Saturday, 12 December 2009
Childrens Film - Callum Adams
Wassuuuuuuup
I thought I would give you a little bit of information on how I have worked throughout the project so far. Oli and Luke should give you an update about their own work sometime soon.
So, the plot of our film is the stereotypical bad guy vs good guy, evil vs good. Obviously as this is a PG film good will eventually prevail over evil. Therefore our superhero characters needed to appear able to defeat such an evil character. The three 'good guys' needed too vary and for my own character I chose to use 'Superman' as an influence. The attire i chose for my character was basic but meaningful:
As our characters varied I chose to base my character on an all action 'Superman' type hero whereas the others were mysterious magicians and querky scientist/inventors. The scene begins with the camera zooming from the superheroes black cape with my back turned. As the camera zooms back and I come into full view I turn around and take a stereotypical heroic, hands on hip stance and look into the sky. I'm no actor so I tried to use stereotypical superhero character conventions to portay my character. From out of nowhere a henchman runs in and attacks me. As this is a only a PG I chose to use fist fighting, but in fear of this being to vivid and violent I made sure all the action was clearly fake. After the fight scene finishes the scene then cuts back to the book and my scene is over.
The Book: The book dictates the plot of the story to the audience. I thought of this format from watching the film 'Shrek' where the foundations of the fairytale are explained from the start to give the audience some background information and leave the story on a cliffhanger. Due too the resources avaliable we couldn't film use full animation like in Shrek and turning the pages with I-Stop would have been nearly impossible and very time consuming. We decided to film the book section with a camcorder.
I then pulled a story of good vs evul and a quest plot together as the rest of the group brainstormed ideas.
Rather than making a book from scratch we took an old book from the libary with similar coloured pages to the tea stained ones we had made.
Filming: I wanted to do most of the filming for this project, I chose to incorporate different techniques.
I thought I would give you a little bit of information on how I have worked throughout the project so far. Oli and Luke should give you an update about their own work sometime soon.
So, the plot of our film is the stereotypical bad guy vs good guy, evil vs good. Obviously as this is a PG film good will eventually prevail over evil. Therefore our superhero characters needed to appear able to defeat such an evil character. The three 'good guys' needed too vary and for my own character I chose to use 'Superman' as an influence. The attire i chose for my character was basic but meaningful:
- A cape, merely a black bed sheet.
- Proper Leather shoes; to portray the characters serious attitude and to link with the mise en scene of Olde England.
- The shoes coupled with plain dark trousers which children would invisage as olde time clothes.
- Unfortunately my choice of jumper was not good as it had a commercial brand label slap bang in the centre. So, I attemtped to disguise this with my black cape when we filmed.
- Finally I gave 'Buster' a pair of avaiators to, just like Superman, mask his identity and add mystery to the character.
As our characters varied I chose to base my character on an all action 'Superman' type hero whereas the others were mysterious magicians and querky scientist/inventors. The scene begins with the camera zooming from the superheroes black cape with my back turned. As the camera zooms back and I come into full view I turn around and take a stereotypical heroic, hands on hip stance and look into the sky. I'm no actor so I tried to use stereotypical superhero character conventions to portay my character. From out of nowhere a henchman runs in and attacks me. As this is a only a PG I chose to use fist fighting, but in fear of this being to vivid and violent I made sure all the action was clearly fake. After the fight scene finishes the scene then cuts back to the book and my scene is over.
The Book: The book dictates the plot of the story to the audience. I thought of this format from watching the film 'Shrek' where the foundations of the fairytale are explained from the start to give the audience some background information and leave the story on a cliffhanger. Due too the resources avaliable we couldn't film use full animation like in Shrek and turning the pages with I-Stop would have been nearly impossible and very time consuming. We decided to film the book section with a camcorder.
I then pulled a story of good vs evul and a quest plot together as the rest of the group brainstormed ideas.
Rather than making a book from scratch we took an old book from the libary with similar coloured pages to the tea stained ones we had made.
Filming: I wanted to do most of the filming for this project, I chose to incorporate different techniques.
- 180 Degree Pan - I used this in the 'Barry action scene' while he used the computer to give a feel of the audience walking behind the character and coupled with,
- Over The shoulder shot - this gave all aspects of the Barry Scene to the audience.
