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.