A village hall has been booked for 3 hours for the finale of the film. The rest of the day will be used to film the other scenes of the film in a house. I want to try and get all of the filming done in this one day. All of the village hall scenes will be completed. But if house scenes do not all get completed in one day then I will be able to go back to the house for filming in the following days.
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Shooting schedule
Filming will be done on the 27/04/14.
A village hall has been booked for 3 hours for the finale of the film. The rest of the day will be used to film the other scenes of the film in a house. I want to try and get all of the filming done in this one day. All of the village hall scenes will be completed. But if house scenes do not all get completed in one day then I will be able to go back to the house for filming in the following days.
A village hall has been booked for 3 hours for the finale of the film. The rest of the day will be used to film the other scenes of the film in a house. I want to try and get all of the filming done in this one day. All of the village hall scenes will be completed. But if house scenes do not all get completed in one day then I will be able to go back to the house for filming in the following days.
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Critical theories presentation
This is the full presentation - before it was written onto note cards and the text was cut down and more images added.
Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Case Study - Formats
Compression -
Lossy compression can lead to lost data and lost quality. It is typically used for JPEGs and MP3 files. These files can sometimes be recognised by jagged edges and pixelated areas. With audio files the lossy compression can cause a watery sound and a low audio range.
Lossless compression is used to reduce the file size without lowering the quality. It can be used on both audio and image files. These are large files, but are the original quality and at a small file size.
Video files -
MPG -
This is also known as MPEG, which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group. These files are commonly movies that are used for the internet. They are compressed video files so that they can be used over the internet quickly and can be downloaded at a good speed. But the picture quality is not decreased too much.
MP4 -
An MP4 file is often used by websites to store digital audio and video streams. This file type is seen as an evolution of the MP3 file because it provides more flexibility and functionality. MP4 is often favoured over MP3. This file type is commonly used on mobile devices, computers and remote hard drives. Many portable devices use MP4 to play movies on the go.
MOV -
This is a quicktime movie file commonly used for making films; short films and the likely file to be edited using Final Cut Pro. (Another Apple product) It is commonly used to save movie files and clips to a hard drive or media device. They are compressed files that make is easy to download and stream the video from the internet to a portable media device or to a computer. The file type was created by Apple but is now compatible with Windows and Mac.
AVI -
This stands for Audio Video Interleave. It is a container file format that was created by Microsoft in 1992. They are a shell file that can contain multiple files within the container file. These file types often contain audio and video data. These files can use less compression that other video files. These file types have a 2GB size limit. But even though the format is over 20 years old, it's still commonly used.
WMV -
This stands for Windows Media Video. This is a compressed video format created by Microsoft for internet streaming applications. This file type can allow large files to be converted into smaller files. But the picture quality is protected. This keeps the file manageable but still of a good quality. These type of files can be read by most media players and can be converted into other formats, but there is a risk of losing picture quality.
FLV -
This stands for Flash Live Video. This is used to send videos over the internet to another computer. File formats allows high file compression but keeps high video quality. This format was created for Adobe but can be used by non-Adobe applications. This file type is used a lot on YouTube and Google Video.
SWF -
This stands for Small Web Format. It was designed to send graphics and animations over the internet. Animations and graphics created in Adobe Flash software are saved in this format. It is the end file format for all Flash content. They are read-only files that can't be edited.
3GP -
This stands for 3rd Generation Partnership Project. It is a format often used for mobile phones with 3G. It is a smaller version of an MP4. It is like a mobile version whereas the MP4 is often used on computers. It was made to use less bandwidth by using a smaller size; which makes it easier to stream videos and music on phones. 3G is not needed to view 3GP files. They can also be used on a computer but the quality will not be to the standard of MP4.
ASF -
This stands for Advanced Streaming Format. It was created by Microsoft for streaming media files. It itself is not a file but is actually a file container format. Files of this type can contain 3 objects: a header file, a data object and an optional index object. The header file contains the information about the media data. The data object is the media stream. The optional index object allows access to data within the ASF. They also allow for the media files to be compressed which makes it easier to download and stream over the web.
File sizes -
Resolution -
The resolution determines the detail and quality of a still or moving image.
Aspect Ratio -
The aspect ratio is defined by the ratio of width and height.
