Positives
Good shot variety.
Original/Creative Credits.
Excellent camerawork.
Negatives
Crackling in the soundtrack is a little distracting.
Some animation on the production logo would be good.
Showing posts with label Fergus Cussell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fergus Cussell. Show all posts
Monday, 21 March 2011
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Analyse two past student videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGTnrDfgW2k&feature=player_embedded
The video had a wide variety of framing of shots including a trunk shot.
The video also had varied shot transitions and flashbacks, The holding of the shots were appropriate to the storyline, for example the shots were handheld when there was a flashback.
However, the choice of music was slightly monotonous and there could have been a better choice of soundtrack.
We have agreed to give this video a level 4 - 48 marks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x00V4tu32e4&feature=player_embedded
This video used excellent techniques to emphasize the confusion of the situation in the clip.
The framing of the shots in this video are used to include key elements of the Mise-en-scene, the video also used a great location, the soundtrack used in the clip fitted well with the story line as it added to the rush of things.
The video had a wide variety of framing of shots including a trunk shot.
The video also had varied shot transitions and flashbacks, The holding of the shots were appropriate to the storyline, for example the shots were handheld when there was a flashback.
However, the choice of music was slightly monotonous and there could have been a better choice of soundtrack.
We have agreed to give this video a level 4 - 48 marks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x00V4tu32e4&feature=player_embedded
This video used excellent techniques to emphasize the confusion of the situation in the clip.
The framing of the shots in this video are used to include key elements of the Mise-en-scene, the video also used a great location, the soundtrack used in the clip fitted well with the story line as it added to the rush of things.
Final day of editing
On our final day of editing we checked through everything, and picked out what we could improve. We decided to sort out the soundtrack at the end, and used a fade out technique so it didn't stop so suddenly.
We also edited some of the titles by readjusting them.
We showed Andrea the film and she was very complimentary of the film, however she suggested we change the colour of the last few shots, to adjust the mood of the film. we used colour correction to do this, and the finishing project looks good.
We are happy with our thriller film.
As we had finished the film, we decided to edit our blog and finish any outstanding bits of work. This included our sonic mood board.
Towards the end of the lesson, we exported our film and posted it on our blog.
We also edited some of the titles by readjusting them.
We showed Andrea the film and she was very complimentary of the film, however she suggested we change the colour of the last few shots, to adjust the mood of the film. we used colour correction to do this, and the finishing project looks good.
We are happy with our thriller film.
As we had finished the film, we decided to edit our blog and finish any outstanding bits of work. This included our sonic mood board.
Towards the end of the lesson, we exported our film and posted it on our blog.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Location Research
We decided to film our thriller project at Cameron's house and at a near by grave yard. we chose Cameron's house as it was close to interesting locations such as the church and grave yard and we had easy access to other interesting sites as we were in the centre of town. Cameron's house was also in a practical location for every member of the group to get to.
The grave yard we chose to film in worked well with the mystery of the film and made for more interesting mise en scene.
The grave yard we chose to film in worked well with the mystery of the film and made for more interesting mise en scene.
Plan of action
1. Complete soundtrack - At first, we used a soundtrack from a signed artist. However, we were not allowed to use this for a film for copyright reasons, so this means we need to constructs something in garage band.
This is all the feedback we got, and were complemented on the rest of the film.
This is all the feedback we got, and were complemented on the rest of the film.
Editing day 5
In this lesson we continued to edit our opening. We finished the titles and added sound to our production logo. Towards the end of the lesson, we showed our film to one of the media staff. Unfortunately he seemed to dislike our film. He told us what we had to change to receive a decent grade, and those things were:
- Delete the rewind scene
- Create our own soundtrack, not just use one from a CD
- Add better titles (Emphasising on the directors credit)
- Change the story line slightly, to make it easier to understand
We started straight away and deleted the rewind scene. We were very put off by these comments as we had before received positive feedback from Andrea about the rewind scene in particular. We got working on the sound track straight away, but unfortunately we ran out of time that lesson.
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Rough Cut
During filming and editing so far we have learnt and improved various skills. Our skills using programmes such as Final Cut and photoshop have improved. We learnt how to create more interesting titles in photoshop and how to add movement in Final Cut.
When receiving feedback on our Rough Cut we expect classmates to comment on our lack of a soundtrack which we are still making.
Class Feedback for the Rough Cut
EDITING
"Good use of match on action and transitions. Quick paced editing towards the end, well placed and continuous"
SOUND
"A lot of diagetic sound at the beginning, maybe some music as he's getting ready and biking to show emotion and characters feelings at the time..."
We had a soundtrack but we couldn't use it, so a new soundtrack is being made now, and will defiantly be included in the final video.
"...Production sound is appropriate to logo"
CAMERAWORK
"Camerawork was good! lots of cool shots, seemed to have experimented with them a lot. Good use of low angle shots and detailed shots."
MISE-EN-SCENE
"Lighting was appropriate because it was naturalistic. Props = bike + lock + alarm clock = Standard every day use. Costumes were daily wear, makes it more interesting? not suspecting anything"
TITLES
"Inventive titles on parts of the house, this was very effective. Plain titles with black background interrupted some parts."
