The House That Jack Built

The House that Jack Built

This week's project consists of a drama sequence. I have been placed in a group of four and we were given a script. We filmed at a location called scape, a student-owned flat, as it gave us the bedroom setting we would need for our sequence.

Unfortunately, I had to attend an interview during filming, and so I missed out on many aspects of the shoot. Because of this, I was tasked with editing the shots, and found that the footage was unfinished, many shots had been lost, and the dialogue between the actors was terrible. This was due to a broken microphone so actors could not be heard clearly, lack of acting skills, and a general lack of seriousness from the group.

As I have little experience of editing, I found it very difficult to piece together all the broken-up scenes, but it turned out to be a great learning experience as it meant that I was able to improve my editing skills and appreciate the pros and cons of working in a group. I learned to blend shots together and use audio in previous shot for new shots through trial and error.

I also found that there are both advantages and disadvantages to working in a group; working in a group meant the collective knowledge of the entire group was brought together in an innovative way. Also, each person was in charge of a single aspect of the film. At the same time, the group deviating from the storyline and shot script meant the success of the film was dependent on the editing process.

Next time, I will be sure to supervise my group, point out shots and ensure they follow the storyboard and shot script.

This is the finished product

CRIT

Positives

·        Good choice of location 

·        Actors did not stay in character at certain times, interfering with storyline  -  female character had more power than male characters in scene where males were supposed to dominate

·        Can’t take her or the actors seriously 

·        Well filmed; similar to watching ‘EastEnders’,  good cinematography, realistic, soapy feel and very well executed

·        Great camera work 

Negatives

·        Equipment failure (Broken mic.)  

·        More shots needed at the end of ‘elevator scene’ 

·        Looked rushed towards end in comparison to beginning

·        Flow must be kept consistent

·        Reaction shots needed

·        Location shots and actor mugshots must be added to sketchbooks

Day Of Crit (missed)

On the day of my crit, I read my email late and so I found out the location of the lecture had changed. I was unable to locate Somerset House, so I decided to go back to Ravensborne to revisit my film and work on my blog.

CRIT

Feedback

·         Unfinished

·         Confused on Narrative

·         Tension needs to be added

·         Style and cinematography well done

Plan

·         Finish

·         Develop narrative and story line

·         create a simple story board / shooting script to help you create a distinct narrative

Comments from classmate

"I like the lighting and shots. Definitely needs audio.  So far so good, I can’t wait for it to be finished.

Drug War (Filming)

Today there were many complications on filming as a had no one to help plan organised or work with me so i spent about three days filming and a who night editing . So I had no time to do sound.

What I learned is that I have no hep in my class to do  any work and I'm going to have to learn to do all role of post production alone and fast enough to meet deadlines.

End Of Filming (Result/Crit)

Today I spent around 2-3 hours of editing before my crit at 1:30. I learned how to split screen and over all I am pleased with my film outcome as it has the time limit required (16 Seconds) and the shooting on Wednesday was fun and short. when i think about my film I think I have the anime theme of a dramatic fight or clash of two warriors. also i love the one punch man music I used as I have recently started watching the anime.
Things that didn't go well i believe was the grin in the video i want to improve upon that and see if there's a way to correct that using colour correction. using my lap top to edit was long and frustrating as it is slow and took very long to export.

This is my video 

Feedback:

Felt too long 16 seconds.

Reduce the length of the video to the key elements. 

Split Screen was well done and captured the anime fighting style. 

Focus shot in the beginning is a brilliant way of showing the opposition. 

The title told more of the story than the video. 'Friends'

Friendship ids unclear .

Develop a deeper meaning. show negative emotions. 

Add an establishing shot.

Brilliant costume and set up, plus lighting

Research the nature of friendship. 

Day 1 Filming (prep)

Today I will be borrowing a 600D Cannon Camera also I will spend my day creating a storyboard.
ad also view shots in films chase scenes that will inspire the running my actor will be doing in the short film.
My next possible problem is finding uniform for the officer and actor. also the person willing to run in the chase scenes.
There is this short trailer for a game called Watch_dogs which has inspired my interest in the chase scene of my film. the thought of Parkour came from josh a student at Ravensbourne .Thought out this I will be able to watch and use the footage int the trailer to inspire the scenes in my film.

Watch Dogs Parkour Real life 

The second thing I'm thinking about is the short 4 Shot 4 Second film and how I am going to film it and if i can record the footage within the week.
I kind of wish i had a crew to work with as planing and doing the shots for the film is a huge/ long task.

The next thing I'm looking at is the dialogue from Max Payne films and games . as there are more games that have grittier and deeper meaning to his quotes i played the PS3 version and listened to the hard emotional words of the character.

