Jasmine's ジャスミン College Year 1

Mop Up The First -

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:45:39 -0400

Our last thing to do to complete the course was one little sheet. We have come so far and individuals and as groups throughout the year. And I simply cannot wait for year 2.

Three Important things I have learnt in the first year –

In my first year of my Creative Media Diploma course I have learnt a range of new things. Three important things I have learnt are listed below:

- Learning to think on my feet. When a problem arisen I (and my group) quickly found a solution so we wouldn’t lose filming or editing time.

- Learnt how to use a camera and change the settings to make the footage greater than what is was before. Therefore making it more enjoyable to watch for the audience.

- Know a lot more about how a production comes together even the littlest of jobs can make or break a film.

Three important things I want to develop –

The three things I would love to improve on in the second year of my college course are:

- My camera abilities. I would like to be able to get more complicated shots therefore making a more enjoyable production.

- Problem solving. When something happens that stops a production I want to be able to come up with a solution faster than what I can now. Therefore allowing myself more time to film and or edit.

- Learn to keep calm when something doesn’t go the way it was planned. Don’t get too stressed out when something happens that ruins the flow of something. Learn from mistakes and not stress with them.

Favourite Moment in the first year –

To list my favourite moment is very difficult as I have many favourite moments. One of my favourite moments was the assignment ‘Factuality’ and my final documentary. This is one of my favourites because although I love working in teams it gave me the opportunity to work on my own and do everything my way. I really loved that fact that everything was my decision not only that I did a documentary on my passion ‘Karate’, mixing my work with a huge passion of mine allowed me to get more into it and have even more fun. Although there were some major changes during post-production it is still one of my many favourite moments.

What do I want to do after the course finishes? –

I already know what I want to do in the future and this course is the first stepping stone. After the Creative Media Diploma. I want to do BA (Hons) Animation Arts at Plymouth College of Art. I love animation films and I love animation so doing that course would be fantastic for me.

Morning Videos –

Every morning Tim Dickinson gives us little starter video to watch as if to prepare us for the day ahead. There have been weird and wonderful ones and my favourites that inspired me most was ‘One Week In Japan’ (http://vimeo.com/33813356) by a man called Mike Matas. The video is just thousands of photos that he took when he went to Japan moving at a fast rate showing the audience all the experiences he went on during his stay. I really love this video because it is something so simple as photos all put together to make a phenomenal video. It is so enjoyable to watch and if something is that simple yet so amazing then anything is possible.

Hours V College –

I spend I think enough time on my college work. I make sure everything is done and I set myself personally goals that I must meet. I do my work the second I get it and I don’t dance around it or leave it to last minute because if I did then I wouldn’t get everything done to the best of my ability. Also by not doing it last minute it gives me time to look at my work and see if I have missed anything or made a silly mistake. I believe that the amount of hours I spend on my college work is enough because I get all the work done and I am never behind and if I do become behind then I will spend all the free time I have catching up.

Three promises to myself –

- Get the grades I want. If I want the grades I have to work for them.

- Keep working the way I am or work even harder to make my progress more efficient.

- Don’t get stressed when something goes wrong because there is always a solution.

Describe yourself –

I am a bubbly, fun, enthusiastic, hard working person who always has a smile on her face. I am great with working with others and I have never missed a deadline. Always keen to work and will never give up.

Single Camera Drama (Part 36) - Gestalt Film - Now that we had...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:55:00 -0400

Single Camera Drama (Part 36) -

Gestalt Film -

Now that we had finished all of our film I could now put all the clips together into our final film. I used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit all the clips together and I letter boxed them to make it more cinematic.

After I did that I created a Blooper Reel because I believe that all our funny moments on camera should be shared with our audience.

Malum Orbis: Blooper Reel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw5ccVNdPxY

Single Camera Drama (Part 35) - Gestalt: Ending - Above is mine...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:51:00 -0400

Single Camera Drama (Part 35) -

Gestalt: Ending -

Above is mine and Abby’s edit which we did in Adobe Premiere Pro.

It opens with the words ‘The Next Day…’ in the bottom left corner to notify the audience that this is the next day from the events that have transpired in the previous scenes. After that fades out it goes to a Medium shot of Jack walking up to Chris (who is sitting down). Then through over the shoulder shots of both characters, Jack and Chris talk about the day before. After they have had their conversation Jack then leaves. It then fades to black and goes to a shot of ‘The God’ walking up to the camera and saying ‘You think it’s over Jack but you’re wrong’. The credits then roll up on the screen while a song gently plays in the background.

