Posts Tagged ‘RMIT’
Statement of intentions
For the upcoming media exhibition day, we have been asked to provide a one-minute screener for the presentation, as well as a visual poster, a page on the Writing For Film blog and a compilation of longer clips for the exhibition. Bonnie and I have divided said deliverables fairly and equally in order to best showcase our hypothetical feature, Black Flat. I will endeavour to put together the one-minute screener, Bonnie will make the poster and together we will write the page for the blog. I hope that our work is well received by the media community and the amount of effort that went in is recognised.
Reflective report
The media exhibition day was a fantastic opportunity to not only showcase our own work, but also see what the rest of the cohort has been up to. And who’s gonna say no to free nibbles and drinks?!
As for Squadron’s contribution, Bonnie and I divided the deliverables fairly and equally as planned. I was responsible for the one-minute screener, while she took on the Black Flat poster. We were luckily both able to churn these out pretty quickly and were satisfied with the quality of each. Bonnie’s poster looked a treat, featuring a number of screen grabs, relevant imagery and succinct descriptions of our objectives and practices.
My experience editing the screener was actually really positive and I was pleased with what I was able to create in a short span of time. While there was mixed suggestions as to what we could include in the screener (clips, text, voiceover etc.), I decided to focus on creating something of a high quality that would be engaging and intriguing for the audience. With that in mind, my aim became to merge our scenes together into a trailer format in a way that showcased the best of our work, whilst encapsulating the eerie vibe we originally set out to establish. I was glad I got the opportunity to do this as the outcome was in fact more so what Squadron intended to create from the beginning of our project. As seen in the presentation, Jackson and I only had time to piece together the two complete scenes in their entirety, and we did not get the chance to take this extra step to merge the two scenes together. Thus, the exhibition presented perfect opportunity to undertake this step, as I knew we had some great moments that would suit the trailer format seamlessly.
In terms of the stylistic tools utilised, I made the effort to colour grade and add music and text to the screener. As we did not have a chance to properly do these things for our complete scenes for our week twelve presentation, I was keen to see to what extent they would transform our footage. I believe the colour grade really tied it all together, with the blue hue giving it a cinematic feel and creating the ideal dark and creepy mood. In addition, Jackson’s score had a similar effect: in its complete form it was ideal for the length for the clip, and I used it as to guide the pace and build-up of the trailer. The titles, albeit cliché, also served to enhance the dramatic nature of the screener and worked well to transition from one scene or moment to the next.
I would say that the most challenging aspect of editing the screener was trying to condense our footage down to the one-minute mark. There was lots of great conversation between Emily and Ted that I was forced to cut out, but I was conscious to include the highlights whilst ensuring it still flowed in a logical order. Whilst I was in the suites, Paul stepped in to give me a hand with some of the technical aspects, which was a big help as it opened my eyes to some different ways of doing things. Putting this screener together ultimately tested my skills as a solo editor, but I think I was able to do did a decent job. I certainly learnt a lot about pacing, titles, transitions and colour grading in the process.
Bonnie and I also collaboratively wrote the blog post for the website through the use of a shared Google document. We used the script for our week twelve presentation as a template then edited it accordingly to provide a more general, well-rounded insight into our production practice. We also added our film poster and a few behind the scenes photographs to enhance the visual aesthetic of the page, as well as of course our three final film prototypes. While it was hard to gauge the level of engagement of onlookers with our film, based on comments from my peers I think it was quite well received. It’s always nice to hear positive feedback on something you’ve worked so hard on, so that was a bonus for me.
Upon reflection, the presentation and exhibition was a great opportunity to showcase our work to like-minded others. As a class, I believe we collectively had some strong outcomes that we can be truly proud of.
The artefacts
Our screener/teaser trailer can be found below, and the blog post for the website can be found here.
Keeping up with the time-use diary has taught me a lot about my viewing habits over the past semester. Based on the programs, platforms and devices I have engaged with, I will analyse my viewing in terms of the following four areas: YouTube in the place of TV, binge-watching on video on demand, family rituals and the power of televised movies.
