This morning I have compiled all the various elements of my film together. I haven't edited anything yet because I'm just trying to test out the composition, which feels pretty good. I'm not that used to acting but all the same I feel like we could've put more effort into our performances. How I do not know; perhaps it was lack of efficient teamwork that I felt was really letting me down, as all of us involved weren't professionals at filming and acting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgGFovXxKxI&feature=youtu.be
Over this week as I was compiling all the film I'd got so far on Tuesday, I experimented with Premiere Pro's various video effects. I'd looked online for video tutorials on how to darken daytime scenes, but they were very technical and didn't really give off the effect that I wanted. My favourite video effect is the ProcAmp, because it gives the film a very strong contrast and darkness, although the Colour Balance should alter the shadows and highlights to look more spooky/nighttime-esque. Today I will see what my tutors think (provided they have the time to look at my progress) so that I can find what works best.
Friday, 13 May 2016
Monday, 9 May 2016
Filming Update
Bad news! One of my actors is ill. My friend is now desperately trying to find another actor to take his place, but if that isn't possible then I will have to stand in myself while another person films.
Mic Practice
Just a quick test to see how well sound is picked up on the settings the CLR showed me. It is pretty good, although a bit silent, but that can be fixed in Premiere Pro and Audition (hopefully).
Filming Commences Again Tonight!!! (Yay!)
I've rented out the Canon 700D again in order to resume filming. The CLR this morning gave me some really good advice and tips when using the Hotshoe Mount Mic, showing me the camera settings and how they relate to the sound. There is a special filter on the 700Ds settings that reduces wind, and tonight (or maybe even today if I get bored) I will test it out and see if they're right.
Note to future self:
Experiment so much more with the equipment supplied to you, especially if they're filming cameras.
Note to future self:
Experiment so much more with the equipment supplied to you, especially if they're filming cameras.
Friday, 6 May 2016
Editing & Post Production Screencraft
Because shooting isn't scheduled now to commence again until Monday, I have decided to spend my time in the Study Zone to see if any of the books have any good advice on cinematography, editing and filming in general.
The book that caught my eye was "Editing & Post Production Screencraft" by Declan McGrath, which contains interviews with many film editors as they talk about their own personal experiences. They gave away really useful techniques such as how nowadays a mass audience accepts their POV being constantly shifted around the place. Other interesting facts included how close-ups of faces are fine for TV but not feature film, primarily due to screen sizes. Action scenes need to be made dramatic through the conflict and performance of the actors, and it's a lot better to let the audience make their own mind up on how to view the characters without the need for close-ups. Stories have infinite possibilities and it is the editor who controls these possibilities.
A good warning I came across in this book is that the danger of most films nowadays is that they represent their objects a bit too literally, leading to no ambiguity and no incompleteness. The audience needs to contribute to it being complete, otherwise they won't be drawn in as easily.
Source:
McGrath, Declan (2001) Editing & Post-Production Screencraft, Switzerland: RotoVision
The book that caught my eye was "Editing & Post Production Screencraft" by Declan McGrath, which contains interviews with many film editors as they talk about their own personal experiences. They gave away really useful techniques such as how nowadays a mass audience accepts their POV being constantly shifted around the place. Other interesting facts included how close-ups of faces are fine for TV but not feature film, primarily due to screen sizes. Action scenes need to be made dramatic through the conflict and performance of the actors, and it's a lot better to let the audience make their own mind up on how to view the characters without the need for close-ups. Stories have infinite possibilities and it is the editor who controls these possibilities.
A good warning I came across in this book is that the danger of most films nowadays is that they represent their objects a bit too literally, leading to no ambiguity and no incompleteness. The audience needs to contribute to it being complete, otherwise they won't be drawn in as easily.
Source:
McGrath, Declan (2001) Editing & Post-Production Screencraft, Switzerland: RotoVision
Tuesday, 3 May 2016
Clockwork Orange Shot Analysis
Stanley Kubrick's "Clockwork Orange" is a film that I heard thrived upon violence and torture, so I thought it would be good to watch and see how Kubrick portrays this negative behaviour. "Clockwork Orange" is now officially one of my favourite movies.
Firstly, I love the way that colour is used. The opening panel which is drenched in red-orange gives off the instant impression that this film is going to be violent, accompanied by eerie music that keeps recurring throughout the film.
The rhythm between light and shadow works spectacularly. Here, the main character of Alex and his friends, out on the street looking for trouble, come across as wanting trouble from the way that their shadows stretch out across the ground in an attempt to dominate the territory. They contrast with the light very well and make Alex look invasive and fearful.
Many of the scenes that involve Alex and his gang causing trouble amongst other people are shot from his POV. It's as if Kubrick wants to put us in Alex's shoes, which we don't really want because we know that he and his gang are bad people. Perhaps this is to indicate that Alex has the potential to change and be good, and put himself in our shoes instead.
This intimidating nature of Alex's is carried out even further when he kneels down and sneers towards the camera. He looks even more invasive here and wants to show us he is the boss of everything, as his friend carries out the raping of a writer's wife.
Kubrick used POV shots to heighten the urgency and terror that Alex was carrying out. It really put us in the movie and demonstrated what he was capable of. Kubrick also uses colour and shading extremely well to further emphasise this feeling of fear and sexual violence.
Firstly, I love the way that colour is used. The opening panel which is drenched in red-orange gives off the instant impression that this film is going to be violent, accompanied by eerie music that keeps recurring throughout the film.
The rhythm between light and shadow works spectacularly. Here, the main character of Alex and his friends, out on the street looking for trouble, come across as wanting trouble from the way that their shadows stretch out across the ground in an attempt to dominate the territory. They contrast with the light very well and make Alex look invasive and fearful.
Many of the scenes that involve Alex and his gang causing trouble amongst other people are shot from his POV. It's as if Kubrick wants to put us in Alex's shoes, which we don't really want because we know that he and his gang are bad people. Perhaps this is to indicate that Alex has the potential to change and be good, and put himself in our shoes instead.
This intimidating nature of Alex's is carried out even further when he kneels down and sneers towards the camera. He looks even more invasive here and wants to show us he is the boss of everything, as his friend carries out the raping of a writer's wife.
Kubrick used POV shots to heighten the urgency and terror that Alex was carrying out. It really put us in the movie and demonstrated what he was capable of. Kubrick also uses colour and shading extremely well to further emphasise this feeling of fear and sexual violence.
Sunday, 1 May 2016
FMP Acting Update
It feels like a miracle! Pretty soon all of my actors are going to be free for a huge chunk of the last two weeks. Nothing has happened yet so I can only hope and wait...
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