Post 14: Pre-Production Documentation

Script - 'Karma'
This was the final draft of our short film script named Karma. Completed by group member Emily, the group had numerous discussions on how the script could be improved. This was the final outcome;

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Shot List

The first piece of work I did for the pre-production was the shot list. To do this shot list I looked at the script and wrote down every shot there was. These had to be separated by scenes and shot numbers. After finishing the first draft i had a discussion with my group members to see whether anything needed changing. By the end the changes we spoke about making were more shots. Almost every scene had more shots added to it to add to the atmosphere we want to create in our film. This atmosphere we want to create is frightening and nerve racking and felt adding more shots would help create this;

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Storyboards

The storyboards were the lead off from creating the shot lists. The storyboards were straight forward however took a lot of time and effort to complete them. I completed the description on the storyboards.

As a group we all worked together to draw out the images once the storyboards had been complete. The only problem we had with the storyboards was getting the drawings done on time which took a while to finish. Each group member did four pages each of drawing for the pictures to the description;

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Production Name

A production name was needed for the film and a design to go with it. I created the name 'ThaT Production Company' with a logo to go with it. This can be used when creating the postcards and so on. I created a few logos and asked for class members opinions. After the feedback was around 50/50 i decided both of the designs can be used at various stages in the project if needed;

Location Recce
The location recce is set of panorama images of all the locations our group will be filming. The reason behind doing a recce is to make sure all the areas of filming have been examined and thought about. After our group director Emily chose the locations, our other group member Carolyn, took the photos and edited them;

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Costume and Props
It was important to look at this subject before as it would help us when we came to preparing to film. The costume and props were put into a table for each scene, for each character. These were completed by group member...

Mood Boards

The mood boards were created to further our understanding of the protagonist in our short film Lucieanne. These were completed by group member Carolyn;

Technical Recce
The technical recce was a follow on from the location recces and looked at them in more detail. These were completed by member Sohail;

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Actor Profiles
The actor profiles were created to aid our director Emily when she needed essential information quickly about her actors. The profiles were created by Carolyn;

Shooting Schedule

The shooting schedule was created to ensure the group is organised and ready for filming.

Camera Pre-practice

After being chosen to be the camera man in our group it was important I learnt how to set up and use the expensive piece of equipment. The first demonstration for using the camera was the basic setting up. This will help me when I come to filming and will not waste time when on set trying to figure out how to use set up and use the camera. We recorded ourselves showing us;
Setting up the tripod;



Putting the base-plate on the camera, putting the camera on the tripod, attaching the battery and inserting the tape;



Setting up the recording format to 16:9;



The next stage of the camera test was recording with the camera to demonstrate the skills we have learnt. What we had to demonstrate in this recording was the zoom, NDs and colour balances. The whole point of doing this experiment was to help us when we came to filming for our A2 film. If I have learnt anything from doing this it would be remembering to change the recording format to 16.9. As I did not change it to do the experiment this is a key learner to remember the correct recording format when filming for our short film.
Recording test;




The final test we did on the camera was the 85 filter experiment. What we had to show was what the camera looked like indoors and outdoors with an 85 filter and with and without. This will help me when I come to film for our group short film as I have learnt the 85 filter will help enhance the lighting.



Sound Pre-practice
As group member Sohail was chosen to be in charge of the sound it was vital he learnt the basics pre-filming. Sohail and two classmates had to demon-straight how to set up the sound equipment. This was important as everyone in the group needed to know their role. Below is one of the videos Sohail featured in. The rest of the sound clips can be found on Sohail's post 14 which has been linked at the bottom of this post.
Setting up the sound;



Links to group members pre-production documentation;
Carolyn Thornton
Emily Downer
Sohail Sadiq

Post 13: Advanced Production Skills Workshop 3

The final workshop we did as a class was all on the subject of 'source' and 'colour'. The whole reason behind doing this workshop was to further our knowledge and understanding so when we came to filming for our a2 short film. It would also enhance the quality of the production for our short film by looking at the technical elements of lighting.

The first activity we did was speak about 2 different images taken from the 1994 comedy-drama film Forest Gump. Both shots are from the same location in the film however in terms of lighting both look very different.