YouTube is a huge weakness of mine and, as evidenced in my time-use diary, I spend more time on it than any other viewing platform. I have many subscriptions that I engage with regularly – primarily vloggers– and I find it difficult to lessen that engagement once engrossed with their channels/lives. Through the direct address of their viewers, vlogs effectively “establish conversations between the vloggers and their audience” (Aran et. al 2015). As a result of this, viewers feel connected to vloggers through them being their authentic selves and the affective dimension of their expression (Soelmark 2015). I think I also find myself spending more time on YouTube than watching TV or Netflix because watching one eight-minute video on my phone feels like less of a distraction when studying than a 40-minute episode of a TV series. However, this simply means I end up watching more YouTube videos, so either way I end up being counterproductive. Alex Juhasz describes YouTube as a “private postmodern TV of distraction,” which has proved accurate in my experience.
Binge watching is another mode of viewing which I found myself falling victim to. While I usually try to refrain from giving into the temptation during uni, I fell into a relapse over the mid-semester break as I watched a solid eight episodes of Breaking Bad in a single day (a little late to the game, I know). Lisa Perks refers to binge watching as a “media-focused floating holiday, one that affords a break from everyday drudgery through an immersive escape to the fictive world”(2014). This notion sums up my experience with binge watching as I love being so immersed in a program that you feel the need to watch consecutive episodes. Perks also notes that this mode of watching can be either motivated or accidental, and ultimately made easier by streaming services. Netflix and the like enable instant gratification as they immediately load and play the next episode before you have time to re-evaluate your life.
I also became aware of the fact that the little amount of traditional television I watch is almost always with my family. My parents and I tend to find ourselves getting hooked on two genres: Australian dramas and competition reality shows. We engage with these programs as per their weekly scheduled slot and work our nightly routines around their basis. While some scholars argue that television is disruptive to the family’s socialness, others have more of an open mind suggesting it can bring the family together and provide a topic of conversation, rather than supplant it (Morley 2005). Viewing in this sense for me is as much about spending the time with the family as it is about the programs themselves.
Finally, the last form of televisual content I found myself engrossed by was televised movies. I have a love-hate relationship with televised films as so often I wind up watching movies that I either own on DVD, or that I’ve seen many times before. For example, the other night I returned from work to find the Bourne Identity screening on Channel Nine. Despite being a quarter of the way through and aware of the fact that we own it on DVD, I persisted to watch the film on television, ads and all. While I acknowledge the absurdity this viewing habit, there is just something strangely appealing about films that are slotted into the daily television broadcast. It feels like more of a ‘special event’ than if I was to fish out the DVD or source the content online.
Evidently, the time-use diary has led to some interesting realisations about my viewing practices – the good, the bad and the questionable. It’s interesting to note the shift towards video on demand services and consequently the lessened level of engagement with traditional television. This is likely indicative of a broader cultural shift in viewing habits resultant of the evolution of viewing devices and platforms. Nevertheless, the traditional television still holds merit in the family household and will likely continue to be relied upon for years to come.
References
Aran, O, Biel, J & Gatica-Perez, D, Broadcasting Oneself: Visual Discovery of Vlogging Styles, IEEE Transactions on Multimedia, Jan. 2014, Vol.16(1), pp.201-215
Laytham, B 2012, ‘Youtube and U2Charist: Community, Convergence and Communion,’ IPod, Youtube, Wii Play: Theological Engagements with Entertainment, Wipf and Stock Publishers, p.50-71
Morley, D 2005, ‘Television in the family,’ Family Television: Cultural Power and Domestic Leisure, Routledge, p. 7-29
Perks, L. 2014, ‘Behavioural Patterns,’ Media Marathoning: Immersions in Morality, Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, p. 15-39
Soelmark, N 2015, ‘Circulating Affect’, Structures of Feeling: Affectivity and the Study of Culture, Berlin, Walter de Gruyter, p.199-255
When we think of the terms ‘fan’ and ‘fandom,’ adjectives along the lines of obsessive, crazy and hysterical tend to immediately spring to mind. But is it necessary for individuals to align with these stereotypes to be considered a fan, and how has fan culture and the associated stigma developed with the evolution of the Internet? For the purpose of this blog post, I will be investigating the nature of media fan culture in relation to the classic US sitcom, Friends.