4:3 -
This means that for every 4 inches of width in an image, you will have 3 inches of height. It is 33% wider than it is high. It has been used since the early days of TV in the 40s and 50s. It has been commonly used by analog channels and still is now. It produces a box-like picture.
16:9 -
This means that for every 16 inches of width in an image, you will have 9 inches of height. It is 78% wider than it is high. It has been commonly used by movie producers, it allows viewers to see a bigger picture compared to 4:3. It increases the quality of the image and allows for bolder backdrops and scenery. It is not as wide as cinema aspect ratio, but it's similar. It produces a widescreen picture and is used for HD TV.
Media players -
Flash Player -
Flash is a software used for viewing multimedia and streaming video and audio. It can run from a web browser or on some mobile devices, but some versions do run on an operating system. It runs SWF files. It was created by Macromedia and is now distributed by Adobe. It is commonly used to run games and animations that are on webpages. It is free to download and the plug-in version is available for all recent versions of web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari.
QuickTime player -
It's simply a media player created by Apple that plays QuickTime files. You can convert files to different formats using Pro; and also record and edit. You can also stream across media across the internet. It plays videos in HD and uses less bandwidth and storage. You can watch videos from a camera, mobile phone, Mac or PC, online etc.
Windows Media Player -
It is a media played created by Microsoft that can be used for playing audio, video and viewing images. It is used on computers that run on a Windows operating system, Pocket PC and Windows Mobiles. It can also be used to rip music from discs, copy to discs and burn audio CDs. The latest version was released in 2009 alongside Windows 7. But Windows 8 and Windows RT does not run this program.
RealMedia -
It is a cross-platform software that is used to play recorded media. It is compatible with many formats. It runs MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media and their own RealVideo and RealAudio formats.
Lossy compression can lead to lost data and lost quality. It is typically used for JPEGs and MP3 files. These files can sometimes be recognised by jagged edges and pixelated areas. With audio files the lossy compression can cause a watery sound and a low audio range.
Lossless compression is used to reduce the file size without lowering the quality. It can be used on both audio and image files. These are large files, but are the original quality and at a small file size.
Video files -
MPG -
This is also known as MPEG, which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group. These files are commonly movies that are used for the internet. They are compressed video files so that they can be used over the internet quickly and can be downloaded at a good speed. But the picture quality is not decreased too much.
MP4 -
An MP4 file is often used by websites to store digital audio and video streams. This file type is seen as an evolution of the MP3 file because it provides more flexibility and functionality. MP4 is often favoured over MP3. This file type is commonly used on mobile devices, computers and remote hard drives. Many portable devices use MP4 to play movies on the go.
MOV -
This is a quicktime movie file commonly used for making films; short films and the likely file to be edited using Final Cut Pro. (Another Apple product) It is commonly used to save movie files and clips to a hard drive or media device. They are compressed files that make is easy to download and stream the video from the internet to a portable media device or to a computer. The file type was created by Apple but is now compatible with Windows and Mac.
AVI -
This stands for Audio Video Interleave. It is a container file format that was created by Microsoft in 1992. They are a shell file that can contain multiple files within the container file. These file types often contain audio and video data. These files can use less compression that other video files. These file types have a 2GB size limit. But even though the format is over 20 years old, it's still commonly used.
WMV -
This stands for Windows Media Video. This is a compressed video format created by Microsoft for internet streaming applications. This file type can allow large files to be converted into smaller files. But the picture quality is protected. This keeps the file manageable but still of a good quality. These type of files can be read by most media players and can be converted into other formats, but there is a risk of losing picture quality.
FLV -
This stands for Flash Live Video. This is used to send videos over the internet to another computer. File formats allows high file compression but keeps high video quality. This format was created for Adobe but can be used by non-Adobe applications. This file type is used a lot on YouTube and Google Video.
SWF -
This stands for Small Web Format. It was designed to send graphics and animations over the internet. Animations and graphics created in Adobe Flash software are saved in this format. It is the end file format for all Flash content. They are read-only files that can't be edited.
3GP -
This stands for 3rd Generation Partnership Project. It is a format often used for mobile phones with 3G. It is a smaller version of an MP4. It is like a mobile version whereas the MP4 is often used on computers. It was made to use less bandwidth by using a smaller size; which makes it easier to stream videos and music on phones. 3G is not needed to view 3GP files. They can also be used on a computer but the quality will not be to the standard of MP4.
