Yesterday we familiarised ourselves with the Recording equipment, Jess shall be experimenting with methods of recording various sounds we expect to be using in our film.
We got our hands on the Sony z1 camera once again, as the camera operator i had a practice with it. We practiced compositions we were considering using throughout the film, influenced by the films id watched such as American Beauty and Citizen Kane.
Myself and Melanie then discussed the compositions wed experimented with, what works what doesnt in preparation for filming, which we have planned for thursday.
We previously had issues with the "additional scene". The way we had planned it was not technically a new scene, and so was not allowed. We revisited this and decided upon a new idea, where we film a second scene alongside our current film, with a slightly altered script. Instead of the couple not getting along, this script is based around them being a happy couple. We would then cut this INTO the exiting script, so they run relatively seamlessly but tell two separate stories. A good example of this would be the film "Momento", where two stories from different points in time are being told, one being filmed in colour, the other in black and white. Also one is in chronological order, the other is going backwards. We do not intend to do this however.
Im looking forward to this script being shot, we have a good plan of what we are doing and everyone is fulfilling their roles, as a result everything is running quite smoothly.
Composition of Image.
Friday, 29 January 2010
Over the last week or so i have been watching various films in order to gain inspiration and influence on how film makers shoot scenes relevent to our own. Our short film involves a meal at a table, and so ive been looking for influence of how to shoot this scene.
Two very good examples of this are American Beauty and Citizen Kane.
I had imagined a fixed camera from a distance, with everything very symmetrical, this meant the table would be very open and both actors actions are very clear. American Beauty has a scene very similar to this, which can be seen below:
the camera then pans in and when the two actors are talking the camera is close up, while blurred by something in the foreground on the table.
Citizen Kane is very similar, though the layout of the surrounds and actors are slightly different. the way it is shot is alike.
The camera starts from far out and then pans into the table.
This i feel is very useful inspiration and clarification of how to shoot our film, as it confirms that how we envisioned it was a feasible way of filming it.
Two very good examples of this are American Beauty and Citizen Kane.
I had imagined a fixed camera from a distance, with everything very symmetrical, this meant the table would be very open and both actors actions are very clear. American Beauty has a scene very similar to this, which can be seen below:
the camera then pans in and when the two actors are talking the camera is close up, while blurred by something in the foreground on the table.
Citizen Kane is very similar, though the layout of the surrounds and actors are slightly different. the way it is shot is alike.
The camera starts from far out and then pans into the table.
This i feel is very useful inspiration and clarification of how to shoot our film, as it confirms that how we envisioned it was a feasible way of filming it.
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
This mornings lecture was focussed on the 1921 film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Dr Caligari's plot is presented as a "flashback" told from the P.O.V of Mr Francis. The story follows the arrival of dr Caligari and his somnambulist assistant Cesare. The ending reveals a "twist" where the flashback is infact a fantasy.
Rather than be filmed on set in a location, the film was made with props as a backdrop. The backdrop has an artistic expressionist style, with painted distorted set design.
What was also aparent was how similar the film looked to film noir.
In the lecture we established the similaritys with the works of Tim burton, Alfred Hitchcock and the likes of Dracula and Frankenstien.
Rather than be filmed on set in a location, the film was made with props as a backdrop. The backdrop has an artistic expressionist style, with painted distorted set design.
What was also aparent was how similar the film looked to film noir.
In the lecture we established the similaritys with the works of Tim burton, Alfred Hitchcock and the likes of Dracula and Frankenstien.
Frameforge and composition
This week we were given a quick introduction to new software. Frameforge and Celtx.
Frameforge was a simple but fantastic piece of kit for mapping out your set and positioning cameras pre production.
As the camera operator, i can lay out the planned set to scale and experiment with the positioning of the cameras on this software. This allows me to familiarise my self with the set and the cameras and visualise my intentions.
I am currently downloading the software now and will use it to practice compositions of the set.
In the mean time ive also been watching films and looking at ways the film could be shot effectively and coherently.
Celtx is a script writing software, which will be useful when we rewrite our script, this is less relevent to myself but i am still comfortable and familiar with the software and so can use it if called upon.
Frameforge was a simple but fantastic piece of kit for mapping out your set and positioning cameras pre production.
As the camera operator, i can lay out the planned set to scale and experiment with the positioning of the cameras on this software. This allows me to familiarise my self with the set and the cameras and visualise my intentions.
I am currently downloading the software now and will use it to practice compositions of the set.
