Wednesday 21 December 2016

Production: Sound

Recording the voice over
I recorded an initial voice over with an app that I downloaded on to my personal laptop called "recorder". This was effective when I began to edit initial footage as it gave me an idea as to whether the footage onscreen was parallel to the sound. However, I soon decided that it was too quiet as it was hard to understand what the person was saying, and there wasn't much conviction. This was perhaps because the instructions I had given were quite vague; I just wanted something to work with for the draft.

Recording the song

I used the same application to record the voice over, but this was more easily editable with other software. Though it could have been better, it didn't matter too much because some distortion of sound was a feature of fantasy films and contributed to the scary element of the film.

Re-recording the voice over
After reflecting on what I had produced, I decided to re record the voice over so it made more of a contribution to the overall piece. I did this by selecting someone who studied drama to record the voice over; they had more of an understanding as to how the voice and intonation can be used for dramatic effect. The method I used to record the voice over was also better as it was more professional; I used a microphone. As a result, it resulted in improved sound.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Production: Equipment used

Here is an overview of the equipment I used for filming:

Panasonic SDC700 Recorder
This was a good choice of equipment because it was one of the high quality video cameras at my school, resulting in a more professional and sophisticated appearance of the footage.They are also quite simple to use and so this did not detract time away from the filming process. I was confident in how to keep the  camera safe and away from breakages, which helped greatly when I was filming away from school.




Panasonic SDC700 

Velbon CX-888
This tripod helped to stabilise the camera, preventing the footage captured from being shaky. It was  sturdy so I wasn't concerned about the camera falling off. The fact that you could manoeuvre the tripod to a range of heights and positions helped me to capture a variety of shots. 


Tripod


Lighting Rig
I used a lighting rig to make my product look more sophisticated and also to make it easier to see. It was initially difficult to set up but eventually it was alright. 
I rejected a flip cam because of the low quality. 


Tuesday 20 December 2016

Production: Lighting

Internal location
The internal location I used was the Drama Studio at my school. As this is quite a dark room (there is not much natural light), I wanted to use additional lighting to make my coursework production look more sophistication. Therefore I booked a lighting rig. This encompassed a 300 Watt Broadbeam Halogen light, 800 Watt Broadbeam Halogen light and a 300 Watt Halogen spot light (dimmable). 
An example of a shot with additional lighting
After a while I experimented "with purple lighting" and found this to be a success also. This involved placing a purple filter/material in front of the light. 
An example of "purple lighting"
External locationAt the external location (Stowe Landscape Gardens), I decided to film with and adapt to natural lighting to be in keeping with the theme of nature often exhibited in fantasy films. This would also show a contrast. 

The above two pictures are examples of footage taken with natural lighting.


Monday 19 December 2016

Evaluation of Filming Day 2

Overview of progress
The progress I made was good, I was able to get extreme close ups of the Evil Queen with proper lighting equipment. Additionally I got footage of marchers/people which will add greater depth to the narrative. The internal location allowed me to convey a contrast between industrial and natural settings. As I had the shots that I wanted planned out beforehand, it sped up the process significantly.

Problems faced
One of the problems I faced was that I was unsure how to the set the lighting, so we had to try lots of different shots before settling on the right place. The first few shots especially were futile due to overexposure. Another problem was that was time consuming to get the marchers to march in time with another!

Overcoming these problems
Initial problems with lighting were largely resolved by putting a purple filter/material in front of the light as I liked the effect this had. Marching in time with one another was achieved as the cast got used to the rhythm.

Managing Health and Safety Risks
A responsible adult (one of my teachers, Mr Osborne) was present when filming to accompany us. I was aware of how to operate the camera equipment as so to avoid any damages/breakages and made sure those helping me were aware of my intentions. (Under approval from OCR, I can have someone operate/assist with the operation of the camera.) We were all careful around lighting and electricity.

Filming (and Improvising) the Footage 
Most of the shots were filmed successfully. I attempted to film from a range of different angles, using a variety of shot types. Lara's nails looked different to what they did in the previous shoot though this was in many ways good because I wanted to communicate contrasts and the progression of time. From my research, I know that trailers rarely follow a linear structure. When I went to film the marchers' feet I was unable to get the tripod in the desired position so I had to film handheld footage. At first, I was worried about the stability of this but it turned out alright. 

Overall Evaluation
Overall the day was successful as I tried my best to get all the shots I needed at this location, and was able to adapt to the situation, improvising when necessary. The day may have been better if the lighting was sorted sooner, but some degree of experiment was inevitably required. 

