Monday, 13 December 2010

Evaluation

At the start of the term we started the unit Video, where we were told we had to make the opening of a thriller lasting three minutes. We got into our groups; me, Charlie and Sam, and started to plan the rough outline of what we wanted to happen in the opening. We came up with a story board, looking and exploring different thriller conventions and once we had done that we filmed our thriller, using a Sony Z1 camera, having six and a half weeks to film and edit it all together to get our final product.


We first did the filming for our opening in one of the first weeks where we were given our assignment, however this didn’t go as we had planned because the actors we used didn’t play their roles well, and we used a baby and an animal, which ended terribly because we weren’t happy with what we was left with when we uploaded the footage onto the computer. We then re-shot the whole of our opening and got two new actors, Amy Carvell and Joe Thompson. We were a lot happier with our final footage we had captured and overall glad that we decided to re-shoot it. However not everything went as we planned, for example when we went to use the equipment we realised that we wasn’t given a base plate, but considering the circumstances we were able to keep the camera really steady and still achieve shots panning without any major jolts. We also used good use of the lighting to make sure it wasn’t too light outside and too dark inside to help add atmosphere to the thriller overall. We also decided to film our thriller in the daytime, which is not popular when doing a thriller; however we thought it would work better because then the shots were exposed properly and help make it more realistic and seem like something that does happen every day.


To edit our thriller we used Final Cut Pro, where we first got the basic sequence for our thriller and then had it approved by our teacher before we started to do the edits to it such as the titles, the music and audio peaks. Once we were happy with it we imported our movie into a program called Soundtrack Pro where we listened to parts of music tracks and put them together so that the music had enough tension and suspense in the exact places that we wanted and so that it fitted perfectly with our thriller. We also then added some non-diegetic sound to the soundtrack, such as the sound of the camera clicking and the voicemails, so that the audience found it more believable. Once we had finished the rough cut we started to include cross dissolves to help add tension, like when it goes to a blank screen before the parts of her dead body are shown. We then downloaded the font for the writing we wanted from the Internet and used that for the titles of our thriller because we thought the writing would fit better and help set the atmosphere for the very first shot. When we got near to finishing our opening for the thriller we changed the audio peaks to make sure that none of the sound was distorted and if it was we took down the audio. Near the end of the project we then got taught, by the technician, how to de-interlace and export our final thrillers.


Everyone in the group took turns in filming different shots so that we all got equal amounts of time. However we still gave ideas to each other about how to do certain shots or if they thought that another angle would look better. When we edited it together as a group we all put forward ideas, even if we didn’t use them in our final product, about different things we could change or maybe add to make it better overall. Also when we was deciding on the music we had a lot of trouble and different ideas about what the music should sound like, however finally decided to go with something that wasn’t too happy and relaxed but at the same time wasn’t too spooky either, because it wouldn’t fit with our story line and would take away from realism of it overall. I think the music we chose worked well because it fitted perfectly with our thriller and their actions but also worked well because it wasn’t too loud or have too many sounds going on at once with the action that was going on at the same time. When we were filming, we used all of the equipment that we took out to its potential; the camera, tripod and boom microphone, to make sure we captured all of the diegetic sound, such as the tap running and them walking down the road, as well as the dialogue and made sure that the shots were steady and looked professional.


What worked well was also the sequence near the beginning, with the juxtaposition between the happy and sad moments the couple had together, because it was shocking as well as disturbing for the audience to watch. Even when we showed the class our work some of their reactions while watching it seemed generally shocked and disturbed by the scenes. We decided to also use a special effect; ghosting, at the end of our thriller to add a different dimension to the story and make the audience think why that was included and for all of them to come to their own conclusions about what it symbolises. Other members from our class also liked the variety of shots we used, for example the bag cam and fridge cam, however they also thought we might have revealed too much and had a lot going on in our three minute opening.


I think we worked well as a team and all contributed to the ideas for the final product, however we could have edited it tighter, so that shots, like the freeze-frames of her dead body, were shown for longer to help build up more tension for the audience. We also dealt with having to change the technicalities’ for the bag cam and fridge cam because we used a DV camera instead of a HD camera, so to upload it onto the computer we had to change all of the settings and how we captured it before it could be included in our opening. We also realised that when we watched our final footage back on the server that for some of our scenes the curtains were open and some they were closed, so to get around this we edited it so it looked like different times that he was beating her up and make it more shocking for the audience.


