March 25, 2009

Yesterday
Ashley posted the film locations and our available dates on facebook (below):

I know I sent one just now but Raph didn't get it so I've got him on FB and this is for all of us to to reply to!
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Filming
27 Friday night
28 Saturday night
31 Tuesday night (not too sure about this one yet)
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Night Filming locations!
We've got all the locations we're going to film at for the night scenes - Bernice knows where to go! It's somewhere in Happy Valley... (Alleys, Streets, Underpass)
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Day Filming Locations
We've kinda got this covered but not entirely finalized but here's the list :)
Busy mall - Times Square (we're gonna need a handheld for this too since we can't actually film in the mall and we'll have to... run through it)
Buildings - Bern's dad's office! Eastern Harbor Center, Quarry Bay
Corridors - Bern's dad's office! Eastern Harbor Center, Quarry Bay
Cubicles - Happy Valley Library toilet - we could do this the same day we film the night scenes in Happy Valley since... yea they're both in the same place
Stairwell - Bern's dad's office! Eastern Harbor Center, Quarry Bay
Car park - This is the indoor and outdoor one. Bern knows where to go... it's somewhere in North Point.
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Equipment List
HD CameraHandheld (?)
Boom Mike
Boom Pole
Dolly...?
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Costumes
Adrian: Big black hoodie, Black Pants, Crutches (!!!!)
Bernice: We'll talk about this online
Ashley: ditto that

I think we are quite organized and we kept in contact whenever we have ideas and changes to make.

Class
We looked at our previous projects today and critiqued on others' roles. As I am the cameraperson in my previous group, I looked at the camera work of other groups and commented on the cinematography of each production.

Firstly, it was Natalia, I thought the cameraperson (Louise) applied some basic rules such as rule of thirds and medium shots, however, in terms of taking risks, she could have done better if she considered the lighting as to achieve a film noir effect. Instead of the actor/actress' back facing the light, they should face towards the light. It would have been better if they edited the saturation if the location did not provide the source of lights they want. As for the sounds, it was somewhat distracting as there were some problems with the white balance. The attempt to create tension between the two people could have been better if the pulse of the heart sound effect was not too sudden and comical.

I thought Strategem had some interesting camera shots. However, the camera was a little shaky unintentionally. I thought the car's surface did not capture the camera's reflection which was quite good. Maybe using dutch angles or varied shots could add more film noir effects.

As for Pulse, I thought some of the shots were nicely done, such as the close-up of the phone hanging up. I thought the light source coming from the computer screen's blaring was interesting, however, it would have been better if they did not turn off all the lights. As using a flashlight was a little too obvious. Creating light contrasts can help create better visual effects.

I thought The Broken Beautiful (our film) was quite good. I was very happy and proud of our group as we worked very well together and was very committed individually. We all took on our roles and worked hard to achieve our goal. However, I thought Jeff's comment on how the editor and cameraperson could have communicated more so that the continuity of the shots could be more fluid.

I was reflective today as an IB learner, as I reflected on my previous projects and how I can improve in terms of camera work and communication.

March 23, 2009

Film location scouting on thursday
Sarah, Adrian and I decided to go location scouting at 7pm when all three of us are free. I decided to go to Ventris Road as there are a few alleys. We took quite a lot of photos and we dicussed the shots and lighting along the way. Here are some photos we took (I also uploaded them on facebook so the other members of the group will be able to get a sense of where we will be filming):

The locations were quite safe and we looked at the lighting as it is very important during night time. I also thought the alleys and roads will fit our script quite well as there are many angles that can be explored by the cameraperson (Sarah) and potential to create some great shots.

The photos include alleys, stairs, quiet roads and some corners which can be considered for the shots when the female scrambles to get up against the wall.

It was a single lesson today and our group briefed Ashley on our plans as she was sick last week and was not able to participate in our discussions. Afterwards, we decided on the locations of our script. I suggested a few locations and as we already went film location scouting for alleys, we will be filming our production in alleys, underpass and a few road shots in Happy Valley. We made use of this single to also compromise our schedules for shooting for this weekend and next week. We finalized the shooting locations and we will start storyboarding next class.

