Thursday, 18 April 2013

Diary Logs


Diary log

21/02/2013 - Our one minute is now out the way finished and handed into our teacher. This means the introduction to our 5 minute film. Ideas were shared and mind maps were made. We plotted out how the film was going to start, the middle and the end.

28/02/2013 - Ideas from the mind map have been finalised and we have created our plot for our story. The moral, mood board and target audience was discussed and added to our blogs. A sketched out storyboard was also drawn up to give us an idea on what the story of the film is.

07/03/2013 - Deadline were found out today for the 5 minute film. This included pre-production, production and post-production tasks to be completed.

So because of the unexpected deadline, we have decided to split up this lesson and complete the pre-production tasks to make sure that we are on deadline for filming next week. During the three hours we completed the following tasks;
  • Getting contact details to get an actress from the Coventry City College Performing arts class
  • completed the structure (outline, equilibrium, plot, and audience)
  • research into shots and plot ideas
  • Location description
  • Risk assessment
14/03/2013 - Today's session did not go as planned as some unexpected changes arose and we were unable to film or carry out tasks for our production today. We lost time that we originally planned for filming, so we are going to solve that problem by working out of hours to ensure we are up to date for the next session.

The pre-production tasks that are still outstanding are;
  • Mise-en-scene
  • Script
  • Shot list
21/03/2013 - In the three hours today, we carried out some pre-production tasks of finishing off the mise-en-scene elements, creating the script (2 different scripts for both diegetic sounds and voice overs).

Also we found out that our deadline has been extended an extra 3 weeks due to holidays and interuptions. our new deadline has been stretched to 18th April 2013. This gives us more time during the holiday to create our production in out of school hours.

28/03/2013 - In today's session, we created the script and recorded the voice over for our soundtrack. The voiceover was recorded in the sidney stringer recording studio. It took us three hours to create the voice track because it took time to set up the equipment, to get the actress when she is free and it took us repeated times to get the desired effect/feeling.


18/04/2013 -In today's lesson, we finished off the remaining blog posts needed for our pre-production elements and filmed scenes for our five minute single camera production. We also recorded some meetings videos (Vlogs) on information about our five minute single camera production.

Task 2

Risk assessment

1. identify the hazards

The hazards that might be involved within the production of our media product are just minor injuries like tripping over wires and injuring on appliances. But no major harm and hazards will be a threat.

  • Bedroom/house/living room - uneven surfaces, tripping over props e.g. chairs, lifting heavy equipment.
  • Uneven surfaces, other members of public (disruption and can cause injuries), hot food and drink (burning harm), sharp utensils (knives, forks, etc).

2. decide who might be harmed

The people who may be harmed are the filming crew and the actors/actresses in the product.


3. Precautions and solutions 

The precautions and solutions that we can do to ensure the safety of the people involved in the production of the film are making sure we follow safety procedures when handling goods, and putting up signs and informing people of any hazards available.

Bibliography
http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/threesteps.htm (06/12/2012)

Shot list

Over the shoulder shot - using it when we see the boy standing at the doorway, looking at the girl in the bathroom

Mid shot - using it to shot the girl walking up the stairs to grab the setting and the character in the scene.

Close up shot - to grab the whole character in the scene to portray their emotions and body language.

Extra long shot - to get all of the scenery and characters from a distance to show the audience their surroundings.

High angle shot - when the camera is pointing down towards the father lying on the sofa. This shows the scene from the characters point of view and to make the character seem inferior.

StoryBoard Ideas and Final Idea for Filming 5 minute film. 

Initial mindmap of ideas
basic structure idea



Storyboard sketches
Storyboard sketches part 2
Main idea (start middle and end)

5 Minutes Proposal




Budget Proposal for 5 minute 

Introduction:


In this blog post, I am going to research and present the findings of any production research needed towards my 5 minute document and treatment presentation. My media product will be a low budget product, so costs will be reasonably low.

