POST PRODUCTION: FINAL EVALUATION 10/04/15

Here is a Prezi Presentation of my evaluation. Please watch it in full screen mode to read it.

POST PRODUCTION: Editing problems and how we overcame them 10/04/15

• Credits and Titles:

Although titles at the beginning and credits at the end of our film would enable it to look more professional and authentic, after much research and self-tuition this proved to be too difficult for our team. Callum worked on this in particular to try and overcome this, as he was very talented at the titles in the program 'After Effects' but came to the conclusion that in order for us to include the credits they must have been imported before any editing took place. By lack of tuition on this, we were unaware that text must be imported and can not be created on Premier Pro itself, so this was not possible to do. If we had included credits, it would be a roll of our names on the left hand side of the wall on the final scene so as if the names are actually projected on the bricks in the scene.

• Wind noise:

During the Final scene, the wind was absolutely atrocious. We had no other clips to use, and no time to film any more. The film ending is obscured by the sound of the wind as it is difficult to hear what the actors are saying over the noise. The true ending was to have the girlfriend asking for forgiveness, and Jake saying yes and hugging her; but this is very unclear. If we had more time to film it again, we would choose a day to film with much less wind, use a clip-on microphone for the actors to wear on their chests, or film inside. There was no way to overcome this unfortunately, as all the sound is one track and over-dubbing would look amateur and would be unsuccessful, so we just increased the whole track volume in order to hear the dialogue- even thought this did increase the sound of the wind too.

• Interest

Our film became very 'slow' feeling towards the end. The movements appeared to be dragging and interest was being lost- therefore the audience were in danger of becoming bored. To overcome this, we cut out all of the slow transition scenes, the unnecessary establishing shots and the boring walking shots to keep the pace fast and sustain interest.

• Time Management

Naturally, as we came close to the deadline everything was rushed. Therefore the final (and sometimes most critical parts) were rushed in order to hand it in on time. A large part of the problem is that the technical support room where the equipment is kept is only open weekdays 9-5, so there was a lot of rushing of films to hand the camera back in time. On repetition of the project, we would manage our time much more efficiently and also we would be quicker to complete process due to experience from this project.

POST PRODUCTION: The editing process. 10/04/15

Colour Correcting 

I did most of the colour Correcting, and I thought it was absolutely paramount that all shots were the same colour. This proved difficult in the scenes that were shot at dark, such as when Jake is walking home. In the end, it was so nearly impossible to receive the correct colour, that we in fact ended up cutting the two most problematic shots within scene 2 under Helen's instructions. Furthermore, once rendering the colours often looked different than when they were edited in Premier, so that enhanced our decision to cut these two shots.



Duration:

As our film is only three minutes, this proved to be a LOT shorter than we first anticipated. Therefore, we scripted a lot more dialogue than we needed.
Therefore, this created a lot of problems because conversations had to be cut and still flow. When cutting the scenes, such as the 'Bromance' Scene (Scene 4), I had to mix up what we originally thought would be a continuous conversation, and sometimes even revert back to answers from previous questions that the actors asked each other. This was very challenging, especially in the scenes with a lot of dialogue so as a result of this the storyline changed a bit. The story changed from a Rugby player always becoming second best and working incredibly hard to achieve his goals, to a rugby player receiving a lot of unnecessary cruel pressure from his girlfriend- ending with forgiveness. I thought this slight alteration of the storyline to overcome the problem of struggling to stick to the film times boundaries was in fact very sensible and a mature decision by the team to make.

 Sound:

Editing the sound was important, as we needed to make a decision to include music or not. The first problem that came up was the issue of Copywrite, and receiving permission for music for our film. As this was not an option given the time scale, we searched on Youtube for Free music. This proved to be quite successful because there was a large variety of free music following all genres and moods- such as romantic music, calming music, tension building and exciting music. This large variety provided lots of possibilities for us. However, upon choosing our appropriate music, as the scenes were so short given time time restrictions, the music was eratic and confusing to listen to, and in fact having a negative result on our film rather than enhancing it. Notwithstanding this information, we decided against music and just using the dialogue as our soundtrack. 
Secondly, the wind in the last scene was an extremely big issue. The high noise caused by the wind in face completely drowns out the dialogue in scene 5- resulting in almost complete confusion about how the story ends. This was very disappointing and due to the dealing being so close, there was no time to re film it. This is very unfortunate as if we had managed our time better we could have re filmed this scene, but it is not possible so if we did the project again we would remember this problem and overcome it by not filming outside on the windy days. Or, this could be overcome with clip-on microphones which localises the sound from the actor's mouths, rather than using the microphone on the camera.

