Over the past seven weeks, as a group, we have been working on planning, writing, shooting and editing the opening sequence to a thriller. We initially had issues forming an idea to base the film around as it was challenging to stay clear of clichés and predictable narratives. After this period though, Naomi and myself had two different ideas which were combinable. My suggestion was the use of a mysteriously empty house to create an eerie atmosphere, and Naomi’s was the ideas relating to the alley/doorway scene. Through combining these ideas, we were able to produce a solid film opening. The storyline is one aspect of the film I think is a strong point as it is not overly revealing and leaves many unanswered questions. This is similar to a conventional thriller opener, but not to an extent it becomes a cliché.
As a group, we shared roles in the storyboarding process as we all had a vey clear understanding of what our film was to include. The advantage of storyboarding therefore meant that, as a collaborative group, our idea could be shown visually and a firm plan for what the sequence would include was made. From here we were able to begin planning our shoot schedule and equipment list. There were some issues regarding the use of location and actors for filming. Ideally, we would have had actors to film on the first shoot but had to do a second one specially for scenes including actors due to their unavailability, as mentioned in my shoot evaluation. Even due to these drawbacks, I was very pleased with all the footage we shot. We used a Sony Z1 and left many of the settings on automatic (which include as aspects such as shutter speed and exposure) since it was our first shoot. There are more details regarding this part of the project in my ‘Evaluation of Both Shoots’.
After shooting, we encountered many problems in the ‘log and capture’ process. Our footage failed to appear on screen and therefore problems then occurred when trying to mark in and out points to load. This was since it was impossible to mark any areas of the footage since none was available. Sadly, a lot of time was wasted trying to rectify this issue. To overcome the problem we tried connecting the camera directly to the computer via a Firewire cable instead of using the original tape machine method. This proved an effective way of fixing the issue. From here we were able to sort through and load all useful footage.
From this point we were able to begin the editing process. As a group, we rotated between who was editing. Due to having previous experience on the software (Final Cut Pro), I was capable of editing immediately and offering guidance and help if other members of the group encountered issues. On our first rough cut we stayed completely true to our storyboard. Yet, after considering other options we moved some footage around to create a higher quality, climatic, and thriller genre based film. An example of this was having footage of the girl at the foot of the doorway to initiate the film instead of including it in the ending sequence to the opener. I thought this worked much more effectively, and this order was kept. In terms of our footage, we were criticized for repeating many shots. Although this may have given an impression we were low on footage, it was completely planned and intentional as seen in our storyboard. As we tidied up our edit, we included various cross dissolves, but also left many jump cuts. The significance of intentionally leaving in these jump cuts was to make the audience aware of the editing in an attempt to give a more edgy, fast and uneasy feeling. These transitions generally worked effectively in relation to the different parts of the scene. With more time, it would have been beneficial to experiment with more of these.
Another issue we aimed to fix in editing was the unfortunate brightness of the outside house footage caused by uncontrollable weather conditions that day. We did try and edit these shots to make it darker by altering brightness, contrast, saturation and colour correcting. We found that it was difficult to make the shots darker and threatening without the image becoming grainy or washed out. Through this, we decided that we would use the brightness in those shots as a way to create a defining contrast between them and the fight scenes which we effectively colour corrected to remove the yellow and altered the brightness on. This made it darker as well as using a Gaussian blur to make the shots less clear and set more of an enigma.
As we came to finishing our editing, we then used a piece of software called ‘Soundtrack Pro’. From here, we were able to import our edit and create a perfectly fitting soundtrack. We did this using the various available soundtracks to fit the tone of the various parts of the sequence. We also made use of different sound effects such as crashes, breathing, phones, alarms etc. As well as using these pre-made sound, we did include some diegetic sounds from filming. I thought the soundtrack was a very successful part of the film and linked all the parts of it together well. One criticism of this which I agree with is the length of the breathing effect near the beginning. This may have caused an audience to lose interest. To work on this issue if I had the chance, I would have added some
As we finished our film, we were ready to export our film. There are various different formats of exporting, such as self contained, QuickTime conversion, compressor etc. We exported using QuickTime conversion on this occasion. Before we could do this we had to do two things. One was adding the ‘deinterlace’ effect. This ensures that no lines appear on the film during playback. The other was to check audio peaks. We found several areas of the audio which contained peaks. These have to be altered to prevent distortion when played on a large sound system. In response to this, we lowered many of the audio levels to get rid of all peaks. We were then able to export our final film.
