Snorricam Test

As our group has Sweden stereotyped in our minds as drenched in snow, I took advantage of the white weather and produced some shots using my - badly - fabricated Snorricam! Obviously the wood would have to be cropped out in this instance, but tomorrow - if my street looks as nice and wrapped in snow as it did yesterday (when this was filmed) - I'll have another go at getting some clips without the wood being in the way..



There's clearly more footage recorded on the Flip - not just of me being humiliated at the sight of others watching me walk around with a Snorricam attached..

When an opportunity arises..

This was actually sent from my BB yesterday at 4, but wouldn't post until today..

Am currently WALKING - that's right, WALKING - from Waltham Cross to meet Yasemin near Willow Road so we can take advantage of the snow today and do some 'Swedish' filming!

Just fell face first into the snow on my own. Great.

Script Progress

Here's our first - extremely rough - draft of our short script..

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Miss Foster

Ehem?

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Woooo!

This is my first post sent directly from my beautiful, new, sparkling-like-tinsel Blackberry!

BB-rilliant News

Excuse the awful pun, as I'm just very, very excited for the long awaited arrival of my new BlackBerry Bold 9780! Recieved a text from T-mobile saying "Your phone is on its way and will be with you 7/12/10. Enjoy!" - Will start using it for blogging straight away.

Here's the beauty:

BFI Course

On Wednesday - which definitely should've been a snow day - we all plodded up to Southbank together, to watch a course in the BFI centre on how to make the opening of a movie.

DANIEL KLEINMAN
Once we'd finally arrived, we were introduced to Daniel Kleinman - now known as a commercials director - who actually uses the Final Cut software at home! He'd previously created the opening titles for some of the Bond series, continuously from GoldenEye to Casino Royale. He was very interesting to listen to and answered every question with detail; I loved the fact that some of his ideas and graphics he used had depth to them which was left for the audience to depict.

Here's just one of his many famous commericals..
The thought that this was banned makes it even more inspiring!



COLIN GOUDIE
We also heard from editor Colin Goudie - a clearly eccentric editor who is devoted to his profession. He informed us of the making of his new film Monsters; it was quite comforting to hear that many of the scenes they filmed were shot out of the blue and not really planned at all! It was also quite thought provoking to find out that the filming crew consisted of only four people - it just proves exactly what can be achieved with such a small group..

Here's the trailer to the new movie Monsters, edited by Goudie..



"HELLO? IS ANYBOY OUT THERE?"
For the remaining time of the course, we were entertained using some examples of previous A-Level Media film openings. They helped us by identifying the points of film openings which need to be focused on and which need to be avoided.. My favourite example being The Premonition by Chris Adams and Josh - if anyone can find that video, please send it to me! For some reason, the more profoundly weak openings seemed to include Bristol accents.. Wondering if there's any connections?

Here's a little archive of the day filmed by Heather on her pretty iPhone - I think the state of me (and my 'Reading tent') reflects the general mood at the beginning of the day provoked by the weather conditions..



I still deny any accusations that the snowball attacking Miss Routledge was thrown by me.

Filming Day 2

Today, with much appreciated permission from Mr George, we began filming our interview scene using the Photography equipment! The shots looked brilliant on camera as the lighting was perfect..
However, along with the problem that we did not have enough time in the Art Room to complete filming, we discovered that the buttons on our Flip were failing on us (nothing to do with us)!
Fortunately there's a spare Sony we're able to use and during the meantime, Miss Foster will be kindly letting us use her special, black Flip!



Note to self: Never leave your 'Rough Swedish Girl' make-up on around school as you will be asked if you've been crying or punched in the eye..

Paranormal Activity 3?

Was on my own downstairs around midnight Friday night, when something caught my eye from the corner of the room. Lilly May (Helga) has recently been bought this 'Fur Real Friend' toy cat - which evidently seems to be a bit too fur real..

Luckily I had my camera nearby to catch a - for me - quite scary clip.. the joys of surprise footage!



And you all thought the Media Room was weird..

Camera shots & Purpose

During our last Media lesson, we were processing the idea that some camera shots and movements were used for a direct purpose. I came across this (sort of humorous) parody to the new Harry Potter trailer and it instantly made me think of Media! It describes exactly what action is going on during the trailer, what affect it has on the audience (most of the time) and how it emphasises the greatness of the film - especially when the titles cut in between shots.

