY! (Punches the dashboard in anger)

Character 1: (In the car) How did I not realise what we she was going through! This is all my fault.

(FLASHBACK SCENE 1)

Character 1: Honey wake up, its past 12. We need to go.

Character 2:  Please baby 10 more minutes, I’m really tired.

(FLASHBACK SCENE 2)

Character 1: Hospital?! Oh it must be nothing, just them normal women things.

(FLASHBACK SCENE 3)

Character 1: Honey what are these pills?

Character 2: (Grabs pills off him) It’s nothing! Don’t worry about it

Scene 2:

Character 1: This all makes sense now.

Research and Planning - Video

Concluding the recce was extremely supportive because when I went to take the pictures of our locations I visualised where we could shoot each scene and shot. And also helped me in finding any obstructions that could be there. This ultimately helped in completing the risk assessment form. The recce was a very helpful task.

Research and Planning - Video

Recce

Locations:

-          Whipps Cross Hospital

-          Whipps Cross Park

-          Pamela’s House

The image on the left is the room that we are going to use to shoot the beginning of the film. Checking out this location gave us a good notion of where we could place our characters and the kinds of shots that we can use. We are going to use this location to show the relationship between the protagonist and antagonist, as they are living together it illustrates that they are in a serious relationship. We are going to use this house as a motif to show the solidarity of the couple.

 

On the right is the hospital that we are going to use to show the antagonist coming out the hospital. Here we are going to shoot the penultimate scene where the crash scene takes place. The hospital is going to be used as another motif. Hospitals generally connote trouble and death. So therefore, we are using the hospital to abode that something bad is going to happen. The proximity between Pamela’s house and the hospital is very close, this another reason we’ve decided to use this specific hospital as moving between the hospital and Pamela’s house will not be time consuming therefore we will have more time to shoot.

 

On the right is the park we are going to use to shoot the scenes where the couple meet and develop their relationship. This is a good place to use as it is very quiet and this will make it easier for us to film as there will be no obstructions. This is also a nice setting to show romantic scenes. Another we reason we decided to use the park is because it is placed opposite the hospital and this also makes things easier for us.