As a thriller, I think our film fit the style very well. Suspense is immediately created within the initial scenes which creates an enigma and leaves many questions unanswered. The part of the film which creates a tense build up to then suddenly cutting is also very conventional of a thriller. To improve on what we have, I would have included a greater variety of shots during the fast buildup part of the film and additionally cut down on the breathing, replacing it with something more varied and interesting. In terms of using the technology and equipment to its full potential, I think we made good use of all available resources but could have explored Soundtrack Pro further to actually compose our music down to the individual sounds and instruments. Also, with more time, it would have been beneficial to have created some more adventurous titles using software such as Photoshop.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Monday, 22 November 2010
Exporting from Final Cut and Extra Notes
There are several possible ways to export from Final Cut:
The Self Contained method is to export the film in a format which means it can only be played on other macs with any of the final cut system installed. This method is good to use to export a film to check that everything looks as it should before the final export using a different method.
Quicktime Conversion is a method which exports the file in format which means the file can play on any computer with quicktime.
Using Compressor means that any format can be made. This method is recommend for when exporting onto disks such as DVD or Blu Ray is required as this program can turn the film into a file perfectly suited for this format.
After the film has been edited, audio peaks must be checked. This is done by going through mark -> audio peaks -> mark. This will then place markers at all points along the time line which require the audio volume to be decreased, otherwise causing distortion.
Once a film has been edited completely and no more editing is required, before exporting, a deinterlace filter must be applied. This will prevent any lines appearing on the film during playback.
The Self Contained method is to export the film in a format which means it can only be played on other macs with any of the final cut system installed. This method is good to use to export a film to check that everything looks as it should before the final export using a different method.
Quicktime Conversion is a method which exports the file in format which means the file can play on any computer with quicktime.
Using Compressor means that any format can be made. This method is recommend for when exporting onto disks such as DVD or Blu Ray is required as this program can turn the film into a file perfectly suited for this format.
After the film has been edited, audio peaks must be checked. This is done by going through mark -> audio peaks -> mark. This will then place markers at all points along the time line which require the audio volume to be decreased, otherwise causing distortion.
Once a film has been edited completely and no more editing is required, before exporting, a deinterlace filter must be applied. This will prevent any lines appearing on the film during playback.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Evaluation of Both Shoots:
Shoot one:
This was the first shoot where we focused on filming as many location shots as possible which are a very important part to the thriller opening. We all shared roles between filming, setting up the shots and props including continuity and ensuring the camera was on the corect settings. This was shared out so we all did an equal amount of each aspect to share the work evenly.
At points, there were some things which went wrong. The first of these was when we filmed about 5 outside long shots of the house to realize afterward that the gain had been on a high value which would have lead to a grainy effect once in editing. This setting was left from people using the camera prior to us and was down to us to check and put it at a more suitable value, which we failed to initially do. After realizing this, we altered the setting and re-shot.
There were no other major issues or anything that 'went wrong' but we did have issues trying to create a tracking effect. This was encounterd when trying to create the effect of tracking into the front door and also when trying to track into the bedroom scene. We experimented with putting the camera ontop of various wheelable items such as a bike, wheeley chair, bin etc. After watching these back we decided that the effect created was not of a high enough standard since the shots were considerably bumpy and did not reflect the desired smooth effect of a track. To overcome this issue, we used a zoom instead.
In many ways we did use the technology to it's full potential using all the possible features and settings to our knowledge to make our shots as good as possible. I may have made more use of certain setting such as the ND filter. We could have experimented more with this during the outdoor shots to see if it would bring in more detail since these shots were noticeably bright, but not to an extent which made them over-exposed. Except from this though, the technology was otherwise used to a good potential.