If was very difficult to find each piece of dialogue in the footage because of the way we filmed it, so it took us a while till we could find each sentence that had been said. What was the most annoying was that with some of the audio from the camera there was one of us including myself talking in the background each time therefore you could hear us as well as hearing the characters took which was rather annoying. We don’t want unnecessary background noise in our film as it would ruin it because of that it meant that not all the dialogue that was filmed could be used.

In our edit we put a soundtrack that just gently plays in the background and like all our soundtracks we got it from http://live.freeplaymusic.com/. I just love how it plays gently in the background.

With all our audio clip to make them flow better we used ‘Constant Gain’ and ‘Exponental Fade’.

I was very proud with our edit and it was a great way to end our fantastic film.

I would glady work with Jack Adair, Chris Clements, Abby Morgan and James Pine again as we had a load of laughs and got a great short film out of it.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 36))

Single Camera Drama (Part 34) -

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:39:33 -0400

Gestalt: Ending -

For our ending we used a Cannon 600D, tripod, Shot gun microphone and a zoom sound recorder.

We did our filming on Thursday 7th June and we didn’t film until about 2.00pm as James was at the doctors and couldn’t get to college till later. This meant that our time to film was quite limited but thankfully we knew what we were doing with our ending so we could crack on the moment James got into college.

We used the time we had while James wasn’t with us to have a look at our location for our ending scene. At first we were going to film in the canteen but after a little test with the sound it came out very noisy and you couldn’t hear anything that Jack and Chris were saying. We thought we were lost on where to film as it was raining outside and everywhere was packed with people therefore making it hard to hear. However lucky for us we managed to find a place on the fourth floor in college which was perfect.

It took us about an hour to finish filming and we only did about 6 shots which was fantastic because we only were allowed the use of 20 so we have obeyed that rule.

There was no problem with our film really and it all came out brilliantly.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 35))

Single Camera Drama (Part 33) -

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:39:13 -0400

Gestalt: Ending -

Below is our shot list for our ending scene:

I offered to write a rough script that could act as a guideline for our ending scene:

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 34))

Single Camera Drama (Part 32) -

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:38:47 -0400

Gestalt: Ending –

Our next and final scene is the ending and the ending it most likely the hardest thing to do as you need to decide does it end or does it still leave unanswered questions?

Now for our ending we have one rule:

- We can only have a maximum of 20 shots.

Now to be this wasn’t going to be a problem as we all ready had a rough idea of what our ending was going to be which was great because the time we would have spent thinking up how to end our short film could then be used to do our Shot List and Script therefore meaning we would have more filming time.

Our ending is basically an explanation of what has gone on in our film because it we are honest the audience are going to be a bit confused however that was our aim. Some films leave the audience completely confused all the way through until they get to the ending where everything is explained. That is what we wanted to achieve and I believe we will. Now of course it took us a while to figure out how what the last shot would be. After discussing it with each other we decided that it would be great if we still didn’t tell the audience what the bracelet actually does and how it changes a person and we want to also leave the audience with the question ‘Is the God going to return?’ by ending on a shot of the God saying ‘It’s not over Jack’. That way we can leave this short film in the audiences mind and leave them constantly thinking about it.

For our ending we had to leave it with a question for the audience to think about after they have watched it. Our question ‘Will the God return?’ And ‘will we every find out what this bracelet actually does?’.

We didn’t have to do a storyboard for this scene nor were we required to make a call sheet however we had to do a shot list. Also for our scene we did need a script because it will mainly be explanation of everything that has gone on through out the scene because trying to make it up on the spot without any guide line is very difficult and can leave everyone becoming very stressed so I offered to write a rough script that would act as a guideline.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 33))

Single Camera Drama (Part 31) -

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:38:15 -0400

How Do Films End?

There are many different ways a film can end and I believe for filmmakers it is quite difficult for us to decide how a film should because in all honesty it can end in anyway. The main questions filmmakers have to ask themselves is ‘Do we ‘end’ the film?’ or ‘Do we leave further questions that are unanswered?’. The ending to a film is just as important as the beginning and middle as it’s the last thing the audience see before they leave the cinema. Anyone who has ever seen a film in the cinema would know that the moment they leave the screening room they immediately start talking about what they have just watched. Sometimes they might say that ‘the ending was a disappointment’ or ‘there must be a sequel as it wasn’t all explained’. Any filmmaker would want there film to be the talk amongst everyone, when a film ends it’s not really the end because the audience will start a debate about it.

