rafaelmrv

[rafaelmrv]

Creative Critical Reflection

Coursework and production (Post 11)

How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issues?https://prezi.com/view/om5Xxv4yNOEXl784pMZg/

2. How does your product engage with the audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

3. How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

4. How did you integrate technologies – software, hardware and online – in this project.

[rafaelmrv]

THE PREMIERE.

Coursework and Production (Post 10)

Roll out the red carpet and smile for the press as our film was finally done. It was quite a journey to get here and definitely something I've always wanted to do, which was to direct my own film. Sure it had it's learning curves but it was just our first time, so this would be important for us to learn from. For now, sit back and enjoy what we worked so hard on.

[rafaelmrv]

The screening and reflection

Coursework and Production (Post 9)

We screened the film for a bunch of friends and family, as everyone was eager to see our first film. Overall they quite liked our film although they were confused about the story since we couldn't show a lot as it was the 2-minute opening scene of what would be part a full film. They said it appeared quite professional, although the acting could've been better. They particularly liked the title sequence of the film and the overall grungey tone of the film. To them, they were pleasantly surprised by the level of quality especially since this was our first-ever film.

It was nice to see people we know be immersed into something that we took so much pride and joy to make.

[rafaelmrv]

The sources of sound

Coursework and Production (Post 8)

This is the song we used for our film:-

Paper Crumple Sound:-

iPhone Lock sound:-

iPhone Alarm Sound:-

Elevator Sounds:-

Plate Sounds:-

Footsteps:-

We used these sounds to edit them into our film to help create a better sense of atmosphere for the viewer, for which without this may make the music overpower the emotions of the scene.

#Youtube

[rafaelmrv]

Edit Diary (Day 3)

Coursework and Production (Post 7)

Day 3 was comparatively the shortest since we finished most of our work on Day 2 hence we planned to wrap up earlier.

All that was left now was the colour grading of the film which would be handled by our cinematographer Mihika and our editor Tanish.

Before this, Mihika, Aamna, and I went to re-record the sound for the plate scraping scene when we reviewed it again it did not sound right.

However, this did not work once again as there was too much background noise so while Mihika went up to continue to work on the colour grading of the film, Aamna and I went back down and found the perfect place to record the sound. The music room.

When we went back up, Mihika and Tanish were done with the grading and it was perfect. Just the vision we were going for and perfectly following the mood board.

Post this we found another flaw, the audio of the footsteps of Aishwarya's character Rebecca was not in sync therefore Tanish had to go back and search for new audio on the internet then sync it once more.

This would mark the end of our edit days, the edit overall went quite smoothly as compared to the shoot days so we were proud of ourselves as the product came out well.

[rafaelmrv]

Edit Diary Day 2

Coursework and Production (Post 6)

Day 2 was where things got a lot more technical for us.

We would be working on the background music, our originally planned song did not work out as it did not go with the film. Post this there was a rush to find the right song. We went through many different kinds of songs all while our editor worked on the film.

We found the song we wanted after nearly an hour of trial and error which was the instrumental to Still Lovin You by The Scorpians.

Post this we had to work on the sound effects for the film like the sound of the lids closing and pen clicking:-

The sounds for the elevator:-

The plate scraping sound effect:-

Footsteps for Robbie walking:-

We continued to fine-tune and edit the cuts of each scene more smoothly, adding what was visualised for the film and planned. Like the black bars for the aspect ratio.

We also did the titling with the credits, this took a while since we wanted the most aesthetically pleasing font for our film.

This would wrap up Day 2 of editing which overall was quite fun so far, we made real progress on day 2 which meant the load was lightened for Day 3.

[rafaelmrv]

Edit Diary (Day 1)

Coursework and Production (Post 5)

Day 1 was quite interesting. It would be a whole new experience for all of us. We began by importing all of the footage that we needed for the shoot.

We saved our files in 3 seperate folders:-

Footage- all input files we were working on

Project (software files)- all FCPx files

Output- all edited files and final output

Our total footage came to over an hour and would have to definitely be cut down, the footage was then organised by our editor Tanish according to their scenes.

We cut and trimmed down all the footage thus completing the First cut through the first day.

[rafaelmrv]

Shoot Day Reflection

Coursework and Production (Post 4)

As a team, our communication during the two days of the shoot were not at all efficient and we were not on the same page. Because of this there were several delays. The total failure of the production department showed badly on the team as a whole, film production is a team game and we would have to work on this. We held back what could've been a much greater potential. As a director I feel I should've communicated my vision for the scenes more clearly instead of keeping it in my head, I should've also ensured to make production take pictures of everything she said she "already had".

[rafaelmrv]

Shoot Day 2

Coursework and Production (Post 3)

Day 2 was the day we planned to do all the scenes requiring only our lead actor and the elaborate sets.