Known and loved by many, Friends revolves around a circle of friends living in Manhattan who face the everyday struggles of adulthood. With elements of love, loss, family and of course friendship at its crux, Friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, went on to become one of the most popular series of all time (Davies 2013). While the rave reviews and ratings at the time of the show’s inception were indicative of its success, its ability to stand the test of time to this day certainly says something about the loyalty and dedication of both its old and new fans alike.
Image source: tv.com
The term ‘fan’ refers to “somebody who is obsessed with a particular star, celebrity, film, TV programme, band; somebody who can produce reams of information on the object of their fandom, can quote their favoured lines or lyrics, chapter and verse” (Duffet 2013). Hardcore Friends fans uphold a level of devotion in line this definition: they can watch episodes over and over again and still find them hilarious, have the ability to relate every life situation to a Friends episode and quote all of the characters word-for-word.
Fandom, on the other hand, relates to the collective of individuals who hold a shared level of devotion and mutual interest towards a popular culture artefact, often likened to a modern cult following (Ross 2011). A sense of community and belonging can derive from participating in a fandom and some argue that fans are “motivated as much by the values of collective participation with others as by devotion to the persona [itself]” (Horton & Wohl 2006). However, despite the positive outcomes that result from their participation and the growing acceptance of fandom as a permanent sub-culture of society, negative connotations persist to follow in their wake. Henry Jenkins claims that fandoms are “alien to the realm of normal cultural experience” and “dangerously out of touch with reality” (2012), while Matt Hills classes them as “obsessive, freakish, hysterical, infantile and regressive social subjects” (2004). Although these are somewhat accurate representations of your stereotypical ‘Directioners’ and ‘Beliebers,’ I would argue that it is not reasonable to class Friends fans in this condescending regard. When a program is widely considered to be high quality and in good taste, it deserves to have people follow it, enjoy it and actively engage with the program and like-minded others.
While the term is perhaps more commonly used and referred to in this generation, fandoms have existed in our society since the early 1900s (Duffet 2013). It is their means of participation since the advent of the Internet, however, that have taken on new extremes and thus transformed their image. Friends began in 1994 and concluded after 10 strong seasons in 2004. For the vast length of this time, the Internet was not readily accessible and today’s most influential social media platforms did not exist. Nonetheless, the fandom found other ways to express their love for the show. For example, the water cooler effect was in full swing as fans would discuss happenings of the program the next day at school or work; individuals could purchase VHS versions of the show or DVDs when they eventually became available for additional content; or, they could engage with the occasional article and/or interview published in print media. Today, Friends fan culture has been revived and revolutionised through the integration of content across an array of different mediums online. There are social media accounts and pages solely dedicated to the program, memes on every corner, fan fiction, fan art, online quizzes and the list goes on. This proliferation of content has likely ignited a new wave of Friends fans, whilst further fuelling and satisfying the love of those who have been there from the start.
Evidently, the Friends fandom has not only stood the test of time, but they have also adapted to the changing ways of the media landscape in their expressionistic endeavours. Despite the cynicism that comes hand in hand with fandoms, Friends fans remain civil and untouched by the negativity knowing that their love for the program is justified.
References
Davies, M 2013, ‘Friends forever: Why we’re still loving the hit TV show 20 years on,’ Daily Mail, October 20, viewed 23 October 2015, <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2465332/Friends-Why-loving-hit-TV-20-years-on.html>
Duffet, M 2013, ‘Introduction,’ Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture, Bloomsbury Publishing, p. 22-76
Hills, M 2004. ‘Defining cult TV: texts, inter-texts and fan audiences,’ in A. Hill and R. Allen, ed., The Television Studies Reader. New York: Routledge.