“The final image is the end of the film and the beginning of the debate.” – (http://www.finalimageblog.com/essay Date accessed; 30/05/12)

Now we want the ending to our short film ‘Malum Orbis’ to end with an unanswered question that would leave the audience constantly thinking about the film and whether they will be a sequel. A perfect example of this type of ending would be the 2003 film ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Cure Of The Black Pearl’ directed by Gore Verbinski.

‘Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Cure Of The Black Pearl’ is the first of 4 films and it has just been announced that a fifth one is being made. ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ films are about the tales of a famous pirate called ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ played by the also famous actor ‘Johnny Depp’. I am a fan of the ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ films as they are full of action and adventure also they are very comic. The storyline is exciting and never seizes to amaze the audience with its twists and turns.

‘Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Cure Of The Black Pearl’ trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z1XpfbuZOA

Synopsis: This swash-buckling tale follows the quest of Captain Jack Sparrow, a savvy pirate, and Will Turner, a resourceful blacksmith, as they search for Elizabeth Swann. Elizabeth, the daughter of the governor and the love of Will’s life, has been kidnapped by the feared Captain Barbossa. Little do they know, but the fierce and clever Barbossa has been cursed. He, along with his large crew, are under an ancient curse, doomed for eternity to neither live, nor die. That is, unless a blood sacrifice is made. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0325980/ - Date Accessed: 09/06/2012).

This film is fantastic and the ending does not disappoint. Below is an image of the final shot of the ending scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXWBQHxkYx4).

After Captain Jack Sparrow is freed by his friend from being hanged he heads back to his ship the Black Pearl and takes the wheel. As the theme of ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ plays he takes out the compass that shows you the location of ‘what you desire most’. Captain Jack Sparrow grins as he shuts the compass and puts it back in his pocket.

It is a brilliant ending to the first film that leaves the audience asking the question ‘What is going to happen next?’. Every single one of the ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ films end this way, leaving the audience wanting more.

We want our film the end like ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 32))

Single Camera Drama (Part 30) - Gestalt: Action – After we got...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:37:00 -0400

Single Camera Drama (Part 30) -

Gestalt: Action –

After we got back to the college we started to each to our own edits however due to how late we got back at the college because of our filming we would have to spend more time editing our Action time. This for me was going to be difficult as I like getting things done and sorted before the days out however by stretching the editing over a couple of days it will allow me to practise what to do in the situation should it occur in the future. Unfortunately the editing for this scene was way long and in total took myself and other people in the group four days.

As usual I edited on Adobe Premiere Pro. Above is my Action scene which I am very proud of and quite happy with for the most part but I was very disappointed with some of the footage and some of the edited bits.

As you can see it starts with a man (who at this current moment is a mystery to the audience as they only got a quick glace of him in the Atmosphere scene when ‘Jack’ had a flashback of him) waking up on the grass. Then before the audience can even find anything else out about him it cuts to ‘the couple’ who you saw in the previous scene walk into a room and appear as if they are about to get on with some work. Then Jack walks in and confronts them telling them that they have to come with him or bad things will happen they then all leave together. This happens through three different shots Medium close up and two different over the shoulder shots. Now the location we had to this part of the action wasn’t finally decided until last minute as it really all depended on what room in the college was free. However lucky for us there was this small room in the Library free but due to the room being small it made it harder for us to get a more wide range of shots. I saw this as a good thing and explained to the others that less is more, they agreed it was a good idea to limit our shots as it will be a change from what we have been doing. After that we cut to the shots that were taking at Mount. Edgcumbe, the first set of shots weren’t that bad in colour however when it came to the fight scene that followed the sun was making everyone’s clothing as bright as can be which was rather annoying as if you try to correct it then the detail in the shots is lost. After the fight scene the chase begins Jack catches up to the couple and when Jack and Chris run ahead they lose Abby. Chris at one point drops the bracelet leaving the mystery man to find it. When Jack and Chris get to the location where the bracelet was originally created they see the mystery man who then says ‘Did you really think you could defeat a God?’. Jack realises that the bracelet is connected to him and then forces the bracelet out of the God’s hand and into his own and then forces him to the ground before opening a portal/vortex and sending him back to where he came from. The scene then ends on a crash zoom on Jack’s face.