ASF -
This stands for Advanced Streaming Format. It was created by Microsoft for streaming media files. It itself is not a file but is actually a file container format. Files of this type can contain 3 objects: a header file, a data object and an optional index object. The header file contains the information about the media data. The data object is the media stream. The optional index object allows access to data within the ASF. They also allow for the media files to be compressed which makes it easier to download and stream over the web.
File sizes -
Resolution -
The resolution determines the detail and quality of a still or moving image.
Aspect Ratio -
The aspect ratio is defined by the ratio of width and height.
4:3 -
This means that for every 4 inches of width in an image, you will have 3 inches of height. It is 33% wider than it is high. It has been used since the early days of TV in the 40s and 50s. It has been commonly used by analog channels and still is now. It produces a box-like picture.
16:9 -
This means that for every 16 inches of width in an image, you will have 9 inches of height. It is 78% wider than it is high. It has been commonly used by movie producers, it allows viewers to see a bigger picture compared to 4:3. It increases the quality of the image and allows for bolder backdrops and scenery. It is not as wide as cinema aspect ratio, but it's similar. It produces a widescreen picture and is used for HD TV.
Media players -
Flash Player -
Flash is a software used for viewing multimedia and streaming video and audio. It can run from a web browser or on some mobile devices, but some versions do run on an operating system. It runs SWF files. It was created by Macromedia and is now distributed by Adobe. It is commonly used to run games and animations that are on webpages. It is free to download and the plug-in version is available for all recent versions of web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari.
QuickTime player -
It's simply a media player created by Apple that plays QuickTime files. You can convert files to different formats using Pro; and also record and edit. You can also stream across media across the internet. It plays videos in HD and uses less bandwidth and storage. You can watch videos from a camera, mobile phone, Mac or PC, online etc.
Windows Media Player -
It is a media played created by Microsoft that can be used for playing audio, video and viewing images. It is used on computers that run on a Windows operating system, Pocket PC and Windows Mobiles. It can also be used to rip music from discs, copy to discs and burn audio CDs. The latest version was released in 2009 alongside Windows 7. But Windows 8 and Windows RT does not run this program.
RealMedia -
It is a cross-platform software that is used to play recorded media. It is compatible with many formats. It runs MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media and their own RealVideo and RealAudio formats.
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Props, costumes and equipment
Props
Teddy bears - One to be made with hole/tube in mouth to create bubbles in water.
Puppet teddy bear - To have an unfamiliar face for the evil scenes.
Ice cream - Vanilla and Strawberry, for colour/visual reasons.
Old toys - dolls, bears to be pulled apart.
Bear ears - attached to hair using clips/hair slides.
Glass/china bowl - for the teddy's death scene. A large bowl that can be full of water, but plain.
Towel with make up smudge - To be next to bowl to explain why the bowl is there.
Photo frame - The girl's favourite photo that plays a role throughout the film.
Costumes
Day 1 dress - Vintage blue dress
Day 2 dress - Vintage dress Green
Ballet dress - Simple but pretty dress
Pjs for night 1 & 2 - Simple and plain - Black t-shirt and coloured trousers.
Equipment
Small LED light
Old spotlight
Shotgun Mic
Canon 650D DSLR
Hand Stabiliser
Heavy duty tripod
Fish eye lens
Teddy bears - One to be made with hole/tube in mouth to create bubbles in water.
Puppet teddy bear - To have an unfamiliar face for the evil scenes.
Ice cream - Vanilla and Strawberry, for colour/visual reasons.
Old toys - dolls, bears to be pulled apart.
Bear ears - attached to hair using clips/hair slides.
Glass/china bowl - for the teddy's death scene. A large bowl that can be full of water, but plain.
Towel with make up smudge - To be next to bowl to explain why the bowl is there.
Photo frame - The girl's favourite photo that plays a role throughout the film.
Shadow puppets and stage
Costumes
Day 1 dress - Vintage blue dress
Day 2 dress - Vintage dress Green
Pjs for night 1 & 2 - Simple and plain - Black t-shirt and coloured trousers.