Reviewing the IB learner profile, I strived to be open-minded, a communicator, thinker, principled and risk-taker. I was open-minded to others' suggestions of the script and ideas; a communicator when I want to express my ideas, I collaborated with my gropu members well and we made decisions quickly and effectively; a thinker when I have to solve some location problems, therefore, I suggested different location sites; principled as I am responsible for the script and am willing to take responsibilty for any changes; lastly, a risk-taker when I decided to make the changes and express ideas.

March 18, 2009

After Monday's class
On msn, Raphael and Ashley were not online, therefore, Adrian, Sarah and I discussed on the ideas.
We discussed beforehand that the previous idea we had is impractical, therefore we had to think of another idea. I proposed to do a swimming pool chase scene as it may be quite interesting, however, I had my doubts whether it will be possible to do well as it may consist of only simple shots. So, Adrian decided to write an email to Ms. Wong to ask for some directions, and it was actually okay! Then, once we started to develop our ideas, we did not want to do the swimming shot, instead, a thriller-scary film of a stalker chasing after a girl. Adrian already found a soundtrack called "Deceptive Appearances" from Freeplaymusic.com and after listening to it, I thought it was pretty good and fits what we want. As I was the screenwriter, I started having some ideas in my mind and wanted as little dialogue as possible. I decided that the stalker caught the girl in the end and he should only say one line, being his only dialogue in the script. Then we thought we should have sounds of bell ringing to foreshadow death and to show a sense of fear. As Adrian has bells on his crutches, they can be rather freaky and symbolizes death and the stalker's existence. Adrian showed us a video on youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qORG40N1_Lg&feature=related. The bell ringings on 2:51 is what our group hopes to achieve.

I was very happy that we came up with a lot of ideas and we were very dedicated to the group. However, all we worry is that the script should not be cliched or melodramatic. Therefore, being the screenwriter, I have to overcome this challenge.

Class

Today in class, as I have already finished the script, I showed it to the rest of my group members and asked for their opinions. Ashley was sick therefore she could not come to school. After reading my script, my group members thought it has good portals. However, after talking to Ms. Wong, we realize we have to add in a few more bits and pieces to make this film believable. Therefore, we listened to the sound track once again. The sound track is 2 minutes and it will start once the female starts running. When we were deciding on the roles of the characters, my group members thought I should be the female as keeping characters in our group will be easier for us as a group to work together, making things more organized at the same time. As for the man, Adrian will take the role as he is the only one with crutches! I thought as the verses repeats over and over again, with transitions in the middle (e.g. glockenspiel/snare drums), then we should have change of portals whenever we reach the transition. Adrian, the sound director, therefore noted down the times for the transitions, so we can figure out the amount of portals we will need to fit the music.

March 16, 2009

We were to start a new project today. It is to create a Twilight Zone chase scene. We had to be in different groups and our whole class were spending quite a long time as we felt it was quite difficult to choose people in our groups. Therefore, Ms. Wong ended up helping us choose our group members. My new group members are Sarah, Adrian, Ashley and Raphael. We were appointed the following roles:

New group

Bernice (Me) - Screenwriter

Adrian - Sound Editor

Sarah - Cameraperson

Raphael - Editor

Ashley - Producer

I was kind of scared at first as I find writing as one of my weaknesses. However, once we brainstormed, it made it seem easier. Firstly, we thought about doing a character growing up to be our theme. Therefore, having a baby, a toddler, and then a teenager to do portals. However, we immediately evaluated the idea and we found it impractical. Therefore, another idea came up, it was a character running away from reality. I thought as Raph wanted to act, maybe pretend his brother is dead, therefore, wherever he runs, everything reminds him of his brother. In the end, he ends up in the graveyard and kills another man who appears to have killed his brother. As we developed this idea, we realized it is impractical and eventually moving away from the project's purpose. Therefore, I sat alone and thought hard, then I decided we should do a chase scene of a flying object. We brainstormed and it will be of a guy chasing after a red paper airplane.


General Idea
Opening - Flashbacks (Airport express)
guy says bye to girl he loves. Girl hands him a red paper airplane before he leaves. Black screen. he drops the paper airplane accidentally, picks it up. News announcers everywhere of a plane crash.
Chase scene starts
He is sitting alone, holding the paper airplane, sudden gust of wind, he starts chasing after the paper airplane.
Ending
the paper airplane was too high and he is too tired to chase after the paper airplane, he falls to the grass and lies down, watching the paper airplane drift away in the air. He closes his eyes.