Forest Gump - Image 1

Forest Gump - Image 2

After previewing the two images and taking notes the class had a discussion on both of them. After a short discussion we came up with the conclusion image 1 looks a better quality then 2. The natural lighting coming from the sun in the background makes the image feel cleaner and realistic. This gives it a variety of colours in comparison to image 2 which is very dull. The dullness comes from the hard lighting in image 2, while image 1 uses soft lighting helping to bring out the colours. The direction of the lighting in image 2 is going straight down, this leads to bleaching out. I would say image 1 is an atual frame shot from the film while the 2nd looks like a photograph. The photograph look also has a distingtive look to it. This could be because of an added light enhancement like an 85 filter.

Looking at these two images has made me think about our short film we will be creating. I have learnt the colour of a film is an important way of creating a atmosphere. The 2nd image uses an 85 filter making it look cooler. This is a great technique which could help us greatly, for instance when we come to the filming - if the natural lighting is not to want we want it to look like an 85 filter can be added.

3 point lighting
3 point lighting was developed in classical Hollywood film making and is still used in film making today.

The link below shows a quick way of understanding how it works.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/3-point_lighting.ogv

Key light: Shines directly upon the subject.

Fill light: Shines on the subject however from the side.

Back light: Shines onto the subject from behind. 

The 3 point lighting is a important way to improve the quality of lighting. As a group this could influence when we film for our short film. As we are filming around Febuary, March time we will be cut short for natural light. However after looking at 3 point lighting I have learnt filming at this time of the year may not be as much of an issue. With the lighting easily edited the lighting can be enhanced by using this 3 point lighting. 

Creating an atmosphere

After looking at the 3 point lighting we went on to speaking about how the source of lighting creates an atmosphere for a film. we looked at 2 different images of corridors, looking at the lighting sources used in both.

Image 1

The lights on the walls are facing down to the floor. This leads to light filling up the corridor. We can see the character clearly because of the lighting on the wall brighting up everything. However there is also a natural light source coming from in front of the man. We can see this as the wood is reflecting the light coming from that direction.

Image 2

Image two's light source is only coming from the light on the ceiling of the corridor. This light is heading straight down to the floor creating shadows where there is zero light coming from the ceiling. in turn it creates a mysterious atmosphere so the audience feel uneasy.

For our A2 short film creating an atmosphere will be vital but the power to create one is in our hands. This has influenced me to thinking of different ways of making an atmoshere in a scene. I have looked at our script and have a few ideas of what we can do to help show the genre of our story and grabbed an audiences attention.

Colour Temperature Chart

This chart is a method of describing the range of colours to use in different situations. 

85 filter

The 85 filter can save many dilemmas when coming to filming a scene for a film. For instance if the weather is creating a dull and depressing image an 85 filter can be used to create a warmer tone to the image. The colour can be used to be an advantage to a film creating a unique style.

Warming up image - Orange filter: Without + With

Cooling image down - Blue filter: Without + With

Example of the 85 filter in film; 

Harry Potter

The 85 filter is defiantly a technique i would like to use in our short film. As the camera man it is my role to make sure each shot is perfect, while its also my job to know when and when not i need an 85 filter. As you can see from the Harry Potter image an 85 filter is used to create an atmosphere, something i just looked at, It makes the shot look dark and sinister.

After looking at all the elements of source and colour for lighting we went on to create our own experiment. This was a great chance to put all the skills we learnt into practice. The experiment involved a 10-15 seconds of a corridor with a character leaning up against a wall then walking off. In our experiment we experimented the source of lighting, changing the light in two different clips to see the difference. The first 10 seconds we used a artificial light on the character which can be seen from looking at the characters face. While the second clip is just natural light. This will help me when we come to filming for our short film as I will have a clearer view whether a shot needs enhanced lighting or not.

Source Clip; 

Post 12: Advanced Production Skills Workshop 2

Post 12 was all about experimenting with the two major features of lighting, 'Quality' and 'Direction'. The whole reason behind doing this seconds workshop was to enhance the quality of our video production by developing a sense of style.

There is two different styles of quality to the lighting, 'Hard' and 'Soft'. Hard lighting is  a direct light creating crisp textures and edges with bold shadows. While soft is softer in contrast between the light and shade. It is indirect or diffused which blurs contours and textures.

Every light has a direction and the direction of the lighting can come from many different angles as such the front, side, back, under or from the top.

As a class we viewed the music video Madonna - Vouge which used the different uses of lighting to its advantages. This was to help us in the next stage of the workshop. 

This will influence our short film as looking as the Madonna music video lighting can be used to your advantage. When it comes to filming my group should have a discussion on whether the direction and quality of lighting within each scene is needed to be manipulated.  


