Posts regarding editing

This has tended to be poorly blogged in the past.

Try to plan posts that will reflect :-

1. Illustrate (perhaps through Screen grabs) how you have demonstrated Match On Action, 180 Degree Rule, Shot/Reverse shot
2. Examples of other particular editing techniques - for example PACE, Parallel edits, particular transition, how it manipulates space or time, or other continuity techniques like Eye line Match - again consider HOW you will illustrate this.
3. Your decision making - throughout your editing experience, you will discuss (maybe have disagreements) about various alternatives - try to capture some of these discussions and post different versions of a particular scene with a discussion as to which version was decided upon and why.

Posts about your filming experience

You need to blog a post that evidences your filming - take photos of you actually filming.

In addition, write a reflective/evaluative post on "Lessons learnt" from your filming experiences - perhaps you could actually film yourselves in discussion on this.

Or, you could take some screen grabs from your footage to illustrate good and bad practice - lighting, white balance, framing, control of the background etc.

Health and Safety - Risk assessments

You cannot hire out equipment without the necessary accompanying RISK ASSESSMENT.

This can be found on the K Drive - Visual Arts and Media / Film and Media / Video production/ Resources/ Location research.

The point of a risk assessment is that you consider all the risks in filming and then consider (and document) how you eliminate these risks.

When you are filming!

• Remember to reset your white balance each time you reposition your camera.
• Will you require lighting
• Shoot each shot several times
• Label shots using the small whiteboard - take one, take two etc
• Make a sandwich - essential that you have plenty of waste each side of the shot you require. "Camera rolling" "Speed" "Action" and then 3 seconds after you have said "CUT" should ensure this.
• Use your tripod
• Do have permission to film in your locations?
  

Before you can film

Ensure all planning is complete and the process is clearly and visually blogged.

Storyboard completed - scan into post



Location research - where and when will you film - take images and upload


Script - dialogue written - upload

Shot list - likely that you will not film in order.


Consider lighting - you could film yourselves experimenting with this.


Reminder of Whitebalance - blog this.

Uploading Images through Word

UPLOADING AN IMAGE THROUGH WORD







Pause the clip
Hit screen grab
Open word
Paste image in
Right click and "SAVE AS PICTURE"
Save into your J drive - suggest you create a file "Foundation Portfolio/Blog Images/and NAME your file.
YOU MUST SAVE THIS AS A JPEG FILE


Open Blogger - New Post - Click UPLOAD IMAGE icon on top menu bar

In Browse box, locate the image in your J drive and upload.

To post a screen grab from video (using Photoshop)


Find your video clip
Pause / hit PRINT SCREEN
Open PHOTOSHOP
FILE/NEW/CLIPBOARD
CONTROL V
You should now see your image on screen
Go to Image (on menu bar) - Set width size to 25


To SAVE - Save for WEB - Reset file type as a JPEG and reset quality to 38.

Storyboard

Story Boarding
must use format below and in addition, add your timings for each shot.
You can then scan your finished storyboard add import to your blog post

First 5 posts

Post one - group photo

Post two - upload brief/task from K drive (just the first half side)

Post 3, 4 and 5 - indepth explanation of each of the key continuity terms. Shot/Reverse Shot, Match on Action, 180 degree rule.

MAKE IT VISUALLY INTERESTING - it must be a multi media post. Keep text concise, use headings and sub headings and bullet points, embed video, screengrabs, still images, hyperlinks, construct your own videos to demonstrate experimentation with lighting or special effects or whatever, video audience feedback, interview yourself giving explanations etc.

AS Foundation Portfolio 2011-12

All posts above this are for the year group 2011-12.

Ignore all posts below this as they do not concern you.

Only read those above

Evaluation - useful link for question 3 on film distribution

The link above is a fantastic insight into the distribution process of a film. Really worth you having a look at. http://www.launchingfilms.tv/

The Evaluation

You have recieved a handout, detailing WHAT and HOW you evaluate your final thriller opening. Draft deadline is Friday April 8th (uploaded to your blog) If you meet this draft deadline, you will recieve feedback. You can then use this to improve your evaluation.