POST PRODUCTION: a short video of our editing processes 10/04/15

Here is a video of a collection of clips of our editing process. I have linked the mp4 files with an app called 'Video Editor- Wondershare.com' and unfortunately is expensive to buy, so therefore I used a trial version; hence the 'Video Editor' Watermark over the clip. However, it shows a small collaboration of clips of our editing, including themes of discussions and debates that we had when editing. The only problem was that I took all the videos and pictures so I am not in them which is a shame, but the gist is clear.

PRODUCTION: consent forms 02/04/15

Consent forms:

Here are scans of the consent forms that were compulsory to complete the filming process. Included in the form is the participant's address,  an email address and signature.

PRODUCTION: The Final scene- Setbacks and Overcoming then 28/03/15

Today, as a group we liaised with the rugby team to discuss when the next training session or match would be. Unfortunately, as we are coming to the end of the season now and Varsity is over, there are limited times to film the final scene of our film- the rugby match.

Therefore, as there was a rugby match this saturday (The Dutch team were on tour), we thought that this was the best time in case there was not another opportunity to film a match or training session.
When we got there, the match was extremely rowdy as both teams had been drinking. This became almost an impossible task to set up as players were demanding to be interviewed and generally causing unwanted chaos. 
Furthermore, once the tripod was set up we discovered that the release plate was the wrong size for the tripod. This was hugely frustrating because being a saturday the Jennisson building was not open. However, as a team we decided to make the best of a bad situation and continue to film regardless of the technical difficulties. We took a selection of hand-held shots- including panning, zooming and a selection of still shots to try and build up a large enough portfolio of footage that we could possibly use when editing. 
This was a huge setback, and will the best of luck we may possibly have some shots that we can use, so tomorrow we will film the dialogue and try to incorporate the rugby game footage with the dialogue that will be shot the next day.

When we filmed this scene again, we had learn from our mistakes and the adrenaline and focus in the team was high. We were motivated and quick, and ensured in advance that we had all the necessary equipment in place so we would not be held back. The filming went well, but unfortunately the wind was extremely powerful and fast. This often drowned out what the actors were saying, but hopefully we had enough shots to make the final cut acceptable. With the fast approaching deadline, there will be no more time to film it again, so we will have to make the best of what we have. 

PRODUCTION: Humorous moment 25/03/15

Here is a video of the comedy element of our film. As a team, we feel that within the dramatic genre, there must be at least one moment of humour for the audience- being teenagers and young adults. The most appropriate time for this section was during scene 4- the "Bromance" scene. The true friendship that these two young men must be portrayed within our film, so therefore we decided to do a "secret handshake". This is lighthearted and funny, which will lighten the mood from the previous scene- the "argument" scene. This is just one camera angle of the handshake, and to sustain interest it must be re-captured from more than one angle- cutting between them so that they are fluent and do not jump.

PRODUCTION: Prezi Presentation: Our first three filming sessions 17/03/05

Here is a Prezi Presentation describing our first three filming sessions. The dates were: 

• 17/03/15- Scene 1
• 19/03/15- Scene 2
• 23/03/15- Scene 4

PRE PRODUCTION - Shot types 12/03/15

Shot Types

Scene 1

Rugby pitch –establishing shot- duration 2-3 seconds

Running on the spot- Medium close up (no higher than the knees) 2-5seconds

Catching ball- Medium shot- duration 2-3 seconds

 Flipping tyre- Long shot- 4-6 seconds

Struggling expression, drops tyre- close up- duration 1-3 seconds

Breathing, pan down- Medium shot, duration 2-4 seconds

Jake being spoken to by the coach- over the shoulder shot- duration 5-8 seconds

Running on to the pitch- long shot, ½ pan- duration 2-4 seconds

Scene 2

Writes text (call me when you get a sec) -Match on action shot-duration 4-6 seconds

Walking home, excited- long shot pan- duration 4-6 seconds

Girlfriend calling, swipes to accept- extreme close up- duration 2-3 seconds

Conversation on phone- medium close up- duration 4-6 seconds

Puts phone into pocket and takes keys out- close up- duration 2-3 seconds

Opens door and walks in- long shot- duration 3-4 seconds

Scene 3

Pull focus of candle- close up – duration 2-3 seconds

Jake puts his keys and rugby ball down- close up – 2-4 seconds

Dinner room- establishing shot 180 degree rule- 4-5 seconds

Naomi turns around looks over her shoulder- medium shot- duration 2-3 seconds

Jake goes to hug Naomi she stops him- long shot- 3-4 seconds

Both sat at table arguing- establishing shot- 5-8 seconds

Argument continues- Over the shoulder shot of Jake- duration 3-4 seconds

Argument continues- over the shoulder shot of Naomi- duration 3-4 seconds

Argument continues- establishing shot 180 degree rule- duration 5-8 seconds

Jake slams his fist down on the table- close up- duration 1-2 seconds

Sees Naomi in the background- over the shoulder shot of Jake- duration 3-4 seconds