There are not many more pieces of equipment which we required for our shoot but, for example, a piece of equipment to improve the quality of our tracking shots would have been useful. Equipment such as a camera dolly and piece of camera track would have allowed these shots to be done at a high enough quality to be included within the final edit and prevented the shaking effects previously mentioned.
If we were to do the shoot again there are several things I would have tried to have done differently. One of these would be to have shot on a day where the weather was more overcast which would have set a more appropriate atmosphere than the clear, blue sky day it was. We only had that day to shoot so our first priority was to ensure we filmed all we needed, and due to that could not take into account aspects such as weather conditions. We also made one error with continuity which was only discovered in editing. It isn't particularly major but if we had the opportunity, I would ensure this would not happen again. A final difference I would have made to to have shot the fight scenes in the house itself. Due actors being unavaliable, they were unable to make this shoot where we would have filmed the fighting scenes in the dining room location. Instead of this, we postponed these part of the scene until the next shoot where we would use a different location but make every effort to try and ensure the shots would still work when the piece came together. Apart from all that was mentioned, I am happy with how every other part of the shoot went.
Shoot Two:
This second shoot was primarily for the fight scenes and shots of the woman waking up disoriented. Once again, as in the other shoot, Naomi and I swapped between roles of filming, directing the actress, setting up shots and setting up the camera between shots. This was to, as before, ensure we shared roles equally and got a go at each aspect of the shoot. There werent many issues during this shoot as we learn't from the previous issues we had so everything went smoothly and to plan.
I think we used the technology available to a good potential as we paid attention to each specific setting to ensure our shots were as good as possible. We could have potentially experimented with aspects such as shutter speed in the shots such as the fight scene to give a dis-orienting effect by setting it lower, but we can also achieve this effect in post production.
Most of the shots filmed in this shoot only required the equipment we were given so nothing extra was really required. Some of the shots may have benefited if we used lighting equipment for effect, for example, to use low key style lighting on the fight scenes to emphasis the dangerous and threatening atmosphere of those shots.
If we were to do the shoot again, some aspects I would change. One of these would to have taken more pans of the actress's body. Only when it came to log and capture did we notice some errors with the actress moving and some sharp movements of the camera which did not suit the shot. Therefore, I would have done a couple more takes of that shot. Additionally, taking some more interesting, varying shots of the fight scene may have been a worthwhile thing to have done. I would have done this just to make these shots more interesting and intriguing for the viewer.
This was the first shoot where we focused on filming as many location shots as possible which are a very important part to the thriller opening. We all shared roles between filming, setting up the shots and props including continuity and ensuring the camera was on the corect settings. This was shared out so we all did an equal amount of each aspect to share the work evenly.
At points, there were some things which went wrong. The first of these was when we filmed about 5 outside long shots of the house to realize afterward that the gain had been on a high value which would have lead to a grainy effect once in editing. This setting was left from people using the camera prior to us and was down to us to check and put it at a more suitable value, which we failed to initially do. After realizing this, we altered the setting and re-shot.
There were no other major issues or anything that 'went wrong' but we did have issues trying to create a tracking effect. This was encounterd when trying to create the effect of tracking into the front door and also when trying to track into the bedroom scene. We experimented with putting the camera ontop of various wheelable items such as a bike, wheeley chair, bin etc. After watching these back we decided that the effect created was not of a high enough standard since the shots were considerably bumpy and did not reflect the desired smooth effect of a track. To overcome this issue, we used a zoom instead.
In many ways we did use the technology to it's full potential using all the possible features and settings to our knowledge to make our shots as good as possible. I may have made more use of certain setting such as the ND filter. We could have experimented more with this during the outdoor shots to see if it would bring in more detail since these shots were noticeably bright, but not to an extent which made them over-exposed. Except from this though, the technology was otherwise used to a good potential.
There are not many more pieces of equipment which we required for our shoot but, for example, a piece of equipment to improve the quality of our tracking shots would have been useful. Equipment such as a camera dolly and piece of camera track would have allowed these shots to be done at a high enough quality to be included within the final edit and prevented the shaking effects previously mentioned.