If I was able to go back and do things differently I would firstly spend more time on the first shot making sure we was happy with our shots and what we being shown in them, however saying that we were more satisfied with what we achieved the second time round. I would also change how long some of the scenes were, like the opening scene where we pours the tea and also when he’s changing tops, because it slows down the whole opening slightly because everything else is so fast paced. Another thing I think I would have liked to change is including less scenes in the opening and drag other scenes out longer, like the shots of her dead body, so that it feels a lot more like an opening of the film and doesn’t give too much away too quickly, but to also cause a lot more suspense and tension.


Our thriller also includes quite a few of the thriller conventions, for example there is very little dialogue, only when they are shouting at each other, to help show the flaws in their relationship, but also to help build the tension for the rest of the opening. Also we include some point of view shots and shaky shots, like when he is coming down the stairs and punching the camera to make it more realistic to the audience. Another thriller convention we use is the cliff-hanger at the end when we make the killer disappear, because when we showed the class, they all came up with different opinions and views about why we did it. Generally we got good feedback from our classmates about the shots we used and included and the suspense that we caused to get the audience off the edge of their seats. We also tried to include different techniques, like the ghosting effect and include thriller conventions so that it would fit and look likes an actual opening to a thriller.

Thursday, 25 November 2010

Exporting

There are three different ways to export a file from Final Cut Pro:

  • Self contained
    • This is the quickest way to export a file however it also makes the file the biggest size
  • Quick time Conversion
    • The most common way to do it and the way that you should normally
  • Compressor
    • Can convert the file into anything

        • mark the 'in' and 'out' points of your file
        • check for any audio peaks and alter them
          • ->mark->audio mark
        • apply filter (only if your 100% sure your finished)
          • ->select everything->effects->favourites->deintelace->drag onto the whole edit
        • select clip in browser->file->export->quick time
                                                    OR
        • select clip in browser->file->export->quick time compressing

Monday, 1 November 2010

Blogging the shoot

We decided to shoot our thriller on a Saturday from 10am-3pm. We all meet at 10am and went to Charlie’s house; however the female actor who was playing the dead lady was late so we had to wait for her before shooting. After about 45 minutes she still hadn’t turned up, so instead we decided that we would film the flickering light at the start of the opening for the titles and also the opening sequence of the man washing the blood off his hands. The sequence turned out quite well, however the camera wasn’t completely steady, which could be seen very clearly when we watched the footage back, and also we didn’t achieve all of the shots that we had originally planned to get. However the actor, Jake, was very good and it was easy to tell him what we wanted him to do and how we wanted it to look on camera. Finally our female actor turned up so we was able to shoot the rest of the scenes. We also decided that we was going to use both a baby and an animal in our thriller, however this instantly came with its own problems. For example when we was trying to film the cat we found it hard to get the right shot and had to do several before we got a descent shot. Then with the baby, we collected him at 10am but then because we was late shooting the thriller, Luke started to get very tired and cry, which then made it very hard for us to get him to do what we wanted and when we wanted him to do things, and this started to make everyone frustrated and annoyed because we only had a few more scenes left to shoot. Another problem we had we that was rushed a lot of the scenes and because of this we got things in the shot that wasn’t meant to be there, like people’s shoes and their legs. When we then watched back all of our footage we then realised this and realised that we needed to spend a lot more time and care about our shooting. So we then decided that we was going to have to re shoot the opening of our thriller otherwise it would look really bad.
There were quite a few things that I think we could have done better, for example take a lot more care and time when preparing to shot a scene and also practise it a lot more before actually recording it. Another thing we need to improve on is making sure we record each scene at least two or three times just to make sure that we have enough footage to then pick from when were editing it all together.


We then re-shot the whole opening of the thriller a few weeks later on a Saturday, but this time relocated to Sam's house, got two new actors, Amy and Joe and also got rid of working with the baby and cat. Overall I think this shot went a lot better because we took a lot more care and time over each scene, got a lot more footage for us to choose from when we edit it into our thriller and also we all took equal amounts of time filming and using the camera. We arrived at Sam's house at 10, however realised that we didn't have a tape, so we got a bus to Charlie's house to pick up a spare tape that he had. Also because we decided to get rid of the baby and cat we replaced these shots with flashbacks of the couples home life and memories together, like walking down the street, watching TV and making a cup of tea. We then did sequences of him punching and kicking Amy to show how she finally ended up laying dead on the floor. After we had filmed the flashbacks we moved on and filmed Amy laying in the floor dead with makeup on to make it look a lot more realistic. After that we filmed both the sequence of the boyfriend/murderer realising what he has done and him washing all the blood of this hands etc. The actors were very easy to work with and did a better job than the last ones because they were very believable when acting and also took direction very well. It also helped because Amy is in technical theatre so was good with doing the makeup on her face to make it look like she had been beaten up and killed. We learnt from our mistakes from the last shoot and was a lot more pleased with what we had when we watched it all back. However there was also a few problems, for example we had to work without a base plate on the tripod and at one point used Charlie's camera to film a few shots, which isn't HD so we had a few problems log and capturing it onto the computer and the way it has come out. For the thriller I filmed parts such as the flashbacks of the couple, a few of the bathroom scenes and Amy's dead body on the floor and when I wasn't filming I helped the group with either the microphone or the lighting in the room. 