Theses are the outfits my actors will be wearing in the film . the costume has to match the role of each character; The Enforcer ,The Drug Dealer and the Little Girl.

Law Enforcer

Free Runner 

Little Girl 

Child Drug War (Short Film)

I have scouted 3 locations for my short chase sequence for my transcript project. the fist place i ventured to was Peckham Multiplex Cinema Car park. It has a lot of places where there can be experimented jumping sequences and man-on-action scenes, also the actors who will be doing the stunts will have space and soft landing zones so they do not injure themselves.

The next location is on the backstreets of Peckham rye lane where the P13 route is as there are many long roads for a running scene with the law enforcers and drug dealer. There are also turns where they can transition or cut to the next cut-scene. another thing is the lighting of the streets and area the actors will be running.

The last location is at a neighborhood residence closer to Old Kent Road where the flats and Terrence houses are run down and also some close by which are newly refurbished so its like two for one location. This area was recommended by my ex-neighbor who now lives in the new refurbished area.

Another thing I looked into where the chosen actors that would play the role of the drug dealer, child drug dealer and law enforcer.
The role of the Child Drug dealer will be played by either my niece Destiny Brown or my neighbors little sister Lauren Lopez. these two actors are female and both are aged between 14 and 16 so they both are suitable for the child role in the film, which is the surprise of the ilucefe drug dealer being a little girl.

Destiny Brown

Lauren Lopez

The Drug Dealer doing the main running and stunts will be performed by Keiran Anderson as he is the right boy build to make the audience think the person the law enforcer is chasing to be a large adult male.

The law enforcer is the one person I cant really think of who best would suit the role so I may as an actual officer to partake in the film or give me the uniform to borrow and use.    

4 Second 4 Shot Film

My idea for a 16 second short film is of a fight scene that most people would relate to anime or a manga sequence of two people fighting.
I had to think about manga influenced shot s and try and reenact them in real life. Compressing a fight scene to only four shots is an extremely difficult task so i researched the fastest fight scenes in anime and manga also in film.
the main types of fighting scenes that mainly come up or just are recurring are martial arts and samurai in films and animation.

These are the films,anime and scenes that I viewed and have gained inspiration four my 14 second short film.

Samurai Champloo Fight scene

Dragon Ball Z Light Of Hope

IP Man VS 10 Black Belts

Week 3

This week I began a new project called transcripts.  We had to travel to the gallery and also we watched a film called sicario which I very much enjoyed.  I had to make a short film which I will base on this film and Netflix exclusive film beast of no nation. 
I also am taking inspiration from a game called Max Payne 3 which is set in a drug cartel slums of Brazil.

Sicario

Beasts Of No Nation

Max Payne 3

I have plans of location scouting around the back streets of Peckham on Saturday for my dark tone film chase scenes also i have been watching inspiring cinematography from films such as City Of God to search for the colour scheme and filters i may use for my film. my next challenge is to locate actors , uniform and possible props id use for the law enforcer, child/ adult (drug dealer) and inspirational voice overs that the tone of the law enforcer will be portraying. such voices like in Max Payne for  the gritty deep tone.
The next thing i want to do i get a camera tripod and also a steady cam mount to use for the chase. i want to learn how to used the steady cam equipment.
The next thing is how i am going to use lighting in the outdoor alleyway case scene. the are some white light lamps in my local area how ever not everywhere is clear , possibly the natural lighting can be used and the colour grading in editing.

City Of God

Week 2

This week i came up with a short film with the premise of teenage vanity in girls. for this i searched up what vanity is and how girls see themselfs before and after there makeover/ make-under.

The first idea was to make a film with the premise :high expectations leads to disappointment.  

'A character that be lives she's the best in the world has pride and value to her cooking skills.  So she invites people to come try out her food.  Her judges are from high class establishments.  Unfortunately the food was not on par with the judges. 

Through building back her bond with her friend who she neglected in the Beginning.  And they both together make the perfect dish.  

After long consideration I though it was over complicated.  So I went to vanity. 

I traveled to Canterbury as I had two people who would fit the role of vanity.  They are both vain subject who value there looks more than there attendance. 

These are images of the location and actors and props that participated in the project.

Final Video:

'A Day Out'

Foundation And Lens Base Media Merge. Week One

In this week foundation media merged with lens base media and we were placed into groups and we all had to create an animation film, photo or power point of something impossible but could convince people to believe. i paired up with a group of females and we brainstormed ideas. we used my concept of time travel..
person trapped in Time loop resets the day
de ja vu
cause is a mistake in the future lives the same day 200x like a game level
references: benjiman button
itachi vs kabuto
steins gate
source code

feed back :
people belived our possible time loop through dejavu

Filming Week 2

This week the video Jeff and Sean recorded they had given it to Danny to edit . we also all came together to comment improve and add additional skills to the video in editing. we also had to do some re-shooting for the shadow in some scenes. after that i helped Karim record sound to add to the video also he created a soundtrack to add to the video.