Obviously, once you've started A-Level Media, you'll never be able to watch a film as innocently as you once did..

Filming Archive: Day 1

Here's our (EXTREMELY diluted) version of the archiving produced during our first day of Filming!
For some reason the title's included in the video have decided to flip upside down or create fuzzy colours - this only happens when watching the film on YouTube. Unbelievably frustrating..

Our First (failed) Attempt at Tracking

Here's a short clip of the first of many attempts at tracking my feet during our first day of filming - if I remember rightly, we tried to use a magazine to create a smoother shot..

The Breakthrough of a Breakdown!

Recently, our group - Mac 1 - have been becoming pretty bored of our storyline for our 2 minute opening. Although we've come up with a fair few good shots to include in our film, we feel we've been missing the defining 'money shot' to strengthen our plot more..

As always (thankfully!), Miss Foster was bursting with ideas we could work on in the hope of achieving a grounded plot to base our opening around. The idea will ensure a little bit of grovelling to Mr George in order to use the white screen for the background, and the depiction of me being an even more mentally-distorted "albino" than I've already been portayed - however, the shot will highlight the main themes/connotations our opening should contain.

The scene pictured will begin to pinpoint the moment my Swedish character cracked and will hopefully leave the audience with some sort of imagination regarding the reasoning behind such a breakdown..

Snorricam

Despite the funny name, this complex device called the 'Snorricam' could potentially open a bunch of new doors for us regarding camera shots within our coursework; ultimately heightening our view of higher level grades!



We're currently planning (as a class on the whole) to create of these Saw-like contraptions - most probably depending on the supplies of B&Q..

I can just imagine my vertically challenged sister attempting to stand with one of those large frames attatched to her!

CLC Visit

Last Friday we all took a trip round the corner to the CLC; although we didn't really gain any extended knowledge of the program iMovie (at all), a funny little piece of footage was produced from one of the many items Miss Foster's Apple collection contains - the iPhone!

Especially love the slow, returning movement of Nada's phone..

Lilly May

Here's just a short, little video (please watch in 1080p HD) interviewing Lilly about her character, filming day and Mollie!



Excuse the outlandish behaviour towards the end of the clip - I don't know where she gets it from..

Practice Paper - 08/11/10

As promised, we were subjected to our seats to have our first go at a practice Section A paper within our lesson this morning; the question being, "Discuss the ways in which the extract (taken from Doctor Who) constructs representations of gender using the following: Camera shots, angles, movement and composition, Editing, Sound and Mise-en-scene.

Although the question seemed pretty straight forward, - especially seen as the clip held very obvious answers - the time allowance given became a bit of a strain on the brain, and towards the end of the mock exam it felt as though you'd become the crocodile in Peter Pan and could hear the clock constantly ticking from within!

I'm almost certain the teacher marking my paper won't be able to make out one word I've scribbled - my writing never seizes to amaze me under pressure..

Explicit or Implied?

After watching Se7en with the rest of the class on Friday, the lesson was concluded with the question: "Explicit or Implied?"

Many thriller and horror movies will have to ask the same question when filming - some may feel more shocked at the sight of gore and explicit images, whereas others may feel more affected by the use of implied footage. The creators of Se7en - in my eyes - made the right choice by deciding to withold a gruesome image of the character Mills's wife's severed head. By using the effect of an implied image, the audience could focus more on the absolute grief felt and conveyed by the detective instead of having to still overcome shock from seeing such a horrific clip; they could fabricate their own picture of the contents of the parcel - which may disturb viewers more than simply seeing inside.

In contrast however, films like Saw and - more realistically - shows like This is England '86 (sorry to mention it, again!) show extremely explicit images to emotionally connect with the audience. For example, an incredibly disturbing scene of sexual abuse was publicized on Channel 4 for This is England. In this case, the explicit footage shown would have affected each and every one of the thousands of viewers watching the programme; whether they were just a little shocked from the sight or pouring their hearts out and shouting violently at the screen as I did..

On the whole, different people will be affected by different styles of filming; some bloodthirsty viewers may yearn for the showing of a brutally tortured body in order to empathise with the character, wheras others may feel more affected by the implied idea - which can be interpreted as far-fetched or dramatically gory as their minds make it.

When will I, will I be famous?

Recently, we've been keeping track of our little practice videos we've uploaded on to YouTube.. weirdly enough, our most recent - most embarrassing - upload has gained quite a few views over the past week.

