My film poster

Photos from shooting day... Because I'm being bugged to death for them.

My finished Animation!

FINALLY finished my haunted ride animation project :) I'm really happy with the outcome! Feedback pleasee!

Research on short films.

Award winning low budget college short film. This was a film showed to us by Phil in the seminar on 14/04/11. I think it is a really clever idea and thought the ending was unexpected!

Our ideas pitch presentation!

Here is the presentation we are going to use to pitch our ideas that I have made :)  Initial ideas presentation film

View more presentations from CLM6792.

Camera research, thanks to Dan!

We thought it would be important to research different camera techniques so that we could use the correct language when finalising our script.

Camera techniques

As i will be the cameraman, i have researched into certain techniques which i think will be useful for our film.

Camera Techniques for research

 

The use of different shot sizes can influence the meaning which an audience will interpret.
The size of the subject in frame depends on two things: the distance the camera is away from the subject and the focal length of the camera lens.
Common shot sizes:

• Extreme close-up: Focuses on a single facial feature, such as lips and eyes.
• Close-up: May be used to show tension.
• Medium shot: Often used, but considered bad practice by many directors, as it often denies setting establishment and is generally less effective than the Close-up.
• Long shot

Choice of shot size is also directly related to the size of the final display screen the audience will see. A Long shot has much more dramatic power on a large theater screen, whereas the same shot would have less of an impact on a small TV or computer screen.

Spin look:

The camera spins around an actor to get a glimpse of what he or she is looking at. The camera may also begin by viewing the object then spin back around to view the character.

Also the spin look is an alternative to the popular technique of “ Cutting away” when a character looks off-screen.

Establishing shot:

An establishing shot in film and television sets up, or establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long- or extreme-long shot at the beginning of a scene indicating where, and sometimes when, the remainder of the scene takes place. Mainly used at a new location to give the audience a sense of locality.

POV shot:

It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction.

Cut zoom in:

Cut zoom in is a technique that adds emphasis to another wise static shot. This technique usually has three stages, a very wide shot, a wide shot and finally medium shot.

Jump cut sequence:

A jump cut sequence is a specific type of montage sequence in which jump cuts are used to show similar actions occurring over a short period of time.

Tracking shot:

A tracking shot  is a segment in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly, a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails while the picture is being taken.

Reaction shot:

It is a shot which cuts away from the main scene in order to show the reaction of a character to it.

Our final script with camera shots!

1 EXT. STREET.
(close up)Teddy is found laid in a muddy puddle.(camera zooms out)
TEDDY

(vo)

There'll come a time when I'll look at the world and it will look back at me

Pedestrians/cars rush past the Teddy without noticing it.
TEDDY

(vo)

And I won't be there to see it

Teddy gets up and starts walking off.

2 INT. BEDROOM.
(teddy walks into shot) The Teddy finds the house of its owner. It enters the house, climbs upstairs (camera from teddy’s P.O.V or follows it) and goes to the girl’s bedroom. There is a row of photos perfectly lined on the window sill. A desk with a pile of study books, homework and a laptop. There is a cork board on the wall with a perfectly cut out exam timetable to leave no excess. (camera cuts to show each thing the shows teddy leaving room)
TEDDY

(vo)

I've always been invisible. Had the ability.

My mummy had me for a limited time only

Teddy exits the room.

3 INT. LIVING ROOM.
(camera facing teddy then cuts to show girl entering) Girl walks homework under her arm and delicately places it on the coffee table. The Teddy is sat on the sofa and she sits on him. (camera is facing side so you can see teddy being sat on)
TEDDY

(vo)

And if I shouted she could sometimes hear me

(camera facing girl) Girl looks puzzled as she hears the Teddy. She pulls him out from under her and throws him to one side of the room. (camera follows teddy as he flies through the air then camera cuts to show teddy getting up and leaving) Teddy gets up and exits the room.