When I was editing this together James was doing to vortex/portal shots in After Effects he had not had them done until Monday 11^th June. So the action scene was left unfinished in editing till we got those clips.

For the clips that were taken at Mount. Edgcumbe I tried making the colour match the others that were taken at Bradford by using an effect called ‘Colour Balance’. However no matter how hard I tried every time I tried to make it less bright it took away too much detail so I left it as it was.

The audio throughout the video is all audio that was captured by the camera which was very good quality considering there was a bit of wind blowing the days that we filmed. What I did to make sure that there would be no sudden change from non speaking clips to speaking clips was throughout the whole scene there is white noise playing therefore the audience would not be able to tell that actually all the clips without dialogue are actually muted. I was very proud of this as it flows great.

Now for the fight scene when punches and kicks are thrown I added in the throws and kick effects from a sound pack that I found. This made the fight look, sound and feel more real.

The soundtracks that are in the scene were also found online some are from http://live.freeplaymusic.com/ and others are from http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ . I loved the different soundtracks I used from each site. My favourite which was also used in the Atmosphere scene ‘The Chamber’ was used again in this scene.

I was very happy with my final edit of this see however I really wished that some things were different such as the sun being so bright.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 31))

Single Camera Drama (Part 29) -

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 09:13:46 -0400

Gestalt: Action -

Like I said before the location was Mount. Edgcumbe and we had to come up with our idea there and then which was quite difficult but in the end we managed to come up with an idea.

The God (James) that originally created the bracelet (who was the guy in Jack’s flashback) wakes after being asleep in a field. It then cuts to the couple (Chirs and Abby) in a canteen having a chat not long after Jack joins them telling them that the bracelet they have is evil and that they should get rid of it in the place where it was originally created. On their way to this place the God appears, Jack tells the couple to run as he fights this God ‘the old fashion way’. After Jack lands a blow that sends the God to the floor he runs and catches up with the couple little knowing that the God is only a few paces behind. Then the female (Abby) of the couple gets lost leaving the Jack and the male of the couple (Chris) to go and destroy the bracelet. However when they get there they realise that they have dropped it once they start to worry where they could have left it the God appears in the arch way. He then gives a speech on how they were so ‘foolish to believe that they could defeat a God’. When the God is about to use the bracelet’s power Jack realises that he is connected to the bracelet, Jack then forcible takes the bracelet from the God and opens a Vortex to his world and throws him in. The scene ends with a crash zoom on Jack.

Coming up with what each character is going to say without any rough script was quite difficult because you have to make sure that the audience will understand what is going on. As the filmmakers of the production we know everything that it going on through repetition and as the creators however the audience were not there so we have to make sure that the audience understand what was going on. I believe making up the script and dialogue on the spot was the hardest thing to do.

When we were filming in Mount. Edgcumbe we didn’t really have enough time because of all the shots we wanted to take. Also we believed that even thought Mount. Edgcumbe was completely beautiful place it wasn’t quite right for our short film so we filmed over two days (Wednesday 30th May and Thursday 31st May).

We filmed at different locations for each day.

Wednesday 30th May: Mount. Edgcumbe -

When we filmed at Mount. Edgcumbe we had to do a lot of walking to get to a really nice field for the God (James) to wake up in.

After that we filmed the fight scene which I have to say was very annoying to film because the light was way to bright because of the sun and even though we bumped down the exposure it still came out very bright which means in our edits we would have to grade the shots to make them less bright.

Also another annoying thing that occurred was the audio due to the wind it made some dialogue sections very hard to hear which means we would have to set up the audio gain on each speaking part which can become quite a bother.

We filmed many different shot such as LS (Long Shot), CU (Close up), OSS (Over the shoulder shot) etc. My favourite long shot is defiantly the shot of The God (James) standing centre frame looking so evil because he stands there alone.

The fight scene was brilliant because we filmed it at different angles giving us a wide range of shots that we can cut and edit to make it truly enjoyable for the audience. However when we filmed at one point Jack accidentally punched James on the nose but it was okay nothing was broken or bleeding.

Thursday 31^st May: Bradford –

We had more filming to do and luckily for us Abby can drive so Abby took us to Bradford and back.

In the morning we could not think of any place for us to continue our filming as we needed a woodland area because we previously filmed at Mount. Edgcumbe and we needed to have these shots flowing. We couldn’t have had a shot of them in the woods then suddenly on the streets, it wouldn’t have worked. We also wanted an area with ruin type buildings.