We received feedback from our peers such as it looked like a horror film . and our premise was not clear also the sound of the evil laughter wasn't sinister enough and made the film sound like a comedy
they liked our shots of our chase scene which was intense and thrilling which was the purpose.

The things i think should of been better was the story and also the way the film flowed at the end as i wanted the main character to be in an infinite loop much like Silent hills so the psychiatric feeling can be worse.

Film Week 1

This week on foundation we was introduced to film by seb and tom.
Seb taught us how before a film is made there must be a story / premis.
we were told to create our own story premises.
I created :
gamer that has never seen the world doesnt want to live in society . if he leaves his house he would feel death.
boy who plays call of duty has stretegic knowledge on how to win / stop a war in 3 years time .
a king reduced to a lowly servent after cival war

The next day we saw videos of a police man chasing own a sniper
and we learened a formula of obsticals antagonist and protagonist.


The next day we met Tom who told us about archetypes. 180 degree rule
we were told to create short film story. my story was a boy who desnt like his neighbours or people
protagonist ha s a project that needs to be handed in by 11:30. along the way to school he has obsticals he must overcome .
misses the bus and has to run through the park where there a a dense crowed of people.


Later we got put into team and we and had to create an film idea.
No diolouage
inspiration : Residet evil Silent hill.
paranoia

We then created a storyboard and reece sheet of the shots and runtime of each shot we would film.
We gave rolls to each group member.
Danny Editing
Jeff and sean Camera
Natasha Papper work such as research and reece
Darran stroyboard
Kareim Sound

Animation week 1

This week we were introduced to animation by seb and andrew objects drawing or nonliving people moving in a sequence creating a film. types of animation                     they both asked us what we thought animation was. For me animation is images orare:
Japanese anime
Stop motion
We learned the basic formula of a story which is S=( C+O )
S= Story
C= Character
O= Obstical

We had to be put into groups on our table ( which sucked ) to come up with a short animation to create. we all came up with quite complex ideas which we had to simplify to make in to a 1min short animation.
We then  had to each make up or own idea of an animation we could do together as a group . I came up with a girl in war who has to fight to find her parents
The inspiration i had for this animation was an anime called RWBY.

 Here's a character i created on Photoshop to give a visual idea to my group of what i wanted to make ,however my team doesn't really like anime style work and we decided to do joes idea as it was more practical and easier to do.

We all chose to follow Joe's idea about a boy in a hospital who wants to save his grandfather. together we all thought up of how the child will save his grandfather from death . we came up with a nurse who the boy has to find/ track down to bring to his grandfather.

The next day we had to draw a form of animatic/ storyboard to show the stages, flow and concept of the animation. At home we all drew up storyboards of the boys journey through the hospital.
The next day we presented our idea to the group and received feedback.

Animation week 2

On the second week of animation we dissused what roles we would all be doing on he animation short that we would present on Thursday. we then next day came in with different drawings and digitally designed layouts and concepts of the way the characters ,obstetrical and backgrounds would look like. focusing on the colour scheme we all came back on Thursday where we added in all the designs and merged different concepts into the animation video. Next we gathered sound and added them to the video , and our animation was complete

This is the vector of the setting of the room grandpa will be in

This image is of the vectored outside of the hospital . I don't really like the building

This is the vector art of the hallway that the character will be walking down towards the elevator. or the hall used for the crowded scene.

This vector art is of the dark scary door way all i did was create the simple art so my group can choose the colour scheme.

Sound Journey Crit

Thursday
We did a crit on other students work . so we went round the room commenting on sound and video pieces. I received these comments

I directly import the sound clips into the program therefore I can edit the sounds with the clip. The good thing about this day is that the finish product came out as a funny clip due to my soundtrack and it's approved by my lecturer. The bad thing about the day and what suprised me is the program itself because the interface is slightly different due to the update, so I had to re-learn where all the tools are which slowed me down.

Sound journy Video

On Tuesday I began my video clip and I chose the trailer for watch dogs but instead of using the animated version I used the real life parkour. my idea is to make the parkour sequence like a Mario stage.



Wednesday I went around listening to others students sound pieces. I then later went around recording sounds and Mario stage noises to place in my video.