THRILLER CONVENTIONS
- Protagonist and Antagonist becomes clear straight away.
- A lot of questions asked but not many answers
- Storyline is clear.
- The narrative is carried by ordinary situations where extra ordinary things happen.
"Good use of match on action and transitions. Quick paced editing towards the end, well placed and continuous"
SOUND
"A lot of diagetic sound at the beginning, maybe some music as he's getting ready and biking to show emotion and characters feelings at the time..."
We had a soundtrack but we couldn't use it, so a new soundtrack is being made now, and will defiantly be included in the final video.
"...Production sound is appropriate to logo"
CAMERAWORK
"Camerawork was good! lots of cool shots, seemed to have experimented with them a lot. Good use of low angle shots and detailed shots."
MISE-EN-SCENE
"Lighting was appropriate because it was naturalistic. Props = bike + lock + alarm clock = Standard every day use. Costumes were daily wear, makes it more interesting? not suspecting anything"
TITLES
"Inventive titles on parts of the house, this was very effective. Plain titles with black background interrupted some parts."
THRILLER CONVENTIONS
- Protagonist and Antagonist becomes clear straight away.
- A lot of questions asked but not many answers
- Storyline is clear.
- The narrative is carried by ordinary situations where extra ordinary things happen.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Editing Day 4
We mainly worked on the titles and sound track today. Fergus editing the credits and titles, using photo shop and by importing the font from dafont.com. However, he did not manage to finish all the credits and titles in one lesson.
Cameron and I worked on the soundtrack. We collected a bunch of CD's containing thriller soundtracks and sound effects and listened to each of them finding the best one for our film. We were able to find one to match our footage, but were unable to attach it to our film in the lesson. However, we are ready to attach it next lesson.
We also chose a sound effect for our logo.
During the lesson, we asked Andrea to watch our clip. She commented saying it was very good. However, she mentioned how we should cut a few seconds of the end of the last clip. The clip shows Fergus in the graveyard, and the stalker (the filmer) walking towards him. Andrea thought the clip was confusing as when the stalker walked passed Fergus, Fergus had no reaction. We as a group agreed with Andrea, and decided to cut down the clip.
Cameron and I worked on the soundtrack. We collected a bunch of CD's containing thriller soundtracks and sound effects and listened to each of them finding the best one for our film. We were able to find one to match our footage, but were unable to attach it to our film in the lesson. However, we are ready to attach it next lesson.
We also chose a sound effect for our logo.
During the lesson, we asked Andrea to watch our clip. She commented saying it was very good. However, she mentioned how we should cut a few seconds of the end of the last clip. The clip shows Fergus in the graveyard, and the stalker (the filmer) walking towards him. Andrea thought the clip was confusing as when the stalker walked passed Fergus, Fergus had no reaction. We as a group agreed with Andrea, and decided to cut down the clip.
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Editing Day 3
During our third day of editing, we managed to complete a lot of the tasks we wanted to. We continued to work on the titles and credits, comparing different fonts. We decided to use Courier as our font through out our opening sequence. It's simple but makes a big impact, and works well with the thriller theme.
We also worked on our ending shots, by adding a blink effect to add suspense. We had some difficulties due to the blink effect being too fast, but we managed to work it out in the end, and the effect works well.
Another thing we managed to do at the start of the lesson was upload some pictures that were taken during the filming days. The pictures are shots of Fergus, from someone else's point of view. We thought we would add these into our film to add to the idea that he is being stalked.
We also worked on our ending shots, by adding a blink effect to add suspense. We had some difficulties due to the blink effect being too fast, but we managed to work it out in the end, and the effect works well.
Another thing we managed to do at the start of the lesson was upload some pictures that were taken during the filming days. The pictures are shots of Fergus, from someone else's point of view. We thought we would add these into our film to add to the idea that he is being stalked.
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Editing - Day 2
On our second day of editing we continued to add to our time line in final cut express. We also used the help of final cut to reverse a section of our footage. This turned out very well and has turned out the was we first planned.
Towards the end of the lesson we began to worry that our film was too long for the time lim it given. So we started to cut our shots back, and use shorter clips. We managed to cut a lot of time, without losing essential shots.
Towards the end of the lesson we began to worry that our film was too long for the time lim it given. So we started to cut our shots back, and use shorter clips. We managed to cut a lot of time, without losing essential shots.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Editing - Day 1
Day one of editing was successful. We all uploaded our footage from saturday, and we all began putting our time line of shots together, in Final Cut Express.
We managed to add our production logo at the beginning of the film, by converting it to a JPEG image. However, we hope to work on our production logo towards the end of the task once all the editing is done, as we think we can make the logo look more interesting by adding animation later on.
Once putting together a section of our story board we added the soundtrack, to see if the film and the music complemented each other, and we were happy with the results.
unfortunately, we were unsure if we were able to use the soundtrack we wanted to have, but we are hoping to find out next lesson if we can for definite or not.
We also managed to create our titles and put them in the film. We really liked our titles and the editing we did to put them in.