Scene 3:- (Elevator)

To kick off we'd shoot using the school's elevator, preferably the V.I.P lift since we could control when it goes up and down. This was a fairly simple shot where we had to set up the camera in multiple positions for the extreme closeups and following Robbie into the lift.

Scene 4:- (6th Floor)

This was the toughest scene to shoot. Not because of the scene, but getting the timing right. Since the lift had to be shared with other floors, therefore this took multiple takes as the shoot was constantly interrupted. Another huge blooper was that my reflection came on the frame and the whole scene had to be re-shot.

Scene 2:- (Kitchen Table)

Production failed here, we didn't find a place for the kitchen and for nearly 45 minutes we scrambled to find a location. Luckily enough we found a place that would give us the look we were going for.

Scene 1:- (Bedroom)

This would be by far and away the toughest shot for our cinematographer Mihika, she had to tower over the bed with the camera holding it perfectly still to get the extreme closeup we wanted. This was a true test of her physical capabilites handing the camera. The rest of the scene was quite smooth to shoot, even with the lack of our production props.

Overall this day of shooting was not even close to smooth, our major failure in the production department and lack of communication as a team cause several delays. We got all the shots we wanted but definitely learned something from that day.

[rafaelmrv]

Shoot Day 1

Coursework Development (Post 2)

After all of our pre-production work was over, the day we had been all been waiting for finally came. It was shoot day.

Our team convened at 9 am with the aim of wrapping up for the day at 6 pm. Once we had finished setting everything up and checking the screenplay. We began the shoot

Scene 8:-

We started off by shooting the scene on the stair, this was scene 8 and was a fairly simple scene. However, this took multiple takes since we had to pick the correct angle of the shot. We took took multiple takes from two different locations on the stairs. As the director i wanted Veer to walk a specific manner so we did multiple takes of him doing different styles of walking.

Establishing shot:-

This scene was improvised as we thought it would provide a better transition from scene 2 to scene 3, hence we decided to do this. It was a general establishing shot of the school.

Scene 7:- (Cafeteria)

This scene could only be done during the lunch break since we wanted the crowd in the background for the shot. This scene would be probably one of toughest to frame. This was a very specific shot that i visualised, our cinematographer had to set the camera up at a height so would get the appropriate shot. The scene would feature Robbie eating, so we had to grab the wada he eats from outside the frame. This scene was shot to perfection and came out exactly like I visualised it.

Scene 9:- (6th Floor Bench, Final scene)

This scene had to be shot based around the schedule of our actor, Aishwarya Page from 9th grade since we were only allowed to have her for the shoot for an hour and only at 1 pm because that's when she had a free class. It was a rush for time since our production designer took 45 minutes to put her makeup, this meant we had to shoot the whole scene within 15 minutes. Thankfully this was an easy scene to shoot so it was done in time.

Scene 5:- (Classroom)

This scene was a tougher scene to shoot as we now had to direct the extras, they would be playing students in the background, the right depth and focus for this scene was important for our desired look. After adjusting the class, that was exactly what we got, the light falling at exactly the right places with the effect we wanted.

Scene 6:- (Corridor)

This scene would require the extras once again, I had to direct the extras what they should be doing in the background. We had hriday the extra to be the highlight of the scene as he gets scared off by Robbie.

This was the end of the shoot for day 1. Everything was shot exactly as planned, perfect to schedule, and we wrapped up nearly 2 hours early.

[rafaelmrv]

Scheduling

Coursework (Post 1)

The previous day, we decided to schedule everything according to how we would shoot it. This was decided amongst my team members and me in person, then put to document by our cinematographer Mihika Samant.

This is the schedule she compiled:-

[rafaelmrv]

Camera Workshop Day 2

Research and planning (Post 21)

We opened out by discussing the types of mics used in film-making

such as:-

Omni-directional mics: Omnidirectional microphones are microphones that pick up sound with equal gain from all sides or directions of the microphone. 

Cordless mics: is a microphone without a physical cable connecting it directly to the sound recording.

Boom mic: it is a mic that is mounted to the end of a boom stand. They are frequently used in movies as a way to bring the recording device close enough to the target sound without obstructing the shot.

Shotgun mic: they are directional and pick up sound that's directly in front of them while, at the same time, reducing noise coming from other directions

Bluetooth mic: a specialized microphone designed to connect and record wirelessly to your device with ease.

Post this we tested out the bluetooth mics that we would be using for our shoot:-

Post this we were shown more of the hardware we would be using

The Lilliput 7-inch 4K portable monitor:-

We each were allowed to use and test out the monitor to get understanding of how it works for shoot.

The camera tripod:-

This is would be essential to getting those smooth movie like shots that we all wanted, as long as appropriate precautions were taken like making sure the balance ball was in the centre in order to get a steady frame.

It has a head, legs, and bottom, along wth a swivelhead for stability.

Finally, our professor decided to try out the lighting practically, allowing us to take portrait shots of our teammates while making changes to the lighting.

