Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
ACE PRODUCTION
-Distributor- Lionsgate
-Production Company- Blanc Productions
Group Roles
- Producer = Steph White
- Director = Cat Dixon
- Cinematographer = Megan Knowles
- SOund Engineer = Lauren Thornton-Clarke
As the groups cinematographer I am basically incharge of the mise-en-scene that will be used throughout the movie. For example: Props, Costumes, Lighting and setting the mood.
I am happy I have been assigned this role, as I am a creative person and always think creativly and how shots and scenes would look, before thinking about technical elements. So luckily I can now have the opportunity to put this to practise for our movie.
-Production Company- Blanc Productions
Group Roles
- Producer = Steph White
- Director = Cat Dixon
- Cinematographer = Megan Knowles
- SOund Engineer = Lauren Thornton-Clarke
As the groups cinematographer I am basically incharge of the mise-en-scene that will be used throughout the movie. For example: Props, Costumes, Lighting and setting the mood.
I am happy I have been assigned this role, as I am a creative person and always think creativly and how shots and scenes would look, before thinking about technical elements. So luckily I can now have the opportunity to put this to practise for our movie.
Monday, November 30, 2009
'ACE' PRODUCTION
•Distributor- Lionsgate
•Production Company- Blanc Productions
Group Roles
•Producer- Steph White
•Director-Cat Dixon
•Cinematographer- Megan Knowles
•Writer- Steph White
As the groups cinematographer I am basically incharge of the mise-en-scene that will be used throughout the movie. For example: Props, Costumes, Lighting and setting the mood.
I am happy I have been assigned this role, as I am a creative person and always think creativly and how shots and scenes would look, before thinking about technical elements. So luckily I can now have the opportunity to put this to practise for our movie.
•Production Company- Blanc Productions
Group Roles
•Producer- Steph White
•Director-Cat Dixon
•Cinematographer- Megan Knowles
•Writer- Steph White
As the groups cinematographer I am basically incharge of the mise-en-scene that will be used throughout the movie. For example: Props, Costumes, Lighting and setting the mood.
I am happy I have been assigned this role, as I am a creative person and always think creativly and how shots and scenes would look, before thinking about technical elements. So luckily I can now have the opportunity to put this to practise for our movie.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
OUR THRILLER FILM - ACE
For our thriller film, I am in a group with Cat, Lauren and Steph. We all had the same idea on what movie concept we wanted to use for the movie. There was no particular idea that we wanted to produce - so instead we all pitched some ideas together to come up with a film concept that we would be happy to produce.
The main idea was based around gambling, men, drugs and alcohol. We wanted to do a title sequence aswell, because we didnt want to reveal a whole storyline.
For our inspiration we watched a few clips from film such as Casino Royale and Oceans Eleven. These films had some good ideas for opening sequences. I personally liked the opening sequence of Oceans Eleven, as you got a great feel of the gambling and masculine atmosphere.
Our main shots will consist of close ups of eyes and the playing cards. Then a few shots of the table to highlight the dark atmosphere. But we wanted to have a few shots of a 'man' walking somewhere, however his identity isnt revealed. So this still gives the viewer a sense of story without giving everything away.
This is what we have come up with so far... I will be adding more detail as the groups ideas progress :)
The main idea was based around gambling, men, drugs and alcohol. We wanted to do a title sequence aswell, because we didnt want to reveal a whole storyline.
For our inspiration we watched a few clips from film such as Casino Royale and Oceans Eleven. These films had some good ideas for opening sequences. I personally liked the opening sequence of Oceans Eleven, as you got a great feel of the gambling and masculine atmosphere.
Our main shots will consist of close ups of eyes and the playing cards. Then a few shots of the table to highlight the dark atmosphere. But we wanted to have a few shots of a 'man' walking somewhere, however his identity isnt revealed. So this still gives the viewer a sense of story without giving everything away.
This is what we have come up with so far... I will be adding more detail as the groups ideas progress :)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
MY THRILLER MOVIE CONCEPT
'You never know when it will all end...'
