Evaluation of preliminary Task

What technology did we use?

We Used a Nikkon D5300 DSLR camera to film with and adobe premier pro to edit the footage with.

What Ideas have I learnt from the process, scriptwriting, casting, script writing, filming and editing?

I Learnt that to make a music video it requires allot of time and planning as you have to plan the timings of all the shots so they match up with the song. I also learnt that Lip syncing is best performed when the actor actually sings the song while being filmed.

I also gained some experience with my editing skills when I tried to match up all the clips and get the timings right. The lip syncing proved to be the hardest part to edit. But I was surprised how easy it was to mute the sound and input a music file in place of the original sound.

How did the Group work together?

We split up the roles 3 ways I had the task of editing, Phil was in charge of the camera work and Henry was the one that was in charge of writing the script. I feel that we worked well together as we all did our parts very well. We also would all contribute to the different parts as well. For example I filmed a couple of the shots as Phil was required to be in the actual shot itself.

Audience Feedback

"The video didn't have much of an interesting storyline and it was a bit short but I really liked the use of the shoes and how they changed and also the lip syncing was very believable" - Nathan Saunders

"I liked the Part Where the high five changed camera angle when the made contact. I also like the use of changing from black and white to colour when the mood of the song changes. I didn't particularly like the setting as it has clearly been filmed at a school when it would have been a better idea to use a home." - James Huxtable

"The clip isn't very long and I would like to see more but I really enjoyed the part where he jumps down onto the stones as it compliments the change in mood in the song. I also liked the change of colour in the video." - Tapiwa Mamutse

Looking back at your finished video and feedback what changes in filming and editing will you I be looking to change?

I would Like to change the editing software that I used. I tried Premier Pro for this task and I didn't like it very much. I know that its very powerful and has allot of great features but the school computers just aren't powerful enough to handle this. So for my actual task I will look to use mt on computer at home for editing.

After reading some of the feedback I will make the video a full music video instead of just a short clip of the song. I also will put more effort into finding a relative setting and location for the song I choose. Finally, I will also take into consideration the storyline of the video. I feel as if this video had a poor storyline and wasn't very interesting. So I will make sure I plan out a creative and interesting storyline for my actual song.

One thing I wont be changing is the camera I used. I found it very easy to handle and manipulate, it also shot in very good quality and was easy to upload the clips to the computer.

Genre In Short Film - Horror

 

 

Is Horror Suited for short Films?

 

I think that Horror is suited for short films because the sense of horror can easily be crated through use of camera work and sound. This could be disjointed shots or disorientated shots. The music could be played in a way to make the viewer feel tense and un eased.

A different way that Horror can be achieved in short film is by using jump scares. This is created by making a clip that seems perfectly normal and the viewer is relaxed. But then the jump scare comes and puts them completely of ease and they now know that they are watching a horror film.

 

Horror may not be suited to short films though because allot of horror films use time to their advantage to create suspense and a more complex story line. In a short film time isn't on your side and you need to create a full storyline in that short space of time. So creating suspense can be a real challenge in the short film so allot of creators will opt to completely skip this out but in some cases very clever people can create the sense of tension in a very short space of time by using lighting, music and camerawork in a way that makes time almost stand still.

 

Analysis Of A Short Horror Film

 

I Looked at "The apocalypse" By Green Car Pictures

 

 

 

This short film uses the technique I described earlier about creating the sense of normal life through the ordinary lighting, setting and characters. The Viewer is then Shocked when the boy gets an idea and his head blows up. This shock is somewhat emphasised by the normal changed dramatically to the abnormal.

 

The Film Then goes on to "Pick Off" The rest of the people apart from one this is like most horror films as this happens very often and is recognised as a common plot for horror films.

 

We are also presented with the Sex Appeal character like the one I mentioned in my mind map. This is a common character in horror films because it shows them as vulnerable and needs protecting OR They are devious and try's to seduce the other character so they become vulnerable. In this case its the latter.

 

Finally the ending also follows the typical ending in a horror film as its left for the viewer to decide what happens next. I also mentioned this in the mind map above.

 

The use of camera work in this film makes the viewer feel as if they are in the room with the person by the use of the camera moving around the room and breaking the 180 degrees rule. They may have intended to do this because they want the viewer to feel as if their heads may blow up if they get an idea. And this is the hole horror aspect of this film, to make the viewer fell afraid.

 

Lastly I would also like to mention that some people may argue that this isn't a horror film because they think its a comedy. I can see why they would think this because the way that the heads explode is quite comical as you can see its fake but not to fake to make it unbelievable. Also there is a clever storyline too it as at the end the reason the 2 people don't die is because they are so stupid they never get any ideas so they cant die. And most people will laugh at that concept because its so stupid it just works. 

 



Preliminary Task Finshed Video

 

Below is my finished Preliminary Task Video.

 

 

We have used lip syncing in the video and went for one enclosed location but he is moving and jumping to and from different places to crate the juxtaposition of locations.

We also used the black and white effect on the start of the clip again, to contrast the emotions of depression and joy.

We used Michael as our actor as well because his lip syncing skills were very good and he was able to act in two different styles to portray the different emotions.

The clip in total has 3 characters and lasts the full 1 minute of the required timings. It also followed the narrative of the storyline.

Brainstorming + planning Preliminary

I HAVE CHOSEN TO MAKE A.....

 

Music Video

 

Songs

 

Happy or sad? upbeat or slow?

 

I Could use a song that incorporates happy and sad by using the song "New shoes" By Paulo Nutuni

as it starts sad and slow but then picks up and the mood changes. This could be presented with a change in the filming style or the editing. For example a different type of transition or a change of filter over the film, Such as changing it from black and white into a highly saturated hue coloured  image.