- Point of View Shot - Again in the Barry action scene I used the point of the view of the computer that Barry was typing at so the audience can get a clear view of who the character is as he has his back turned to the camera in the other shots
- Close Ups - I used numerous close ups; In the shooting of the book I used an extreme close up as I panned up and down the page while the narrator dictated. I also used a close up on the evil character as he sat in a menacing position. Note that I also used a low angle shot here to enhance his notoriety. Again, a close up of 'Merlin' as he sat meditating.
- Medium Long Shot - As Oliver filmed me and Luke in 'Busters'' fight scene I advised him to use the tripod in a stationary position as though the scene was being watched by a stationary onlooker. This worked well and a mini pan that Oli threw in as the henchman ran towards Buster gave a little more effect.
- Panning Shots - I used panning shots twice. Firstly with the evil character and secondly with Merlin. Both times I panned across the shot slowly then when the camera had passed the character a little I panned back fast so that the character was in the centre of the frame. I used this technique to give the effect of the audience looking for someone and then being surprised when they find them. Also I used a normal pan at the start from the sky towards the book to establish the setting.
- Zooms - I used numerous zooms, for example with Merlin I zoomed into his face at the end of the scene so that there wasn't a mere cut.
Monday, 30 November 2009
PLAN
Storyboard
Hello everyone and welcome back to our blogs.
For our 2 minute PG rated title sequence we are planning to incorporate an adventure genre with a hint of childish comedy. The adventure we are using stems from influence of Childrens comic books such as SpiderMan and Batman. The type of comedy we are incorporating are blatent gags as we want a PG audience of mainly children to be able to understand the jokes. For example we would use over the top costumes and querky props rather than balaclavas and pitch black costume, which would not only be too serious for a PG audience but hard to understand as they would not completely understand why the characters are dressed as they are.
This picture of Marvel ComicBook hereos is an illustration of the kind of costumes we will be following.
The Storyboard
The sequence will open with the starry night sky and the camera will then move onto the book. Or an alternative beginning (if we can't acheieve a starry night) will be to start in a dark room and imitate stars as the camera pans down onto a torchlit old book. The closed book itself will be ancient looking and without a name, just a picture of a Pyramid with an open eye looking outwards towards the viewer. The book will open as the camera stays in a stationary position, Birdseye View, and the viewer will be able to read the story. Before they have time to start reading however the voice over will kick in and begin to recite the ancient story. The voice over will be dark and mysterious, imitating The 'Optimus Prime' voice over in the film 'Transformers.' Although there is no way that we could possibly re-create such a deep robotic voice we will use garageband to deepen our original voice over. As the book flicks through its pages the story will be read out to the viewer, the history of the world and what the current situation is. As we are using an old book our story will be set in a historical world where violence is rife all over the land. The story will explain how one man has risen above the rest to harness the violence all over the world and use it to conquer the universe. The camera will then zoom out from the book and blur. It will then come back into focus in a real life scene where the Prince Disreali (The Bad Guy) is drinking from a goblet in his throne, or something of equal notoriety. It will then slide back into the book and carry on through the story.The only hope to keep world freedom for the innocent is for a band of Superhereos to form and find the book that holds the power to defeat the 'bad guy.' These characters will then have two pages of the book each, set out like top trump cards. Just as it did with Prince Disreali each character will have their own real life action shot brought into the book through different transitions. The name of the three superheroes are 'Buster,' 'Merlin' and 'Barry.' As the last character is explained the book will flick through some last pages and leave the story with an air of mystery so the audience wants to watch on. The book will then slam closed and the name of the film will slam down on top. The name of the film is 'Merlin, Buster, Barry and the Magic Key.'
Props: We are going to open the title sequence with an ancient looking book to give the same effect that Shrek did when introducing the story. As well as having the book explaining the plot we will also use a deep, dark voice over to read the story aloud.
Goblet/Old looking glass for bad guy to drink out off, Red Wine in to make it look like blood
Throne for him to sit on
Table
Grapes
Costumes - Old looking
Research
we brainstormed ideas for our piece such as:
- Comic Book
- Ancient book, as a narrator narrates the story
- Prism/Key for the symbol
- Narrator has a deep warm voice to set the tone for the audience (Children)
- Super Hero Characters
- Ideas for credits
- Costumes
- Mise-en-scene
- Camerawork - A thought to the beginning of the camerawork for example a starry night sky
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Certification notes
For our children's opening title sequence, we envisage a PG certification, to satisfy not only children but making it appeal to older audiences too!
Here below is a copied guide to the certification; PG.