We were asked to pitch some basic ideas about a storyline that could be used as a starting point for our thriller/horror film. I dedided to create a thriller as I feel that I could use more elements of creativity - also I would say that I have watched more Thriller films, so therefore I am more experience in that genre area.
I wanted to create a film that would range over a wide target audience, meaning both teenagers and adults. I also wanted to play around with the steriotypes of society and challenge them at the same. So I came up with the traditional concept of a group of teenagers in detention...
Read on for more!!
...Basic Outline...
A group of teenagers are held in a school on a rainy/stormy night for detention. The teacher in charge Miss Hardy, leaves the room as she hears a scream outside. When the teenagers realize it is time to go they leave, but they cant get out as the door is locked. The lights flicker off and back on to reveal a group of men in white masks and black hoods are standing in the corner of the room. The lights then go to a black out, to the sound of heavy breathing.
...Basic Outline...
A group of teenagers are held in a school on a rainy/stormy night for detention. The teacher in charge Miss Hardy, leaves the room as she hears a scream outside. When the teenagers realize it is time to go they leave, but they cant get out as the door is locked. The lights flicker off and back on to reveal a group of men in white masks and black hoods are standing in the corner of the room. The lights then go to a black out, to the sound of heavy breathing.
•Chuck wakes up in a darkened, cold room. Overhead light swinging and squeaking. Chuck is tied up on a chair with rope and tape over his mouth. He has no shirt on, but instead has a some red scratches/marks over his chest.
•On a desk, a countdown timer can be seen counting down from 60 minutes. Attached to it is a TV screen – however Chuck doesnt know what is on the TV. All that can be seen is a grey fuzzy screen.
•Suddenly a shot of Ava (Main Girl) can be seen, as if it was being filmed off a CCTV camera. Chuck begins to witness the masked men coming into the room with Ava.
•Chuck manages to find a book named ‘Anon Rules’… whilst reading he notices some significance between the people described in the book, and the masked men. There is a lot of details related to fire, and how deadly it is.
RESOLUTION
•After witnessing Ava is a distressed state, the masked men disappear from the room where Ava has been held hostage. A few minutes later, after panicking, they enter the room where Chuck is.
•The countdown timer is now on 10minutes left… 9.59 etc…
• After remembering about ‘fire’ from the book. Chuck gets his matches used for his smoking to set alight to the Anon Book. The masked men, slowly disintegrate.
•Chuck runs to find Ava in the room. When she is found, Chuck notices wires around and attached to her body. He disconnects them to release her.
•When this happens a shot of the countdown timer – now at 1.46 begins to slow down, and gradually comes down to a halt.
•A few days later at school. Chuck and Ava meet outside at school – they have the classic awkward moment. And where as before this insident they werent friends due to their complete opposite social circles - they now are :)
•After witnessing Ava is a distressed state, the masked men disappear from the room where Ava has been held hostage. A few minutes later, after panicking, they enter the room where Chuck is.
•The countdown timer is now on 10minutes left… 9.59 etc…
• After remembering about ‘fire’ from the book. Chuck gets his matches used for his smoking to set alight to the Anon Book. The masked men, slowly disintegrate.
•Chuck runs to find Ava in the room. When she is found, Chuck notices wires around and attached to her body. He disconnects them to release her.
•When this happens a shot of the countdown timer – now at 1.46 begins to slow down, and gradually comes down to a halt.
•A few days later at school. Chuck and Ava meet outside at school – they have the classic awkward moment. And where as before this insident they werent friends due to their complete opposite social circles - they now are :)
DUN DUN DUNN......
...Ideas...
•Use of a night-vision camera….
•Flickering light with buzzing sounds
•Key object = countdown timer from 60mins.
Monday, November 9, 2009
CAMERA OPERATION
APERTURE :- Controls aperture width with smaller f-stop values representing a wider aperture
SHUTTER SPEED :- Manually controls the shutter speed
EXPOSURE COMPENSTATION :- Alters the exposure setting set by the camera. The exposure can be increased for a lighter image or decreased for a darker image.
AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE BRACKETING :- When this is turned on, the camera captures three images when you take a shot: One with the default exposure automatically determined by the camera, one with increased exposure, and one with decreased exposure, so that you can select the one that looks the best.