Horton, D & Wohl, R 2006, ‘Mass Communication and Parasocial Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance,’ Participations, Volume 3, Issue 1, viewed online October 20 2015, <http://www.participations.org/volume%203/issue%201/3_01_hortonwohl.htm>
Jenkins, H 2012, ‘“Get a Life!” Fans, Poachers, Nomads,’ Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture (2nd Edition), Routledge, p.9-50
Ross, S. 2009, ‘Fascinated with Fandom: Cautiously Aware Viewers of Xena and Buffy,’ Beyond the Box: Television and the Internet, Blackwell Publishing, p.127
Although I have brushed over elements of collaboration across a number of posts, I figured an additional post to address it specifically would be best.
Group work is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. Squadron – made up of Alex, Bonnie, Jackson, Sarah and I – fortunately got along well from the outset and we were quick to become friends. This was a huge relief as it made working with one another for the next six weeks a great deal easier.
I would say that communication is where we excelled as a group. The quality and quantity of our conversation meant we were constantly thinking about our project and were all on the same page. Over Facebook chat – our main means of communication – we would constantly conjure up new ideas, express queries, concerns and everything in between. Issues would occasionally arise, but we would always be diplomatic and fair when it came to finding a solution. It certainly helped that we had all become friendly with each other, as I find it is much easier to express my ideas and honest opinions when I am comfortable around those I am working with. Given conflicting schedules, it was difficult to organise additional times to meet in person, but we certainly compensated for this through our consistent online discussion.
For the most part, our group was collectively committed to the task at hand as we shared the mutual objective of producing a high quality outcome. We all made a conscious effort to participate and it was rare that any of us were absent from consultations or classes. However, the fact that we were not marked on the media we produce did prove to be a bit of pitfall for our group. This had the perverse effect on our activity as it lessened the level of motivation of some group members. This was slightly frustrating, yet understandable at the same time.
Throughout the various stages of our production, I worked closely with different group members to get our project underway. One of my very first collaborative endeavours was with fellow media student Bonnie, as we embarked upon on long day of location scouting. This felt less like work, however, as it was a beautiful day to walk around a beautiful area and take photographs. Nevertheless, I was happy with our efforts to get on top of things early and ultimately maximise efficiency when it came to eventually shooting. Sarah and I also worked particularly well together in the pre-production phase, as we both took on the initiative to make storyboards, shot lists, call sheets etc., which we came to rely upon heavily down the track. As for the presentations, we distributed the work fairly and equally and were each more than willing to put the required level of effort in.
Come the shoot, the girls and I managed to collaborate in a professional and productive manner through the means of communication, cooperation and problem solving. Although we had allocated crew roles, we did not restrict ourselves to these positions as we worked best as a team. Alex and I assumed the most authority over directing the shoot, yet valued the opinions of anyone who had any alternative ideas. While this may not be the most conventional methodology, it was most effective for our purposes as we were all relatively new to a production of this format, and it didn’t make sense for one person alone to lead the pack. With that, it essentially became a case of ‘four heads are better than one’, as we all put our creative minds together to figure out what would be the best approach from one take to the next.
Finally, Jackson and I’s working relationship was crucial in making ‘Black Flat’ come to life, and was perhaps my favourite collaborative experience of the entire project. Together, we completed all of the post-production and learnt not only a lot about the editing, but also how to do it best in a pair. I think it benefitted us to have a second opinion to fall back on, as it provided a sense of reassurance when making changes to our film. Jackson and I agreed on most things which was convenient, and I think we collectively did a good job of putting our rough cuts together in a relatively a short period of time.
Group projects are always challenging, but overall I think Squadron did a great job of working together to create something of a high standard. I think it’s imperative in this field of work to have to capacity to be able to cooperate with anyone and everyone, and this project certainly helped me develop my collaborative skills and get to that point.
The following is my spoken portion of the week 12 presentation:
So Jackson and I were the chief editors for our teaser trailer for Black Flat. Within this process, we learnt a lot about structure and organisation of shots, continuity, as well as audio editing and layering.