7th Nov - 266
9th Nov - 325
14th Nov - 401



Obviously a few of the views have come from various people in school, however we've realised the word 'smoking' in the title of the video has attracted a whole other group of YouTubers around the world - those who like admiring women who smoke.. Although we find the situation quite funny (as you would), we've disabled our comments to ensure we don't recieve any nasty posts calling us "mingers" - as nicely put as possible by Miss Foster!

Se7en

Half way through our Media lesson last Friday we were ordered to switch off our phones, take a seat and "prepare to be silent for the next hour & a half of our lives".. along with sighs of relief came the surprise that we were actually about to watch the film Se7en together!

The film was astoundingly intelligent; from the opening to ending credits the storyline kept everyone's minds churning, aswell as Mollie's body flipping out in ways never seen before..
It's clear to see this film set the standards for future phycological thrillers, such as the Saw series and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - standards which I don't really believe have been surpassed (yet!). The shots, camera angles and audio used in Se7en were brilliant in helping to create a dark atmosphere and just added to the amazing attributes of the entire film.




Although it could seem the shots were purely used to add effect, some of them were clearly put in place to add depth to the film and in one defining case, highlight the contrast between three characters in the penultimate scene..







The shots that only two out of the three characters in the final scene are focused on through the bars within the car is a hugely symbolic piece of footage - which only made the film more intellectually built!

Filming Day!

My little siter Lilly being attacked by Mollie at the start of the day..


Mollie getting into character..


Lilly definitely appearing in character.. or it was just the fact she had to wear a nightie.


Our 'Hydehouse' clapperboard..


The before & after of me becoming incredibly rough(-er Miss would say) looking..


Balcony scene - where the attack of the ladybirds occured.


Filming!


Balcony set..


Me & Yasemin making use of all props found in Jade's house..


Part of our panning shot.


"Enthusiasm, it's what keeps us energised".


Part of the ladybird clan..


Looking back on our footage - the last picture of the day!


We managed to shoot the majority of angles and shots we'd planned; although I appeared to turn to stone during the filming when we found it impossible to bring goosebumps up on my legs - even when Yasemin continuously kept rubbing icecubes against them & Mollie attempted to slide one down my back!

The filming session was both physically and mentally challenging as we began to become more & more stressed towards the end of the day.. not even my fantastic chanting of the soon-to-be number 1 hit 'Enthusiasm' could arouse some energy within the group. We fought through the tantrums of Lilly, exhuastion of the day and invasion of poisonous ladybirds to ultimately accomplish a great amount of footage (and outtakes.. as usual).

Character Profiles

Smoking & Swedish Practicing

Marking Criteria

G321 Marking Criteria

View more presentations from jfoster10.

Practice Shots

(A.K.A Having fun with the Flips..)



Apologies for using the same song as used in the previous edited filming - it was the only song in our iTunes library!

Our Preliminary Exercise

Please play it in '720p HD'.



Our version is clearly way more superior to the original..

First attempt at panning alongside our First Edit..

The original..



The edited version..

Our first ever attempt at using the Flip..

Or 'How not to film'..

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Had the pleasure of watching Girl with the Dragon Tattoo alongside Mollie & Yasemin on Friday afternoon (thanks Miss Foster!).
The film was brilliant, so intelligently shot and pieced together; there were quite a few scenes that we'll definitely be using as inspiration for some of our shots. Although the direct plot of the film doesn't reflect our own idea, there were many elements that pieced the story together which do fit in with our own. The obvious fact that the film was originally created in Swedish (using English subtitles) helps us get a sharper idea of how to use language and subtitles in our favour during our opening. The consistant use of nervous cigarette inhaling relates perfectly to one of the scenes in our opening - so we'll be using that as part of our research. There's also a couple of flashbacks used in the film, so studying how the effect was used in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will come in handy with one of our scenes!
The line "Everybody's got secrets" caught my eye instantly - the quote mirrors one of the main themes that ties our idea together exactly.

Can't wait to attempt using the flip to film HD shots of cigarette smoke..

Here's the trailer for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo:

Swedish

Must've seemed like a complete weirdo typing in 'Swedish girls talking' into Youtube, but as part of our film opening I have been roped into speaking a line of Swedish! Hopefully we'll have enough film left on the camera's to use until I my attempts of two Swedish words are perfected.

Here's a (strange) video of two Swedish women talking..



Watching this clip also reminded me to double-check our camera positioning when filming..