I thought it was a pretty good idea and now I have to work on the script and finish it before wednesday. I strived to be "knowledgeable" and "risk-taker" as we explored concepts and ideas; "communicators" when discussing amongst the group; "thinkers" when we brainstorm on ideas; and "open-minded" to other group members' ideas'.




http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/071218/redballoon_l.jpg

I decided to look at "La Ballon Rouge" (The Red Balloon") for some inspiration. I think to be able to make the film effective, I, as the writer, will have to make sure the details are clearly written. And I have to consider more portal scenes to make it effective.

March 11, 2009

We had to screen our films today. Our group was done with everything and did some final touch-ups in the first period of the double lesson. We changed the font size of the film and made some minor changes. the ending was changed a little by making Medora walk a little longer before the film ends. We made sure everything was rendered. I thought the film was quite good and we exported it from Final Cut Pro to Quicktime Movie Player. Then we moved it into the drop box so it will be ready for the screening. The poster was made by one of our fellow classmates - Leis Ho and I thought it was very nice (as shown in the image above). However, one of the flaws was that we forgot to credit the sounds, which was a pity as we had remaining time to do so but none of us remembered until we had to screen it.

Screening

Our film was first to show and I was kind of nervous and excited. However, it was lagging as we used the HD camera, Quicktime movie player was not fast enough to load everything, thus the lagging problems. It was quite effective to the audience as they were a little shocked and understood the plot. I felt we did quite well but if added the credits of the sounds, it would have been better.

Natalia (Xiang Yi, Louise, Elliot, Ashley)

I thought the lightingcould have done better to achieve a mysterious effect. The sounds were a little messy and could have added a lot more as it did not sound too "Film Noir". The camera shots were appropriate and it would be better if there were not too many sudden cuts, this can be achieved by referring to what we have learnt about continuity editing.

Pulse (Ella, Adrian, Sarah, Catherine)

I thought the plot was quite good and I learnt some steady and good camera work from this. However, the blaring of the computer was not quite effective as the figures were not clearly shown and it seemed a little fuzzy. I thought the sound was quite well as they changed from indirect to direct sounds (song recording --> song blaring from iPod earphones).

Strategem (Jing-Ting, Joyce, Camille, Justin)

I thought the acting was quite well. However, as the dialogues were a little muffled up, it could have been better by recording voiceovers, etc. The plot could have been better if there were more tension.

Plunge (Julien, Jeffrey, Hannah, Chris, Raphael)

I thought the cinematography was nicely done and the plot was quite good as well. There was tension created with the water dripping. However, I thought the sounds could have been better if the scene of Julien getting water did not sound too empty, maybe music?

Overall, I felt honored to be in our group and I learnt a lot from the screening. It felt great to be able to see all our works after all the hard work. Today, I strived to be "thinkers" while helping as a group to encounter problems with the ending of the film; as "communicators" when communicating well with each other; "principled" as we held our own responsibilities and worked as a group; and "reflective" of our film and what I have learnt and achieved in the filmmaking process. It was a great experience working with Medora, Andy, and Henry as a group to create a "Film Noir" production - "The Broken Beautiful". I learnt so much from them and along the way while doing some research and watching film noir examples. It was a rewarding project as we worked hard and collaborated well amongst the group. (IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE!!!)

(see evaluation for a longer reflection on my own role as a cameraperson)

March 9, 2009

Filming on Saturday
We had to do some more shootings of Andy walking lonely and drunk as he roamed in the streets. I got some shots of buildings which were quite nice as they showed his surroundings. Then this time, I made sure the boom mic was out of the camera lense's sight as there was a scene when I previously shot had the existence of the boom mic's shadow. Therefore, we were extra careful and cautious of the shadows in every scene. We had a scene where he is staring at the church, and walking outside the church, drinking a bottle of beer. It was a nice effect and they were extras for our film. We then got beer bottles for Andy and I had a dutch angle of him walking along the path, but realizes he ran out of beer, he drops the bottle and the bottle breaks. Then, Henry suggested to do a close-up of the bottle, which turned out pretty well as the when I filmed, there were cars' headlights reflecting on the bottle pieces, making the glass glitter in the dark. We also had a shot of "Andy coming out of the building while Medora waits for him" outside a building on Ventris Road (Henry's place), I closed-up on Medora's eyes to show tension and to show where she was looking at. It took 2.5 hours to finish all the shots and they were successful.