Direction Experiment

After getting into groups of around 4 we had to assign ourselves to a job. My job which was given to me was The "Clapper" this meant I had to write on the white board to notify the audience what they are watching, I also had to help the recorder.    

Equipment:

• Mini DV Camera,
• Tripod,
• Batteries,
• Base plate,
• Tape,
• Laminated whiteboard + marker pens,
• 1X Lowel Pro 250W lamp,
• 1X Stand,
• Extension lead,
• Barn doors,
• Torch,
• Candle plus bucket of water, plate, matches/lighter, 
• Black wrap and crock clips,
• White material + tin foil,
• Safety gloves.

Predictions:

Many different types of shadows will be created when experimenting with the light source.

Factor/s to change:

• Direction of the light
• The brightness of the light
• The brightness of the table

Factor/s to measure:

• Shadows
• Brightness of his face

What will stay the same:

• Sohail will sit in the same place throughout the duration on the filming.
• The camera
  

Our video on Direction shows how changing the direction of a light source can change how a character would be perceived or portrayed. For instance 2.19 in the test will give an audience the impression this character has something to hide or is a dangerous person. While on the other hand if they was to see him in the lighting at 5.50 they may see him as the protagonist. This experiment has also showed us that the direction of lighting can also have an impact on how big shadows can be made. 3.51 is a great example of a atmosphere making shadow.

I would say the main strengths of doing this is the range of different lighting we have used. Manipulating the light is a great way of creating an atmosphere and doing this experiment has shown how much power we have over the lighting.

One way we could have improved was by changing the base of the table to a darker shade. Towards the end of the experiment we did do this, However I feel the test would have been more successful if we had earlier on.

Quality Experiment
After completing the experiment both groups had to present their final product to the other group. The quality experiment was the other groups task and it looked at improving the quality within your lighting designs.


Equipment:

• Mini DV Camera,
• Tripod,
• Batteries,
• Base plate,
• Tape,
• Laminated whiteboard + marker pens,
• 1X Lowel Pro 250W lamp,
• 1X Stand,
• Chimera + diffusion attachments,
• Speed ring,
• Black card,
• Black sugar paper,
• Scissors,
• Safety gloves,
• Extension lead.

Predictions:
You will be able to see a clear difference between soft and hard lighting.

Factor/s to change:

• The lighting
• The diffuser 

Factor/s to measure:

• Shadows
• Brightness of his face

What will stay the same:

• The camera
• Anton will stay in the same position
• Position of light

One improvement the other group could have made was ensuring each shot was long enough. Each shot was far to short to be able to take a good look, It all felt a bit rushed. If the group was to re-do the experiment i would advise them to make each shot longer.

Conclusion
Doing these experiments will save us a lot of time when we come to filming. This is because if we choose to manipulate the direction or quality we can relate back to this. The two experiments have shown what different shots would look like when the lighting has been played with. 

Post 11: Advanced Production Skills Workshop 1

One way of creating a distinctive style for our short film is the lighting and how it is and so forth. To help us succeed in this our class had a workshop put on for us with a discussion about lighting. We looked at Double Indemnity (Film Noir) and the 1940 classic Rebbecca to help us learn a bit more about lighting in films. We also watched Lemon by Hollis Frampton, watching these resources will help our group greatly when it comes to filming.

The first source we studied for lighting was Double Indemnity a 1944 American Film Noir. Film Noir was a cinematic term used to describe the Hollywood crime dramas. They were about hard-hearted, disolutional male characters who encounters a beautiful seductive woman. She turns him into being the fall guy this usually follows to a murder happening. First of all we spoke about different types of shadows. Cast and attached shadows are the two main types of shadows. A cast shadow is created by an object blocking a light source and 'casts a shadow'. An attached shadow occurs when lighting falls to an illiterate part of an object because of the shape and size. From watching the film I learnt many important facts about lighting I could use when coming to film our group short film. For instance the lighting can control what an audience can see or simply to make an object stand out. It can also focus in on the protagonist of the film using the light to shine on them. In relation to Film Noir many of these techniques were used to make the atmosphere dark and mysterious.

Double Indemnity (1944):

Rebecca (1940):

The second film we watched was the 1940 classic Gothic thriller Rebecca. the film is about a marriage and relationship of a innocent young lady to an overburdened widower.