In the mean time ive also been watching films and looking at ways the film could be shot effectively and coherently.
Celtx is a script writing software, which will be useful when we rewrite our script, this is less relevent to myself but i am still comfortable and familiar with the software and so can use it if called upon.
Writing Task: Part Deux.
Sunday, 24 January 2010In what specific way(s) can research help me get to these new places?
Which research starting point do I feel most drawn to?
Which do I feel wary of?
Which seem irrelevant?
Research is a crucial element to success in Art and Design. Research helps you to understand trends and habits, successes and failure in art and design. It also influences your actions and understand ways that others have achieved success in a similar situation.
Though i feel it is subject to what you are working on and how far down the design process you are, i am mostly drawn to interim research. I think that this is quite a methodical approach to design. Observing trends and habits in design and taking on board this information.
I am most wary of Pilot Stage research. Though i admit it does provide vital research, it doesnt provide conclusive evidence like market research. If the outcome is positive you simply proceed with it, while if the response is negative, you can find yourself none the wiser as to why and having lost valuable time.
I feel that exploratory is perhaps irrelevant in some context, due to it being quite open ended, you are at risk of not reaching the desired outcome or answer you wished to find. Which means that when it comes to a brief, exploratory has no time scale or definite answer.
Writing Task:
For the writing task i must ask myself the following:
What has my creativity been for in the past few years?
Who has it been for?
Why have I done it this way? Has this been my decision or someone else’s?
What do I want the future of my creativity to be?
I feel that initially, my creativity was nothing more than a hobby that has became a career path. These past few years it has been a case of furthering myself through techniques and practices while satisfying briefs and essentially ticking boxes to allow myself to progress in education. This meant that it was often a juggle between creativity and meeting grades by hitting targets; which can be quite restricting.
My creativity has essentially been for myself, it is what i enjoy and ultimately what i feel i excel at.
However my creativity has been USED for other people. By being a designer it is my task to meet a clients problem with a relevant solution.
In a previous project, i approached a company to design work for them. In the end i redesigned their entire corporate identity. This process was successful through constantly receiving feedback through the owner of the company, along with surveys from relevant sources. This meant that my creativity was focussed in the right direction to meet an outcome that suited the company, therefore benefiting both parties.
Ultimately, the designs were my own ideas, but were influenced by the actions of the people it will be directly affecting.
Hopefully, my future will be about pushing my creativity as far as it can go. I want to be able to do more of what i already enjoy, which is the ability to design for a living. Meet clients, understand their wants and needs and produce an outcome that pushes me creatively while satisfying their dilemma.
What has my creativity been for in the past few years?
Who has it been for?
Why have I done it this way? Has this been my decision or someone else’s?
What do I want the future of my creativity to be?
I feel that initially, my creativity was nothing more than a hobby that has became a career path. These past few years it has been a case of furthering myself through techniques and practices while satisfying briefs and essentially ticking boxes to allow myself to progress in education. This meant that it was often a juggle between creativity and meeting grades by hitting targets; which can be quite restricting.
My creativity has essentially been for myself, it is what i enjoy and ultimately what i feel i excel at.
However my creativity has been USED for other people. By being a designer it is my task to meet a clients problem with a relevant solution.
In a previous project, i approached a company to design work for them. In the end i redesigned their entire corporate identity. This process was successful through constantly receiving feedback through the owner of the company, along with surveys from relevant sources. This meant that my creativity was focussed in the right direction to meet an outcome that suited the company, therefore benefiting both parties.
Ultimately, the designs were my own ideas, but were influenced by the actions of the people it will be directly affecting.
Hopefully, my future will be about pushing my creativity as far as it can go. I want to be able to do more of what i already enjoy, which is the ability to design for a living. Meet clients, understand their wants and needs and produce an outcome that pushes me creatively while satisfying their dilemma.
Introduction to "Cough":
Moving image: Interpretation
For my first project of dp2, we are studying Moving Image. My groups allocated script is titled "cough".
The script can be found Here.
"Our initial ideas after reading the script were:
* A married couple who have had some kind of argument
* An old married couple who no longer need to talk to each because they know what the other one is thinking
* A desperate house wife style female who has to everything in a specific order, a grand breakfast laid out
* For a comedy value film have the actor to slowly cough at first then end up chocking by the end of the film
* A seventies style film, maybe to be filmed in black and white (old fashioned)
* An old fashioned couple
Our initial inspirations/ references were:
* Desperate Housewives
* Stepford wives
* Western Spaghetti (for sound)
* Honda adverts (for sound)" - Courtesy of Rebecca Paxman, who was taking notes for our group.