4 INT.KITCHEN.
(medium shot) Teddy is sat at the kitchen table. The stereo is playing. (close up on stereo) We can see the volume has been turned down to zero
TEDDY

(vo)

But of course she couldn't

Teddy goes to turn up radio and Celine Dion’s “All by myself” is playing. (full shot of table) Teddy places head on table and starts to cry.

5 EXT. PARK.
(camera pans and stops to show swing & teddy walking away from it) The empty swing gently moves back and forth.
TEDDY

(vo)

If you let me creep up on you
(medium shot) Teddy is seen drinking a bottle of vodka (close up shot of bottle)The bottle of vodka slowly empties
TEDDY

(vo)

I can make you disappear too
(camera moves away from teddy and teddy moves towards it) Teddy is staggering around the park, pissed out of his face.
TEDDY

(vo)

I could just tell you some things. Things you don't want to hear. Things no one should have to hear

(close up)The Teddy snorts a line of cocaine (crushed up paracetamol) and injects himself with heroin (syringe from a fancy dress shop filled with water)

(full shot) The Teddy makes its way over to the car park.
TEDDY

(vo)

But it can't be your fault

(medium shot of the teddy) The sound of a car engine is heard followed by a horn, the Teddy turns around (faces camera then camera goes behind the teddy to show the car) and is struck by a car. It flies through the air and lands on the ground.
TEDDY

(vo)

(close up of teddy laying on the ground)

I am invisible you see. And now I am gone

THE END

Film treatment, thanks to Dan :)

Film treatment for 'Gaze'.

Title: 'Gaze'.

Outline of ideas:

Resource list:  Camerman (& lighting), director, producer, sound engineer, one character, video camera. A set time without being in a rush to make the film look professional. In terms of props, some study books, a teddy, a stereo, a bottle of vodka, a cork board and a laptop are the main objects we need for our scenes.

Strengths: Knowing suitable locations which will fit the scenes well is vital. Locations will be local to reduce travel time and more time for filming.Easy access for props.

Weaknesses: The main limitation to making this film is the weather. If it rains or the lighting is poor then a plan will need to be created before our first filming day incase we have to change our schedule. Another weakness could be that we won't be great our roles that we have been assigned. This could cause the final outcome of the film to be worse than it should be.

Conclusion: Ultimately I believe that our film will work well. It will relate to people closely through our ideas about how toys played a big impact on our childhood life. In order for this film to work, we will need to be organised and need adequate research involved.

Little video to introduce my haunted ride

The video is of the front of the building of my haunted ride to show what I have done for the entrance. This will be at the beginning of my ride video to make it longer and introduce the ride :)

VIDEO YET TO COME

Edited script

I have edited the script so that people can see what changes I have made. This script goes along with the storyboard I have created.

1 EXT. STREET.
Teddy is found laid in a muddy puddle.
TEDDY

(vo)

There'll come a time when I'll look at the world and it will look back at me

Pedestrians/cars rush past the Teddy without noticing it.
TEDDY

(vo)

And I won't be there to see it

Teddy gets up and starts walking off.

2 INT. BEDROOM.
The Teddy finds the house of its owner. It enters the house, climbs upstairs and goes to the girl’s bedroom. There is a row of photos perfectly lined on the window sill. A desk with a pile of study books, homework and a laptop. There is a cork board on the wall with a perfectly cut out exam timetable to leave no excess.
TEDDY

(vo)

I've always been invisible. Had the ability.

My mummy had me for a limited time only

Teddy exits the room.

3 INT. LIVING ROOM.
Girl walks homework under her arm and delicately places it on the coffee table. The Teddy is sat on the sofa and she sits on him.
TEDDY

(vo)

And if I shouted she could sometimes hear me

Girl looks puzzled as she hears the Teddy. She pulls him out from under her and throws him to one side of the room. Teddy gets up and exits the room.

4 INT.KITCHEN.
Teddy is sat at the kitchen table. The stereo is playing. We can see the volume has been turned down to zero
TEDDY

(vo)

But of course she couldn't

Teddy goes to turn up radio and Celine Dion’s “All by myself” is playing. Teddy places head on table and starts to cry.