If we were to do the shoot again there are several things I would have tried to have done differently. One of these would be to have shot on a day where the weather was more overcast which would have set a more appropriate atmosphere than the clear, blue sky day it was. We only had that day to shoot so our first priority was to ensure we filmed all we needed, and due to that could not take into account aspects such as weather conditions. We also made one error with continuity which was only discovered in editing. It isn't particularly major but if we had the opportunity, I would ensure this would not happen again. A final difference I would have made to to have shot the fight scenes in the house itself. Due actors being unavaliable, they were unable to make this shoot where we would have filmed the fighting scenes in the dining room location. Instead of this, we postponed these part of the scene until the next shoot where we would use a different location but make every effort to try and ensure the shots would still work when the piece came together. Apart from all that was mentioned, I am happy with how every other part of the shoot went.
Shoot Two:
This second shoot was primarily for the fight scenes and shots of the woman waking up disoriented. Once again, as in the other shoot, Naomi and I swapped between roles of filming, directing the actress, setting up shots and setting up the camera between shots. This was to, as before, ensure we shared roles equally and got a go at each aspect of the shoot. There werent many issues during this shoot as we learn't from the previous issues we had so everything went smoothly and to plan.
I think we used the technology available to a good potential as we paid attention to each specific setting to ensure our shots were as good as possible. We could have potentially experimented with aspects such as shutter speed in the shots such as the fight scene to give a dis-orienting effect by setting it lower, but we can also achieve this effect in post production.
Most of the shots filmed in this shoot only required the equipment we were given so nothing extra was really required. Some of the shots may have benefited if we used lighting equipment for effect, for example, to use low key style lighting on the fight scenes to emphasis the dangerous and threatening atmosphere of those shots.
If we were to do the shoot again, some aspects I would change. One of these would to have taken more pans of the actress's body. Only when it came to log and capture did we notice some errors with the actress moving and some sharp movements of the camera which did not suit the shot. Therefore, I would have done a couple more takes of that shot. Additionally, taking some more interesting, varying shots of the fight scene may have been a worthwhile thing to have done. I would have done this just to make these shots more interesting and intriguing for the viewer.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
UK Broadcast Systems (redrafted)
In the United Kingdom, there are several different ways to broadcast television. These various methods are terrestrial, satellite, cable and also via the Internet. Each method has its own drawbacks and advantages.
Terrestrial broadcasting is the most traditional and widely used method in the UK. A terrestrial signal is transmitted via large transmitters located on the ground. Radio waves are sent from these transmitters to the surrounding areas. The signal transmitted is often reliable but may encounter issues with signal strength when the relief of the land is particularly hilly, causing problems for signals to travel effectively. Issues may also be encountered during particular weather conditions interfering with the radio signal when analogue is used. Also, a limitation with analogue is that the signal uses a large bandwidth so less channels and no additional services can be transmitted. Yet, terrestrial broadcasting is free for the viewer, compared to methods such as satellite television. Examples of services that use terrestrial broadcasting are Freeview, BBC, Virgin etc.
Satellite television is another method of broadcasting used within the UK, provided by companies such as Sky, Virgin Media and BT Vision. This type of television can offer a much wider selection of channels for the viewer, as well as a more reliable service. For example, an HD service can be provided via satellite due to it being digital. Examples of these HD services include BBC HD, Sky HD, Freesat and nearly all other major broadcasting companies. A satellite service works by transmitting a signal from the ground and up into space to a satellite where the signal is then transmitted back to earth. Due to the satellite being in space, the range for the signal is very large and significantly better than that from a terrestrial transmitter. Also a larger number of channels can be transmitted on one bandwidth through the use of a multiplex using digital signals, either via satellite or terrestrial methods. This is since digital signals have the ability to be compressed. Yet, this service comes at a cost that some people may not be able to afford, especially the HD and future 3D packages.
