CHANGE THE WORLD FINISHED CUT

Overall I believe we succeeded in fulfilling the brief whilst also displaying some technical ability. Were I to change anything a second time around however, I would certainly strive to use a better camera and to make sure that each shot is perfectly focused and exposed along with shooting enough footage to cover any mishaps should anything go wrong during the editing stage. 

CHANGE THE WORLD EDITING PROCESS AND INITIAL FEEDBACK

One of the biggest problems we faced during the editing process was transferring the tape data onto the Mac. Due to the camera we used being tape based, this caused a problem from the start and the transfer time took longer than we anticipated.

Once we transferred the footage however, we were then able to begin the edit. The initial structure of this piece as stated before, was to show some of the establishing shots whilst the interview audio played over the top, then revealing the interviewee. This i felt would achieve the piece to flow smoothly while also making it clearer to the viewer the progression of the interviews.

Another problem arose during the edit stage as due to the poor quality of the camera viewfinder, our focus was not quite as perfect as we had hoped which led to a few of our clips being deemed unusable. This was pointed out to us during our presentations and so we came up with the idea of incorporating some stop motion as a means of displaying a different visual format aside from film. This would be done to also add visual references as to what the interviewees were describing, in this case putting money in a savings account and letting it generate interest. 

For the whole of this project, no definitive roles were given and we worked entirely as a group during each stage, though there may have been certain issues with the amount of construction each individual gave. The edit process was completed by Jordan, Nick and myself along with the sound whilst the music was done completely by Nick.

'LIFE LESSONS' BY MARTIN SCORSESE FROM 'NEW YORK STORIES'

Throughout the film, music plays a crucial part of adding depth and further meaning to each scene. This is evident within the first scene as Nick Nolte's Lionel Dobie paces round his studio seemingly frustrated. During this Procal Harum's ' A Whiter Shade of Pale' non diegetically plays. There are various interpretations of the lyrical meaning behind this song, however one which I believe is applicable here is that it is a reference to death and this in turn is used in the film to foreshadow the death of Lionel's relationship with his assistant Paulette, the title itself referring to the colour of a corpse. The other possible connection may also be that the title may link to Paulette's spiritual imagery as she is introduced, cut between the hazes of smoke from Lionel's cigarette. 

The songs in question which are used throughout the film also carry a theme of a very independent lifestyle such as Bob Dylan's 'Like a Rolling Stone', here a clear reference to Lionel's state of mind with him being an artist and focusing upon the abstract approach to painting. 

The editing within this film also aids in conveying various meanings and symbols. The rapid cuts used during any flash photography, not only reflect the speed at which the photographers must act in order to get a good shot, but also sybolise Lionel's flurry of emotions which he may be feeling as Paulette has left and he is without an assistant. The swift cuts may also be used to contrast with the smooth slow shots in the previous scene. The constant freeze frames after each photograph may also be used to contrast with the previous scene in which Lionel is painting frantically due to his anger at Paulette.


During the basketball scene, 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' is used again, this time diegetically, and the jump cuts are almost perfectly in time with the music. The shots of him shooting the basketball are taken from a high angle and track down as the ball falls through the hoop each time. This short sequence is cut up so that as soon as the ball falls through the hoop, it returns to Lionel as he takes another shot, giving a much speedier and rhythmic tempo. The shots also cut as the basketball hits the floor, most notably when Paulette slams her pillow down in anger at the volume of the music.

THELMA SCHOOMAKER

Thelma Schoonmaker, renowned for her work as editor usually in close collaboration with Martin Scorsese, talks about being a recipient of the Cannes Golden Lion Award for lifetime achievement. She also goes on to explain how editing is now beginning to receive more of the true recognition which it deserves as she explains how editing can ruin a movie or make it better. 

She then goes on to talk about how she knew nothing of editing until she was taught by Martin Scorsese and how this has led to them almost becoming one mind when they work on a film, how they do not always agree on certain choices and so screen one version then the other and have the viewers pick which they preferred. 'Raging Bull' is her most favourite piece which she worked on as it was her first feature film to edit, citing that everything about the production was golden, from the performances to the script to the footage itself. 

Regarding any advice she would give to young film makers, she explains how an editor must have great patience and discipline, similar traits which are used when learning an instrument and describes it as a rhythm. Along with this she also recommends to stay away from cliche and sentimentality, but to lay down humanity and strong emotion whilst avoiding sentimentality. 