Equipment
Small LED light
Old spotlight
Shotgun Mic
Canon 650D DSLR
Hand Stabiliser
Heavy duty tripod
Fish eye lens
Friday, 28 February 2014
Soundtrack 1
The Audience
There are different ways for an audience to listen to soundtrack. There are multiple way to watch films these days. Some watch films in the cinema with likely 5.1 surround sound. This means that you can hear all of the sounds from the correct directions to create an all around feeling. This can make it feel like parts of the film are happening behind you, or objects are moving past you. Rumbling effects can also be used to create a tense feeling among the audience. When watching a film at home on a TV the sound is a lot different. Most TVs have stereo sound so it doesn't have the same impact as a cinema experience. Unless the TV in question has a surround set-up you won't get the same affect.
- Provide research to explain your point. Define the differences between 5.1 and stereo, or acoustic differences.
The Sound
Find a video clip
Where and how are the sounds recorded? (Foley, ADR, on set?)
Why were they recorded in those places using those methods?
What do those sounds tell you about the character, the story or the themes? What impact do they have on you?
If those sounds had been recorded differently would they have had the same effect?
Internal diegetic sound only the character can hear. Voices in head, own heartbeat etc.
External everyone can hear it
There are different ways for an audience to listen to soundtrack. There are multiple way to watch films these days. Some watch films in the cinema with likely 5.1 surround sound. This means that you can hear all of the sounds from the correct directions to create an all around feeling. This can make it feel like parts of the film are happening behind you, or objects are moving past you. Rumbling effects can also be used to create a tense feeling among the audience. When watching a film at home on a TV the sound is a lot different. Most TVs have stereo sound so it doesn't have the same impact as a cinema experience. Unless the TV in question has a surround set-up you won't get the same affect.
- Provide research to explain your point. Define the differences between 5.1 and stereo, or acoustic differences.
The Sound
Find a video clip
Where and how are the sounds recorded? (Foley, ADR, on set?)
Why were they recorded in those places using those methods?
What do those sounds tell you about the character, the story or the themes? What impact do they have on you?
If those sounds had been recorded differently would they have had the same effect?
Internal diegetic sound only the character can hear. Voices in head, own heartbeat etc.
External everyone can hear it
Idea sessions
We started thinking of ideas for our fmp. We started with 3 ideas and elaborated each idea with mind maps.
The first of my 3 ideas was a film based on an RPG.
I really liked this idea but found that it was quite difficult to make. I would have needed a large amount of After Effects work and it would have taken a long time. I also needed to gather a large amount of props and made a large amount of custom costumes. I would have also needed a fair few actors and my friends wanted to do it but are not always available. I also realised that the story was way too long for a short film and was nearing on feature-length. I also needed a lot of time for character development and basically creating an entire rule book for the game-style
Second is about an evil teddy bear
Here is my mind map for this idea.
This was my favourite idea because I think it was most likely the easiest to make and cheapest to make. I am also best at writing for odd films instead of dramas (Because they have a lot of dialogue). Some of the ideas on the mind map were dropped but most were adapted to fit into the film.
And third is a drama about a character we developed in an ideas session:
We were given questions that we would need to answer when thinking of a film idea. We can think about the characters, relationships, setting, and storyline.
Who?
Why?
Before?
After?
Tensions?
Fear?
Want?
Obstacles?
1st image
Making a character.
We looked through the sections for character details on Celtex. We filled out the sections in small groups to design a character that could be used in an fmp. Our group came up with this:
Arabella Smith
25
Long hair - down to her butt - gingery red.
One brown, one green eye
5"9
9stone
Musician
Moody
Cat obsessed
A mentor role
Goal: Famous musician
How: Stay true to the music, write meaningful music etc.
Family: mum died due to alcohol. Lives with Dad
Habits and personality: Nail biter, High school drop out but genuine.
Likes: Helping people, cats
Dislikes: Alcohol
After doing this, we were able to create a character that we could use in a film. I decided that this character would work perfectly for a drama but I did not want to make one. So I did not use this idea and ended up dropping this character.
The first of my 3 ideas was a film based on an RPG.
I really liked this idea but found that it was quite difficult to make. I would have needed a large amount of After Effects work and it would have taken a long time. I also needed to gather a large amount of props and made a large amount of custom costumes. I would have also needed a fair few actors and my friends wanted to do it but are not always available. I also realised that the story was way too long for a short film and was nearing on feature-length. I also needed a lot of time for character development and basically creating an entire rule book for the game-style
Second is about an evil teddy bear
Here is my mind map for this idea.