* Citizen Kane (for composition/filming technique)
Additional Scene: As well as film the script that we have been given we also have to add an additional scene. This can come before the script, after or in between. We had the idea of after the male leaves either:
a) A third character, the couples son, could enter and talk to the couple.
b) The female character then talks after the husband has left.
Our thoughts for the additional scene were to have some way of breaking up the silence and tension built up, the way we thought this was best achieved was through the introduction of speech.
We then had to share our ideas to the seminar group, the feedback we received was:
" * To have subtitles each time someone coughs to show what each cough means/ what they are thinking instead of saying
* To film it all in black and white but when someone coughs it flickers into colour
* Have our additional scene as the couple at marriage counseling/therapy, this could be flash backs made throughout the film so cuts from the kitchen scene to this then back again etc.
* Have an old married couple so the child that comes in as part of the additional scene is a middle aged child." - Courtesy once again by Rebecca.
Production Roles:
* Producer: Rebecca
* Director: Melanie
* Camera Operator: Myself
* Sound: Jess
* Editor: Dora
For my first project of dp2, we are studying Moving Image. My groups allocated script is titled "cough".
The script can be found Here.
"Our initial ideas after reading the script were:
* A married couple who have had some kind of argument
* An old married couple who no longer need to talk to each because they know what the other one is thinking
* A desperate house wife style female who has to everything in a specific order, a grand breakfast laid out
* For a comedy value film have the actor to slowly cough at first then end up chocking by the end of the film
* A seventies style film, maybe to be filmed in black and white (old fashioned)
* An old fashioned couple
Our initial inspirations/ references were:
* Desperate Housewives
* Stepford wives
* Western Spaghetti (for sound)
* Honda adverts (for sound)" - Courtesy of Rebecca Paxman, who was taking notes for our group.
* Citizen Kane (for composition/filming technique)
Additional Scene: As well as film the script that we have been given we also have to add an additional scene. This can come before the script, after or in between. We had the idea of after the male leaves either:
a) A third character, the couples son, could enter and talk to the couple.
b) The female character then talks after the husband has left.
Our thoughts for the additional scene were to have some way of breaking up the silence and tension built up, the way we thought this was best achieved was through the introduction of speech.
We then had to share our ideas to the seminar group, the feedback we received was:
" * To have subtitles each time someone coughs to show what each cough means/ what they are thinking instead of saying
* To film it all in black and white but when someone coughs it flickers into colour
* Have our additional scene as the couple at marriage counseling/therapy, this could be flash backs made throughout the film so cuts from the kitchen scene to this then back again etc.
* Have an old married couple so the child that comes in as part of the additional scene is a middle aged child." - Courtesy once again by Rebecca.
Production Roles:
* Producer: Rebecca
* Director: Melanie
* Camera Operator: Myself
* Sound: Jess
* Editor: Dora
Journal Task;
Sunday, 17 January 2010
"For next week, on your journal write about your practitioner development activity (non-classroom or university work based activity only).
So independent study activity is the focus. Reading, watching, talking, listening, making might all fit as independent practitioner development"
Ways that I futher myself through independent practitioner development:
- Learning relevent processes and techniques in my own time.
I have been teaching myself css and html in my own time and putting this to practice through my own blog and my own website.
I have begun to learn and become familiar with After Effects.
when i am more confident with css i then want to begin to learn php and mysql.
- Reading: I frequently buy design magazines in order to keep myself up to date with the world of design and know what successful designers are doing right now.
I also read a lot of fiction, i think its important to read books and stories as it broadens your horizons. I particularly like books with an undertone of meaning, such as 1984 and Brave New World. It makes you question, argue and disagree with other peoples views. Along with this, it also provides influence and reference. When faced with a brief i feel its important to recognise similar work.
- My dad has his own business, there are also fellow small local business we have links with that i design identity and posters for. This work is particularly important as it is a live brief and so work MUST meet its target market and meet the brief.
- Watching: In my spare time i try to watch a lot of films and television.
At the moment i enjoy film noir and older films, i feel they take more care and attention to composition and script. Recently i have watched Citizen Kane and Dr Strangelove.
I also have been watching House and True Blood. Although i feel television doesnt take as much care for composition and filming styles i think the script is deeper and stronger than many modern films. I like the way there are ongoing plots throughout the entire series with many subplots happening.