5 EXT. PARK.
The empty swing gently moves back and forth
TEDDY

(vo)

If you let me creep up on you
The bottle of vodka slowly empties
TEDDY

(vo)

I can make you disappear too
Teddy is staggering around the park, pissed out of his face.
TEDDY

(vo)

I could just tell you some things. Things you don't want to hear. Things no one should have to hear

The Teddy makes its way over to the car park.
TEDDY

(vo)

But it can't be your fault

The sound of a car engine is heard followed by a horn, the Teddy turns around and is struck by a car. It flies through the air and lands on the ground.
TEDDY

(vo)

I am invisible you see. And now I am gone

THE END

Rough schedule

This is a plan of action I have created in order to keep my group organised (hopefully)!

Task Date completed by Completed by who? Role description Week 2 - 11th April All members Rough storyboard Beginning of week 2 All members Treatment - Visual End of week 2 Dan Treatment - Sound End of week 2 Matt Images of locations Week 2 - 13th April Charlotte Description of characters  End of week 2 Lucy Ideas for costumes/props End of week 2 All members Initial ideas presentation Week 2 - 13th All members Examples of short films involving toys End of week 2 All members Final storyboard Week 2 - 13th Charlotte Risk asessment Week 3 Charlotte Check permissions (if needed) Week 3 Charlotte Risk asessment check by tutor Week 3 Charlotte Hopefully we wll stick to this and get everything done on time!

"Interpretation" movie research.

The idea of our film project is to interperate a script that has been given to us. To see how this has been done in the past, I am going to look at some films that have been interpreated over the years.

Example 1 - Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

The first movie to be released was a 1971 musical adaptation of the novel created in 1964 by Roald Dahl.

The novel was titled "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" but the film took a little twist and named it "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". To me this is a bit odd as the novel is so well known, it seems almost rude to call it something else.

The first movie was released on 30th June 1971. Here is a trailer showing parts of the movie:

In comparison, the same movie was released again in 2005. However, it was a completely different interpretation altogether. Here is a trailer for that movie :

In both movies, the story line is kept pretty much the same. A poor boy finding the last golden ticket, nobody has ever been in the factory, Oompa loompas, everything is edible as they go in, the weird boat ride, ever lasting gob stoppers etc etc.

Only a few slight details have been changed, the story is still the same, the characters are still the same but some aspects of the film have been changed.


Example 2 - Robin Hood

Robin Hood is a heroic outlaw in English Folklaw. He is well known for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. He and his "merry men" go out and do this whilst trying to avoid the Sheriff of Nottingham. Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire is a well known place due to the story of this Folklaw as this is where Robin Hood supposedly lived. Robin Hood has influenced a series of movies, but I have picked out 2 in particular.

Robin Hood Prince of Thieves was released in 1991. This movie concentrated on the traditional story of the battle between the outlaws and the Sheriff of Nottingham and his men. In the process, Robin Hood falls in love with Maid Marion and it is a never ending fight to keep her by his side. Here is the trailer from that movie.



In contrast, in 2010 another Robin Hood movie was released but was more like a prequal than a re-make. This concentrated on the story on how Robin Hood became an outlaw rather than what happened once he was one. Here is the trailer from that movie.

Obviously, this movie still contains a lot of fighting, cos that's what people like! But to say it is an "interprated" film, they are both completely different story wise. Also, I really like the phrase "Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions". Just shows that anyone can become anything they want!

Research

Seeing as our film is going to have a bear as the main character, we found this video that has a bear as the main character!

We really liked the humor behind it, and hope to portray this in our film!

My Role.

For my film project I have taken the role of Director. Even though I am not doing film next year, I still want to really challenge myself and prove I am capable of such a big role.

A director has been defined as: S: (n) film director, director (the person who directs the making of a film)

And: A film director is a person who directs the actors and crew in the making of a film. They control a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors.