And third is a drama about a character we developed in an ideas session:
We were given questions that we would need to answer when thinking of a film idea. We can think about the characters, relationships, setting, and storyline.
Who?
Why?
Before?
After?
Tensions?
Fear?
Want?
Obstacles?
1st image
Making a character.
We looked through the sections for character details on Celtex. We filled out the sections in small groups to design a character that could be used in an fmp. Our group came up with this:
Arabella Smith
25
Long hair - down to her butt - gingery red.
One brown, one green eye
5"9
9stone
Musician
Moody
Cat obsessed
A mentor role
Goal: Famous musician
How: Stay true to the music, write meaningful music etc.
Family: mum died due to alcohol. Lives with Dad
Habits and personality: Nail biter, High school drop out but genuine.
Likes: Helping people, cats
Dislikes: Alcohol
After doing this, we were able to create a character that we could use in a film. I decided that this character would work perfectly for a drama but I did not want to make one. So I did not use this idea and ended up dropping this character.
Thursday, 27 February 2014
Production diary
02/04/14 - Had a small production meeting with the actress. We measured up for making the costumes. We decided on the material we are going to use. I also went through the plot with her so that she knew exactly what she was doing. She is looking forward to drowning the teddy bear and destroying the toys. ... Which is a little suprising for a young girl but at least she's enthusiastic.
05/04/14 - Script is officially finished. It's been proof read and improved as much as I can.
16/04/14 - The first dress has been completed and i'm very happy with it.
18/04/14 - The teddy bears were made and are ready for filming.
19/04/14 - Village hall is booked for filming.
21/04/14 - The second dress has been finished and it looks good.
23/04/14 - The mini stage and shadow puppets have been made.
- The shot list was also finalised.
25/04/14 - Booked a shotgun mic out for the weekend for filming.
26/04/14 - Tested mic and found it had an acid leak and was unusable. I had to resort to using the camera's sound recording.
27/04/14 - Full day filming. All the filming is complete and it all went very well.
- This is the shot list after filming. Each shot was highlighted after it was complete.
30/04/14 - Watched back footage and am really not fond of the dialogue. I have decided to complete cut all lines and make this film silent. Using overlayed titles to portray the lines. I chose to do this for creative reasons because I feel like the style and story of my film becomes less serious and effective with dialogue.
02/05/14 - Started editing and put together my clips in order.
09/05/14 - The rough cut is complete to be giving to someone to have the music composed. But Final Cut Pro's export did not work and created a green, grey, pixelated version of my film that was freezing every shot. I can not take it home for music to be made.
14/05/14 - I was finally able to export a working version of my film for music to be made this weekend.
15/05/14 - I started colour grading my film and completed that process.
16/05/14 - I continued to make the silent film titles and continue with any written work that needed doing.
05/04/14 - Script is officially finished. It's been proof read and improved as much as I can.
16/04/14 - The first dress has been completed and i'm very happy with it.
18/04/14 - The teddy bears were made and are ready for filming.
19/04/14 - Village hall is booked for filming.
21/04/14 - The second dress has been finished and it looks good.
23/04/14 - The mini stage and shadow puppets have been made.
- The shot list was also finalised.
25/04/14 - Booked a shotgun mic out for the weekend for filming.
26/04/14 - Tested mic and found it had an acid leak and was unusable. I had to resort to using the camera's sound recording.
27/04/14 - Full day filming. All the filming is complete and it all went very well.
- This is the shot list after filming. Each shot was highlighted after it was complete.
30/04/14 - Watched back footage and am really not fond of the dialogue. I have decided to complete cut all lines and make this film silent. Using overlayed titles to portray the lines. I chose to do this for creative reasons because I feel like the style and story of my film becomes less serious and effective with dialogue.
02/05/14 - Started editing and put together my clips in order.
09/05/14 - The rough cut is complete to be giving to someone to have the music composed. But Final Cut Pro's export did not work and created a green, grey, pixelated version of my film that was freezing every shot. I can not take it home for music to be made.
14/05/14 - I was finally able to export a working version of my film for music to be made this weekend.
15/05/14 - I started colour grading my film and completed that process.
16/05/14 - I continued to make the silent film titles and continue with any written work that needed doing.
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