The process of structuring shots was relatively simple as obviously each was motivated and carefully planned. On the day we stuck close to the script and corresponding shot list, so we were thus able to work sequentially through the footage and audio in the suites. This was also made easier due to the fact that we labelled the video and audio file in line with the shot list – so if on the shot list it was scene 2, shot 2, take 2, then the files were labelled accordingly for painless reference and ease of synchronisation. During the shoot we also took notes about which takes were particularly good to ensure maximum productivity in the suite – saving us from the hassle of having to go through hours of footage we weren’t going to use.
Ensuring continuity was perhaps one of the more challenging aspects of shooting and editing our teaser. It can be quite hard to get your head around the little things regarding continuity whilst on set – things can fly unnoticed such as changing hand placement and movement, and things like cast members rolling their sleeves up and down. Even your sound operator’s feet may find themselves in the background of a shot… Oops.
With that, some shots did not line up seamlessly and the challenge became to carefully select the shots and cuts to MAKE them line up seamlessly. It very much became about experimentation and trial and error – putting shots in juxtaposition with each other to see if they flow or not. Video transitions also aided this process, as they suggest a shift in time in the event that things do not appear continuous. Through these strategic measures, Jackson and I were able to make the best of the footage we had to produce something mostly seamless and continuous.
Sound levelling and layering was another crucial part of our editing. Thanks to Sarah, our levels for dialogue were great, but there will always inevitably be variances due to the differences in volume of speech and pitch fluctuations. Jackson and I therefore went through each clip and brought the levels up or down accordingly to ensure they were within a suitable range and peaking at -6. We also consciously avoided audio clips with excessive wind and cut it out where possible. In terms of the scenes without dialogue – so establishing shots and the like – we layered sounds to match the action in the shot. For example, whilst Emily and Damien are walking along the river, we had the ambient sound of the location – so the flowing river, birds etc. – and footsteps fading in and out as they neared the camera.
Unfortunately due to time constraints, we were unable to properly colour grade or add text to our teaser. Hopefully you are still all able to pick up on the eerie vibe we were going for, so without further adieu:
[PLAY VIDEO]
This week, Jackson and I had a busy week of editing our teaser trailer for Black Flat. To begin, I went through by labelling all files in accordance with the shot list and merging the corresponding sound and video files together – a tedious yet necessary process. Deciding it would be best to treat the scenes separately, together we made an assembly/rough cut for scenes one and two. From this point, the plan was to assess the footage acquired and use it to determine the need for a second shoot.
I strongly believed we did need to do a second shoot, as the footage captured did not really delve into the thriller genre – rather setting up the scene for the thrilling content to come. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy with the scenes and what we able to achieve, but I just felt as though we did not have enough content and did not deliver what we promised. I was confident that in the time remaining I would be able to create a rough-final cut of scenes one and two, and at least an assembly cut of scenes three and four in the event that we filmed them, which was passable as what we made did not need to be polished. Jackson shared my viewpoint and he and I made plans for what to do when in terms of editing the footage. It was do-able.
Sunday rolled around and we still had not discussed as a group whether or not we were definitively shooting on the Tuesday coming. We had our pre-production documents in place and our actors Chris and Scott locked in, so I finally put it to the group once and for all expressing why I thought we should shoot again. However, the rest of our group thought it would place unnecessary pressure on ourselves for an assignment that is not even marked on the media we produce. I understand where they were coming from – the fact of quality over quantity is a valid point, especially since we’re not being marked on what we create – but it bothered me to bail on this thing when it was merely half complete. However, I had been overruled so I accepted that and let it go.
As it turns out, I really struggle with the fact that we are not marked on what we make, nor are we expected to create something complete/whole. If we were, we would’ve surely shot at least twice and actually completed what we set out to make. I understand that it’s valuable to analyse what we make and learn from the process of getting there, but to quit on something unfinished just doesn’t sit well with me. I think I was also disappointed that we didn’t shoot again for more personal reasons – the fact that I could’ve made something really great to show for myself.
Don’t mean to rant, but rather reflect on something that has had a significant impact on my experience in this course. My next post will be more positive I promise, haha.