Jake exits scene- long shot- duration 3-4 seconds

Scene 4

Walking down the road- long shot- duration 5-7 seconds

Ball thrown into the air- High angle panning shot- 1-2 seconds

Ball comes down- High angle panning shot- duration 1-2 seconds

Friend catches a ball- Medium shot- duration 2-3 seconds

Girl handshake- long shot- duration 8-10 seconds

Sitting on the tyre- long shot- duration 3-5 seconds

Jakes friend talking to Jake- over the shoulder shot- duration 3-5 seconds

Jake holding his head in distress- close up- duration 1-3 seconds

Boys on the tyres- establishing long shot- duration 5-6 seconds

Scene 5

Lifting weights- medium shot- duration 3 seconds

Skipping and training- up and down shot moving with Jake- duration 3 seconds

Running onto pitch – travelling shot- duration 3 seconds

Scene 6

People playing as Jake runs onto pitch- Establishing shot- 4-5 seconds

Josh looking at Naomi walking- medium to long shot- 2-3 seconds (medium) 45seconds (long)

Joshing running to embrace- medium shot- duration 4 seconds

PRE PRODUCTION: The Script 12/03/15

Relentless script from Charli Honnor

PRE PRODUCTION: Call Sheets 12/03/15

As a team, we had a group meeting to discuss the Call sheets. On these sheets is the information about when we are meeting, where, the time, how we are travelling, the nearest fire extinguisher and the actors involved etc. This is the essential information that is needed to ensure that the filming runs smoothly- for both the actors and the crew. I put this montage of scans of the call sheets together on photoshop to enable easy comparison (Zoom will need to be used to read the call sheets properly.)

PRE PRODUCTION: Practice Filming Session- 08/03/15

During one of our thursday sessions, we were instructed to create a 'Practice run' of filming and then editing this on the Adobe Software that we will be using- Premier Pro. We chose to film a comedy scene which incorporated the handshake that has been scripted to appear in our film. 
This task was a realisation that in fact we will have a lot of work on our hands, as this outcome was nowhere near the standard that our film should be.
Once viewing our clips, we came to the conclusion that in order to improve our film, we must take a lot more shots from different angles. For example, the handshake should me made up of a proximately 7 or 8 shots- not just the one. This is to sustain interest from the audience. Also, the moving shots were more effective as again, the static shots lack interest.

PRE PRODUCTION: Prop list 08/03/15

As we will be using a number of props, it is essential that when we arrive at the scenes to film that we have the correct props. This is to increase ease and speed of filming and to avoid any time wasting in which things could go wrong such as the weather changing or it becoming dark.
The list of props are:

• Rugby Ball
• Mobile phone
• Tyres to sit on
• Plates
• Candles
• Cutlery
• Food 
• Costumes
• Tables and Chairs

PRE PRODUCTION: Character profiling and casting 04/03/15

Here is our third casting video. We included the essential information, such as Name, Age, the Character that they are auditioning for and the side profiles. 
Here is Kirsty, going for the part of Naomi.

Kirtsy is suitable for the part because she is tall for a girl, kind face and long hair, and also she know's our potential actor who will be playing Jake. Jake is a rugby player and seems suitable for the part, and as he and Kirsty are close, the on-screen chemistry will be good, and there will be no awkward moments between them when they play a couple in our film

PRE PRODUCTION: Character profiling and casting 04/03/15

Here is our second casting video. We included the essential information, such as Name, Age, the Character that they are auditioning for and the side profiles. 

Here is Callum, going for the part of Max.

Callum; having a cheeky face would be suitable for the friend 'Max'. He is friendly and kind which is perfect for the role of Jake's supportive friend in our film.

PRE PRODUCTION: Character profiling and casting 04/03/15

Here is our first casting video. We included the essential information, such as Name, Age, the Character that they are auditioning for and the side profiles. 

Here is Charli, going for the part of Naomi.

Charli was the first girl to audition for the part of Jake's girlfriend, and although her audition was precise she is only 5ft2, and having a very tall lead male role we feel the dynamics wouldn't be right.