Thankfully Abby knows the area she lives in very well and told us there was this forest in Bradford that had like a very old castle type building which was absolutely perfect.

Once there we immediately started filming and got some terrific shots such as TS (Tracking shot), CU (Close up) etc.

What was brilliant about this location was that there was an archway and we thought it would be brilliant if the God played by James walked through it and revealed that he had the bracelet which would be incredible. Also at the castle buildings there was this very odd centre piece in the middle of the ground which gave us the idea that it could be the place where the bracelet was created and also the place where the vortex or portal to the God’s world could open.

The audio for this day was recorded better as the wind wasn’t blowing as hard however there was some work men cutting down tree’s a little bit away from us however what we filmed when that was going on didn’t include dialogue so we can easily mute it when we do our individual edits.

I think the second location was better suiting for our short film as the first one was too out in the open. The only downfall with the second location although it was a fantastic beautiful and wonderful place it was right next to a sewage plant which meant it smelt vial but we soon got over it as our film was of higher importance.

The last thing we needed to film was just the canteen scene which was pretty simple and didn’t take up much time.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 30))

Single Camera Drama (Part 28) -

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:16:54 -0400

Gestalt: Action -

For this scene as I said we had to do a risk assessment and call sheet. The definition of a call sheet is:

‘The daily call sheet is a filmmaking term for a sheet of paper issued to the cast and crew of a film production, created by an assistant director, informing them where and when they should report for a particular day of shooting.’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_sheet Date accessed: 01/06/2012)

A call sheet can also have information such as phone number and contact details and also can have a schedule on them. This was our first attempt at a call sheet and I think it looks pretty good.

Risk Assessment:

Call Sheet:

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 29))

Single Camera Drama (Part 27) -

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:59:00 -0400

Gestalt: Action -

Our next scene for our short film ‘Malum Orbis’ is the action scene. The location this time was chosen by the Tutors and the location was Mount. Edgcumbe in Cornwall. I have never been there before so it would be very interesting to film on. Now just like our Atmosphere scene the Tutors threw little rules for this scene for us.

Below are the rules for the action sequence:

- From blackness of the closed door (for the Atmosphere scene), fade up an image of one of our main characters waking up on the grass. At first this is quite bothersome for us however when we figured out how to incorporate it into our film we rather preferred it.

- Lots of running, fast cut action, dramatic movement and tension. This was the easiest to do because we wanted this in our film anyway.

- Towards the end of the scene the character finds the object and realises something important. This again was fairly easy as we wanted the audience to find out more about the bracelet in the action sequence.

- Finish with a crash zoom into a characters face. This again was fairly easy to do.

So overall the rules this time were not that problematic and for each one we managed to come up with a solution.

There was only one problem throughout this scene and that was we didn’t have a storyboard, treatment, script or shot list as we didn’t have time to because of the time it would take to get to the location. This was very problematic for our short film as our film is very complex and we had to try and not confuse ourselves. We basically had to make it up there and then and to be honest it was rather difficult as the time it took us to create an idea and develop that idea was large and we only had this little amount of time because of the Ferry and walk to Mount. Edgcumbe and back.

The only thing we had to do for this scene was a call sheet and risk assessment.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 28))

Single Camera Drama (Part 26) - Gestalt: Atmosphere - Above is...

Tue, 29 May 2012 06:12:18 -0400

Single Camera Drama (Part 26) -

Gestalt: Atmosphere -

Above is my edit for the second part of our short film ‘Malum Orbis’.

I used Abode Premiere Pro to edit. My edit is about 3 minutes long as you can see it opens with a long shot of a couple (Chris and Abby) walking along. It then switches through a range of different shot in which Chris walks along and sees something on the shore then it shows a shot of the bracelet laying on the sand as the waves brush over it. Chris then ruses to the bracelet curious to what it actually is. At the moment touches the curse jewellery the camera quickly cuts to Jack relaxing on a wall in the shade of a tree. Again through a range of different shots we see Jack begin to hold his head as if he is in pain. Suddenly it cuts to a black and white shot of the bracelet and a black and white shot of Chris picking up the bracelet. Then it cuts to a shot of an ally way after that there is 5 shots of a mysterious man (played by James) two of the shots are extreme close ups, one on the lips and one on the left eye. It then cuts back to Jack and he then gets up and walks away. The camera then goes back to Chris looking at the bracelet, Abby soon joins him and throws it on the floor. When Abby walks away Chris picks the bracelet up. Then we cut back to Jack running through a range of places trying to find the two people that have come around the bracelet. He follows them into a building and the scene ends on a door closing.