Class
We have two more days till the due date of the film.
As we re-shot some of the scenes on Saturday night, we had to upload the footage to the computer.
We worked on the editing today and I thought Andy did pretty well. He asked us for some opinions for the transitions and we did some minor changes based on the group's opinions. I think we have good time management as everything is according to plan. Since it was a single lesson, we used this lesson to continue to edit our film. After the footage was uploaded, we checked the film and cut out unwanted parts. THERE WAS NO SIGN OF THE BOOM MIC'S SHADOW! We stayed back to continue working on it and Andy seemed nearly done. I believe we will manage to finish by next class.

Referring to the IB Learner Profile, I strived to be communicators, risk-takers, open-minded and principled. I "communicated" with my fellow group members and collaborated with each other, working most efficiently; taking "risks", I bravely gave ideas and explored different angles; "open-minded" to other people's suggestions and seeking a range of perspective through different points of views of others; and lastly, "principled" as I took responsibility to my own acts.

March 4. 2009

Andy continued editing the film while we provide constant feedback and suggestions. Medora worked on the soundtrack of Greensleeves and I thought it sounds good and suits the credits of the film. We also looked at the the saturation of the film and decided that it would be better if we change the saturation of the film. Andy edited a third of our film and I think he did pretty well with the editing. I provided some suggestions on the film's transitions and we realized that for some shots, the boom mic's shadow was caught in the film. Therefore we decided to reshoot the footage this coming saturday night. On the same night, we will also film some building shots and Andy walking as extra scenes.

I think we were very productive this class. Henry and I actively involved in giving feedback to the sounds and the editing. Medora finished the sounds and we decided to think about the poster.

In this class, I strived to be communicators, thinkers, knowledgeable, open-minded, principled, risk-takers and reflective. This is because I cooperated well with the group; applied our skills through editing, and approached the problems by discussing and providing suggestions with the group; showed my knowledge on film through cinematography; kept open-minded to evaluate the editing and sound effects; being honest to my group members by providing opinions on the film, and respected each other individually; explored a broad range of ideas for editing; and lastly, reflected on our film constantly in the class.

March 2, 2009

"Filming day" Sunday and Saturday

On the day we filmed, it was at night and we took five hours to shoot the scenes we could get that night. During the shooting, as I was not tall enough to do some shots, Henry helped by holding the camera while I direct (I felt very short standing next to him). We worked great as a team and I did my roll as the cameraperson at the same time.

The photos above are evidence of the night when we were shooting. Even though we were tired, we still cooperated as a team and tried our best to understand each others' roles. At first, I used the dolly, however, after the first shot, we decided to hold the camera as the dolly was too shaky on the uneven concrete, therefore the films are not smooth. Each scene was challenging as there were problems with the lighting and the fluidity from scene to scene. Therefore, we followed some parts of the storyboard, while we improvised for other scenes when needed to.

On Saturday, we filmed the flashbacks of the film in the afternoon at Medora and my place. We closed the curtains and used lights to help show the features of the faces of the characters.

As shown in the photos above, Medora helped me with my make-up. And then the second photos shows that I am sitting in a position for a close-up for the flashbacks. I acted as "Jennifer" and the shots were successful. We finished filming in 3 hours. We thought about the "final product" as we were shooting which helped us consider better angles and lightings. It was successful and we were ready to edit on monday.

As we have managed to film on friday and saturday, we uploaded our footage to Final Cut Pro. At first, we had some encounters with uploading it as the settings of the external hard drive do not match the settings of the computer. However, once the settings were set to the correct one, we waited for Final Cut Pro to capture the whole footage.

While waiting, we decided to do the voiceovers in one of the practice rooms to use our time wisely. We recorded Andy's voiceovers and it was a success. When we went back to the Multimedia Lab, our footage was done capturing. Therefore, we started looking at the films and deleting the bad scenes. While Medora worked on the sounds of the voiceovers and Greensleeves. I provided suggestions to Andy and we discussed the possibilities for the scenes. We accomplished a lot this double and we were good communicators, thinkers, open-minded, principled and risk-takers.