Thursday 15 December 2016

Tuesday 13 December 2016

Call Sheet - Filming Day 2


Internal (INT) External (EXT)
Scene/Shot description
Location(s)
Equipment used
People present
INT
Mid to close up of people’s feet walking towards camera – camera on ground (low angle)
(handheld)
Drama studio, Chenderit School
Panasonic SDC700
Velbon CX-888 Tripod
Ellie Craddock
Lara Hammersley
Mr Osborne
Eleanor Howe
Georgie Craddock
Rob French
Elizabeth Jennings
INT
XCU of Evil Queen looking directly at the camera (Eyes)
Drama studio, Chenderit School
Panasonic SDC700
Lighting rig
Velbon CX-888 Tripod
Ellie Craddock
Lara Hammersley
Mr Osborne
Eleanor Howe
Georgie Craddock
Rob French
Elizabeth Jennings
INT
XCU of Evil Queen’s lips
Drama studio, Chenderit School
Panasonic SDC700
Velbon CX-888 Tripod
Lighting rig
Ellie Craddock
Lara Hammersley
Mr Osborne
Eleanor Howe
Georgie Craddock
Rob French
Elizabeth Jennings
INT
XCU of Evil Queen’s hands
Drama studio, Chenderit School
Panasonic SDC700
Velbon CX-888
Tripod
Lighting rig
Ellie Craddock
Ellie Craddock
Lara Hammersley
Mr Osborne
Eleanor Howe
Georgie Craddock
Rob French
Elizabeth Jennings
INT
XCU of Evil Queen’s eyes and nose (lips just out of shot) sideways on
Drama studio, Chenderit School
Panasonic SDC700
Velbon CX-888 Tripod
Lighting rig
Ellie Craddock
Lara Hammersley
Mr Osborne
Eleanor Howe
Georgie Craddock
Rob French
Elizabeth Jennings
INT
Close up of person ripping up fairy tale story
Drama studio, Chenderit School
Panasonic SDC700
Velbon CX-888 Tripod
Ellie Craddock
Lara Hammersley
Mr Osborne
Eleanor Howe
Georgie Craddock
Rob French
Elizabeth Jennings
INT
Overhead shot of pages falling to floor
Drama studio, Chenderit School
Panasonic SD700
Velbon CX-888
Tripod
 Ellie Craddock
Lara Hammersley
Mr Osborne
Eleanor Howe
Georgie Craddock
Rob French
Elizabeth Jennings

INT

CU pans round to XCU of “Once upon a time”
(handheld)
Drama studio, Chenderit School
Panasonic SDC700 Velbon CX-888 Tripod

Ellie Craddock
Lara Hammersley
Mr Osborne
Eleanor Howe
Georgie Craddock
Rob French
Elizabeth Jennings


Please note that "people present" refers to everyone at the shoot rather than individual shot.

Monday 5 December 2016

Possible Film Titles and Experimenting with Fonts

Font
I am aware that this font may not be available in Adobe Premier Pro or other editing software, but I felt that I needed a better idea of what typography/titles I wanted whilst in the initial editing stages. Hence I have downloaded copyright free fonts from the website DaFont. I downloaded a few onto my computer; they were labelled as free for personal use. The one below is more the type I am looking for is labelled 100% free, so I'm going to experiment with this.
It is called Drakoheart Leiend Bold, and was created by G3Typefaces.

Colour
For the moment I am trying out the fonts in purple, as it is a significant colour in my trailer (the Evil Queen is wearing a purple gown/cloak) and it is a gender neutral, representing how there is not a stereotype of either gender watching fantasy films).

Potential film titles (for trailer)
Never Before is a twist on the fantasy concept of Ever After. The adverb 'never' also provides the trailer with negative connotations that dark films often carry because of the harrowing or scary narratives that they have. "Never Before" also has an element of unexpectedness, as if it has not been seen. Before links to the fact that the Evil Queen doesn't want there to be a happily ever after.
Possible film title 1



Possible film title 2




Malediction is loaded with more fantastical connotations as it is a synonym for curse, which is essentially what the Evil Queen is doing to the land [putting it under a curse]. "Mal" is associated with bad things, as a lot of words that start with this, for example malnourishment, malicious, have negative meanings. It may be too similar to Maleficent, which is a 2014 dark fantasy film. 





Possible film title 3
Crown is a noun with fantastical connotations, it is usually what royals and rulers of kingdoms wear. Therefore a crown is a symbol of power and status, I want to make this attribute of the Evil Queen clear. Fallen then subverts this idea because it is suggestive of helplessness and powerlessness. Despite it saying "fallen" beforehand, I think this title may confuse the audience as the Evil Queen is not wearing a crown.