Attached Shadow - Rebecca

Cast Shadow - Rebecca

After watching Lemon by Hollis Frampton we found out lighting can affect the shape and texture of an object. Lemon is a four minute video fixed on a lemon showing different lighting techniques used. This was the basis for inspiring us to create our own lighting test. We was given an object to record while using different lighting techniques to enhance how it looked. The object we used was a shell which was a object with many groves and holes.

The end result has been inserted below:

All of this research will help me and my group greatly when it comes to creating our short film.  After speaking about Film Noir, and watching Double Indemnity my knowledge and undertsnding on lighting has been significantly improved.

Post 10: Job Roles Research

Post 10 was all about understanding the job roles and responsibilities within a film production crew. This was an important post as it helps us a group understand each role everyone has, not only themselves. We were asked to research into five different job roles/departments.

• Direction,
• Camera,
• Lighting,
• Production Sound,
• Art Department.

This will help me when I come to deciding what role I would like to play in the group my our A2 film. What I have researched will be the different roles each person has in the group but at a much smaller scale. Each person will be assigned to a job meaning each person in the group will have their own work to do. Knowing what each role has to do will help us as a group as every task can be product efficiently and effectively.

Direction

• The Direction department is a subset of a larger occupational group referred to as 'Production'.
• Best known role within the Direction department is that of Director.
• Within this department, the Director is also supported by a number of Assistant Director.
• Other roles in the Direction department include the Script Supervisor, Runner.

Camera

• Good cinematography involves the creation of beautiful and/or arresting images on screen; it can also tell us more about a character or a location.
• Shot composition, camera movement and the way a Director of Photography (DoP) chooses to manipulate light and shade, all combine to create each film's unique photographic signature.
• Camera crews work with extremely delicate, expensive equipment and are amongst the most highly skilled practitioners on any film crew.

In our group the cameraman must be able to work with their equipment succesfully. However like the directer when it comes to filming our chosen cameraman must have more of a say when it comes to filming the project.


Lighting

• The Lighting department plays a crucial role in most film crews.
• Although some productions may make use of daylight, for the most part it is necessary to use artificial light to achieve the visual image required.
• They set up a wide range of lighting equipment to achieve a variety of moods, atmospheres and effects, as well as helping to make the actors, performers and participants look right for their roles.

Sound Production

• Recording all sound on set or on location is the work of the Production Sound Crew.
• Although film is considered a primarily visual medium, much of the storytelling and emotional resonance of a script is conveyed through dialogue.
• Dialogue recorded must be suitably clear which is a complex job.
• Most actors and Directors prefer to use the sound captured on set or location.

The group member dealing with sound will have to take full responsibilty when learning how to work the sound and when we come to filming. Sound is one of the most important parts of film and the member doing this job will have to make sure they know what they are doing.

Art Department

• Films can be located anywhere.
• The look of sets or locations transports audiences into the world of the story.
• A great deal of work and imagination goes into constructing appropriate backdrops to any story.
• The Art Department usually employs the largest number of people on any film crew.

The person who decides to take up this role in our group will have to do more production work then practical work like when it comes to filming.

Post 9: Individual Script Feedback

First draft for 'Telephone Box';

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Feedback
After having my script read by my classmates and Becky Knapp i got many comments and feedback about my script. This was a great chance to see where i had gone wrong but also made the right decision.

One of the main problems people picked out was the format of my script. The layout was not correct for instance the description of the shot was not in the correct position and the font was incorrect. The font used was Times New Roman which should have been Courier, I took this advice on board and changed this for the second draft i made. Another problem picked up was my punctuation. On many parts i did not add in full stops, especially in the speech of the characters.

One point brought up by Becky was what made her change. This was something which was obviously not made clear and in the second draft i made sure the it was clear to the reader the graveyard scene was which helped Jenifer change her view on life. She also commented on a lot of my dialogue. She mentioned about the mothers comments. Becky said they were a bit unsympathetic which I looked to change when coming to the second draft.Other comments that were made about my script was - confusing, and why do we care.

After taking the advice on board I went on to draft a second script. I looked at the feedback and thought about how i could improve my script.

Second Draft;

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After reading throughout our scripts our class teacher and Becky Knapp chose three scripts from the class to use for the A2 short films. Unfortunately mine was not chosen, however i was put into a group of 4 including me. Our group was built around one of the scripts which was chosen. I was placed in a group with the script 'Karma' written by Emily Downer. My other two group members are Carolyn Thornton and Sohail Sadiq, all of us will go onto be assigned with job responsibilities and mush successfully work together to create a A2 short film.