Synopsis

For the first shot of our thriller we have a blank shotw here we are going to edit in the titles of the movie being shown while we have have some music playing over the top, which isn't too spooky but not too romantic either. This automatically causes suspense for the audience and a lot of tension. Then for the opening shot we show a sequence of flashbacks between the couple of both happy and violent moments, keeping an unknown identity of the man she is with. By doing this, it is making the audience want to find out who the man is and his significance in our thriller. The audience are then introduced to a dead woman laying on the floor with a with blood and bruises all over her face. The marks and bruises on her face symbolise some sort of domestic violence has taken place. The mobile phone suddenly rings to show that the woman has people and family members worrying and looking out for her. However, non-diegetic sound then is being edited in to play the sound of the voicemail left by the woman's mother, not sounding concerned because she doesn't yet know what has happened to her daughter. The last sequence of the opening of the thriller was of the killer running from the house before the woman's mother arrives at the house, where there is a clear contrast between him rushing manically around inside the house and him walking calmly down the road, ending the opening. 

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

The Future of Technology

Filming Shedule

Who??                                     
  • Jake - playing the killer                                 
  • Georgia - playing the dead mother
  • Luke - playing the couples son
  • Sasha - Luke's real mum
(Jake, Georgia and Luke are contacts of charlie)

  • Sam
  • Lydia
  • Charlie
Where?
  • Family home - Charlies house
  • Street outside the family home
When?
  • Monday 11th October 2010
  • 10:00 - 15:00
Shooting order
  • All of the bathroom shots
  • All of the baby shots
  • Shot of the baby
  • Shots of the baby being picked up
  • Shot of the cat
  • Killer walking from the bathroom to the bedroom
  • Mobile phone
  • Shots of killer packing his bag
  • Killer leaving the house
  • Killer walking down the street
  • Record the voice mails
  • Flickering light
                                             Re-shoot                                            
Who?
  • Joe - playing the killer
  • Amy - playing the dead girlfriend
  • Sam
  • Lydia
  • Charlie
(Joe is a contact from Sam and Amy is a friend from school)

Where?
  • Family home - Sam's house
  • Street outside the family house
When?
  • Saturday 6th November 2010
  • 10:00 - 16:00
Shooting order
  • Flashbacks of the couple
  • Boyfriend beating up the girlfriend
  • Dead body laying on the floor
  • All of the bathroom shots
  • Reaction from the boyfriend once he's killed her
  • Packing his bags
  • Walking down the stairs
  • Leaving the house
  • Phone ringing
  • Voicemails


    LSC productions - equipment , location and cast

    Equipment
    •  Camera
    • Tripod
    • Boom Mic
    • Fake Blood/Blood capsules
    • Mobile Phone
    • Rucksack/Bag
    • Baby Toys
    • Blood Stained T-Shirt
    • Black cat
    • Hoodie
    • Baby
    • Male actor
    • Female actor
    • Female v/o (different to female actor)

    Cast
    • Female Victim - Georgia O’Keefe
    • Male Attacker - Jake Woods
    • Baby - Luke Powell
    • Female V/O – Sasha Powell

    Location
    • Family House
    • .Bathroom
    • Child's Bedroom
    • Adults Bedroom
    • Hall way
    • Stairs
    • Kitchen
    • Dining room
    • Front room
    • Street outside house

    Thriller Conventions

    Some of the conventions used in thrillers are:
    • black writing on a white background or vice verca (bland colours to help set the mood for the thriller)
    • not a lot of dialogue (this gives it more suspense and make the audience think more about what is happening)
    • a lot of dark shadows and little lighting (to make less things visible on screen to also add suspense)
    • shaky camera shots (to make it seem like a more POV shot and more realistic)
    • cliffhangers with unanswered questions (doesn't give away the whole story plot and makes the plot more interesting)