IMAGE QUALITY:- The camera has three image quality choices: 8.2 mp (megapixel), 4.3 mp, and 2.0 mp. For the best image, shoot with the highest image quality. The size of the image can be reuced later with image editing software.
ISO SPEED :- This setting increases or decreases the sensitivity of the image sensor. If you are shooting in dim light, you may want to adjust this control to a higher ISO setting for greater sensor sensitivity to light. In bright light, you may adjust it to a lower value to prevent noise.
COLOUR TEMPERATURE :- This setting gives you even greater control over the white balance. You can choose from range of overall colour temperature settings
AUTOFOCUS POINT SELECTION:- SLR cameras commonly have seven or more autofocus points that you can choose from if you wish the focus point to be different from the one chosen by automatic autofocus.
SHUTTER SPEED :- Manually controls the shutter speed
EXPOSURE COMPENSTATION :- Alters the exposure setting set by the camera. The exposure can be increased for a lighter image or decreased for a darker image.
AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE BRACKETING :- When this is turned on, the camera captures three images when you take a shot: One with the default exposure automatically determined by the camera, one with increased exposure, and one with decreased exposure, so that you can select the one that looks the best.
IMAGE QUALITY:- The camera has three image quality choices: 8.2 mp (megapixel), 4.3 mp, and 2.0 mp. For the best image, shoot with the highest image quality. The size of the image can be reuced later with image editing software.
ISO SPEED :- This setting increases or decreases the sensitivity of the image sensor. If you are shooting in dim light, you may want to adjust this control to a higher ISO setting for greater sensor sensitivity to light. In bright light, you may adjust it to a lower value to prevent noise.
COLOUR TEMPERATURE :- This setting gives you even greater control over the white balance. You can choose from range of overall colour temperature settings
AUTOFOCUS POINT SELECTION:- SLR cameras commonly have seven or more autofocus points that you can choose from if you wish the focus point to be different from the one chosen by automatic autofocus.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
MOVIE POSTERS
<--- This poster from the film 'The Omen' portrays a dark and mysterious vibe, due to its dark trees and shadows of the young boy. However this is contrasted to the white light shining through, almost giving the feeling of an innocence. The 'O' has been attached to a shadow of a cross, and this gives an indication to what the films theme could be - religion. 
<-- Prom Night's movie poster I feel is one of the best as it doesn't have lots of different pictures, but instead it has one, solid image. The fact that we cant see the girls eyes gives a scary feel and an intrigue to what is happening. The use of the diamond accessories is very effective in my view as it gives a lighter touch to the horrifying picture. 
Friday, November 6, 2009
STORYBORDING YOUR MOVIE
...Storyboarding is the process of producing sketches of the shots of your script and ideas...
WHY DO IT??
It helps you see what your film is going to look like. It will help you to work faster whilst filming as you know exactly how you want a shot to look like and what camera angles to use.
The good thing is that you dont need to be an artist to create a clear storyboard. Stick-men etc are fine, as long as you can see the basics such as camera angles, how the scene is 'generally' going to look and where the actors will be standing.
CREATING A STORYBOARD
WHY DO IT??
It helps you see what your film is going to look like. It will help you to work faster whilst filming as you know exactly how you want a shot to look like and what camera angles to use.
The good thing is that you dont need to be an artist to create a clear storyboard. Stick-men etc are fine, as long as you can see the basics such as camera angles, how the scene is 'generally' going to look and where the actors will be standing.
CREATING A STORYBOARD
- Keep the area you have to draw small.
- Copy a basic storyboard layout sheet
- Sketch it in pencil so its easy to make adjustments
- Write any extra notes to attch to the scene - sound and lighting ideas
- An overhead plan view
- Number and sequence yours shots so its easy to follow.
<-- A basic storybord image. How it should look, and what details should be involved.
VIDEO CAMERA INTRODUCTION
The video camera is the most important piece of equipment that we are going to be using. Therefore we needed to know how to do pre-recording checks, set it up correctly, and general use of the camera - we were taught this by Matt. We used Sony camera's and they are perfect for and introduction to camera's and filming.