Although i dont think that this is direct pracitioner development i do think its a form of indirect development, taking on board influences and styles through observing multiple different sources.
- My own Website, through creating my own site i have learnt more in the past few weeks about css and html than i have from any book. I feel that i learn mostly by doing, throwing myself in the deep end and forcing myself to learn how to swim.
I view this as an on going project, my website will transform a lot over the coming months as i learn new things and practice thing techniques.
So independent study activity is the focus. Reading, watching, talking, listening, making might all fit as independent practitioner development"
Ways that I futher myself through independent practitioner development:
- Learning relevent processes and techniques in my own time.
I have been teaching myself css and html in my own time and putting this to practice through my own blog and my own website.
I have begun to learn and become familiar with After Effects.
when i am more confident with css i then want to begin to learn php and mysql.
- Reading: I frequently buy design magazines in order to keep myself up to date with the world of design and know what successful designers are doing right now.
I also read a lot of fiction, i think its important to read books and stories as it broadens your horizons. I particularly like books with an undertone of meaning, such as 1984 and Brave New World. It makes you question, argue and disagree with other peoples views. Along with this, it also provides influence and reference. When faced with a brief i feel its important to recognise similar work.
- My dad has his own business, there are also fellow small local business we have links with that i design identity and posters for. This work is particularly important as it is a live brief and so work MUST meet its target market and meet the brief.
- Watching: In my spare time i try to watch a lot of films and television.
At the moment i enjoy film noir and older films, i feel they take more care and attention to composition and script. Recently i have watched Citizen Kane and Dr Strangelove.
I also have been watching House and True Blood. Although i feel television doesnt take as much care for composition and filming styles i think the script is deeper and stronger than many modern films. I like the way there are ongoing plots throughout the entire series with many subplots happening.
Although i dont think that this is direct pracitioner development i do think its a form of indirect development, taking on board influences and styles through observing multiple different sources.
- My own Website, through creating my own site i have learnt more in the past few weeks about css and html than i have from any book. I feel that i learn mostly by doing, throwing myself in the deep end and forcing myself to learn how to swim.
I view this as an on going project, my website will transform a lot over the coming months as i learn new things and practice thing techniques.
Addicted to House,
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Been tearing my hair out figuring out css and all the goings on of running my own site, finally started to make a breakthrough and so now im going to concentrate on the structure and design. As always, form must follow function, which is why ive spent so long understanding the way it works before making something aesthetically pleasing.
Hopefully my site will be up and running within the next week or so, and then tweak and fix things on the move.
What else has filled my time over christmas? well the real answer would be House M.D, i got hooked during the first time, i often dont sleep well so id watch it through the night and one season has lead to 5, fortunately ill then have LOST, 24 and Fringe to absorb sleepless nights once ive ran out of House.
I suspect my website will change a lot as im using it as an opportunity to learn about css, php, mysql and push myself in my own time with web design.
but its also a chance to have my portfolio up, as im eager for opportunitys to have some live work aswell.
Im looking forward to next term, i enjoyed the projects, but i dont think some of my outcomes did myself justice. Ultimately however, i used three new media that i had previously never used and became quite confident with them. I am now comfortable with both premiere and flash and have been teachhing myself Dreamweaver in my own time, so i feel the last term was highly productive. Infact, i feel i learnt more over the last term then i perhaps did all of last year when it was a case of simply meeting targets.
Hopefully with the new projects and longer time we have on them this term, i can show what im really capable of.
Hopefully my site will be up and running within the next week or so, and then tweak and fix things on the move.
What else has filled my time over christmas? well the real answer would be House M.D, i got hooked during the first time, i often dont sleep well so id watch it through the night and one season has lead to 5, fortunately ill then have LOST, 24 and Fringe to absorb sleepless nights once ive ran out of House.
I suspect my website will change a lot as im using it as an opportunity to learn about css, php, mysql and push myself in my own time with web design.
but its also a chance to have my portfolio up, as im eager for opportunitys to have some live work aswell.
Im looking forward to next term, i enjoyed the projects, but i dont think some of my outcomes did myself justice. Ultimately however, i used three new media that i had previously never used and became quite confident with them. I am now comfortable with both premiere and flash and have been teachhing myself Dreamweaver in my own time, so i feel the last term was highly productive. Infact, i feel i learnt more over the last term then i perhaps did all of last year when it was a case of simply meeting targets.
Hopefully with the new projects and longer time we have on them this term, i can show what im really capable of.
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