    Tuesday, 21 September 2010

    Camera Test

    1) What are 2 affects of increasing video gain??
    Two ways of increasing camera gain are it allows more light in, but makes the shot look grainy.
    2) What should the shutter speed usually be get to??
    The shutter speed should usually be set to 50 frames per second.
    3) When should you increase the shutter speed and what is a side effect of doing this??
    You should increase the shutter speed when you want to do a slow motion shot but it lets in less light.
    4) What is the purpose of doing a white balance??
    The purpose of doing white balance is to set it so that the tint colour is right.
    5) What is the effect of increasing the audio gain?? 
    When you increase audio gain it ups the volume but can distort the sound.
    6) Describe the stages of focusing a camera...
    • press the focus button
    • zoom into the thing you want
    • get the focus right
    • use extended focus to make sure its clear
    7) Why would you use the ND filter??
    You would use the ND filter if you want to darken the shot because it has a 'sunglasses' effect.
    8) If you are shooting in a dark location would the exposure be better at F1 or F8?? 
    If you are shooting in a dark location the exposure would be better at F1 because it opens the iris a lot more.


    Tuesday, 14 September 2010

    Digital Television Signals

    Digital television signals and technology have changed a lot recently to create many advantages for many people, such as editors and the audience. One of the main advantages is that it allows you to view a wider range of channels, which have better signal, as well as picture. However, many would also debate the idea that digital is better quality then analogue TV. Digital television has also expanded because it allows you to have features, such as TV on demand and interactive TV. This has also made it a lot more popular and appealing for the audience. Another advantage is that ability to compress footage onto a small device, for example an i-pod or phone. They way digital signals have changed has also improved how TV companies edit their videos and programmes. This is because they are able to do it more efficiently and add special effects etc. much more easily, whereas using a tape takes a lot longer and you have to do everything in 'real life' timings.

    UK Broadcast Systems


    Analogue and Digital Broadcasting

    Analogue broadcasting is made up of continuously varying waves to make up an image. This is the old way of receiving and giving out signals and now many companies and methods of transmitting signals are not using analogue anymore. The quality given out from analogue can be lost very easily when it is transmitted and it has a very large bandwidth meaning it is hard to compress. The newest method is digital broadcasting. Digital broadcasting works on the concept of ‘multiplex’, which allows you to broadcast more than one channel together only using one bandwidth and computers encode TV signals to digital information, which are then sent by pulses. By doing this it had many advantages, such as is attracts more people to join it and view their programmes because they have more to offer and also it can be compressed to take up less bandwidth, meaning more channels can we multiplexed together at a better quality. For example before there were many channels, the BBC normally had half the viewers watching their programmes, however now that there are a greater range to choose from the BBC have to fight to get people to watch their TV channel. This then increases the competition between the channels and they get competitive to win over the viewers. However it also comes with some disadvantages, for example there are more channels for us to choose from, so that means that each channel is going to get fewer viewers overall. Extra bandwidth is also available so that the TV Companies can transmit interactive information. However to receive digital broadcasting you need a digital TV, set-top box or decoder. Soon the digital switchover is going to take place, which is where analogue is going to be turned off so you can’t transmit using it and everyone will have to use digital.

    Terrestrial Broadcasting

    Terrestrial broadcasting is the process where you send out pictures and sounds to a wide range of people from an aerial on the ground. The opposite of this is narrowcasting, which is where you transmit from the ground, however this may only be received by a small and specific group of people. Free view is terrestrial TV and run by transmitting digital signals and also the BBC traditionally uses this method to broadcast their TV. This type of broadcasting doesn’t involve either satellites or cables but instead radio waves which can only give out signal at a certain frequency. The band-width limits the frequency of the signal so that only certain frequencies are able to be used in the electromagnetic spectrum and which are only able to be a certain size for it to be able to transmit. Also because of analogue terrestrial broadcasting, it means that the bandwidth limits the number of channels you are able to see. However there are many drawbacks from this type of broadcasting, such as the weather can affect the signal a lot, for example when there is a thunderstorm there is poorer signal, which means that there are poorer quality images. Also the antennas that are used to broadcast cannot transmit far so this can affect where some people live and the signal they receive, for example if you live at the bottom of a hill and the mast is behind a hill then the signal is going to be a lot worse because the hill is blocking the signal reaching the house. As well as analogue terrestrial broadcasting there is also terrestrial digital broadcasting, also known as DVB-T, which stands for digital video broadcasting-terrestrial. Terrestrial broadcasting used to transmit by using analogue but now it also uses digital and soon, because of the digital switchover it will only run on digital signals.