February 25, 2009

It was our last double lesson to plan our film. As we will be shooting on friday, we made sure we have everything prepared. The HD camera was booked and we did more planning for friday. Andy and Medora rehearsed their scripts and Henry provided many suggestions for different scenes. I worked on the storyboard while the others worked on their parts. I managed to finish most of my storyboard and our group was well-organized.

Next, we decided to explore the possible shots for our film by taking photos of Andy and Medora acting out the scene. We took some good photos and I explored the angles and shots. Here are some of the photos I took.










We practiced some scenes such as the one when Medora takes out her gun and points at Andy. And the dead scene of Andy and I. We looked at how they should be shot. I thought it was a productive class and we strived to be communicators, thinkers and open-minded. We cooperated well with each other and we had a lot of ideas to share and suggest. I managed to finish my storyboard as homework as well so we would be able to use it on friday.

February 23, 2009

Since we only had a single class today, we continued planning and discussing our film we have to create this coming friday. We were very enthusiastic when it came to brainstorming. We looked at the photos Andy and Henry took this weekend while on location hunt. I find the photos appropriate and it enhances the mood of our film. We decided to go to the locations shown in the photos.

Andy and I continued working on the storyboard while Henry and Medora discussed sounds and the script. We decided we will look at Film Noir examples so we will have a better idea on the angles and shots they use in the genre. We managed to come up with a lot of ideas and symbols. I thought that if Andy crouches in one of the shot, and filming from a low angle, it will show that the "femme fatale" is on its way to overpower the protagonist. We also discussed how Andy should make the dialogue darker and say each line slower to make the audience dwell on the voiceover.

We thrived to be risk-takers, thinkers,communicators and open-minded during this class as we provide suggestions and accept opinions other group members came up with. I am very excited to be shooting this on friday and we will film this at night on Ventris Road, Happy Valley. (the photo below is taken by Henry on Ventris Road)

February 18, 2009

We got back into our groups and we started discussing our next step. As Henry already wrote the script ("A Broken Beautiful" is the name of the script), we swiftly moved on to planning and storyboard. Firstly, we talked about the suitable mood and characteristics Andy(Andy's playing himself) and Eva (Medora's part) should possess. We thought that Andy should be drunk and helpless, while Eva should be sexy yet subtle (someone who does not look cheap). We planned to film in a dark place to foreshadow something "bad" is going to happen.

When Andy and Medora rehearsed the script once, we thought of different ideas and how to convey each sentence. Henry explained how what he had in mind for his script and we all provided opinions. The script was great and I thought it fitted "Film Noir's" characteristics. Then we discussed how we should use the HD camera so the quality of the film could be better. It also has many other functions so we can create and play with more effects, enhancing the success of the film. As my roll in this project is cameraperson, I thought it was a very good suggestion from Henry to use the HD camera. We looked at the manual and discussed how to create different kinds of effects, such as focus and blurs. Afterwards, Medora and Henry discussed the scripts and sounds while Andy and I worked together for the storyboard. Andy and I came up with all kinds of ideas and as it was his first time taking film, I explained the names of different angles to him. We drew a few pages of the storyboard this class and accomplished quite a lot already. I proposed to go to Happy Valley as it is safe and full of dark alleys. They will be scouting this weekend for locations. Afterwards, we had a basic plan on what we will do on the day we film.

In this double lesson, we strived to be communicators and risk-takers. We explored ideas and different possibilities for our film. We worked well as a group and I find it very enjoyable working with my fellow group members.

February 16, 2009

In today's class, we reviewed what we learnt last class which was "Continuity Editing". After looking at the different key techniques(e.g. Point of View Cutting, Directional continuity) listed in the PowerPoint, I thought I have to be more familiar with them as I will have to use the techniques throughout the course. In order to exercise our new found knowledge, we looked at an example, a movie - "Momento". We counted how many cuts there were in that very short scene and there were 22 cuts. It was a lot which made me realize the effort required to create a movie. I thought the cuts did not make the movie seem too out of focus and they were appropriate for the mood in the movie. Next, we looked at another part of "Momento", this time we had to identify the key techniques used. We spotted out Directional continuity, Match on action, and Point of View cutting. I thought they were all used nicely and contributes to the flow of the movie. In this small task, we strived to be "Thinkers" as we apply what we have learnt earlier to recognize what was required to be found in the task.