The most important checks that need to be done are :
PRE RECORDING CHECKS
- Camera attached to the tri-pod correctly
- 'Bubbled' the camera - levels.
- Enough battery for the amount of filming that is neccesary
- Checking the lighting - light gain (DB)
GENERAL USE
- Colour bar at the beginning
- Recording directions - 'Standby'-'Roll Camera'-'ACTION!'
Monday, October 19, 2009
PRELIM POST PRODUCTION BLOG
After filming the footage of our preliminary task, we needed to begin the editing process. For this we used a programme on the MAC computers called 'Final Cut'. This programme offers us a variety of editing techniques and it also gives us more of a clean and professional final view once produced.
But from the beginning we needed to get our footage from the camera onto the computer, and this was done by uploading it to the ‘final cut’ server, and then from there we accessed an edit proxy, which is a digital copy of the camera footage, and this saves us manipulating the original footage. – This doesnt neccesarily change the quality of the footage, but it makes it smaller and more managable to work with.
After this we began with the editing process. This started with us ‘logging’ the shots that we had filmed the week prior. This is the first job before anything can begin for an editor. Logging basically means choosing the appropriate and best shots out of the ones that we had filmed. To begin the shot we pressed ‘I’ (in) and then where we wanted the shot to finish we pressed ‘O’ (out), after this shot was cut where we wanted it, we dragged and dropped it into the ‘log bin’, and after we named a file, by clicking on the toolbar ‘modify clip’, and re-named the depending on the camera angle or any other relevant information that would make that shot easy to find, choose and access what ones we needed.
The next step was ‘organizing our shots’ this required referring back to our storyboard that we were given at the beginning and what we were required to follow, so we could make sure that we had enough shots to give us a back up. I found it really interesting to watch the footage back, and I was very pleased with how the scene looked and how it was lit, filmed and generally produced.
In order for us to begin we had to place the shots in order, according to the original storyboard.
Once all of these processes were completed and cut in the right places, we could begin to edit in final cut ready to finish the task. We dragged the shots that we wanted into the timeline, and then from there we could add shots, cut sound, add sound and add some extra ‘arty’ shots that we decided to film – but this was just an experiment to test the final cut programme and to also test our editing skills. We were able to jump between shots for close ups, over the shoulders and wide – and by the looks of this it made it look interesting and generally more professional.
<--- This here is a basic look and outline of what the 'Final Cut' screen would look like. As you can see at the bottom left, there are a multitude of shots that could be used, this gives the editor a wide range of shots to choose from. The two split screens at the top gives the editor a basic view of what the shots will look like and from their you can decide if you want to cut to a wide, closeup etc...
But from the beginning we needed to get our footage from the camera onto the computer, and this was done by uploading it to the ‘final cut’ server, and then from there we accessed an edit proxy, which is a digital copy of the camera footage, and this saves us manipulating the original footage. – This doesnt neccesarily change the quality of the footage, but it makes it smaller and more managable to work with.
After this we began with the editing process. This started with us ‘logging’ the shots that we had filmed the week prior. This is the first job before anything can begin for an editor. Logging basically means choosing the appropriate and best shots out of the ones that we had filmed. To begin the shot we pressed ‘I’ (in) and then where we wanted the shot to finish we pressed ‘O’ (out), after this shot was cut where we wanted it, we dragged and dropped it into the ‘log bin’, and after we named a file, by clicking on the toolbar ‘modify clip’, and re-named the depending on the camera angle or any other relevant information that would make that shot easy to find, choose and access what ones we needed.
The next step was ‘organizing our shots’ this required referring back to our storyboard that we were given at the beginning and what we were required to follow, so we could make sure that we had enough shots to give us a back up. I found it really interesting to watch the footage back, and I was very pleased with how the scene looked and how it was lit, filmed and generally produced.
In order for us to begin we had to place the shots in order, according to the original storyboard.