A multiplex can be used on a digital signal and allows several channels to be transmitted on one bandwidth and this can have several benefits. The most major examples of this are the Freeview services. Having more channels provides more airtime for advertising but because there are more channels, the concentration of viewer is lower on individual channels and means a company cannot charge as much to show these adverts. But a larger variety of channels can increase the attraction for an audience to use the company for their television service, also increasing the income for the company. On the other hand, a larger number of channels means a larger amount of television needs to be made; this is a very expensive process, especially for ‘niche’ channels which may not get a high amount of views anyway. Another advantage in digital is the reduced susceptibility to interference because the signal is transmitted in pulses of 0 or 1, and not in waves. Due to the spare bandwidth, other interactive and TV listing services can be provided through this form of broadcasting.
Television can also be broadcast through a cable system. Cables are laid in many housing areas for the properties. Some examples of cable companies are Virgin Media, TalkTalk, Plusnet and AOL. The TV signals are transmitted through optical fibres or the coaxial cable. Often there is only one opportunity for a cable to be laid into a road. This means that only one TV service provider can offer its service. This is an advantage for the company since a customer will have to choose a particular cable company whereas a potential customer for a satellite television company can select what they want. This is because the signals for this type of broadcasting are available in most areas. Signal interruptions are also less likely since there are no issues regarding a signal not reaching properties because it is directly routed to a household. This then also rules out problems such as weather conditions and interference caused by this. Cable allows high quality pictures, but this may be compromised if there are cable issues or the cable length stretches very far from the central hub of where the service is provided. Other services available from this type of service are phone and broadcast facilities as these are also transmitted via cable. On the other hand, cable television is not available everywhere e.g. rural countryside areas with low populations. If cable companies lay wires in all locations then a large amount of money would be wasted since many households may not desire the service. Also the low populations of the areas make it not worth installing even if everyone did want it. For many, the cost of cable can also be a large drawback. Further disadvantages are the maintenance issues involved. Installing or maintaining cable involves digging up a road, which is likely to lead to disruptions. This makes terrestrial and satellite services appear more convenient.
A final transmission method is Internet television. This is the most recent and developing method of broadcast. This type of television is popular due to the availability and cheaper costs of broadband compared to 10 years ago. Broadband allows the audience to stream programs at an excellent rate (in most areas of the country), whereas dial-up Internet could not have provided the same quality service. Examples of this include BBC iPlayer, 4oD etc. These types of services stream the programs onto a website where the viewer can then watch their chosen program on demand. Issues with this type of service may include over popularity and result in an overtake in Internet TV from regular TV broadcast. Many people are likely to abandon TV and simply watch online, largely the younger generation who use the internet more than the older generation. This may then lead to restructuring in the way TV companies get their funding. People are likely to choose Internet television over regular methods since the audience can pick and choose their program and at any time they decide. This may be preferred to regular TV, where most services provide a schedule that is followed.
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Thriller Shooting Schedule
1st shoot
People involved - Jonny, Naomi, Vivian
Where - Jonny's house, Tunbridge Wells. Modern looking house location used as a setting for the kidnapped womans home. All shots contain no other people as the house is empty, therefore no actors were needed for this shoot.
When - Monday 11th October
Shooting order:
Outside shots
Dining room shots
Living room shots
Bedroom shots
2nd shoot
People involved - Jonny and Naomi. 2 actors.
Where - Street/Alley location (abandoned area at the back of school used for the alley location, and a plain black wall was used as the backdrop to the fight scenes. Fight scenes would have been done in the house location in the first shoot, but actors were unable to make this)
When - Friday 5th November
Shooting order
Close up fight shots
Body shots
Eye shots
People involved - Jonny, Naomi, Vivian
Where - Jonny's house, Tunbridge Wells. Modern looking house location used as a setting for the kidnapped womans home. All shots contain no other people as the house is empty, therefore no actors were needed for this shoot.
When - Monday 11th October
Shooting order:
Outside shots
Dining room shots
Living room shots
Bedroom shots
2nd shoot
People involved - Jonny and Naomi. 2 actors.
Where - Street/Alley location (abandoned area at the back of school used for the alley location, and a plain black wall was used as the backdrop to the fight scenes. Fight scenes would have been done in the house location in the first shoot, but actors were unable to make this)
When - Friday 5th November
Shooting order
Close up fight shots
Body shots
Eye shots
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