We filmed a totally of 88 different shots and most which I didn’t use however what is great about each of us doing our own edits is the fact that we all get different outcomes because one of us may decide to use one shot while the other would chose to use a different one. This way you get a different outcome to the scene which I think is fantastic. Like I said we filmed many different type of shots such as LS (Long shot), CU (Close up), TS (Tracking Shot) etc.

We I edited this I made all the flashback shots all black and white, I also used an effect called ‘Edge Feather’ which made the sides of the shot look ‘Broken’ and ‘Torn’. Also between each flashback and cut there is a ‘Fast Swish’ sound and a flash of white appears on the screen. For this to work all I did was have a white box be on the screen for a short split second before it when to a different shot. I was very proud of this effect and was actually quite shocked how well it came out.

I got two different background soundtracks one plays throughout the begining and the other plays when Jack starts running after the couple. I got both of them from http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ the first one that plays is called ‘The Chamber’ and the second one that plays is called ‘Movement Proposition’. Also I had a white balance sound clip playing for the scenes that were not by the sea and a waves crashing against the shore sound clip play for scenes that were by the sea. I got both the sound clips from http://www.freesound.org/.

I was very proud of my edit especially the cuts between each flashback when I saw Chris Clement’s edit again I was amazed by it and I suggested that his edit should be the edit that we play to the Tutors.

We had a meeting with Tim Dickinson, Neil Rose, Andy Price and Adam Clark to show our Atmosphere scene for our short film.

We then had to explain to them why we believe that our scene was a great atmosphere scene.

We believe that our atmosphere scenes are great because we still leave the audience with lots of questions that are not going to be answers immediately. It leaves them guessing. What is also great about our scene is that no one know who this mysterious character is that keeps plaguing Jack’s mind and what is he saying to Jack. Leaving the audience in complete darkness keeps them interested because they want to know whats going on and why is that going on. It is key that the production team know more than the audience do that is what is so fantastic about our scene because of the cuts between the flashbacks and the way we keep the audience on edge by not explaining anything.

Cannot wait for the action scene.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 27))

Single Camera Drama (Part 25) -

Sat, 26 May 2012 11:32:00 -0400

Gestalt: Atmosphere -

For our atmosphere scene we had four different locations as we had a lot of things in this scene of our film.

Locations:

- Plymouth Hoe: A different side of the beach on Plymouth Hoe this would allow the audience to see more of this place considering they saw one side in the opening and also it would be brilliant to have the bracelet wash up on this side to give the illusion that the bracelet has traveled far.

- A wall surrounding a tree at Barbican: This is where our first character that appeared (Jack) would be sitting and this would be where he had his flashbacks of his past with the bracelet as well as a vision of what is happening with the bracelet at that current moment.

- A ally at Barbican: This is where we would film the past scene which will be Jack’s flashbacks of his past and the curse that the bracelet gave him.

- College: This would be where the couple (Chris and Abby) walk to and Jack would soon follow.

For our filming we used a tripod and a Cannon 600D, this was the same camera we used for the opening and we are also using it for our whole production. The camera is brilliant.

Again the weather was on our side this time it was bright and sunny which was fantastic because we want it to appear to the audience that its just a ordinary day and there is nothing that could destroy it. That is the illusion we want to create because you have this couple that are having a good time in the sun little knowing that a simple object they stumble across could mean their end. I think everything is working on our side.

Just like our opening we filmed way more shots than originally planned also our storyline kind of changed but only slightly. Instead of Jack finding the couple on the beach and then taking them to the college we had Jack follow them to the college. I think its great when ideas changed from the original because it shows that we are constantly thinking how can we make this better for the audience? How do we make this something they would remember? How could we keep them interested and wanting more? Because we are changing our minds to make our production better it proves that we never set something in stone because if we did what would be the joy in making the film if we didn’t stray from our original plan.

Once we had finished filming we all got the footage and did our own edits again like we did with the opening and its safe to say I couldn’t wait to do mine.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 26))

Single Camera Drama (Part 24) -

Sat, 26 May 2012 11:01:00 -0400

Gestalt: Atmosphere -

Below is our storyboard which shows how our story is going to go.

After we did the storyboard we wrote out shot list.