Here is light facing solely from the left side of the frame:-

This shot is light facing from the left and right side of the frame:-

This shot is light coming solely from the rear:-

[rafaelmrv]

Camera Workshop Day 1

Research and Planning (Post 20)

Our professor conducted this camera workshop in order to train us on how to use the equipment for main shoot.

We opened up by discussing the different types of cameras, such as Consumer cameras, Professional cameras, and Prosumer cameras.

Then came the big reveal, the camera we would be using for the shoot.

The Canon 5D MkIII.

We were taught about the different camera modes of the camera like:-

Auto- This mode automatically determines all the aspects of exposure, aperture, focusing, etc. according to what the camera deems fit.

Manual- Manual let's you adjust all the aspects of the camera such as exposure, aperture, focus, etc. This would be the mode we would shoot in so we could make our own personal adjustments.

A.V- Aperture Value is a mode that allows the user to specify the aperture value while the camera selects the appropriate shutter speed to match the exposure

T.V- This stands for time value, the user will specify the shutter speed while the camera adjusts the aperture size to correctly expose the image.

We were taught how to stand with the camera and the appropriate posture to hold the camera so we could shoot comfortably with stable shots, along with the camera etiquette precautions like putting the strap over our necks at all times.

Post this we discussed Mirrored and Mirrorless cameras, discussing the technology used and the pros and cons of each. We drew a comparison between Sony's mirrorless camera and the mirrored Canon.

After this we further discussed more theoretical explanations regarding camera terms:-

After this our professor took outside to explain the concept of depth of field to us, practically using the view outside the window to explain it to us by making us focus on objects outside the window to make us understand.

After this each team was given the camera to test taking shots on, which was quite the activity as we got to adjust the focus, exposure, etc. and play around with the settings of the camera.

Mihika was my subject, i adjusted the focus, exposure, and zoom for the shot.

[rafaelmrv]

Editing Workshop

Research and Planning (Post 19)

Our professor conducted a workshop for the entire day to teach us about Final Cut Pro.

This is the main outlay of FCP:

We were taught about some edit theory about the type of editing softwares there are.

We were taught how to select frames and cut them according to how we would need them. Selecting and shifting scenes that we would need and when we would require them.

An essential part for our main edit days would be to organise our work into 3 folders:

Footage

Project

Output

Also shortcuts that we could use to make our edit experience smoother and more efficient such as

Command+I: Import

Command+(+/-): Zoom In or Zoom Out

Command+B: To Cut Anything

Command+V: To select

We were shown how we could save our film with the desired resolution, title, etc.

After our professor showed us how to do it, we were each given a go trying out the software.

[rafaelmrv]

Mood Board

Research and Planning (Post 18)

This job was undertaken by our cinematographer Mihika Samant, who designed the mood board as well as the colour palette.

For the theme, we wanted to go with something dark and grungey. Not too much contrast but a darker, dimmer tone of colours in order to appropriately show the mindset of the character.

The Film uses concepts of depression, anxiety, and drug use. These dark themes had to be displayed via the overall aesthetic of the frame.

[rafaelmrv]

Storyboard

Research and Planning (post 17)

Since we had very specific shots that we wanted for our film, we would need to create a detailed storyboard so we took it upon ourselves to split the storyboard among ourselves.

Each of us did 2 or 3 scenes to get the work done faster.

We used this website as it is fast and highly customisable for our storyboard: https://www.storyboardthat.com/

Since we used this website it was much faster to do than physically drawing each scene's storyboard, it would help us get a better idea of how we should frame each shot and give our cinematographer an understanding of how she should do it. The storyboard would help the shoot go along faster and more efficiently.

[rafaelmrv]

Music

Research and planning (Post 16)

For our film, whilst writing the screenplay I was already thinking about the music since we were making an opening sequence. Music would really bring out the intensity of the circumstance, but we did not want the music to overpower the scene as we wanted the audience to pay attention the finer details in the film like the clicking of the pen.

The right song can make or break a scene, this can be highlighted in movies like Baby Driver where the soundtrack perfectly compliments what happens on screen.

This can also be seen in Top Gun (1986), where the music is used to keep the audience enlivened and hooked but does not distract the audience or overpower the dialogue

The original song I had in mind whilst writing the screenplay was Fever by Elvis Presley.

Unfortunately, this did not go with the final product so we went back to look for more music. This time we wanted to go for something simpler so that it would not distract the audience and keep the audience hooked, Here are a few of the songs we tried:-

Mannish Boy- Muddy Waters

Crazy- Patsy Cline

Finally, we settled on a soundtrack that went perfectly with the film, an instrumental version of the legendary slow rock song, Still Lovin You by The Scorpians which fit in perfectly with my obsession with older music.

This provided the scene with the intensity it needed while the instrumentals did not overpower the foley sounds that help make the scene.