To me a Director is the key person to hold the group together, a bit like glue. I think it will be important that I am organised in order to keep everything running smoothly and to allow my group to know what they are doing. People can sometimes get carried away when it comes to assigning roles. I don't want to come across as a complete bossy bitch, but if anyone is lacking, I won't be hesitant in saying something. At the end of the day, the group depend on each other and if one person doesn't make the effort, the whole group suffers!

I am actually really looking forward to this project now :) Got a good script and a nice little group going on!

My blog is gonna be a bit muddled up. Sorry!

Finally encoded my animation after it spent 37 hours rendering! Here is my test video :)

From watching the video I picked up a series of things that needed to be changed. I felt that some aspects of my ride were very bare. So i've added a couple of things in!

A blood splat to the entrance wall.

More spider webs in the spider room

Film - Day 1

Brief: 

In your allocated group of five people and working in a specific production role you should plan, film and
edit the short fiction script allocated to your group.
Roles to take are: Producer, director, camera & lighting, sound design and production and editor.
( if there are 6 in your group then this person should take lighting and camera assistant roles.
Other jobs and roles, not attached specifically to a major role in pre and post production should be divided
amongst the group in an organised way. For example a location researcher, booking equipment, risk
assessment, etc. The producer will need help to complete these tasks and should allocate the jobs in
preproduction as appropriate.

Director - Me!

Producer - Lucy Alexander

Camera & Lighting - Dan Bissill

Sound - 

Production -

Editor - Matthew Bennett

Our Script is Gaze!

1 EXT. STREET. DAY 1
SHE stands there eyes closed. In the midst of the crowd. As the crowds
pass she opens her eyes
SHE

(vo)

There'll come a time when I'll look at the

world and it will look back at me

She is obscured by the crowd
SHE

(vo)

And I won't be there to see it

2 INT. FLAT. DAY 2
The jars of provisions are extremely neat. The magazines are extremely
neat. A shopping list, pinned to the neat noticeboard has been printed
out and neatly cut so as to waste no excess space
SHE

(vo)

I've always been invisible. Had the ability.

My mum had me for a limited time only

3 INT. OFFICE. DAY 3
She walks paper under her arm and delicately places them on a
colleague's desk. The colleague is talking on the phone and doesn't
acknowledge her presence
SHE

(vo)

And if I shouted she could sometimes hear me

4 INT. LOUNGE. DAY 4
The stereo is playing. We can see the volume has been turned down to
zero
SHE

(vo)

But of course she couldn't

5 EXT. PARK. DAY 5
The empty swing gently moves back and forth
SHE

(vo)

If you let me creep up on you

6 INT. KITCHEN. DAY 6
The glass of water slowly empties
SHE

(vo)

I can make you disappear too

7 EXT. STREET. DAY 7
She stands in the street, staring at us.
SHE

I could just tell you some things. Things you

don't want to hear. Things no one should have

to hear

A passer-by temporarily obscures her. She now closes her eyes
SHE

(vo)

But it can't be your fault

A tear runs down her cheek
SHE

(vo)

I am invisible you see. And now I am gone

THE END

Fuck my life.

I actually want to cry.

Animation is almost finished!

Just got to render my animation, which will take 16 hours. Oh god. Soooo happy with the turnout of it :)

Just got to alter a couple of bits n bobs. But this is practically my finished piece! Gonna start finding some sounds and get some cool music :) Yaaaay!

Storyboard!

I missed Friday's seminar because I was poorlyyyy, so I've caught up with the work and made this storyboard :)

I've just included the main things in my ride. There will be little bits n bobs dotted around, but this just shows the key parts of my ride.

Note to self:

Things I need to finish:

• Make a swinging pendulum
• Make a spiders web
• Sort the camera out
• Do the entrance
• Think of a couple more props to dot around
• Flickering lights for some candles/chandelier

Got quite a bit to do but I'm almost there! :D Hurrah!