CHANGE THE WORLD FILMING LOCATIONS

When deciding upon locations for the project, we already decided to try and keep it within the city but not entirely within the university. We decided also upon trying to get a range of age groups so as to broaden our audience and make it less like a student orientated film. Our first interview which was conducted was of tutor Annie Watson whom we felt would display a different approach opposed to filming just students within the university.

Another person we interviewed was a woman representing the Women's International League for Peace at the winter gardens. This we felt was unbelievably lucky as we had not planned upon even filming in the winter gardens, however this allowed us to get some establishing shots both outside and inside the location. By using this woman's interview, it would allow our piece to expand past the university based stereotype.

The answers to the questions were also varied with some being the obvious and giving to charity, whilst others were more inventive and such as buying seeds which would then grow into trees and allow many others to reap the benefits. Due to the length of these interviews, we then decided upon during the edit that we would utilise the asymmetric trimming method which we learnt in an earlier edit session. 

We did however encounter problems whilst filming, one of these being the camera which we used. The Sony HVR Z1E is a tape based camera and so caused problems from the beginning. The focus I found particularly difficult to correct due to the small viewfinder. The camera in question would also prove difficult to use when coming to the editing stage.

CHANGE THE WORLD FILM PROJECT: INITIAL IDEA

For our change the world project, our initial idea was to create a film which would begin with one person doing a good deed to another such as giving them money or offering them directions and we would then follow them as they would go on to receive a good deed from someone else and a chain would be created. 

Due to the fact that this would require many actors and good weather, this idea unfortunately had to be changed and so instead we decided upon filming a documentary style piece, combining interviews with a range of establishing shots. This we felt would allow us to demonstrate our audio skills and fine tune our camera work, while also include various editing techniques which we have not yet displayed. 

The general structure of this piece will consist of an establishing shot, followed by footage of the interview itself. Whilst the interview audio is playing, we will also splice in some shots of the location in question in order to give more scope to where the interview is taking place as well as allowing us to display our editing skills. Titles will also be used in order to make it clear what our objective is and what we are asking the interviewees. The two questions which we shall use will be "With £5 how would you change the world?" and "How would you destroy the world?" This questions I believe link to the brief as it does not specify whether the change should be good or bad and so will display both sides of the objective whilst also allowing a range of opinions to be collected. 

EXPERIMENTING WITH PRO TOOLS

In a recent session, we were tasked with creating an audio track lasting between two and three minutes. For my piece I aimed to create a brief atmospheric track, incorporating various stereo audio clips available on media composer. We also learnt how to utilise the audio EQ mixer which allows you to alter the pitch and tone of any sound file. This aids in creating a unique sound to each person. 

We also learnt how to achieve a fade up and fade out which can also add to the atmosphere which you are hoping to create with your audio piece. This is especially useful when you wish to overlap your audio and is an effective way to connect your sounds. 

Pro Tools screenshot: Audio EQ Mixer

Pro Tools screenshot: manipulating the volume levels.

 

ANALYSING THE FEATURES OF POST PRODUCTION IN DOCUMENTARY AND DRAMA NOVEMBER 28TH

As part of Fridays session as well as discovering Walter Murch's rule of 6 and experimenting with the titles feature on media composer, we also analysed two different films, one a drama the other a documentary. For the documentary aspect, we watched a 16 minute film, encompassing the making of Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 War drama 'Apocalypse Now'. 

One of the key features of the film which I noticed was the related use of visual references used to aid the viewer. A prime example of this was during Coppola's narration of the filming of the infamous Nung River assault. He explained that they had filmed enough footage to create a feature length film just from this scene. During this narration we see a shot of the room in which the footage is stored with reels and reels of film upon shelves. Layered over this shot is then the actual scene being discussed from the film, giving a clear visual references for the audience.

The use of visual references is repeated throughout, once again during Coppola's discussion of the editing process for his film and how he instead of assigning a single editor for one scene, he let each editor edit the scene so that all possible edits could be contributed and completed. While he narrates, visual symbolism is shown as the Nung River assault plays under and at the exact moment Coppola explains how this editing process drove his editors 'crazy', we see a grenade being thrown into a helicopter and exploding.