The final deadline is THURSDAY 28th April.
REMEBER, FAILURE TO MEET INTERIM DEADLINE = NO FEEDBACK MEANING THAT YOU WILL HAVE NO IDEA IF YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK OR IF YOU CAN IMPROVE!!!


There are 7 questions to answer, each answer has a particualr format to follow.

Researching Title and credit sequences.

On your blog, you should now post a discussion of 3 title sequences of your own choice - try to use thrillers from either TV Drama or Film.

Ensure that you consider how the film title, graphics, music, and placement, all work in the overall construction of the sequence. Do they contribute anything to the meaning about character, mood, atmosphere or any aspect of narrative.

http://www.artofthetitle.com/
A very useful site for looking at title and credit ideas.

A useful short YOUTUBE interview with title designers


another useful link

Filming

You should now be considering filming.

Book equipment for half term if you intend to film during half term - sooner rahter than later. this will need to be picked up on Thursday.

Permissions should now be secure!

Animatics should be complete for me to comment upon.

Remember - the more waste footage you have in editing, usually the better the film!

White balance, make a sandwich (waste either side), take each shot several times, look to apply continuity editing if appropriate, lighting is likely to be essential:

Second interim deadline is this Friday!!!!!!!!

I expect to see :-

-a synopsis for the film opening (about 100 words), and some indication of what the narrative would contain after the opening,
- an animatic (uploaded to blog),
- the script,
- list of roles,
- imagery of locations and decisions about locations,
- prop research,
- risk assessments,
- prop and location images and decisions,
- lighting decisions.

All this Blogged under heading: “Pre-Production Planning”(clearly label which group member has taken responsibility for each of the various posts).

Again, consider format – images, text, screen grabs, embedded video, hyperlinks, animatics

Risk assessments and your safety

You must consider and document the risks that you might face filming in your various locations. In addiiton, discuss how these potential risks are overcome.

Aswell as health risks, you must also consider other difficulties like filming children or filming in a public place or in sight of the public.

Risk - filming on a pavement running alongside road
Precautions to reduce risk - High vis jackets to be worn by non actors, keep camera away from curb,

Filming off site during media double periods

We are happy for you to do this as long as :_

1. You don't miss any other lessons before or after your double
2. You contact your supervisor informing them of your decision to film during the double
3 That you sign out at reception.

Your supervisor will ensure that your absence is authorised as long as you e mail them.

Filming
You are nearly all in a position to start filming. Some things to consider :-

1. Use part of the review day this Thursday as a possible time to film (if you time appointmentsw well, you may all be free during the afternoon)
2. Don't forget to set white balance
3. Consider how you will use lighting - beware interior shooting and silhoeted images against windows etc.
4. Shoot each shot several times
5. Make a sandwich - ensure a few seconds of waste either side of the shot
6. Log footage sooner rather than later to the network - make sure you label it clearly and place in appropriate file (ask technician)
7 Concentrate on your framing

SOUNDTRACK and YOUTUBE - URGENT WARNING

Some of you have placed your prelim on Youtube and these are sometimes accompanied by copyrighted soundtracks as a non diegetic soundtrack. As a result YouTube are removing them! You cannot have copyright music anyway for your own work, but certainly anything placed on Youtube with it risks being removed.

Animatics - equally, don't have soundtracks over the top of these - you should have a description over the top of these. If you place these on YOUTUBE with a copyrighted soundtrack, it will be removed!!!!

Deadline two for friday 11th February

You will need :-

Completed Storyboard and planning for your opening sequence:
-a synopsis for the film opening (about 100 words), and some indication of what the narrative would contain after the opening,
- the storyboard as an animatic (uploaded to blog),
- the script,
- list of roles,
- imagery of locations and decisions about locations,
- prop research,
- health and safety considerations,
- prop and location images and decisions,
- lighting decisions.

All this Blogged under heading: “Pre-Production Planning”(clearly label which group member has taken responsibility for each of the various posts).