The sound concept is basically a journey in an elevator and the different levels and floors a  businessman has to go through to get to the ground floor.
originally it was going to start off with a police report on the 7th floor and by the time he gets to the the ground floor he would whiteness the trouble that was reported on the radio.
My inspiration for the idea was a general news report i saw on tv.
and the ambiance sound is inspired by the game on PS4 Journey

Sound Inspiration Journey

The Audition Software i struggled getting around it and i had to ask help for this stage of the project many times i still find it hard to use this software and get my head around sound. Id prefer using camera than sound.

Learn 'DEm Skillz

Today we got taught the materials and software we will be using in order to create a 1min soundtrack

advice SEB told us which he was  taught long ago was we should view 1 film/animation/sound piece a day and 1 boom per week.

We would get our learning resources from 

www.freesound.org and film sound.org.

On the subject of films book and animations we should watch a day he gave us exempts of films such as.

BOOKS:

Notes on the cinematographer 

Theory of film practice 

TXH 1138 - George lucas 

IMAGES:

Nic UT- children fleeing napalm bomb 

Joeseph Koudelko War Photo

Jole Sterfeld

Gory Winagrand 

FILMS/ANIMATION:

Shark Tale 

Finding Nemo 

KILL BILL 

Spirited Away 

Tansformers / Pacific Rim

Piglets Big Movie 

Inception

Cast Away 

THE Shining 

Adventure Time 

Paprika

Alien 

Polar oposites Types Of Microphones

OMIDIRECTIONAL: Can pick up sound around 360 

SUBCARDIO :

CARDIO

SUPERCARDIO

HYPERCARDIO

BI-DIRECTIONAL

SHOTGUN

Sound project Level 1 START!!!

on tuesday we was introduced to Sabastian Muravchik. We was told to create a sound journey by thursday which is meant to be a 1min audio of a journey. Then next week we must have another soundtrack which will also have an extract 1min long.
Things that he made me think about were.
What is sound doing in  a scene?
Is it necessary?
What else could it do?
How could sound contribute to the story ?
do we need Digetic or Non Digetic Sound

Diegesis

Digetic Sound : Sound who's source is visible on screen
Non-Digetic sound: Sound who's source is neither visible on screen

Websites he gave us were
film sounds.org
freesound.org

Architecture of soundtracks :
Atmosphere, Ambience
Foreground,spot sounds and dialogue

We watched two extracts that showed us examples of Digetic and Non-digetic sound.
The conversation (1974)- opening
Blade Runner- Background sounds

we were given Tascan Recorders and told to walk around the university or outside if we wish to record ambience.

Final Photo

My image of how I love gaming and the music also complimenting my way of gaming.  Such as soundtracks that make racing online more intense. I spend a lot of time in my house so I sometimes miss what is going on outside and in the world.  Because Im so deep into my tv and games. 

However when I get a chance to go outside I love to view pakour and started pakour in he summer which is extremely hard and exciting and has helped with my agility and improved my stamina a bit.  All of that wouldn't be possible without my gaming influences by assassins creed and mirrors edge.

This final photo is the feeling and emotion of my identity as i love gaming and music and through gaming i am able to connect with people around the world through online events community and building friendships and family through gaming.
What I like about this photo is that the focus is on the outside as the controller is the dark .
What I don't like about it is the framing of the photo

Identity Photo shot

We have been given the task of borrowing or using our cameras to photograph our personal items that have meaning to our own identity then pose with them in unique way that corresponds  with our identity. 
I had chosen to bring in my ps4 controller and X-mini speaker.  As the ps4 controller represents my high love for games.  Also the speaker signifying my enjoyment of bass and rhythm. 

I used a 700D cannon SLR camera for my photos of my objects and chose to use natural light instead of the suggested indoor lights and light kit. 

Finding Vivian Maier

Today in the Begining of our Lecture we received technical difficulties.  Spending 30mins  adding sound to the video.  And while this was happening I searched on Google about the film and found :
It was rated 75/100 (metascore).
And on IMDb.com I saw a review from Rob Nelson stating " initially playful, ultimately haunting documentary".
Also that :
Released :17 April 2014
Director : John Maloof
Duration : 1hour 24mins
Oscar nominated 11wins 19 nominations. 

This documentary was about how Jhon Maloof found in a storage locker negatives and images of Vivian Maier who was born in 1926 New York had died.
The woman had thousand if not hundreds of photographic images and negatives and they were to brilliant to just be thrown or fade away into dust. 
Through his journey he was trying to figure out and uncover why she kept all this secret and how she was so unknown on the map. 
Through this documentary I saw that this woman was a brilliant and yet also tragic individual with problems and skills that the world of her time could not understand.