The film under the drama genre was Milos Formans 1984 biographical drama 'Amadeus'. In this film, sound in general is used to great effect along with imagery to create a juxtaposition. This is notable during the first scene in which Salieri attempts suicide. Up until his bedroom door is opened, dialogue is the only audio heard, yet at the very second one of his servants breaks down the door, the drama is elevated significantly. As a non diegetic orchestral score rises up to an extremely high volume and we see Salieri lying on the floor writhing in a white nightshirt with bright red blood running down it. 

This is continued as he is carried on a stretcher through the streets and he looks up toward a building where we then see a hall filled with people dancing to Mozart as we cut back to Salieri's cold face. This juxtaposition is used in order to create and display the contrast between Mozart and Salieri and also suggest symbolically that it is Mozart who has driven Salieri to attempt suicide.

The editing is also used to great effect when Salieri is remenising about his time as a composer. A sound bridge is used as Salieri raises his hands as if to conduct an orchestra and we cut to a flashback of a much younger Salieri conducting. As the piece finishes, the younger Salieri freezes whilst posing we cut back to an older Salieri holding the exact same pose within the from. This I feel was done to blur the line between the past and present and to display how vivid the memories are for Salieri himself.

THE FEATURES OF POST PRODUCTION: NOVEMBER 28TH

In our last session, we covered the topic of post production and the various effects and meanings which can be conveyed within it. Renowned editor and sound designer Walter Murch constructed a general rule for post production which lists the various feature of post production in the order of their importance;

The first and most important part of post production to be considered is the emotion of the film and to make sure that it flows naturally in the correct way the director wishes. Murch adds that this is most important during post production as each cut must preserve the emotion, rather than distract the audience from it instead.

The second most important feature is the story. Naturally this will be an important feature as the piece you are editing has to make sense but also has to advance the story in a meaningful way. The key to editing the story is to make sure that you cut out any footage which may distract the audience from the story altogether. 

Rhythm is the third important feature in Murch's eyes and rightly so as when editing, if your films pace jumps around from swift to slow, then the film itself shall become to complex for your audience to engage with, leading to them becoming bored and eventually disengaging with it entirely. 

Alongside reading up on Murch's rules of post production, we also experimented with using titles on media composer, allowing us to improve our future pieces further. 

NEW PROJECT 'CHANGE THE WORLD': WEDNESDAY 19TH NOVEMBER

During this session we watched our completed Grindleford films and were then given feedback on the pros and cons of it. 

For most pieces, one thing which appeared repeatedly was the lack of the use of a tripod when filming, causing the frames to become unsteady and lacking the professional look which is expected of us at this stage. I believe this feedback was most useful in helping me understand how such simple things like using a tripod can improve my work tenfold. 

We were also given the brief for our next project. With the theme being based on changing the world, this allows us access to a wide range of topics to cover. For this I believe that the piece will have to contain eye catching editing techniques and cinematography in order to convey the positive themes of the piece.

'INTRODUCTION TO 3 POINT LIGHTING' FRIDAY 14TH NOVEMBER

During the last session, we were introduced to one of the most pivotal aspects of cinematography and film making in general, lighting. We also set up as though to film an interview. For this we were taught to align the camera with the interviewees eyes and to do so whenever filming an interview. The shot used was a medium close up.

In the session, we were taught how three point lighting stands as the cornerstone of lighting, be it for a set or for lighting an interview. The equipment we used for the session was a Dedo DLH4 kit, which included 3 lights, stands and dimmers. When setting up the lights, we were also informed of the correct names and positions the lights took when using three point lighting. 

The first light used is named the key light which is used to give primary light and exposure to the subject. This is positioned so that the light directly hits the subject, the key light serves as defining the colour and angle of the overall lighting in the shot. 

The second light used is the fill light which serves as lighting the opposite side of the subject which aids in creating a more detailed form to film. The brightness of this second light is half that of the fill, which adds to the overall texture of the subject. 

The third and final light is the back light which fills in the remaining areas which the key and fill have missed. This is positioned at a 45 degree angle opposite the fill to create a triangular outline. 

Our three point lighting setup for an interview.

Each light was positioned at a 45 degree angle

All the lights were positioned at the same height

 

Complete setup for our interview

Throughout the session, we were also taught a range of terms in relation to lighting and work on a film set.

Blocking: Where actors practice and rehearse their movements and gain a sense of the space they have for the performance on set or stage.

Grading: The adjusting of the colour of an image. 

Chiaroscuro: The use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually using bold contrasts which affect the whole piece.

Stop Difference: When one light is brighter than the other.