Again, consider format – images, text, screen grabs, embedded video, hyperlinks, animatics

Storyboarding

This year we are requiring students to use POST ITs for their storybord work. This will allow flexibility, addition of extra shots on reflection and you can consider how you want to incorporate your opening credits.

Once you have ompleted your storyboard, this should be filmed and turned into an animatic. Each shot should mirror what you intend to shoot re content and length. You can also mirror the transitions you intend to use (straight cuts, dissolves or fades)

How Character (s), Mood, Themes and Story Order are evident in "Thriller" opening sequences

Character
·binary oppositions between protagonist/hero and villain/antagonist are common, but may not be introduced in the opening
·thriller antagonists are always human (not supernatural)
·it may not be clear who is to be trusted in the opening
·ENIGMA may be created around character
·there may be minimal dialogue

Themes
·crime
·urban decay
·passion
·morality/immorality

Mood/atmosphere
·suspense
·danger
·shock
·enigma
·darkness
·claustrophobia


Story Order (The Narrative)
·chronological and non-chronological order
·some use of flashbacks
·events in early narrative may create binary opposition between good and evil

Again, apply these terms in your initial research

Conventions that you may come across in the openings to thrillers

Camerawork
establishing shots to give character context/location
CUs to foreground props and character detail
shallow depth of field to draw attention to objects of significance
framing may conceal identity (restrict view) - called restricted narration - where only parts of body are visible
still (tripod) camera work (observation? suspense?)
hand held camera for realism and/or subjectivity

Mise en scene
·variety of exterior settings, but often urban , or rural (rarely suburban like Haywards Heath!)
·interior settings often reflect threat or sinister action
·props may add to characterisation, OR may create ENIGMA
·low key lighting
·desaturated colour
·costume, hair, make-up create realism and/or signal who spectator is expected to dislike or like

Editing
·continuity editing used for sense, flow, coherence and realism
·parallel editing used to connect 2 characters or places - simultaneous action
·cross cutting used to connect 2 or more characters and CREATE SUSPENSE
·occasionally: DISCONTINUITY EDITING (jump cuts) used to fragment and disrupt sequence, matching unsettling mood

Sound
·diegetic sound used for realism and/or mood
·non diegetic sound as music or sound fx used to construct mood/atmosphere and suspense
·dialogue used sparingly

Make links to these in your own independent research

Deadline two - initial research

By Friday 28th, (a weeks time), you will need to have blogged your research findings into 5 thriller openings. You can use one thriller that we have watched in class, however the other 4 need to be from your own independent research into thrillers.

Read the deadline instructions carefully in your booklet.

I expect to see lots of embedded video and screengrabs as well as clearly labelled and thorough textual analyis.

Deadline one - Friday 21st january

I will be marking your blogs over the weekend.

You have until midnight tonight to add thiose things required.

I have had a look and at present they are rather bare! A few location shots perhaps. You need atleast :-

1. Discussion of the task - what are these 3 things that you have been required to do? Explain each of the continuity terms, then consider how you can make this more exciting as a post - embed a video perhaps or find illustrations




. There are many tutorial type videos on Youtube. Perhaps then illustarte this particular technique by embedding a sequence from a real film or drama as a series of screen grabs. Then lastly, discuss how you did this in your film, both in words and screengrabs.

2. Your stiryboard should be posted

3. Your location work

4. Organisation that was necessary

5. Roles

6. You could document what equipment you have used. Challengers in the editing suite or in filming.

7. blog all decisions you have made.

8 the format - it must look like a blog - multimedia approach

Complaints about students filming

We have had some serious compalints from maintenance staff about students showing a lack of care and respect for the environments on site in which they have been filming. A toliet was doused in fake blood and then simply left for cleaners to clean up. Not only that, but also, this fake blood has seeped into the grouting and caused a lot of damage.

Secondly, gaffer tape was fixed to a wall and pulled off - result being several layers of paint were also peeled off the walls. This room will now have to be redecorated.

Please consider the consequences of your actions.