 

 Location And Setting

 

If I was do go on to do this song and try to focus the emphasis on the change in the song then the location should really be in two different places to help with this. I think by using a inside area and then a sunny outside area I could achieve a contrast of emotions and this will juxtapose each other.

 

 

one location (Left) is an inside area that also has pegs on the wall so I could follow the storyline of the song about the man waking up and feeling down, but then everything is alright. This can be used for a jacket or something when he is getting ready and by using a filter overlay I could make it look quite dark inside.

 

Story Line

 

The story line could follow the narrative of the song. The song describes a mans morning that is waking up rough and trying to get some clothes on. But then he puts on some new shoes and he feels allot better. This is shown in the Lyrics...

 

Woke up cold one Tuesday

I'm looking tired and feeling quite sick

I felt like there was something missing

In my day to day life

So I quickly opened the wardrobe

Pulled out some jeans and a T-Shirt that seemed clean

Topped it off with a pair of old shoes

That were ripped around the seams

And I thought these shoes just don't suit me

Hey, I put some new shoes on

And suddenly everything's right

I said, hey, I put some new shoes on

And everybody's smiling, it's so inviting

Oh, short on money but long on time

Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine

And I'm running late and I don't need an excuse

'Cause I'm wearing my brand new shoes

 

So I think the wise decision would be to follow what the song is describing through the lyrics. So The story line will go something like this:

• Wakes up feeling quite sick and cold
• looks confused like something is missing
• Puts on some clothes and an old pair of shoes
• Changes into some new shoes
• everything is all right now and he seems happy and dancing 

What Makes Us Engage With Something?

Sound, Touch, Sight, Smell and taste. These are the 5 senses that we use when trying to engage in something. But what is it that makes us feel like we are linked or intrigued to see something in film?

When making a piece of film the creator needs to consider how they will engage the viewer so they don't become bored or it draws then in to start to watch the rest. They can achieve this by utilising the 5 senses that we use as humans to engage in something.

Picture this, 3 boys are sitting around a campfire at 10pm in a forest eating burgers and one of the boys cuts their finger with a knife. The creator of this piece of film can use all 5 senses in this scenario to make the viewer feel drawn in and "engaged". They could use sound by creating a really juicy noise when biting into the burger or then sound of the boys pain when he cuts himself. They could also use smell and taste through displaying the reactions of the boys face when eating the burger. This could be a positive or a negative reaction depending on what the creator wants to portray to the viewer.

Looking At Graded Blogs (Research and Planning)

Today I looked at 3 blogs that have had their marks for research and planning issued by the exam board. The 3 blogs were:

http://blogs.grammar.sch.gg/00laner01 marks 17/20
http://blogs.grammar.sch.gg/gabriellesmith 20/20
http://blogs.grammar.sch.gg/danieldegaris 15/20

I agree with the marks for the blogs because Gabrielle smiths' Blog was head and shoulders above the other two. The layout and presentation of the blog was immaculate and the quality and amount of content was allot better than the other two. The reason I say this is because her blog had many MANY posts all involving research and planning. But they weren't just lots of small posts, they were well thought out in depth posts about each topic and this is why she deserves 20/20.

The reason I think the other two weren't as good is because they were lacking in the amount of posts they contributed towards their research and planning. Also some of their posts were very short and could have been expanded on.

I also took a quick look at their preliminary tasks and I saw allot of Do's and Don'ts when it comes to making a music video. I saw that 00laner01 only used around 6 shots throughout the whole clip and this made me feel bored as the shots weren't very varied and they were all very prolonged. But on the other hand I did learn that the filters of black and white look nice on the music video and it may be something that I take into consideration when it comes to my music video if I choose to create one.

Finally, after looking through all three blog's research and planning I have learnt that I need to explain why each task has benefited me and what I should look to include in my own research and planning.

Casting Notes

We have chosen Michael to be the main character in our preliminary task. We chose him because during casting his lip syncing abilities were very good and he seemed capable of the task we had set him. He also has a background of acting at theatres and live stage performances so from this background knowledge we knew Michael was a wise decision.


Michael

We are also using Phil and Henry who are the people who are working on this preliminary task with me. We chose them because their part is very easy to achieve and they only have about 2 seconds of screen time so in theory they could be classed as extras. It also saved us time because this way we didn't need to cast the extras.

Henry and Phil

Props and costume List For Preliminary

• Old shoes
• New suedee shoes
• 3 school suits
• bench

Resarch Into Existing Short Films

Elegy (Top) - I looked at this professionally made film called Elegy. This short film is at top level because it has really good camera work, and it is very good at making you feel focused on the film. There is something about that drags you into it so you feel that you are part of it, this is mainly because at the start of the film the main character has a mask over his face so it makes you wonder, who is he? why is he here? and what is he going to do next?. I think I would consider making a short horror/thriller like this just because I have watched this film and it has given me ideas to put into my own work now.

Spider (Middle) - This was the second professionally made film which I looked at, called Spider. This one is a little bit similar to the first one that I looked at in the way that it is quite gruesome. The reason that I have chosen to put this short film in my blog is because it has a lot of suspense and adrenaline, it is very action packed in other words. Also it looks really good, the camera work is very professional and it looks so realistic when the man gets the needle in his eye.

Day 6666 (Bottom) - This is a student made film by Joseph Nowell, a boy who used to go to my sixth form. If I am perfectly honest, if I had seen this short film while going to a different school, I would have assumed that it was a professionally made film instead of a student made film. I would have thought this because of the work he had put into it and there is one particular shot where he is looking in the mirror and there is an animation of him and it looks incredibly impressive.