Resources:

Personnel:

(1) The personnel needed for the production of my short media product will be a producer, director, researcher, script writer, equipment operator (camera, lights, sound), editor, actor/actresses, set/location designer.

All of these members must be asked for permission and I must take into account of costs to the personnel.

Talent

Talent needed for each member of personnel must be based on the experience and qualifications achieved.

E.g. director must have previous experience, actors/actresses must have acting/performing experience, editor must have qualifications on editing software/hardware.

Finance

(refer to costs)

Suppliers/equipment

(2) Suppliers are needed to get the appropriate equipment and resources needed. The equipment needed to help in making my product are;
  • camera
  • tri-pod
  • microphone/audio recorder
  • boompole
  • dolly/tracker
  • lighting
  • editing software/hardware (Photoshop, computer basics (monitor, keyboard, hard drive, mouse) camera accesories, headphones/speakers)
All of these equipment will need to put into costs/budgeted.

Facilities

The facilities that are available to allow me to plan and create my media product are at home, the work place (schools), public facilities (library, internet cafes, etc).

I must take into account if any costs are needed when using these facilities, e.g. usage fees, electrics, printing costs, etc).

Locations

For my media product, I have researched and selected a few locations for my media product according to the audience feedback I recieved. I may not use all of these locations, i have just researched and listed them for the purpose of the treatment. Once I start planning the pre-production and create the media product, I will edit the final choices of locations.

We have chosen to set my locations at a desolate house, which will be provided by one of the production team members.

Logistical support

I will need logistic support to help me move my equipment and personnel from each location. So I need hire/rent a van and minibus to help with moving the resources. This will also need to be taken into account within the costs.

Costs:

All of these costs are estimated according to research through primary and secondary research. This is not the finalized amount and it will be used to help budget my finances. (3)

Personnel:
producer (£50)
director (£50)
researcher (£45)
script writer (£45)
equipment operator (camera, lights, sound) (£20)
editor (£50)
per actor/actresses (£35)
set/location designer (£20)

TOTAL: £315

Suppliers/equipment: (4)
camera (£300)
tri-pod (£20)
microphone/audio recorder (£25)
boompole (£35)
dolly/tracker (£70)
lighting (£15)
editing software/hardware (Photoshop, computer basics (monitor, keyboard, hard drive, mouse) camera accesories, headphones/speakers) (£500)

TOTAL: £965

(Some of the equipment prices have been estimated from Amazon.co.uk)

Facilities:
Home (£20)
Work environment (schools) Free
Library (£5)

TOTAL: £25

Locations:
desolate house (£0)


Logistical support: (5)
Compact Van rental - 1 week (£250)
15 seater minibus rental - 1 week (£ 550)

TOTAL: £800


FINAL TOTAL: £2105
FINAL BUDGET: £2200


Narrative Structure 

Introduction

This blogpost will include the information on the narrative structure for our 5 minute single camera production.

Outline

Our 5 minute single camera production will be based around the horror/psychological thriller genre as our plot fits around the themes and techniques of that genre.

Our film will be in a non-linear (non-sequential) order because the plot will not go in time-chronological order. Our film will include use of flashbacks of the turning point/problem which occurs in the film.

Our equilibrium will be in a distorted order to ensure that we don't reveal the plot to the audience till the end. This will create a sense of shock to the viewer, which is the reaction we wish to get.

Audience

Our target audience are very important to our production, as we would want the right target audience in order to get more views on YouTube and to ensure that our production piece is successful.

Our main target audience are aimed at the age of 18+. The reason to why we chose the was because legally you would have to be 18+ to watch these specific types of movies.

The plot

Throughout the film, there will be edits of a webcam recording on a laptop, which is by the girl telling her story

Start: The scene starts off with the girl in the toilet. Her younger brother walks in and sees scars on her hand and questions her. In defense, she hides her scars and storms out of the toilet.

Middle: She walks into the living room where she sees her father completely drunk and passed out on the sofa. she gets frustrated and upset, so she walks up the stairs into her bedroom.
She lies on her bed and she hallucinates/has flashbacks of the incident.

