(Clip 1: Making the Bed Natalie Aarons)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1k3lzUwaeQ7JfbKETONRNVw2tb3_VdJIm

(clip 2: Don’t Stair: Two line Script)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_axyGw9_AQ4Cuf4uoP3hSBDo3HTg5VlX

Clip 1: Making The Bed:

For this task we were set out to film the process of making the bed. Restrictions for this small clip included, a time frame between 20-40 seconds and that there was to be sound occurring within the clip but no music.

• preproduction for this small project i decided to map out the type of shots i would use to insinuate myself making a bed without actually being in the shot itself. I wanted the idea that the audience would feel like they were experiencing the bed making process and not just observing it, with that in mind i decided I was going to concentrate on the fabric of my sheets as a sort of character in the  clip and not just an object.
• for lighting i decided to use only natural light that was coming through my bedroom widnow
• i used my phone to capture the footage and the sound as i was not yet comfortable to capture my audio separately and sync the two materials together.
• I didn’t like that i would have to use my phone for another project at home i think the phone doesn’t look so great once its edited together.
• i filmed this using POV for every shot, i wanted no person to be in it i wanted the audience to feel like they were in it.
• in editing i uploaded all the files to premiere and edited the sequence together.

reflection:

looking back at the clip, i don’t like it so much i wasn’t entirely happy with the way it turned out. the footage itself wasn’t to the standard i wanted it or envision and i think that is p to the fact that i didn’t not have a tripod, and that i filmed it on my phone. i also attempted to incorporate movement in the camera and experiment with it, but i decided i don’t like that because it makes it seem less professional. i think in the future i will take more time to plan pre production and determine which way is the best way to capture the project briefs i have been given. I will also take more shots during production to give myself more options when it comes to editing. I think i didn’t give myself enough time to complete this project with confidence and thus the clip lacked because of it. My take away from this small clip, is to do more set up and more planning to really know and understand what the aims for each project is.

Clip 2: Two line script: 

for this project we began by developing a two line script: here we had to insinuate camera direction by writing in action for the narrative within the script. The limitation that the script was to have two lines. For my script i took the approach of minimalism i set this script in a bathroom between two sisters. It begins with one sister standing by the mirror, then the second one enters the room and asks the one in front of the mirror “is that my t-shirt?’, the sister in front of the mirror turns to look at the one in the doorway questioning her and replies “no”. I felt like the script could have lots of different shots within a small narrative. You could have your establishing shot in the bathroom introducing sister number 1 and then sister 2 would be introduced using a close up, her face would be frustrated because she’s annoyed at her sister she think she’s taken her t-shirt. The Dialogue could be captured using mid shots as it shows the characters.

In class we were split into groups and asked to choose a script to work with, our group decided to go with Jaie’s script which consisted with two lines: “Fine” and “good”.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10tiKo57_QITh_v5VaQwNLWW0TJBeEaE9TJ09r7YbPVc/edit

pre-production:

• we made a story board from the script illustrating what each shot in the scene would look like, for example our first shot being a wide shot establishing Sterling (character 1) being on the phone with Nathaniel (character 2). the next shot was to consist of a close up on Sterlings face as he says “good… fine”. the shot after that to be a close up on Nathaniel’s face as she says “fine” and hangs up the phone. the next shot was to be a close up on the phone Nathaniel puts down and then to focus on a dead body int he background of the shot. The last shot being a wide/ mid shot of Nathaniel dragging the dead body out of the cameras view and out of the shot.
• we then made a audio list of all the things we were going to need to capture including the folly, the wild lines and the atmos. The atmos being predominately the sound of congestion of noise pollution throughout the university. to make the scene sound as if they are crowded. The wild lines would be the characters running the lines so that in editing we could sync the footage to the audio and have a much richer sound to accompany the footage. The folly sound would be the sound of the dead body dragging, we used my shoes against the ground to recreate this.
• we were then given a shot list so that when we were filing we could match up the sound clips to each footage clip so that in editing we would be able to sync it easily. further we were instructed to clap before the take so that in editing it would be easier to sync everything together

Production:

• we found our locations (stair cases)
• during the filming setting up our equipment and filming was very easy for su we knew how to use the equipment and were confident in what we were doing when it came to white balance and focus.
• we had a bit of trouble getting the audio to sound good on every take so we had to do that a few times.
• also focusing the shot with the phone and then where the camera had to refocus on the body behind the phone was a little bit more complicated but we managed to get a great shot in the end
• most difficult was setting up the perfect shot and having extraneous variables interfering, like sound from outside eg trams, and people trying to pass us and making us move our cameras, meaning we would have to reset up and refocus all of our shot all the time.