PG Parental Guidance – General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.
Discrimination
Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of or in an educational or historical context. Discrimination by a character with which children can readily identify is unlikely to be acceptable.
Drugs
References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message.
Horror
Frightening sequences should not be prolonged or intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.
Imitable behaviour
No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons.
Language
Mild bad language only.
Nudity
Natural nudity, with no sexual context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent. Mild sex references and innuendo only.
Theme
Where more serious issues are featured (for example, domestic violence) nothing in their treatment should condone unacceptable behaviour.
Violence
Moderate violence, without detail, may be allowed, if justified by its context (for example, history, comedy or fantasy).
Here below is a copied guide to the certification; PG.
PG Parental Guidance – General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.
Discrimination
Discriminatory language or behaviour is unlikely to be acceptable unless clearly disapproved of or in an educational or historical context. Discrimination by a character with which children can readily identify is unlikely to be acceptable.
Drugs
References to illegal drugs or drug misuse must be innocuous or carry a suitable anti-drug message.
Horror
Frightening sequences should not be prolonged or intense. Fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor.
Imitable behaviour
No detail of potentially dangerous behaviour which young children are likely to copy. No glamorisation of realistic or easily accessible weapons.
Language
Mild bad language only.
Nudity
Natural nudity, with no sexual context.
Sex
Sexual activity may be implied, but should be discreet and infrequent. Mild sex references and innuendo only.
Theme
Where more serious issues are featured (for example, domestic violence) nothing in their treatment should condone unacceptable behaviour.
Violence
Moderate violence, without detail, may be allowed, if justified by its context (for example, history, comedy or fantasy).
THE FILM
The Preliminary Task.
For our film we have chosen a woodland scene starring Callum Adams and Phil Lemon. Oli Theuissen took up the job of cameraman and Luke Butcher Directed while Callum and Phil were in action. Every part of the film making and editing was talked about as a team. We used a range of camera shots to enhance the story, showing the dominant character and the lesser, weaker character.
The first scene was an establishing shot of the two characters, Callum and Phil. As a group we chose to use the woodland area because it had a tunnel effect. From behind the two characters walking towards the camera the location mimics a long journey, coming from the darkness into the light. There are many varied establishing shots so we kept ours simple but effective. The characters start from a long distance and walk towards the camera, no zoom is used to show the characters transition not the camera's. The camera follows the characters as they walk past from above (to do this Oli did have to climb a tree, something captured and shown in the deleted scenes (if we upload them)). The scene ends as the camera watches the characters walk slowly away in deep discussion.
Due to the following scene we chose to add a transition into the change. Instead of having a plain cut we included a push slide from left to right. This was due to the fact the second scene started with the camera panning from a wooded area to the two stationary characters talking.
This second shot was a short scene panning from a wooded area to the two characters talking. We chose to move the camera out of the wooded area so that the difference between the first and second scene didn't seem to lose continuity.
Moving onto the third shot we chose a straight cut into a 180 degree pan. This was a hard shot to manage as we didn't have a dolly, the ground was particularly uneven and the wind was reaching gale speeds. To combat this we chose to enhance the effect of having a hand held camera. If we had tried to make the shot seem as though it was a smooth pan but at the same time was inevitably jolty the shot would seem cheap and unconvincing from an audiences perspective.
The cut from third to fourth scene was again, a straight cut. This we felt was essential because it brought the viewer immediately into the action, and although there is no dialogue as we will explain later on, it pulls the audience into the action.
The fourth scene is a close up of Phil's face as he starts to make the conversation more serious. To enhance Phil's authority over Callum we included Callum's right arm and shot the scene from a low angle exaggerating Phil's power and size. To add even more difference in size Phil stood on a raised up area while Callum crouched slightly. Finally we zoom into an extreme close up of Phil's face to encourage his seriousness.
We then used a fade out face in transition from the fourth to fifth scene because it helped get from one scene to another with a smooth move.
The Fifth scene is of Callum's face from an over-the-shoulder shot from Phil's point of view. This was used as a method to show Callum's lesser authority. The camera then zooms in as Callum walks away and the shot fades into a woodland area. The scene then moves to the Sixth scene through a fade in.
The Sixth scene is of Callum walking alone towards the camera. We incorporated the 'Match on Action Shot' in here by filming the walk from two different angles, separated by a straight cut. Callum moves towards a tree and leans on it as the camera zooms into his shoulder and Phil's hand is seen resting on his shoulder, comforting him. We purposely blurred the shot as Phil's hand rests on Callum's shoulder so that the audience wonder if it is really Phil's hand and, in general, what is going on.