After the revision on Continuity editing, we looked at a new unit - FILM NOIR. As I have learnt about a small part of it last year, I have always found Film Noir a very interesting and significant part of Hollywood filmmaking, therefore, I was very excited when I found out we were to learn about this genre. We explored themes found in this genre and they usually possess similiar characteristics. They have a protagonist, an antagonist (usually Femme Fatale), and the Good Woman. The protagonist appears to be a "hero" who is in control in the beginning of the plot, however, there is the Femme Fatale, who seduces the protagonist, creating conflicts and violence in the protagonist's world. Most importantly, the film brings out the message that "things are not what they seem". In Film Noir, there are two categories, External and Internal. The External is the setting, such as dark streets, haunts, to depict the mood of the scene. As for Internal, it involves the disturbance of the protagonist's mind. The cinematography of the genre also has a unique style. It has many night scenes and they are usually exaggerated, the dutch angles suggest disorientation. Film Noir has significant iconography such as telephones, newspapers, water and alcohol, this presents the city or atmosphere as dangerous. The general principles of this genre is that the protagonist is not as in control as he thought he could be, and it usually has a meaningless ending which causes the audience to feel a kind of depression. The plot structure is very cliche as the films which belong to this genre usually has a set up of the protagonist being in control of the situation, then drawn to the femme fatale, thus, leads to a defeat in the end.

We were shown an example of film noir. It demonstrates first-person narration and the dialogue happened in a dark room which is dusty and closed blinds. I thought the woman's sitting position also suggested seduction to the protagonist, therefore, foreshadows the protagonist's fail to control himself. Next, we looked at a part of another movie example, "Heat", with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. I thought the dialogue was fantastic and it shows ambiguity. The shots in the small part suggest that each of the characters are isolated because only one of the characters appear in each shot. Then we were shown another example, "Internal Affairs". I thought the clear skies daylight setting created a contrast with the "dark" characters, which created a very interesting dimension. The dialogue was simple yet there was ambiguity again. Both examples' characters were cop and robber which created tension. After some shot discussions, we were introduced to our next task.

We have to create a 3-5 minutes film which involves two-people dialogue and apply the unerstanding of Film Noir and its characteristics, continuity editing, planning and pre-production skills, time management and collaboration as a team. I was with Medora, Henry and Andy. We assigned roles immediately, Henry is the writer, I took up the role as Cameraperson, Medora is Sound Director and Andy is the Editor. Firstly, we discussed the plot. Henry suggested since Medora and I are twins, it will be interesting if we evolve our "identities". However, as it will be difficult to show a "manipulative" woman antagonist, and a good woman, we decided to change the theme to just protagonist (male) and antagonist (female). As we only had 10 minutes, we did not have time to continue our discussion. However, the writer will have a basic summary next class so the other members of the group will be able to visualize or plan what their next goal is.

In today's session, I strived to be a "Thinker" when I think about the skillls I have learnt; a "Communicator" when I was involved in discussions within my group; "Open-minded" to new ideas within the group. It was a useful class and the knowledge I have gained today is important for the course later.

February 11, 2009

We started with something new today and we learnt about the importance of “Continuity Editing” in order to create a better film. I thought it was very interesting and it got me thinking more about angles and shots. After watching some examples of the shots, I had a clearer understanding of how to edit films. I thought the information was very useful as it will help us with our tasks later in this course.

After the introduction to editing, we had a new task. We had to pick one script from four given to us. Going back to our old groups, Medora, Louise, Ashley and I decided to use Script 4. We retrieved our equipment – camera, headphones, microphone and tripod. Then we decided to film on the edge of sixth floor new building near the railings where there is natural lighting and space. Louise was A and Medora was B. But before we filmed them with dialogue, we filmed Medora walking towards the edge of sixth floor. It was an over-the-shoulder shot. Afterwards, we filmed Louise walking towards Medora, however this is a close-up of her, so we had to make sure the tripod was leveled and the shots were smooth. Due to the stiffness of the tripod, we had a little difficulty making a pan shot as it was not smooth. But Ashley and I decided to hold on to the tripod so that the shot can be created. Afterwards, we did a match on action cut when Louise was walking towards Medora. When she approaches Medora, we filmed 180 degree rule of her hand on Medora’s shoulder, making sure we caught Medora’s shocked expression. Then we had another close-up of her hand on Medora’s shoulder. We decided to have varieties of shots to allow us to edit our film from a selection of angles and shots.