End: The girl commits suicide by hanging herself and the younger brother stands at the doorway watching her.

Equipment list & Location

We have decided to shoot our 5 minute single camera product in a desolate house, which we have got permission to use. Our deadline for the project is Thursday 28th March 2013, so we need to get filming done asap (hopefully by next week - 14/03/2013) to make sure that we fit in enough time for post-production elements and editing.

The equipment and props that we need are;

HD Canon camera and charger
SD memory card and reader
Tripod
Apple mac
Microphones/boompoles
Regular home items, e.g. chair, table, etc

We have decided that we do not want to use any artificial lighting, e.g. key, filler or back lighting as we want our film to have a dark and eerie natural feel. So we are going to be relying on the natural lighting around us to film.

Shooting schedule


Date
Task
What needs to be done
14/02/2013
Pre - production
Do research on existing short films and analyse to gather ideas

Carried out tasks like;
-analysis of existing films
21/02/2013
Pre - production
Brainstorm ideas for 5 minute production. Add structure to our idea.

Carried out tasks like;
-Story board
-mind maps
-considering target audience
-word/mood board
28/02/2013
Pre - production
Carry out various pre-production tasks.

Carry out tasks like;
-treatment/proposal
-music/sounds
-looking and asking for permission for location space and models
-collecting and gathering props
07/03/2013
Pre - production
Carry out various pre-production tasks. Got permission for location and models.

Carry out tasks like;
-considering locations
-finding actors/actresses
-risk assessments
-working out the budget
14/03/2013
Production
Filming

Carry out tasks like;
-Setting up
-getting the actors ready and revised of the scene
-directing and recording scenes
-being aware of health and safety risks
21/03/2013
Production
Filming

Carry out tasks like;
-Setting up
-getting the actors ready and revised of the scene
-directing and recording scenes
-being aware of health and safety risks
28/03/2013
Production
Filming

Carry out tasks like;
-Setting up
-getting the actors ready and revised of the scene
-directing and recording scenes
-being aware of health and safety risks
04/04/2013
Holidays
11/04/2013
Holidays
18/04/2013
Post -production
Must finish off final editing and evaluations. Deadline
Carry out tasks like;
-editing clips
-evaluation
25/04/2013
Post-production
Must finish off final editing and evaluations. Deadline
Carry out tasks like;
-editing clips
-evaluation





The shooting schedule does not include any out of hours filming or work. Tasks will also be carried out throughout the week to ensure we keep on top of our schedule.

mise en scene elements

Props:
  • Mirror
  • Bed
  • Alcohol bottle
  • Rope
  • Ordinary props e.g. cups, files, folders, tables, chairs, etc
The advantages of the props that are going to be used are that it will help to create a realist scenario around the characters to help create a average realistic setting. Also the props that are needed are going to help us portray or story better, so the audience understands what is happening.
 
Setting/locations: (Final locations have not been confirmed) 
  • House (Living room, bathroom, bedroom)

The advantage of our settings/locations is that it is a easy attainable location to film, and we can find a appropriate place with permission quickly.
The disadvantages on some of our settings/locations is that it may be hard to change the look and interior decor of the house to get the effect that we wish. But we will solve that problem by asking permission and altering a few things that dont result in permanent change.
Style/narrative structures:
  • Horror/psychological thriller - our plot fits around the themes and techniques of that genre.
  • Non-linear, multi-strand realist narrative - our film wil inlcude flashbacks which means that it will not be in chronological time order. It is multi-strand because it is focused on more than one character, and it is a realist narrative because it is based in a real-life context.
 
The advantages on the style of our plot is that we are taking a different approach towards portraying our plot to the audience by not making the story in chronological order. This makes the plot of the story more shocking to the viewers.
The disadvantages on the styles that we are going to use is that it may confuse the audience as the story does not flow with time.
Costumes/make-up:
  • Basic, rough and slightly shabby clothing - to show the family are from a poor and under-priviliaged area/background
  •  Special effect make-up - for scars and bruising effect
The advantages on the the make-up and costumes of the characters are that it will help portray the characters and the surroundings of the plot well as it all links to the poor background that the family come from.
The disadvantages on the costumes and make-up is that it we must research specialist make-up shops/products to help achieve the required effect for the scars and bruising.