PRE PRODUCTION: Script writing advice and Character profiles 04/03/15

As advised in a previous lecture, I read Katherine Mitchell's blog and website for inspiration on Script writing and Character Profiles. Katherine Mitchell is experienced in both blogging and filming, and offers advice on both these matters including the struggles involved and how to overcome these difficulties. The link of the blog is shown below:

http://www.katherinemitchell.net/script-reading/

PRE PRODUCTION: Completed Risk Assessment form 04/03/15

Here is the completed Risk Assessment form. We took into consideration what we thought were the top 6 most relevant risks for our particular film due to our locations.
However, we state at the end that further hazards could be encountered too such as weather dependant hazards (slipping on wet surfaces from rain), noise and management including co-operation and communication. One person will be assigned the job of looking out for potential hazards whilst the rest of the team are filming.

PRE PRODUCTION: Photography Permission Application form 04/03/15

Photography Permission Application form for the Sports centre on campus

In Order to take photographs in the Sports Centre on campus, it was compulsory that we fill out this application form.

This form gives us permission to access the inside of the Sports centre in the gym, and photograph of film our main character working out in the gymnasium.

This will be essential for scene 5 when Josh is preparing for the game in the gym that morning- including shots of weights and skipping etc. 

PRE PRODUCTION: Location Recce 04/03/15

 

Here we will be filming in the Sports Centre. This will be in scene 5 when Josh is working out for the 'Big Game'.



This is the house that we will be using for the scene when Naomi and Josh are eating dinner together. This house will feature in scene 2 (When Josh comes home) and scene 3 (When he is at home with Naomi)

Here is the image of the table that Naomi and Josh will be sat at during scene 3 when the pivotal point of scene 3 when they are having the argument which becomes the climax and turning point of the film.
Secondly, this is Parkwood path in which Jake will be walking down during scene 2 as he is walking home.

PRE PRODUCTION: Still to do before filming 04/03/15

Here is a list of practical arrangements that must be completed before filming:

• Recce Locations
• Script
• Casting videos
• Filming and safety consent forms
• Call sheets- including timings
• Shot list
• Risk Assessment form
• Research in camera movements for filming

PRE PRODUCTION: Risk Assessment 04/03/15

Here is the Risk Assessment form that must be completed in conjunction with the day of filming. It must be filled out carefully and accurately; taking into account every possible risk- no matter how small.

PRE PRODUCTION: Premier Pro Laboratory 04/05/15

Today we had a Lab session about how to use the Adobe software called 'Premiere Pro'. This is the program that we will be using to edit our own film.

The session was a 4 hour lab; in which we learnt how to edit a sample set of video clips. 


This was a very interesting experience,and I have learnt skills of how to change the colour temperature of the shots, how to cut shots accordingly and how to alter the audio. 

At the end of the session I was graded with 70%.

PRE PRODUCTION: Final storyboard 04/03/15

PRE PRODUCTION: timings and shot lengths 03/03/15

We made estimates of the shot lengths and compared these to the min and max times for the requirements inn the brief:

Min time for Brief: 120 seconds
Max time for Brief: 180 seconds

OUR shortest approximate time: 127 seconds
OUR longest approximate time: 187 seconds

Therefore, we have to ensure that we do not take our longest time for our shot otherwise we will over run, but I feel that as long as we stick within the boundaries we will have a perfect timing film for the requirements.

PRE PRODUCTION- Storyboarding and shot timings meeting 03/03/15

Through the aid of social media, Charli and I spent approximately 6 hours finalising the template for the storyboard. 
To conclude this stage, today we also calculated approximate shot times- with a minimum and maximum. Scans of the final storyboard are still yet to be uploaded, so will follow.

PRE PRODUCTION- storyboarding 02/03/15

People participating:

Amelia Pay
Charli Honnor
Kirsty Cleland-Orgle
Callum Williams

First storyboarding meeting commenced today. We made rough drafts of each shot type on a piece of paper and started to scribble down dialogue ideas. Here is a photo of our rough storyboard which is to be finalised later on the template. 

PRE PRODUCTION: example of video for prep for lab 27/02/15

Here is an example of one of the tutorials that Charli and I watched to get to grips with Premier Pro which is the program that we will be using the the Lab today.

PRE PRODUCTION- Preparation for Friday's Laboratory 26/02/15

As the laboratory is tomorrow and will consist of 10% of our final mark, I thought it was important to get to grips with the program. The program is called Premier Pro by Adobe and today Charli and I spent an hour watching Youtube clips as we have never used the program before.