Our amazingly vocal 'Median Grad'!

Our project is already causing controversy..

Our Pitch!

Presentation Questions

1. Is your idea PRACTICALLY possible to film? (no speeding trains, sea battles etc)
Yes, we are set on Jade Hyde's house for our location and our plot is able to do.

2. Will it show off the strengths of EVERY member of your group?
Yes, our film will show off Millie's acting skills (oh dear), Yasemin's editing skills, Mollie's all round greatness and Heather's knowledge of photography angles, focus and framing.

3. Can it be storyboarded okay?
Yes, we have already thought of each shot and how it will impact the story. There will be lots of close ups so it will be easy to storyboard.

4. Is it something you can reasonably shoot and edit in the time available?
Yes, we can shoot the whole thing in one day as it's only in one location and we want to keep the continuity of the film.

5. Can you get access/permission to shoot in the chosen location at the chosen times?
Yes, Jade is one of our friends and her house is easy for us to access for shooting our film.

6. Would lighting/sound be an issue on location?
No, we will be using mostly natural light from her balcony and so we will shoot early in the morning to keep the melancholy style of the film.

7. Are you going to include dialogue? If so, can you do it on location or will you need to add it later?
Yes, our main character will get a phonecall in Swedish in which we will add in during the editing process. We will also include subtitles.

8. Who will be cast as your characters on screen? Are they reliable? Will continuity be an issue?
Millie will be our main character as she's part of the group she is very unlikely to let us down. We are also using her little sister for one scene and one of our friends (still undecided who) will play the father role.

9. Have you thought about style of credits and soundtrack?
Yes, we were looking into an artist Yasemin found on youtube to use as our soundtrack and seeing if the piece of music is copyrighted or not. Our credits will be in the pan shot of the house.

Lesson Summary for 27.9.10

During yesterdays lesson we established the various genres we should be considering.
Our group - Mac 1, consisting of Mollie, Yasemin, Heather and myself - are definitely leaning towards the option of creating a 2 minute opening within the comedy genre. As it has become clear that the easiest choice to base the film opening on is a horror/phycological storyline, we're keen to do the complete opposite; not to mention each of us put together fabricates a group with a hugely warped sense of humour..

Opening credits to Beetlejuice.

Shown below is the opening credits to the classic film Beetlejuice..




From the beginning of the clip the overhead shot is used to create a birds-eye view of the forrest.


As the video continues, the focus comes away from the trees and focuses on the large area of the town - using the extreme wide shot.


The camera then returns back to an overhead view of some trees; this time also following in the direction of the road using tracking.


As the introduction comes to a close, the close up shot is used to bring the consistant moving/tracking of the camera to a halt and focus on the view of the house.

Throughout the opening credits to Beetlejuice, there seems to be a continuous theme of overhead, wide shots; giving the audience of view of the entire town and the house the basis of the film will be set in.

Jaws Shot By Shot - Part 1

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Film Making Techniques

This is England

Below is the opening scene of the brilliantly contradictory film This is England..



The introduction to the film This is England instantly captures the viewers focus with the use of vintage images and music; the whole of the opening credits help piece together a picture of a remarkable era. As the video continues, the original clips used eventually become more graphic - which begin to fabricate the outline of the story based around the skinhead subculture. The use of edgy, harsh clips and text define the era of the 80's; giving the viewer a taste of what's to come from the sharply truthful illustration of the skinhead subculture formed in England.

The opening credits taken from the film This is England show the viewer that this fictional tale of the historical era witholds a huge amount of truth regarding the - sometimes comical, sometimes tragic - everday occurances in England. After watching the authentic, rebellious, youthful images of life during the 80's in the introduction to the film, the exhilarating, skinhead atmosphere created charms and captivates the viewers attention - leaving them no choice but to continue watching..

Se7en

Above is the opening credits taken from the film Se7en..

As soon as the video starts it's clear to see - from the images, music and colour - that the film fits in with the phycological thriller category. The repetitive display of loss of senses ties in with the loss of fingerprints shown at the beginning of the video; therefore, giving the viewer a clue of what the twisted storyline will produce whilst still refraining from giving away the whole plot of the film. The mixture of sharp/blurry camera shots sets the complex atmosphere for Se7en, along with the flickering effects used on both the picture and text throughout the credits.

The introduction to the film Se7en undoubtedly forces the viewer to become anxious in waiting to discover what the creepy film secludes.