Once all of these processes were completed and cut in the right places, we could begin to edit in final cut ready to finish the task. We dragged the shots that we wanted into the timeline, and then from there we could add shots, cut sound, add sound and add some extra ‘arty’ shots that we decided to film – but this was just an experiment to test the final cut programme and to also test our editing skills. We were able to jump between shots for close ups, over the shoulders and wide – and by the looks of this it made it look interesting and generally more professional.
<--- This here is a basic look and outline of what the 'Final Cut' screen would look like. As you can see at the bottom left, there are a multitude of shots that could be used, this gives the editor a wide range of shots to choose from. The two split screens at the top gives the editor a basic view of what the shots will look like and from their you can decide if you want to cut to a wide, closeup etc... 
Then the part next to and underneath the split screens is the timeline, and this shows what shots are where and also shows the sound.
WHAT DOES FINAL CUT DO?
The precision editing tools let you work in real time with virtually any format
You can edit faster and at higher quality across a wide range of workflows.
Change clip speeds with ease using redesigned speed tools.
Enjoy dozens of additional enhancements.
Change clip speeds with ease using redesigned speed tools.
Enjoy dozens of additional enhancements.
xx
Monday, October 12, 2009
MY MOVIE POSTER
This is my first thoughts for the possible movie that I am going to produce. The colours that I used, I feel give a spooky and scary feel - red, grey and black. The images that I have chosen to include, I think get the basic message across to the audience as to what the film is about. I have used a mixture of denotation & connotation...
DENOTATION:- Girl running away, creepy image of an eye
CONNOTATION:- Why is she running away? Who's eye is it?
PRELIMINARY TASK EVALUATION
For our preliminary task I was with Cat, Steph, Lauren and I. We all were on the same 'thought' track in terms of how we wanted the scene to look and what image and message we wanted to portray. First of all we began by finding some actors to be in the scene. We picked James Sneller and Fiona Winter. The basic story was that the girl (Fiona) was about to be pressurized into killing someone, and it’s about her journey of the pressure from the guy (James)
We were given the'dedit' suite to film in - more usually known as the old media suite (hence the dead). This worked really well for the mood that we were trying to portray as it had a 'spooky' feel to it from the beginning. Probably sue to its white brick walls that weren’t painted evenly - or the mass amounts of wires that were surrounding the room. Also there was a door that was needed in the room, so we had all the neccesary equipment, props and staging in order to make the scene make sense and work well for us as the directors and the actors aswell.
In our group we had Cat, Steph, Lauren and I, and we each took on a role that helped make the filming easy. I took more of a 'camera' role, for example I positioned the camera for filming and I worked closely with Steph for the call outs - Standing By, Camera rolling... ACTION!
For the lighting we used a hard light, as it made the scene more 'intense' looking. This worked really well, as we positioned the lights in a way that we would have a shadow on the back wall - this was very effective for the mood setting. Therefore this carried on with the horror and spooky feel to the scene.
We managed to set the camera up with success, as we all helped each other. We went through a system of checking certain aspects. I.E - Making sure it was bubbled correctly, making sure that the camera was securely attached and securely on the tri-pod. We each checked it to make sure that everything was done right, so we could begin filming. From the screen check we made sure that none of the lighting equipment, bags or another 'off set' objects were on show.
After the equipment and staging was checked for any imbalances or inaccuracies, we began to go through the different shots that we will need. We found a way of doing this that would make it easier for us to film, and so that it wouldn’t take up as much time. We filmed the entire scene in wide shot, close-ups and over the shoulders from both character and then we decided to add a few extra shots of the gun being slammed down on the table, eyes, door handle, shadow and an extreme high shot from a 'birds eye' view.
Another main fact that we needed to make sure we had correct is the '180 degree rule' - and I feel that we managed to stick to this rule, making sure that each character was on the right spot. This was hard at first as it required some forward thinking but we managed to complete this.
We all enjoyed the common 'call outs' that bounced back between the director and the camera man. Steph and I usually called these out and it became a natural speech after a while.
I feel that I've learnt a lot from this first filming session, and I never thought about the intense amount of thinking that is required from everyone pre-production and during the production. But apart from that it was a very educational experience, as well as being fun. Our group wanted to make it a good experience for all :)
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