Characters: (actors/actresses not selected yet):
  • Female (main protagonist) - aged around 16-19 years old
  • Male (Protagonist's little brother) - aged around 9-12 years old
  • Male (Protagonist's father) - aged 30-40 years old

The advantages on our choice of characters is that it is a broad spectrum range of characters as we have no certain features that we wish to include. We want to make our characters as normal as possible to ensure that the audience are more focus on the plot, rather than the surroundings.

The disadvantages on our choice of characters is that we may struggle to get a young male and old male character who would be willing to be included in our production as it is harder to get actors that are available at these times.

Task 1


A single camera production is when only one camera is used on a shoot rather than multiple cameras.  This is likely to be used on the set of a short film as they tend to have short scripts, or it could possibly be due to a small budget or the equipment that is available to you.  Using Multi camera means that shots can edited together quickly, providing the viewer with something new to look at.  This can be achieved on a single camera production too, but a scene will have to be shot multiple times from different angles to achieve the same look.  Using single camera also means that time can be taken to construct the scenes well.
As you will know there are numerous formats of media: series, serial, drama and films to name a few, but it can be difficult to work out whether they are single or multi camera productions.  First of all, I will look into Series; television series typically follow a continuous story line that spans the entire series, which is made up of numerous episodes.  Popular series include Glee, Sherlock andDexter, which tend to be ‘open ended’ meaning, that there is a cliff hanger at the end of an episode but also that a new audience can not start watching from the middle of a series and understand what is happening in the plot.  Television series typically tend to be multi camera as this allows the filmmakers to cover more action quicker, hopefully saving money, and catching all the emotion from multiple characters in the same shot.  However, Dexter is a series that has pushed against the norm, using only single camera, allowing each scene to be lit individually so that the episode reaches its full potential.
Dexter is well known for being a hybrid genre; therefore the narrative structure features codes and conventions of crime and mystery genres.  Romeo Trione, Director of Photography on Dexter was interviewed in High Def magazine in 2009 and explains the kind of camera angles and techniques they use to create this genre.  “There is a distinctive look to Dexter…it is a graphic novel…and we really try to keep it that: low wide angle lenses, lots of movement in the camera…” (Trione, 2009) The techniques used in Dexter helps to explain the narrative structure and Dexter’s personality.  Romeo Trione uses techniques such as low camera angles looking up at Dexter, as seen in the clip below.  Despite him being a serial killer, he is an anti-hero so the camera looks up at him to portray his power, making him seem God-like.  Close ups are also used so that we can see the reaction and emotion on Dexter’s face.


In this clip we also see an example of the 180° rule, which is when you have an imaginary line on set, which you do not cross with the camera.  This provides one side of the screen to one character, and the other side to the other character, meaning that the audience does not get confused and disorientated with where the characters’ are standing in relation to one another.
Flashbacks are used regularly in the series as we see in the clip below when he remembers his mother.


Flashbacks of his father occur in every episode in order to support Dexter and justify his actions to the audience.


Using these techniques makes the audience feel closer to the character, almost as if we know and understand them.
The use of colour is also important in this series; as we can see from the images for the series, blood is a main feature running throughout all of the series, as he is a blood expert and knows how to kill.


The importance of contrast in colour is also heavily portrayed in the title sequence.


For instance when he cuts himself shaving and blood drops onto the white sink.  A contrast like that is memorable, so even if a viewer doesn’t enjoy it, those images will stay in their heads due to the techniques used.
Lighting is another technical aspect that goes remains unnoticed when you watch this series, however that means it is creating the mood and atmosphere it is supposed to be creating.  Lighting is used as an art; to cast shadows over the character, Dexter when he is about to kill his victim to create mystery and intrigue as the audience wait to find out more.  Or is used as a tool to interrogate his victim while they are on his operating table, as we can see in this next clip.