For the dialogue, we made Louise sound concerned when she said “What are you looking at?” But Medora seemed shocked to see her and her sudden change of facial expression made her look as if she was angry. Then Louise puzzled, asked, “Who was that?” and Medora said coldly, “My sister”. After this short dialogue, Medora walked away. When Medora said her 1st line, we used “full front”, so Medora was facing the camera when she said her line, showing Louise’s point of view. Then Louise said her 22nd line, we filmed Medora looking at the window and out of it, as if to let the audience know what she was looking at. When she left, we filmed Louise from the back and out of the window and down to the road, showing that she looked at what Medora was looking at beforehand. As we have to finish editing by next class, we will have to work on our own to create the film. We will have to learn to have good time management in order to finish the work efficiently.

During the task, we discussed the shots together and we strived to be Communicators and Risk-takers as we collaborated well and took the chance to try new ideas with each other.

February 9, 2009

After the previous two classes working on the “Recap”, we managed to finish it and export it to the drop box. As it was a single lesson, we watched every group’s version of the “Recap” and I learnt a lot from the short films and sound effects we have created.

Ella, Sarah, Adrian and Catherine
I thought the gritty, documentary feel they shot was quite nicely done and it fitted the topic. The dream-like sequence was also good because it was a little blurred, therefore it was not very sharp. However, they could have reduced the blue from their sad, melancholy scene. For sounds, the emergency sound effect they created could be less straight-forward. From their short film, I learnt that tilting angles can help create a more dreamy effect.

Chris, Henry, Andy and Raphael
As they did not edit it thoroughly, I thought it could have been a lot better. However, I thought the “rule of thirds” shot fitted quite well. The sound effects they have created were good but did not fit their themes. For example, the sounds for time seemed as if it were wedding chimes. I think if they edited the footage, it would have been a lot better.

Elliot, Justin, Xiang Yi, Jing-Ting and Joyce
There could have been more interchange between the shocked, surprised scene and the sad, melancholy scene. Also, it could have been better if the documentary feel was not as similar as the detailed, sharp effect as it did not show much difference. However, it was overall quite good. I thought the theme “work” for sound effects was successfully done. It depicted a noisy work sound effect with keyboards, voices, and writings.

Julien, Hannah, Camille and Jeffrey
The editing was quite good and it has various angles in this short film. I thought the scenes fit the tasks. However, it could have been better if there was more variation in lighting. I thought using the tongues and voices to present the sound themes was very creative as it also fits the themes the group picked.

Our group – Medora, Ashley, Louise and Me
I found the feedback we received was very useful. If we were to do it again, I thought we could have reduced the blueness of the sad, melancholy shot. Also, the harsh encounter could have been approached with a different lighting as it seemed a little too happy. We have accidentally used the wrong footage for "rule of thirds", therefore it was not as good as it could have been. The sound effects of "time" was appropriate and our peers agreed so as well. However, our "work" theme did not fit very well as the sounds were too individual, it could have been better if we overlap the sounds or record the sound in a busier environment.

In this class, we strived to be "Principled" learners as we took responsibility for our own actions and we were also "Reflective" of our own film. We now understood our strenghts and limitations in this task, and thus, we will know what to improve later in the course.

February 4, 2009

Today, we continued with the “Recap Scavenger Hunt” we worked on last class. Our group got together and imported the footage into Final Cut Pro so we could edit our film. We used the fire wire to connect the camera to the computer in order to transfer the film into the computer. We then assigned jobs as we still had two sound recordings to work on. Louise and I took on the Sounds while Ashley and Medora did the editing. As we have to finish it in the double lesson, Louise and I immediately started thinking of ideas to convey the meaning of the three themes we picked for Sounds. They are “work”, “time” and “destruction”. In this case, we were “communicators” in the IB learner profile as we had to collaborate with each other and work effectively in order to reach our goal. After we collected our equipment (the microphone, camera and headphones), we brainstormed different possible sounds for the themes.

Firstly, Louise and I decided to record the sound of a clock ticking. So we decided to go to the library as it is relatively quiet there and there is a clock there. When we recorded the sound, we put the microphone right on top of the clock so we could capture the “tick-tock” sounds. We thought it was quite good so we jumped to our next idea for the theme (time). I used my phone and switched on the alarm clock so we could record the sounds coming from it. We recorded it in the bathroom as there are not any other background noises. We thought if we combine the tick-tock sounds and the alarm clock sound, it represents the theme pretty well. It has continuity in the sound so the audience would know what was going on. We were bouncing ideas everywhere and we had a lot in mind, however, as time limited us, we hurried to the next theme.