    Broadcasting – Satellite TV

    Satellite broadcasting is the opposite of terrestrial broadcasting because instead of signals being transmitted from the ground, they are being transmitted from space. This comes with many advantages, for example it eliminates the drawback of the terrain on which you live on because the satellite is able to transmit from above. Also it can cover a larger area of ground so more people are able to receive the signals. Many interactive TV’s use this signal so that the viewer is able to choose from a wider selection of choices so they can pick the package deal they want with their TV  satellite company, such as Sky or Virgin. It also provides a much higher definition and more channels; however it can still be affected in extreme weather conditions. Satellite broadcasting is transmitted using microwaves in the electromagnetic spectrum. By using this frequency it means that they are able to easily pass through the atmosphere giving you a better signal overall. Also satellite TV used to transmit using analogue signal but now only use digital. Companies such as Sky, BBC and Freesat use the Astra satellite group to transmit their signals in the UK and Astra is one of the most popular companies that are used. Also the cost for TV packages within the companies can vary a lot all depending on many things, for example what variety of channels you pick and how many channels you want to be able to receive. Th cost can go from £15 - £60 a month.

    Broadcasting – Cable TV

    Broadcasting through cable TV is transmitted differently from a satellite in the sky, instead it transmits TV via the signals through fixed optical fibres or coaxial cables laid to your property, however this is limited and can only be received in a certain places or streets. This then includes different packages for the viewer to be able to chose from, for example both phone and broadband. There are both advantages to the broadcasters who are transmitting the signals, but also drawbacks to the audience. Some of the advantages for the TV Companies are that the viewer has to subscribe to get the signal to be able to use cable TV so the Company, such as Virgin media are receiving more viewers and therefore getting more money for their company and transmitting more signals. This also means that no other company is able to touch the cables because each cable is owned by a different company. This means that the people living in that area has to pick that certain company and eliminates any competition for them. However some disadvantages are that only certain places receive it, so if you live outside that area you won’t be able to receive cable TV. Also there is often maintenance work, which affects when you are able to watch your TV and can lower the quality of the TV satellite that you are receiving. Cable TV is a subscription TV service so limits how many people are able to sign up for it. In the UK Virgin Media is the main cable provider taking about 95% of the market, with Sky being the main competitor. However Sky is still the main overall company with the most viewers using its service.

    Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)

    Internet TV is the newest way of being able to watch TV and was only introduced in 2005 onwards. It has become a lot more popular throughout the 21st century, for example iplayer and has rapidly increased the popularity for companies, such as broadband because it includes Live TV, catch-up and on-demand. Broadband is a high frequency signal on a telephone line, satellite or cable connection and allows you to get a high-speed connection to the Internet. The online TV can then be streamed, buffered or downloaded. The difference between these are that streaming is when you watch something online at any time and can be live, buffering is when the computer is capturing the footage before watching it and storing and signals in the computer and downloading is when you take something and keep it forever. This rise has happened mainly because of the invention of Broadband and online TV was only available since Broadband came along but also because more people want to watch online TV and is increasingly becoming more used by viewers. Also the rise has taken place because it appeals to the audience that you are able to watch any program they want and watch it when it suits them. This is often targeted more towards the younger generation because they are the ones who are using the computers more and know how to use the technology and a big factor that appeals to most people is that is for free. The advantages are that it allows you to watch what you want and whenever you want to watch it. However the rules for some channels are different, for instance some programs only stay on for a period of time and others stay on forever. This also comes with a disadvantage because that means not all the money is going straight to the channel providing the programmes, however this isn’t the same for all channels because the money from iplayer revenue goes to the BBC, but at the same time it is still advertising and promoting their channel and the things that they are able to offer. 

    Tv motion and your Brain

    Pixels: Each image is made up of thousands of tiny pixels and the more pixels you have the better quality of the image, which is also known as the resolution.

    TV motion: Your brain puts today the still images and dots to make it look like a smooth image and there are around 25 still frames every second used in British TV.

    TV screen: When an image is put onto your TV screen, the camera splits up every frame into horizontal ‘scan lines’, which are then layered onto the screen when it is received. However different counties use a different amount of ‘scan lines’ per second for each frame. The average in the UK is 525 ‘scan lines’

    Aspect Ratio


    4:3 – is the ration for an old fashioned TV, nearly in the size of a square


    16:9 – a wide screen TV which gives the viewer a better experience and viewing of the film/program you are watching


    Pan and Scan: Pan and scan is when they cut/crop the size of the picture the audience can see, so that it will fit to a 4:3 screen. However many producers say that by doing this, it is losing the emotion and essence of the shot.


    Most films are now filmed using wide screen and very rarely fitting to a 4:3 screen.

    This is a 4:3 TV from foxnews.com 








    This is a 16:9 TV from jmsinfo.com






    Pillar boxing: when you fit a 4:3 image onto a 16:9 TV and you are left with two pillow shapes either side of the image to stop it enlarging.


    Letter boxing: when you fit a 16:9 image onto a 4:3 TV and you are left with two stripes at the top and bottom on the shot.