Friday, 16 July 2010
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Editing and completing the project
Once we finished filming and had a variety of different shots which reflected our storyboard, we went back to the computers and uploaded our footage.
Using iMovie, we then watched all the footage and decided which was worth editing and which we didn't need. For some of our shots, we had the same shot but from 3 different angles. As a group we had to decide which shot worked best and would be kept. We experimented with different orders and cut and pasted shots into different places to see how it would turn out. This worked very well, for example the close up of the feet walking was moved from its original position to in between the chase in order to flow better. As a group we constantly watched the sequence as a whole to ensure every bit of editing worked and was effective. After watching it through, we realised the transitions between shots were not smooth, to overcome this, we experimented with different transition shots such as fade to black and cross dissolve. We placed these in were needed and when we watched back, the continuity and flow was much better.
We decided to think about sound and/or music for the background sound. We thought of nursery rhymes which could be translated into a slow creepy melody, we then thought of "teddy's bear picnic". We searched YouTube for a version which we liked and came across an instrumental guitarists version. It sounded effective and decided it would work well in our chase sequence. We tried to find a way of slowing it down to make it more creepy, however we could not do this so instead we added a sound effect from iMovie. This adds suspense and smokiness. This sound is played at the beginning and towards the end in the effect of the climax. After watching how the progress appeared, we realised that there was also a lot of background noise which was not intended such as school children. We decided to mute all background noise using Imovie. When we watched it after to see the effect, as a group we decided it was much better and the song made up for any left out noise.
We also found, as we watched through, that some of the lighting and exposure was not equal making the continuity less effective. To overcome this, I experimented with Imovie using the brightness, contrast and exposure effects. We used this in areas which were too bright to be in woods and too bright and cheerful such as the establishing shot.
Once we thought we had finished editing, we watched it over and realised the narrative was weak. We all agreed we had a good variety of different shots however the story was not clear and the sequence seemed to go to fast. We couldn't decided how to overcome this and found it difficult to understand how we can make the narrative stronger with different shots. Nevertheless we went to a different location and filmed more shots with the stalker in. This enables the audience to fully understand she is being stalked without ever giving away the stalkers full identity. However, when we shot the new shots, the continuity failed and in my opinion the shots did not seem to fit and and appeared out of place. We added close ups of the faces, and an over-the-shoulder shot leading into a mid-shot of the stalker following the female. We all agreed the narrative felt stronger but the change in location let it down. I then thought by making it darker and slowing some close ups down, the sequence would flow better and and look more realistic. When we did this, we all agreed it did look better.
After reflecting on our chase sequence we went back to our storyboard and realised that the detail and narrative was not Strong enough. As a group we wanted to start filming which meant we spent less time on the storyboard. Towards the end of our storyboard our notes reduced and the pictures were too simplistic. I think this effected the overall narrative of the sequence and if we had spent more time on the storyboard, the sequence would have been more understandable and easier to follow. When I look back at the storyboard, I now understand that although our pictures were detailed, the description,lighting, camera and music section was very brief. In addition the narrative section is very minimalistic and never fully describes exactly what is going on.
Overall I feel I have learnt the importance of storyboarding and why they are so necessary in sharing the narrative and getting every single shot exactly right. I have also learnt how every little detail in the mise-en-scene makes a difference, for example the amount of leaves on the ground when the feet are walking through helps the continuity and makes it appear more realistic. Similarly, lighting is also crucial, when we shot the close ups of the face looking at the sky, the lighting was bright and almost reflected off the camera, this made the continuity less continuous and we had to spend a long period of time editing it in order to be as realistic as possible.
Everything I have learnt from making this chase sequence will help me next year with creating the horror trailer. I now have a better understanding for camera angles and feel much more confident in my ability to edit and transform footage using iMovie.
Using iMovie, we then watched all the footage and decided which was worth editing and which we didn't need. For some of our shots, we had the same shot but from 3 different angles. As a group we had to decide which shot worked best and would be kept. We experimented with different orders and cut and pasted shots into different places to see how it would turn out. This worked very well, for example the close up of the feet walking was moved from its original position to in between the chase in order to flow better. As a group we constantly watched the sequence as a whole to ensure every bit of editing worked and was effective. After watching it through, we realised the transitions between shots were not smooth, to overcome this, we experimented with different transition shots such as fade to black and cross dissolve. We placed these in were needed and when we watched back, the continuity and flow was much better.
We decided to think about sound and/or music for the background sound. We thought of nursery rhymes which could be translated into a slow creepy melody, we then thought of "teddy's bear picnic". We searched YouTube for a version which we liked and came across an instrumental guitarists version. It sounded effective and decided it would work well in our chase sequence. We tried to find a way of slowing it down to make it more creepy, however we could not do this so instead we added a sound effect from iMovie. This adds suspense and smokiness. This sound is played at the beginning and towards the end in the effect of the climax. After watching how the progress appeared, we realised that there was also a lot of background noise which was not intended such as school children. We decided to mute all background noise using Imovie. When we watched it after to see the effect, as a group we decided it was much better and the song made up for any left out noise.
We also found, as we watched through, that some of the lighting and exposure was not equal making the continuity less effective. To overcome this, I experimented with Imovie using the brightness, contrast and exposure effects. We used this in areas which were too bright to be in woods and too bright and cheerful such as the establishing shot.