We managed to add our production logo at the beginning of the film, by converting it to a JPEG image. However, we hope to work on our production logo towards the end of the task once all the editing is done, as we think we can make the logo look more interesting by adding animation later on.
Once putting together a section of our story board we added the soundtrack, to see if the film and the music complemented each other, and we were happy with the results.
unfortunately, we were unsure if we were able to use the soundtrack we wanted to have, but we are hoping to find out next lesson if we can for definite or not.
We also managed to create our titles and put them in the film. We really liked our titles and the editing we did to put them in.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
Thriller - Storyboard and Shot List
Click on the pictures to see the full versions, because it has cut them down a bit.
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Strengths and Improvements - Fergus
Strengths
- I feel that i am comfortable and also have a good understanding of how to use both garageband, final cut and photoshop.
- Another strength of mine is my punctuality, it is a rare that I am very late for a lesson.
- I feel that i have a good eye for cinematography and hopefully i will be able to use interesting and exciting shots in the thriller project.
Improvements
- I think i can improve on being more focused on the task while in class.
- Another area i could improve would be would be to keep on top of blog posts and also add more detail to my blog posts.
- One other area i think i need to improve on is creating efficient and clear storyboards.
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Our Top Two List
The two things we are wanting to improve on are:
- Our use of props could defiantly be improved.
- We all agree that our titles could be more experimental.
The two things we like about our film:
- Our variation of shot types.
- Our appropriate and good use of effects.
Intended Film Dates
The dates that we would be able to film is the 12th of february, the estimated time it will take to film will be up to 3 hours.
We will need a Video Camera, also we are going to use a mixture of a tripod, a dolly, and some hand held shots.
We will need a Video Camera, also we are going to use a mixture of a tripod, a dolly, and some hand held shots.
Monday, 31 January 2011
Pitch Questions and Feedback
Questions:
1. How long will it take to film? We think our filming will take no longer than a day.
2. What shot types are you going to use? We are going to use mostly montage shots, and a range of point of view shots and close up shots.
3.Why have you used that particular name? We decided to use the name Finch, as Finch is a bird and it will link to the Antagonists feeling of being trapped in a cage. Also the antagonist has a lot of finches.
4. Who is going to play each character roles? Fergus is playing the main character, and Cameron is playing the role of the antagonist, however, we will not see his face.
5. Are you using hand held, tripod, or dolly shots? We are using a mixture of all three.
6. What type of editing will you use? We will use Montage editing. Montage editing is something we didn't use last time, so we intend to use this style of editing effectively this time.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Our film idea
Overall Idea - Our thriller is going to be a psychological thriller, the overall storyline is a young adult (protagonist) who is thrust into a complex chase, from a mysterious stalker (antagonist). As the film develops we find out that the protagonist is under treatment for his disorder, At the end of the film we find out that the protagonist has been in a mental hospital and the whole story was a figment of his imagination.
Font/Texts/Graphics - The font we would use is something clean and precise which contrasts with the psychosis of the protagonist, we would use something like this Psychological Thriller
Title - Finch, we are calling the film 'finch' to get away from the conventions of a common thriller being named after a condition that the protagonist is afflicted by, we have chosen this name because our character is trapped in his mental state. Much like a bird is trapped in it's cage.
Characters - The name of our protagonist is Isaac.
The name of our antagonist is not revealed during the entire film.
Locations - we will film all of our footage in the centre of cambridge and one shot in Cameron's bedroom. Pictures featuring in the opening will be taken in the centre of cambridge too.
Lighting/Color/Mood -Filming will take place in middle of the day in a open location so the lighting will be a natural light. Video footage will be in full color. While the photo graphs of the protagonist will be in black and white. This is so they can be distinguished from each other.
Costumes - The protagonist will be wearing normal casual clothing.
The antagonist will not feature in our opening so no costume is required.
Music/Sound - We will use an original piece of music that will be constant through the opening of our thriller. There will also be a sound of the protagonists alarm clock going of at the start of the film.
Font/Texts/Graphics - The font we would use is something clean and precise which contrasts with the psychosis of the protagonist, we would use something like this Psychological Thriller
Title - Finch, we are calling the film 'finch' to get away from the conventions of a common thriller being named after a condition that the protagonist is afflicted by, we have chosen this name because our character is trapped in his mental state. Much like a bird is trapped in it's cage.
Characters - The name of our protagonist is Isaac.
The name of our antagonist is not revealed during the entire film.
Locations - we will film all of our footage in the centre of cambridge and one shot in Cameron's bedroom. Pictures featuring in the opening will be taken in the centre of cambridge too.
Lighting/Color/Mood -Filming will take place in middle of the day in a open location so the lighting will be a natural light. Video footage will be in full color. While the photo graphs of the protagonist will be in black and white. This is so they can be distinguished from each other.
Costumes - The protagonist will be wearing normal casual clothing.
The antagonist will not feature in our opening so no costume is required.
Music/Sound - We will use an original piece of music that will be constant through the opening of our thriller. There will also be a sound of the protagonists alarm clock going of at the start of the film.
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