There are two types of editing that may be used, linear and non-linear; linear being where you physically cut the film, whereas, non-linear editing allows the editor to cut footage digitally.  This means that footage does not need to be shot in chronological order, instead you could shoot the middle, then the end and then the beginning.  It all depends on when your actors, location and equipment are available and what works best for you and your production.  Productions tend to use one or the other technique; Dexter however, did use both.  When asked to describe the production of Dexter by High Def magazine, Romeo explains that Dexter is a hybrid show which was shot on HD and film, “Sometimes it became complicated going back and forth between one and the other…”  Meaning that he got a new camera and they now shoot everything in HD.  “…the latitude on it is so broad I feel like now I have to light it more like film…”. These kinds of series are well known for producing hour-long episodes, the fact that each shot is lit individually means that each episode looks and feels more like a film than a television series.
Unlike television series, sitcoms such as Friends tend to be ‘closed’ episodes.  Despite the fact that they feature a continuous storyline, many sitcoms are ‘closed’ episodes, meaning that a new audience can watch a random episode and understand who each character is and their relationship to one another.  However, they do tend to be shot using multi camera as it is in front of a live audience.  Another media format is webisodes, this is a modern way to watch shorts featuring characters from your favourite televisions series.  It is an up to date format as online demand for short films and episodes is increasing as people spend more time online now.  I recently emailed Adam Woodhall, online producer of the webisodes for the well-known television series Skins who was happy to answer my questions about, whether they used single or multi camera for the shoot of their mini episodes.  He replied saying, “For the webisodes we almost always shoot single camera. Reasons being the scripts are generally quite short and therefore manageable and we can take our time constructing the scenes using only one camera.”  This links back to Dexter, that a producer may want to spend more time constructing and lighting the scene so it looks believable.  He then goes on to talk about a specific episode in which it features a large group of people dancing, “That being said, on the zombie webisode we did shoot multi camera on some scenes such as the zombie fight sequence and dancing on the counter top, there was a lot to cover.”  Using two cameras instead of one would mean they could cover more action, quicker.  However, a short film would generally only include a few characters,  “Another reason we normally use single camera for webisodes is that they normally have a smaller number of characters.”  Meaning that it should not take too long to shoot a scene more than once in order to get different angles.


There are disadvantages to a single camera production, such as doing so many takes of the same scene in order to get different shot sizes, camera angles and camera movements.  It is much easier using a multi camera set up to get all of this shots in one take, this means shooting gets done quickly and efficiently and the cast and crew do not get over tired.  However, Dexterpromotes the advantages of single camera production extremely well due to the techniques that Romeo Trione uses.  Using single camera on a production like Dexter means that the story is told artistically, they not only rely on characters but also on technical aspects such as lighting, colour and camera angles to portray the story and create the emotions they want the audience to feel.  It creates a much bigger feel to the production and brings life to scenes, which may not have had as much impact if it was not lit in so many different ways just for thirty seconds of footage.

Bibliography:
  1. High Def (2009) High Def [Online]. Available from:http://www.highdef.com/magazine/archive/HighDef_2009_1JanFeb.pdf [Accessed: 2 June 2012]
  1. SHOWTIME (2006) Youtube [Online].  Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77f7OhcMof4 [Accessed: 2 June 2012]
  1. The Dexter Blog (2010) Youtube [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYiEh7D2_Gw [Accessed: 2 June 2012]
  1. The good world (2012) Youtube [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK7RCyMRdxs [Accessed: 2 June 2012]
  1. SHOWTIME (2006) Youtube [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej8-Rqo-VT4 [Accessed: 2 June 2012]
  1. Poke It Away (2008) Youtube [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsd9V1abNqg [Accessed: 2 June 2012]
  1. Skins Season 6 (2012) Youtube [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8SCKSaMAfE [Accessed: 2 June 2012]