From scene Six to Seven we chose to use a fade out fade in because coupled with the out of focus ending it creates a mysterious, smooth cut.
The final scene, scene Seven, is from an over-the-shoulder shot of Phil from Callum's point of view. We made sure in the final scene that Phil was comforting and reassuring Callum but still had authority over him. Phil then walks out of the scene to show that he is done and the rest is left to Callum. The camera then moves from the position of Phil's face left into the wooded area and slowly zooms in and finishes. We chose to end it this way to leave the audience wondering how it has ended yet hopefully have a rounded view of what the scene was about.
The entire project centered around broadcasting a message through camera angles and shots rather than mise-en-scene and dialogue. Therefore we made the brave move of taking background sound and dialogue out and replacing it with a backing track. The backing track is emotional piano to keep the film neutral and leave the message conveyed purely to the camera.
The whole project was a difficult one but satisfying to make and watch once it had been through the editing stage.
For our film we have chosen a woodland scene starring Callum Adams and Phil Lemon. Oli Theuissen took up the job of cameraman and Luke Butcher Directed while Callum and Phil were in action. Every part of the film making and editing was talked about as a team. We used a range of camera shots to enhance the story, showing the dominant character and the lesser, weaker character.
The first scene was an establishing shot of the two characters, Callum and Phil. As a group we chose to use the woodland area because it had a tunnel effect. From behind the two characters walking towards the camera the location mimics a long journey, coming from the darkness into the light. There are many varied establishing shots so we kept ours simple but effective. The characters start from a long distance and walk towards the camera, no zoom is used to show the characters transition not the camera's. The camera follows the characters as they walk past from above (to do this Oli did have to climb a tree, something captured and shown in the deleted scenes (if we upload them)). The scene ends as the camera watches the characters walk slowly away in deep discussion.
Due to the following scene we chose to add a transition into the change. Instead of having a plain cut we included a push slide from left to right. This was due to the fact the second scene started with the camera panning from a wooded area to the two stationary characters talking.
This second shot was a short scene panning from a wooded area to the two characters talking. We chose to move the camera out of the wooded area so that the difference between the first and second scene didn't seem to lose continuity.
Moving onto the third shot we chose a straight cut into a 180 degree pan. This was a hard shot to manage as we didn't have a dolly, the ground was particularly uneven and the wind was reaching gale speeds. To combat this we chose to enhance the effect of having a hand held camera. If we had tried to make the shot seem as though it was a smooth pan but at the same time was inevitably jolty the shot would seem cheap and unconvincing from an audiences perspective.
The cut from third to fourth scene was again, a straight cut. This we felt was essential because it brought the viewer immediately into the action, and although there is no dialogue as we will explain later on, it pulls the audience into the action.
The fourth scene is a close up of Phil's face as he starts to make the conversation more serious. To enhance Phil's authority over Callum we included Callum's right arm and shot the scene from a low angle exaggerating Phil's power and size. To add even more difference in size Phil stood on a raised up area while Callum crouched slightly. Finally we zoom into an extreme close up of Phil's face to encourage his seriousness.
We then used a fade out face in transition from the fourth to fifth scene because it helped get from one scene to another with a smooth move.
The Fifth scene is of Callum's face from an over-the-shoulder shot from Phil's point of view. This was used as a method to show Callum's lesser authority. The camera then zooms in as Callum walks away and the shot fades into a woodland area. The scene then moves to the Sixth scene through a fade in.
The Sixth scene is of Callum walking alone towards the camera. We incorporated the 'Match on Action Shot' in here by filming the walk from two different angles, separated by a straight cut. Callum moves towards a tree and leans on it as the camera zooms into his shoulder and Phil's hand is seen resting on his shoulder, comforting him. We purposely blurred the shot as Phil's hand rests on Callum's shoulder so that the audience wonder if it is really Phil's hand and, in general, what is going on.
From scene Six to Seven we chose to use a fade out fade in because coupled with the out of focus ending it creates a mysterious, smooth cut.
The final scene, scene Seven, is from an over-the-shoulder shot of Phil from Callum's point of view. We made sure in the final scene that Phil was comforting and reassuring Callum but still had authority over him. Phil then walks out of the scene to show that he is done and the rest is left to Callum. The camera then moves from the position of Phil's face left into the wooded area and slowly zooms in and finishes. We chose to end it this way to leave the audience wondering how it has ended yet hopefully have a rounded view of what the scene was about.