“Destruction” was not very difficult for us because we immediately linked it to damage. So we recorded sounds outside the Multi-media lab on the sixth floor. We kicked the railings so it sounded as if something was undergoing a process of “destruction”. Then we hit the rubbish bin as it sounded a like drums and it made loud noises. We were trying to knock everywhere, such as doors, walls…to see whether they sounded loud and “destructive” and violent. In the end, we ended up in the bathroom, this time, we recorded the sounds of stepping on the toilet seat repetitively to make a noisy, disruptive sound. Then we stomped on the ground to sound mad as to help contribute to the theme. We strived to be “Risk-takers” throughout this scene and explored possibilities to express the theme.

For the last theme, Louise and I thought “Work” involves a lot of paperwork, pens and writing. However, we recorded Louise walking back and forth as her school shoes sounded like high heels when walking on the hard floor in the girls’ bathroom. I thought it was a good idea. Then, we took a pile of worksheets, and recorded the sound of paper flipping page after page. We took our ball pens and recorded the sounds of the clicking sounds of them to show people using tools to “work”. Afterwards, Louise wrote on the toilet paper so the writing sound could be processed through the recording. We went back to the classroom and uploaded our footage from the tape in order to edit our sound effects as soon as possible. I thought we were quick when we recorded the sounds as we were careful not to waste time.

Medora and Ashley were still working on the editing on Final Cut Pro. So, Louise and I decided to work on Sounds so we could work efficiently as a group. We had a little trouble importing our film as we rewound our tape a little too much so we had to wait a long time before we could see where our film was. It was some time wasted but we made sure we cut our footage immediately and started to edit it. We thought the sound of the clock was too soft so we will have to adjust the tick-tock sounds. However, I thought we did pretty well for the other sound effects as it was clear and conveyed all three themes. We did not have enough time but we will finish it and export it before the next film class. We strived to be “Reflective” in this situation and we learnt from our footage. As a group, I thought we were cooperative and we made decisions quickly and precisely as to make use of our precious time. But in order to meet the deadlines, I feel we have to be careful with our time management as the topics later may be intense.

February 2, 2009

It was our first film class today and we were introduced to the basic rules in class. During the course, we will be learning about different kinds of skills but we will be focusing on developing our editing skills and also film analysis. After being briefed on what to expect in this course, we were told to be in groups of four and work together for a “Recap Scavenger Hunt” on some cinematography we have learnt last year in year 10. I was with Medora, Louise, and Ashley. We planned quickly once we retrieved our equipment (camera, tape and tripod) then we started to film what was listed for the task.

Firstly, we filmed a dream-like sequence on “a student typing on the computer”. We adjusted the lighting by pulling up the blinds so the person’s features will be shown clearly on tape. I thought we could have done better by filming from different angles so it will look like a well-thought sequence with continuity. In the same room, but different area, we moved closer to the window so there will be natural light for “A student picks up a piece of paper, looks at it, then scrunches it up into a ball and throws it onto the floor” scene. The sharp, detailed effect was not as smooth as it could have been, however, it was slow enough to show what happened for this scence. Then we moved on to filming “a person is walking up the stairs”, we changed the lighting so it shows tints of blue. I thought it fitted the mood and the blue was appropriate for the “surprised and shocked” mood. When we filmed “two people dialogue”, we filmed it where natural lighting was quite effective for our scene, however, as it was a little windy, perhaps going indoors could have achieved a better footage. We made up our own script and filmed two people dialogue for “180 degrees rule” and I thought it fitted the rule. For “rule of thirds”, we filmed a person (Medora – actress) walking out of the library, I thought it was suitable for this task.

Next, we looked at sound effects, our group started with “work” so we recorded typing sounds. However as we did not have enough time, we will continue next time with the use of Final Cut Pro to create better effects with our footage.

Looking at the IB learner profile, we were mainly “Inquirers” today as we looked at the acquired skills necessary to perform the exercise. I enjoyed this “Recap” today as it refreshed what I have learnt in the previous year. It made me think about what I have to work on and improve throughout this course.