Alongside this we were also Informed about the general schedules of shooting a script, for example the average time to page ratio for a feature film averages a minute of dialogue per page. The shooting schedule for a feature film equates to three to four pages a day, contrasting with that of a soap opera, averaging ten to twelve pages per day.

FOUNDATION PRODUCTION SKILLS: SHORT FILM REPORT

GRINDLEFORD SHORT FILM from Adam Barton on Vimeo.

Within our group of four, we each assigned different roles, I directed the piece, Patrick 

Clifton took control of the camera work, Nick Gosling operated the sound and Jordan Heathcote edited the piece. While each person primarily worked on their roles, we all contributed creative input which was taken on board until we were all agreed on an idea.

Once we arrived there, we decided to brainstorm a few ideas first so that we had an idea of what we would do. As we were not sure whether the piece had to have a narrative, we decided upon gaining as many interesting shots as possible so that then if we were to construct a narrative, we would be able to base one on the footage we took on the day during post production. In order to improve this however, it may have been wiser to construct a shooting list and do a reconnaissance of the area which would have been a more effective use of our time.

When it came to the actual shooting, we failed to check our camera settings prior to the shoot the night before, which unfortunately came to have significant consequences. To worsen the situation further, it was not until we had shot half of our footage, that we noticed it, meaning that we had lost not only half of our footage but also half the day.

 The fault for not correcting the settings lies on me as I was the one who took out the camera and so should have checked the recommended settings the night before. This experience has taught me a valuable lesson in regards to checking the equipment before use and the effects it can have if you fail to do so.

With regards to the possible themes with which to base our piece on, we decided that instead of picking one of the three pairs, to combine various themes suggested so as to add more variety to our piece and display the various locations available to us. This primarily involved the church as there were a variety of textures with which to utilise the camera such as focus pulls and long tilts. 

The movements of the camera were also primarily steady and slow pans and zooms as a way of symbolising the calm and peaceful atmosphere which was being filmed. This also allowed the viewers to take in the beauty of the area. As well as still nature such as trees and bushes, we also decided to add the footage of the cat to provide some moving nature and create a more engaging element for the film.

If I had the opportunity to create this film again, naturally the first thing I would change is to check the setting of the camera beforehand so all the footage I shoot is in the correct format. I would also try to experiment further with shot types and camera movements to help the audience engage with the film.

Grindleford Shoot

As part of the assessment for this module, we had to create our own short film and write up a 500 word essay for an accompaniment. The film itself did not need a narrative and was simply to allow us to experiment and get used to the cameras and settings.

Unfortunately for our we group, we failed to check the camera settings prior to shooting which rendered half of our footage unusable. This however was not a complete setback as it taught us a valuable lesson in checking the format and ratios of the equipment and the effects it can have when it comes to the editing stage of film making.

Grindleford Birds Eye View

Our saviour fortunately, was as the image shows, the size of our location which allowed a range of different focus points and so we were able to capture a variety of extra footage which was usable.

The equipment we used included: A zoom audio recorder, Canon XF100 camera, Manfroto tripod, Audio Technica AT8015 and a boom pole.

When shooting we also attempted to incorporate the use of the golden ratio as shown below.

Golden Ratio (Rule of Thirds)

 

THE MEANING OF FOOTAGE

As a means of getting us into a system of continually carrying out background research around the subject, we were set the task of discovering the origins and meaning of the term 'footage' in regards to its use in the film industry. 

Naturally the term originated in the film industry and in short was used to describe the reels of unedited 35 millimeter celluloid. It was named so due to the fact that it was measured in feet during the editing process, which was done as a foot of film held 16 frames which roughly equaled 1 second of moving image and so became the normal unit of measure. 

While discovering this information, I also learned the importance of footage outside the film industry such as amateur footage in regard to worldwide events and the price this footage can reach which can be traded or sold. This is also an important plot point which will feature in Dan Gilroys upcoming crime thriller 'Nightcrawler' starring Jake Gyllenhaal, a film which I am most excited to see. 

Finally, in reference to footage being traded within the film industry I also discovered that the original ending of Ridley Scotts cult classic 'Blade Runner', originally used landscape shots which were shot for the intention of being in Stanley Kubrick well known horror, 'The Shining', giving me a deeper understanding of the production aspect of film and the way in which a film will not always turn out the way it is originally planned and that sometimes two projects can collaborate with each other in order to improve a film makers work.