The entire project centered around broadcasting a message through camera angles and shots rather than mise-en-scene and dialogue. Therefore we made the brave move of taking background sound and dialogue out and replacing it with a backing track. The backing track is emotional piano to keep the film neutral and leave the message conveyed purely to the camera.
The whole project was a difficult one but satisfying to make and watch once it had been through the editing stage.
Monday, 16 November 2009
RESEARCH LOL
Yoyo peeps! this is our first bloggage so bare with us. For our preliminary project we have had to research some key terms that will be used in our filmage.
Firstly 'Match on Action' technique can preserve temporal continuity where there is a uniform, unrepeated physical motion or change within a passage. A match on action is when some action occurring before the temporally questionable cut is picked up where the cut left it by the shot immediately following. For example, a shot of someone tossing a ball can be edited to show two different views, while maintaining temporal continuity by being sure that the second shot shows the arm of the subject in the same stage of its motion as it was left when cutting from the first shot.
Secondly 'Shot/Reverse shot' is a film technique wherein one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in
opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.
And finally '180 Degree Rule' is a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.
Using these key terms we have decided to chose a 'Cry Me a River - Justin Timberlake Music Video' setting. This requires a rain filled scene to add a very intimate set. However, because the weather is unpredictable, we have allowed our film to incorporate a set without rain. Even though the project centers around camerawork the dark weather set will give a strong connection between viewer and characters, enhanced by camerawork.
We hope you enjoy our first blog and following video.
Research by Phil, Luke, Oli and Callum.
You can see the influence for our video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7p4mioawIA
Firstly 'Match on Action' technique can preserve temporal continuity where there is a uniform, unrepeated physical motion or change within a passage. A match on action is when some action occurring before the temporally questionable cut is picked up where the cut left it by the shot immediately following. For example, a shot of someone tossing a ball can be edited to show two different views, while maintaining temporal continuity by being sure that the second shot shows the arm of the subject in the same stage of its motion as it was left when cutting from the first shot.
Secondly 'Shot/Reverse shot' is a film technique wherein one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in
opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other.
And finally '180 Degree Rule' is a basic guideline in film making that states that two characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line. The new shot, from the opposite side, is known as a reverse angle.
Using these key terms we have decided to chose a 'Cry Me a River - Justin Timberlake Music Video' setting. This requires a rain filled scene to add a very intimate set. However, because the weather is unpredictable, we have allowed our film to incorporate a set without rain. Even though the project centers around camerawork the dark weather set will give a strong connection between viewer and characters, enhanced by camerawork.
We hope you enjoy our first blog and following video.
Research by Phil, Luke, Oli and Callum.
You can see the influence for our video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7p4mioawIA
Friday, 13 November 2009
101 Dalmations: THE INTRO
Yoyo... this is our most recent post. We are discussing the opening sequence to 101 Dalmations (1996) and what conventions of a opening sequence it has. The video can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCxK4vpJa2Y to keep up with our analysis.
The music is very stereotypical, loud and jolly. This is to introduce the mood of the film and immediately attract the audience which would be mostly children. The narrative is then established through the credit 'London.' This is one of many credits also introducing actors/actresses and the name of the film. Following the introduction of location the characters are then brought to attention. Firstly the dog, who follows an obvious daily routine, then his owner, a typical bored pen pusher. The film then switches to the other two characters; a woman and her dog, an identical Dalmatian. This kind of editing is called parallel editing: where two different things are happening but at the same time. The final convention is the Genre. This film is established as being a family film/adventure through the two different characters sharing the same views on the torture of dogs.
Inabit.
The music is very stereotypical, loud and jolly. This is to introduce the mood of the film and immediately attract the audience which would be mostly children. The narrative is then established through the credit 'London.' This is one of many credits also introducing actors/actresses and the name of the film. Following the introduction of location the characters are then brought to attention. Firstly the dog, who follows an obvious daily routine, then his owner, a typical bored pen pusher. The film then switches to the other two characters; a woman and her dog, an identical Dalmatian. This kind of editing is called parallel editing: where two different things are happening but at the same time. The final convention is the Genre. This film is established as being a family film/adventure through the two different characters sharing the same views on the torture of dogs.
Inabit.