In Thursday’s class, we took the time to debrief after our shoot and determine our next move. As we did not get a chance to delve into the thriller-esque moments on the previous Tuesday, we decided that a second shoot would be necessary so we could really hone in on the content of that style. However, we no longer had Christina as our lead actress so we needed to think fast and act quick.
Sarah came up with the idea to turn the focus on Damien and Ted to instead build a dynamic relationship between them. In this instance, Damien would be out new protagonist as Emily had (literally) gone missing. We all bound together to develop this new idea – which I actually came to really like despite it not being our original plan – and Jackson and Sarah volunteered to write the script:
See the full script by clicking here.
From this, Sarah and I devised the shot list. We discussed making another storyboard, but we found that this document was not as crucial to our practice. In our first shoot for example, we found ourselves constantly referring to the shot list, rather than the storyboard. Evaluating on this, we determined that the storyboard was not worth spending additional time making. Nonetheless, see below the shot list we collectively created:
To see the full shot list for scenes three and four, click here.
Throughout all this extended pre-production, I was in contact with Scott and Chris and informed them of our new intentions. Unfortunately the only day that they could both do was the upcoming Tuesday – of which only Sarah and I would be available to crew for. As there was seemingly no other option, we agreed on this date and booked this equipment from the techs.
HOWEVER, the plot twists again as Chris messaged me today (Monday) saying that he was no longer available to shoot tomorrow. SIGH. This put us in a inconvenient position as the only other time we could then all shoot would be the FOLLOWING Tuesday of week 12 – the week of our final presentation and a week before our final blogs are due. What seemed to be under control quickly turned manic.
Evidently, all these twists and turns have made our production schedule a little bumpy. We can say we’ve learnt to think on our feet by turning negatives into positives and grown accustomed to working under pressure. If we had more time, we would not have any difficulty turning out what we originally set to do, but unfortunately a few inevitable obstacles have set us back. At this point however, shooting again is not out of the question – I still believe it is do-able, especially seeing as we’re not expected to hand in polished pieces of work. In our consult with Jasmine, we established that we would assess the footage that we have and this would inform whether or not we should risk shooting again.
Shoot one – check! Our pre-production paid off as our first shoot ran pretty smoothly. As a whole, we were satisfied with the footage we obtained and got most of what we needed for scenes one and two. But what’s a shoot without a few complications? I’ll delve into the positive and negative outcomes below.
1. Casting
We were stoked to have our three cast members actually show up, arrive on time and be totally dedicated to their performance. Christina’s experience really translated onto the screen, as did her attitude and actions behind the scenes (making suggestions, asking questions etc.). Chris and Scott, although less experienced, certainly put their best foot forward and pleasantly surprised us with their performance. Scott in particular, though struggling at first to remember his lines, captured the essence of Ted perfectly. So a big thanks and well done to our wonderful cast!!
Unfortunately on the day we found out that it was our Christina would not be available for a second shoot. While we were informed a few weeks prior that she would be going away in or week or so, we were under the impression that there may be some time before then that we could catch her. We found out on the day that this wouldn’t be possible, which put is in a bit of a pickle as the second part of our concept revolved around her character, Emily. Forced to re-think things after the shoot, we turned the setback around as we decided to transform the story into a ‘missing-persons-unit’ and have Damien as our new protagonist – Psycho style. I was proud of our efforts to come up with this alternative scenario by working with the limited resources we had.
2. Time
Timing wise, our call sheet was pretty much on the money. In saying that, I was secretly hoping we’d get through it quicker than expected so we could do MORE than what was scheduled. In the event of this rare scenario, I had an array of thriller-esque shots planned, as the scenes we were shooting on the day simply set up the scene. As expected though, we ran out of time and only had time to complete the scenes rather than delving into the more intense, thrilling moments. I acknowledge that setting the scene was our priority on the day however – hence why it was only this that I wrote into the call sheet – so I was satisfied that we were able to get that far. Hopefully we get a chance to hone in on the more thrilling content in our subsequent shoot.