The last thing we had to do before filming was write a risk assessment like we do every project. However our risk assessment is the same as our one for our opening.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 25))

Single Camera Drama (Part 23) -

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:45:00 -0400

Gestalt: Atmosphere -

Our next scene that we have to do for our movie is an atmosphere scene. However our Tutors decided to throw little surprises into the mix therefore making us come up with solutions and edit the way we originally wanted things. They kind of acted like little rules that must be obeyed. It was a good challenge however it was quite annoying but in the end we came up with a great scene.

The three rules were:

- End on a door closing. It took us a while to figure out how we could get the scene to end on this considering most of our scene is filmed outside but being the brilliant minds we are we worked out a way for it to work.

- Our object had to fall on the floor. This I believe was the easiest to do because we really just had to get one of the characters to drop it.

- No dialogue. This was I believe the most irritating of the three because our storyline is quite confusing and it is meant to be however in the atmosphere we had plans that involved dialogue so of course we had to find some way around that and we eventually did.

After a lot of planning and thinking we got our atmosphere scene all that was left to do was to do the Storyboard, Treatment and Shot list.

Treatment:

Open on a long shot of a couple out for a stroll on the shore only to come across a washed up bracelet. Once touched we cut to a cursed man who attempted to rid the world of the evil jewellery. He see’s the present and past of the bracelet through a flashback which will occur in black and white. He rushes to save the couple that have come across the bracelet. He follows them into a building and runs through a door on a medium shot as the door closes the scene ends on black.

After we did our treatment we did the storyboard and shot list.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 24))

Single Camera Drama (Part 22) - Gestalt: Opening - Above is my...

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:18:18 -0400

Single Camera Drama (Part 22) -

Gestalt: Opening -

Above is my edit for our Gestalt Opening.

I was very proud of my edit because I really enjoyed doing it and I love the outcome.

My edit is 3 minutes long. As you can see my opening starts with shots of the sea and the surrounding areas and as the audience watches the scenery all of our groups names fade in and out on the screen as well as the title.

We found it quite difficult coming up with a title however with the help of a second year student called Peter Taylor we found a name ‘Malum Orbis’ which is Latin for ‘Evil Ring’. We thought it was a perfect name because the story is about and evil bracelet which is a ring shape.

After that Jack walks up to the balcony and throws the ring into the sea. This happens with a different range of shot such as LS (Long Shot), CU (Close-Up), OSS (Over Should Shot), TS (Tracking Shot) etc. All these shots make this interesting for the audience as they get to see things from different views where as if it was just one shot it would be boring for the audience and they would most likely not continue to watch.

As Jack walks away from the balcony the voice-over starts and Jack explains how the bracelet that he has just thrown into the sea is bad and evil. After the explanation it done you hear Jack say ‘No one will ever come over this damn thing again…’ a boom is heard and it cuts to black and then you only hear Jack say ‘…or so I thought’. This I believe keeps the audience on edge and keeps them interested in the story.

The soundtrack that plays throughout the opening is called ‘Virtutes Instrumenti’ which I found on http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/. Also the boom sound at the end and the waves crashing I got from http://www.freesound.org/ .

I was very happy with my edit however after seeing Chris Clement’s Opening I wished that I had colour graded it to make it look even better however I am still very happy with mine.

We had a meeting with Tim Dickinson, Neil Rose, Andy Price and Adam Clark to show our opening however because we all did our own edits we had to chose one to show and it was a coin-toss between mine and Chris’s. The coin landed on tails meaning Chris’s was shown and I was glad it was as I think his opening is fantastic and my favourite thing about it is the colour grading.

After we showed it to them we explain why we believe our openings are great openings.

We believe that our openings for our Gestalt opening is suitable for our short movie because it leaves the audience asking questions and it gives an introduction to one of the main characters. The audience are given information about the character and the bracelet however they know about each but they do not know much. The audience will know through the voice-over that this bracelet is bad and it changes the person that is holding it however they do not know how it changes them and what exactly it makes its holder do. Also in our openings we included credits and titles which allow the audience to know who is responsible for the production. The audience get key point as to what the story is about and it keeps them interested as it keeps them in suspense because many of their questions are unanswered. Our openings are ‘build’ openings and unlike a ‘hit’ opening it allows the audience to slowly get involved and engrossed in the story overall keeping them interested.

Very proud of my opening and everyone else’s and I cannot wait till we progress further with our short movie ‘Malum Orbis’.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 23))

Single Camera Drama (Part 21) -

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:16:00 -0400

Gestalt: Opening -

Our location for our opening was Plymouth Hoe, which was perfect because we really wanted the character to be able to get rid of the bracelet in the sea.