Editing:

• I edited this video together with Grace in the editing suites
• we both shared a similar vision for the way in which we wanted to edit the film and put it together which made it easy for us to work together
• we struggled uploading and importing the files onto Premiere but got there in the end and just decided to go for it.
• we also had difficulty in working out how to sync the footage with the audio files, not because of the shot sheet that was organised well and we knew which clips to match, it was more the process of doing it, like what to actually press to sync them up. Once we figured it out the process of editing ran really smoothly and we managed to conjure up a small film.
• we named it : Don’t Stair

reflection:

upon looking back at the whole process i have to say at the beginning i thought i wouldn’t be Abel to understand how to match and sync up audio files with the footage. the idea of it scared me and i didnt know know to tackle it. Also the idea of even capturing seperate audio i didn’t understand the necessity of it i thought that the audio that comes with the clip would be enough. Now looking back, i am still unsure of hoe to actually use the equipment to capture the audio as i didn’t really get a chance to work with the equipment myself, i do however see the benefits of using audio above the audio that comes with the clip, it so much richer in sound and ads a whole layer of complexity to the final product. I have learnt how to manager the process of syncing footage and audio together in premiere during the editing, and i feel so much more confident with my skills now that i have tackled that.

Deconstruction: Film Scene Analysis:

Film: Inglorious Bastards (2009, Quentin Tarantino) : Opening Sequence:

The first shot in this sequence is wide long shot, it establishes the setting of the scene or narrative, in this instance it establishes a cottage that stands alone in field. This secludedness of the cottage suggests that it is set on a type of farm and the sound accompanying the footage is quiet Erie signifying a sense if seclusion. Further the Lighting within this first shot casts a shadow over the cottage almost foreshadowing a sort of darkness looming within the cottage and also a juxtaposition to the outside of the cottage which is bright and in the open. The first character (the dairy farmer) is introduced with an angel shot, the direction of this angel gives the perception that he is powerful as it is positioned below him. the scene goes on to introduce a woman who notices car coming in the distance this shot is accompanied by a piano/ western music piece, the music change also changes the pace of the sound, it goes from being pretty much silent and eire to faster paced and causes a panic which is reflected in the acting of both the dairy farmer and the woman as the farmer instructs her to go inside with her sisters and ‘hide’ so to speak. The dialogue is french and has english subtitles at the bottom of the screen. Having the actors speaking in french alerts the audience that this film is set in the French county side and also adds a layer of authenticity to the acting, allowing audiences to get ‘lost’ in the narrative and suspend their disbelief. Jumping to the point in the scene where the next main character is introduced, Hans Lander is introduced wearing a long leather coat and soldier uniform. His leather coat informs the audience that he is an officer and also informs the audience the setting time and place. For this gives away that this scene is set within WW2 France. Jumping the second setting within the opening sequence, we find that the characters have moved inside the cottage. This setting is established with chiaroscuro lighting signifying a sense of darkness and mystery perhaps even foreshadowing a sense of doom. from this establishing shot in the cottage the front door is in frame and the light from outside seeps through into the dark room, this also signifies a sense of entrapment within the cottage which is played out by the characters as well as the soldier Hans is questioning the dairy farmer. The props in this scene are meticulously placed in order to suggest things about the situation and the narrative. for example the glass of milk in this scene is left empty suggesting a bad situation and foreshadowing a sense of danger. further Hans smokes a trumpet, this large almost phallic symbol shows the audience or allows them to suggest that Hans is desperate to accentuate his power and needs to feel the most powerful in the room. From here the camera dollies around the table where both characters sit, this circling motion creates a a sense of entrapment, and accompanies the interrogation that is taking place as Hans questions the dairy farmer. The camera then cranes below the surface of the floor, and introduces us to our next character Shoshanna who is hiding underneath the floor boards. The narrative of this scene is Hans questioning the diary farmer about the location of where Shoshanna is and the dairy farmer doesn’t want to give it away that he is hiding her. The scene concludes with hans figuring out that Shoshanna is hiding and the scene escalates with the sound of drums and the sound of gun shots shooting at the floor trying to kill her. the closing shot of the scene is a long shot of Shoshanna running away into the distance and getting away, here the character Hans screams out after her. I chose this scene because inglorious bastards is one of my all time favourites films, director Tarantino meticulously places everything within the frame (miseenscene) so that it has purpose, he also directs the shots to establish character traits and signify the way the audience should be feeling about the narrative, i love that every frame, every prop and every element of the setting is placed there for a reason in this film. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf0xB5SWZ24&t=127s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIOhxD7yCcY&t=3s