Furthermore, due to time constraints we also needed to prioritise the shots with our cast in them, rather than the scenic establishing shots. Christina was of particular concern as she was no longer available for a second shoot, meaning we had one chance and one chance only to film the shots needed with her. We therefore needed to be selective and choose the shots that were absolutely necessary first, followed by those that were less so. Alex went through the shot list to determine the importance of shots listed to guide the order in which we did things. I suggested we put all the establishing shots to the side, as while they are integral to our film, I volunteered to get them by myself at a later date. In doing so, I must be mindful about weather conditions to ensure they mimic those of our shoot.
3. Conditions
Shooting outside is always a risk – especially in Melbourne! We were fortunate on the day however as we were blessed with the perfect mild temperature and cloudy skies. These were ideal conditions for shooting as a) we were not uncomfortably hot or cold; and b) clouds meant we didn’t have to deal with harsh shadows created by the sun. While wind was an issue at times, it was not excessive and we were able to work around it. It was extremely lucky that we delayed the shoot as the previous Tuesday saw constant rain and hail throughout the day. If we were burdened with poor conditions on the day, I feel like we would’ve had no choice but to cancel. Phew!
Shooting in public spaces also has it’s disadvantages in terms of public interferences. As the walking track along the river is a popular spot for Warrandytians, at times we needed to wait for passers-by and dogs to exit the frame. Luckily it was a fairly quiet day and we shot strategically along a stretch of track which is less frequently used, so the disruptions weren’t overly problematic.
4. Roles
Prior to shooting, we had allocated crew roles as follows:
Alex: Director
Laura: DA
Sarah: Sound op.
Bonnie: Camera op.
On the day however, we ended up chopping and changing a fair bit between roles. While Sarah remained committed to sound, Alex, Bonnie and I switched it up between being director, DA and camera operator. I use the term director loosely however as we all worked together to get the perfect shot – each making suggestions and assuming varied levels of creative control. At times this approach led to conflictions of opinions, but at the end of the day we always prioritised what was most logical as we held the mutual goal of producing a high quality outcome. Communication was key in this situation in order to ensure we were each being fair and just, whilst being mindful not to put anyone down.
5. Name
Oh! An exciting moment of the shoot was coming up with our new title! As we were entering the state park via Tills Dr, Alex noticed a sign that said Black Flat – the actual name of the state park our film would be based in. This was so much more fitting than “The Pines” and it conveniently sounded quite dark and mysterious, in line with our film’s concept. Yay for productive coincidences!
Overall, I was very happy with how this shoot went down. We worked well as a team and exerted a degree of professionalism through our engagements with cast and our ability to work under pressure. We relied heavily on our carefully prepared pre-production documents, which effectively allowed for maximum efficiency. For my first formal shoot for a narrative piece of work, I felt as though we collectively had a strong grasp on what we needed to do and how to do it with relative success. Our experience on set certainly will serve as a valuable learning experience for future projects down the track. Hands in, go team!
In a group meeting in week 8, we came up with the following game plan for shooting times. Unfortunately due to conflicting schedules of group members however, not all of us are able to be there on each day:
- Week 9 Tuesday – Sarah, Alex, Laura and Bonnie
- Week 10 Tuesday – Sarah, Alex, Laura and Bonnie
- Week 10 Wednesday – Sarah, Alex and Laura
Alex was adamant that we could shoot our script without casting the supporting characters to avoid the hassle. Obviously we had Christina, her housemate and qualified actress, confirmed as Emily, but it was the other two who were seemingly harder to place. Alex suggested we work around it by having Emily speak on the phone, instead of walking along the river with Damien, and have her come across a mysterious faceless character in place of Ted (i.e. one of us dressed up in a coat and hat…). We temporarily agreed on this concept, however I was concerned that we would be creatively limited for shots, and experience difficulty in building dynamic relationships on screen. Upon speaking to Jackson I discovered that he shared my viewpoint, and given that we were very unprepared the day before shooting, I sent my group the following message:
To my relief, the group saw the logic in my proposal and with that, the plan took a new turn. We talked to Stayci about our new intentions in our consultation and she gratified our approach. So within the week, I now had the challenge of finding two cast members, Sarah and I would refine the pre-production documents (storyboards, shot lists and call sheet) and Bonnie would organise costume and props. This was definitely the right decision to make as we were nowhere near prepared enough to shoot the next day.