For the filming for our opening we used a Cannon 600D and a tripod. The camera was brilliant and fantastic, what was captured was such great quality.

You could say the weather was on our side because if it was bright and sunny it would have ruined the effect of our opening. However it was very annoying because it was raining and little raindrops kept getting on the camera lens as the umbrella kept getting blown away. I was quite annoyed when I looked at some of the footage because some of the shots had rain drops on it but what can you do?

We shot more shots than what was originally planned but that only means we have more shots to use when we edit. At one point James and Chris both wanted a different set of shots and the final decision was down to me so I suggested that we film both shots that way we could decided later. It was a lot of fun filming and I believe that as a team we worked fantastic together and what was brilliant was there were no arguments which just shows that we worked together very well and I cannot wait till we finish this short film.

Once we got back to the college Jack and James recorded the voice-over on an AKG Microphone and a Zoom sound recorder. I thought the recording was brilliant and it will be fantastic when it is put together with our video footage.

We then all thought it would be a good idea to each do individual edits this would then mean we would get four different openings which would be brilliant because it would allow us to see what different outcomes we could get as each of us has a different editing style.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 22))

Single Camera Drama (Part 20) -

Sat, 19 May 2012 12:56:00 -0400

Gestalt: Opening -

After we did our storyboard I offered to write the script for the voice-over that Jack would do which would give the audience a clue to the story and what it revolves around.

Like every script the font is in Courier, size 12.

Next we had to write up our risk assessment like we do for every film project.

Now that the script and risk assessment was done all that was left to do is to film and edit.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 21))

Single Camera Drama (Part 19) -

Sat, 19 May 2012 12:43:00 -0400

Gestalt: Opening -

Our idea was to have a bracelet that has some form of curse that changes a persons personality and makes them a bad person. Once we had our idea we needed to write a treatment for it.

Synopsis:

A bracelet that can change the nicest guy into the most evil person on the planet but what happens when two people crave the power this bracelet process?

Treatment:

Open on a shot of the waves washing up the shore as the names of everyone involved in the production fade onto the screen along with the title. After that there is a long shot of our main character played by Jack Adair. Through a different range of shots the audience see the character throw a bracelet into the sea and walk away as he walks the audience hear his thoughts through a voice over and we end on a black screen.

Once we got our treatment we had to decide how to start our film. What style of opening would be like? Well after some discussion we thought it would be brilliant to have the beginning with a guy (Jack) getting rid of the bracelet and as he is throwing it into the sea he talks about the bracelet in a voice-over style. We thought it could kind of be like the opening to the 1995 film ‘Jumanji’.

Synopsis of ‘Jumanji’: After being trapped in a jungle board game for 26 years, a Man-Child wins his release from the game. But, no sooner has he arrived that he is forced to play again, and this time sets the creatures of the jungle loose on the city. Now it is up to him to stop them. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113497/ Date accessed: 19/05/2012)

In the beginning of ‘Jumanji’ you see two people trying to get rid of the game because they know what terrors it holds and they think they have saved everyone else from its dreaded curse however the game is later found by a boy called’Alan Parrish’.You could say our idea is roughly based on the opening to ‘Jumanji’.

After we had our idea all we needed to do was to draw the storyboard for it:

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 20))

Single Camera Drama (Part 18) -

Sat, 19 May 2012 12:17:00 -0400

Gestalt -

‘Gestalt’ is a German word for form or shape. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestalt Date accessed: 19/05/2012).

Our next part of our assignment is a mini-movie or short movie which is expanded over 4 weeks. There are four sections and we are doing one each week:

- Opening

- Atmosphere

- Action

- Ending

We were put into groups and I am in a group with James Pine, Jack Adair, Chris Clements and Abby Morgan. For each section someone is assigned to be the final decision maker so if there is a disagreement in the group the person who is in charge of that section makes the final decision. After some discussion we figured out who was in charge of which section:

- Opening: Me.

- Atmosphere: Jack.

- Action: Chris.

- Ending: James and Abby.

After that was sorted we all made a kind of contract that will always be referred to when there was a disagreement. It kind of acts as a set or rules. Below is ours:

Each group was given an item and a card with a phase/sentence on it. We got given a bracelet and the phase ‘There’s no one there’. We found it very difficult to come up with an idea, however we eventually did.

(See Single Camera Drama (Part 19))