Once we thought we had finished editing, we watched it over and realised the narrative was weak. We all agreed we had a good variety of different shots however the story was not clear and the sequence seemed to go to fast. We couldn't decided how to overcome this and found it difficult to understand how we can make the narrative stronger with different shots. Nevertheless we went to a different location and filmed more shots with the stalker in. This enables the audience to fully understand she is being stalked without ever giving away the stalkers full identity. However, when we shot the new shots, the continuity failed and in my opinion the shots did not seem to fit and and appeared out of place. We added close ups of the faces, and an over-the-shoulder shot leading into a mid-shot of the stalker following the female. We all agreed the narrative felt stronger but the change in location let it down. I then thought by making it darker and slowing some close ups down, the sequence would flow better and and look more realistic. When we did this, we all agreed it did look better.
After reflecting on our chase sequence we went back to our storyboard and realised that the detail and narrative was not Strong enough. As a group we wanted to start filming which meant we spent less time on the storyboard. Towards the end of our storyboard our notes reduced and the pictures were too simplistic. I think this effected the overall narrative of the sequence and if we had spent more time on the storyboard, the sequence would have been more understandable and easier to follow. When I look back at the storyboard, I now understand that although our pictures were detailed, the description,lighting, camera and music section was very brief. In addition the narrative section is very minimalistic and never fully describes exactly what is going on.
Overall I feel I have learnt the importance of storyboarding and why they are so necessary in sharing the narrative and getting every single shot exactly right. I have also learnt how every little detail in the mise-en-scene makes a difference, for example the amount of leaves on the ground when the feet are walking through helps the continuity and makes it appear more realistic. Similarly, lighting is also crucial, when we shot the close ups of the face looking at the sky, the lighting was bright and almost reflected off the camera, this made the continuity less continuous and we had to spend a long period of time editing it in order to be as realistic as possible.
Everything I have learnt from making this chase sequence will help me next year with creating the horror trailer. I now have a better understanding for camera angles and feel much more confident in my ability to edit and transform footage using iMovie.
Friday, 2 July 2010
planning and filming
In preparation for year 13 media studies coursework, we decided to do a preliminary task of a one minute chase sequence. In order to have a full understanding of how chase sequences work I researched into the different storylines and camera angles. YouTube enabled me to watch both professional and other students chase sequences which helped me see what I felt worked well and what I wanted to avoid. The textual analysis of year 12 TV drama exam benefited me in the planning of the chase as I had a better understanding of different camera angles, for example an over the head shot. I learnt the importance of mise-en-scene and lighting.
Before we started our own ideas, we practised with the cameras by watching a professional chase sequence, and then in our school grounds, trying to copy the angles and storyline. This helped me as I started to understand how long shots take and the importance of shooting each shot more than once to enable a professional finish. Once we had practised , we experimented with Imovie to make sure we knew how to edit and to allow us to practise with different editing techniques.
Once we got put into groups, we immediately started sharing our different ideas for storylines. As a group we all agreed on our storyline and started to storyboard straight away. In our storyboard, we included camera shots, dialogue, mise-en-scene and any extra details needed to ensure the storyboard would be easy to follow when we started filming.
We decided not to use an actor as we wanted to ensure there was no time limit and complications so a member of our group volunteered. This worked well as we all shared different responsibilities but came together to make sure we were all happy with the shot and ready to move on.
Once we started filming we used the storyboard to guide us through the different shots to make sure we didn't miss anything out. When I shot our high-angle shot we had difficulties getting a high enough shot. We started by climbing a lamppost, however, this did not work as well as we planned and the shot was therefore not high enough. To overcome this problem we then found a small bridge which was in a slightly different location to where we originally planned, however this worked better than we thought and the shot turned into a perfect high angle panning shot. Another difficulty whilst filming was when we tried to create the effect of the camera falling to the ground. We used a pillow to ensure we did not damage the camera, however every time we dropped it the footage did not film. After trying many different techniques, we decided to manually drop it moving our hand fast. This also worked very well and the effect of a camera dropping captures what we wanted.
Before we started our own ideas, we practised with the cameras by watching a professional chase sequence, and then in our school grounds, trying to copy the angles and storyline. This helped me as I started to understand how long shots take and the importance of shooting each shot more than once to enable a professional finish. Once we had practised , we experimented with Imovie to make sure we knew how to edit and to allow us to practise with different editing techniques.
Once we got put into groups, we immediately started sharing our different ideas for storylines. As a group we all agreed on our storyline and started to storyboard straight away. In our storyboard, we included camera shots, dialogue, mise-en-scene and any extra details needed to ensure the storyboard would be easy to follow when we started filming.
We decided not to use an actor as we wanted to ensure there was no time limit and complications so a member of our group volunteered. This worked well as we all shared different responsibilities but came together to make sure we were all happy with the shot and ready to move on.
Once we started filming we used the storyboard to guide us through the different shots to make sure we didn't miss anything out. When I shot our high-angle shot we had difficulties getting a high enough shot. We started by climbing a lamppost, however, this did not work as well as we planned and the shot was therefore not high enough. To overcome this problem we then found a small bridge which was in a slightly different location to where we originally planned, however this worked better than we thought and the shot turned into a perfect high angle panning shot. Another difficulty whilst filming was when we tried to create the effect of the camera falling to the ground. We used a pillow to ensure we did not damage the camera, however every time we dropped it the footage did not film. After trying many different techniques, we decided to manually drop it moving our hand fast. This also worked very well and the effect of a camera dropping captures what we wanted.
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