In terms of casting, I figured it would make the most sense to cast locally because 1) people would be more likely to agree if they have do not have to travel far; and 2) they would already have a relationship with the setting, which is an integral component of our production. While StarNow presented a number experienced actors apparently willing to work with us, my group and I were concerned about their reliability and whether or not they would be willing to make the trip out to Warrandyte. With that ruled out, I had a few people in mind who I thought might be up for it, but the most difficult part would be to find people who were available during the day on a Tuesday. Nevertheless, let the hunt begin! I asked a friend of mine who is involved in the Warrandyte Theatre Company if he knew anyone who would be willing, a friend from school involved in the theatre at high school, my next door neighbour who has a very bold and extraverted personality… But no luck! With a bit more persistence however, I casted the ideal Damien and Ted:
Meet Damien, who’s actually my friend Chris from high school. Chris hasn’t had any acting experience but was happy to help out a friend and keen to try something new.
Meet Ted, who’s actually my boss/editor at the Warrandyte Diary newspaper, Scott. He’s been in a couple of advertisements and is used to putting himself out there due to his field of work. He was keen to get involved and was excited to play such a different, albeit slightly creepy, role.
It will be interesting to see how it all goes down with one experienced actress, being Christina, and two amateur actors, being Chris and Scott. Will their exchanges come across naturally or will one out-perform the other? Given their experience we will also likely have to work differently with each actor in terms of guidance and instruction. It helps that I have a personal relationship with both Chris and Scott so they will likely feel comfortable asking me any questions or queries, and vice versa.
On Thursday we will be doing advanced sound/camera and group work. I think we must utilise the time all together to ensure we are on track for our upcoming shoot.
After a slightly overwhelming yet necessary run down of sound recording, we set out to do some filming in the Carlton Gardens to prepare for our upcoming shoot. Due to poor weather conditions however, we could not get as much footage as we originally intended.
Nevertheless, we practiced some handheld camera movements to follow a moving subject in between patches of rain. It’s impossible to get these types of tracking shots without camera shake, but due to the thriller/horror nature of our production, a controlled amount of camera shake contributes to the style and tone of the film. For example, when following a character from behind, camera shake suggests someone is following them. We just need to control the level of camera shake – if too much it will detract from the vision on screen, if too little it will not create the desired mood.
Despite minimal footage, I was still keen to make something out of it that would be relevant to our project. I decided to have a bit of fun and change the focus of my editing to ‘how music changes mood.’ Here’s what I came up with:
As you can probably tell, I began by finding dark and eerie royalty free music to accompany the shots in order to establish a mood of suspense and tension. This is likely the approach we will take when editing our final product, so logically it was something I wanted to explore by gauging an understanding of what sort of royalty music of this style is out there. Keen to experiment and create something fun, I was interested to see how other styles of music would change the shots at hand. I found some tracks on the other end of the spectrum (genre wise) to create a dramatic contrast and totally transform the mood from one extreme to the other. By making the comparison between the same shot but with different music, viewers are led to acknowledge how music changes mood.
From this task, it became clear just how much music can influence a scene and viewers’ perception of events. Everyone reads shots differently in terms of its stylistic and symbolic qualities, but music almost speaks a universal language. For example, every viewer has the potential to identify dark, suspenseful music and make the association between the sound and vision. In fact, this association process is very much subconscious. We don’t consciously think to ourselves “ooh scary music is playing now, that must mean something bad is going to happen.” Instead we consume the product as a whole, subconsciously take in the music and vision as one, and rely on our embedded familiarity with the musical style to have effect over our emotional understanding of the shot. I think when we consume media music and sounds in general often go over our heads and fly ‘unnoticed,’ but by doing exercises such as this, you come to realise just how important and influential they really are.
