Filming

Our group filmed the task on two separate days however this was acceptable for the continuity of the film as they were two different scenes. One was indoors in a single room, and the another was outdoors on a football pitch on a bright morning, which was helpful because good lighting is always a bonus. There were other scenes that showed the character having basic skills and then learning those skills again.

We had spent 1 hour of the 2 hour lesson on Tuesday 23rd November planning the story and camera shots. Then after this we shot the 'skills' scenes. These were relatively simple to do so we film them well, particularly the autograph shot.

On Thursday 25th we filmed the 'Doctors' scene which required a lot of patience. Especially with the wheelchair as it was difficult to manouvre around the room, as well filming it move into the room. Filming in a small space was tricky as there is not a lot to work with in terms of a variety of camera shots.

Friday 26th was the final day of filming, we went out to the football pitch and filmed the scenes roughly in the same area. Personally I found one particular shot to be a fair struggle as I had to throw a football then gently grab and pan the camera in quick succession. The sunlight was very bright on this day which was a great advantage for filming as we could get clear and crisp shots. We believed that a silhouette would help the mood of a particular shot, that turned out well when seen in the editing stage.

In the editing stage we looked at the 'Doctors' scene and decided to redo the whole scene. There were problems with lighting and the shots generally did not appear to be fairly bad quality. So we went back into the room and refined our shots. This time we had an extra shot outside of the room of the main character and the 'assistant' sitting next to the door, the door is then opened by the 'doctor' with the protagonist being wheeled in by the 'assistant'.

Rough Cut Feedback

Laurence, Ryan, George

Strong aspects

·      Good use of a range of different shots

·      Appropriate music

·      The slow motion scene works well.

·      The shots signing the autograph work really well.

Points for improvement

Filming

·      You need some more reaction shots from the guy in the wheel chair to make it feel more like a two way conversation.

·      You need to keep the trimming and pace of the shots flowing smoothly and cut any of the shots that are too long.

·      Consider re-shooting the main subjects mouth to get more realistic footage.

Editing

·      You need to have the production company name and the names of the actors and directors.

Sound

·      You might want to include hospital noises in the background to create the ambience of the environment the characters are in.

·      The audio levels need to be sorted out and the music needs to start after the exam titles.

·      Consider using a voiceover of the subject thinking about what is going on in their head instead of the teacher talking.

·      You might want to add cheers on the playing field to create the atmosphere of a football pitch.

Props

Football
Labcoat
Pen x 2
Paper
Autograph book 'planner'
Phone
Posters
Wheelchair

Roles Within the Group

Me and Ryan Bartlett have both decided to share the role of filming. We both compiled ideas on the filming process and we all agreed for each shot we did. I had a few ideas for filming concepts. One of which was the silhouette shot, which I believed had a dramatic effect that stressed the figure and movement of the character. This showed the mental and physical fitness he had before the brain damage. George Blackwell did the majority of the acting in the production. We are all going to do the editing together.

Animatic of Film Opening

Summary of Film Opening Idea

I am in a group with George Blackwell and Ryan Bartlett for this task.

We decided that for our group it would be best to base our film opening around the UK realist drama style. I suggested that because of the limited settings we could potentially use, it would look the most convincing.

Our first idea was to create an opening showing the development of how a recognized footballer was injured with a broken leg. His career would then be ruined as a doctor says that it is a major injury and he could not play again in his life. We then decided that a broken leg is not widely heard of as being something that can be detrimental to sportsmen and women. So we then changed the broken leg to severe brain damage which would be more believable. Finally I said that an effective idea would be to incoporate flashbacks with shots of the present. You would see a character pursuing his career in a flashback, for example writing an autograph for fans, and then switching to the present where he is learning to write again. It would emphasise how the character has changed.

Film Opening Analysis: Reservoir Dogs

Year of release: October 23rd 1992
Director: Quentin Tarrantino
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Summary of what happens in the opening 2-5 minutes: All of the gang members are sitting around a round table in a diner. They are eating their breakfast whilst discussing various random issues or topics.
Locations: Diner
Characters: Mr. Blonde, Mr. Brown, Mr. White, Eddie, Joe, Mr. Orange, Mr. Pink, Mr. Blue
Enigma Codes: The anonymity of the characters is something which makes us focus in on their individual personalities and actions.
Cinematography and the effects: Bright morning light coming through the windows creating a clean and slightly alert atmosphere.
Editing Techniques and their effects: A camera pan is commonly used in a circular motion from the middle of the table to capture all of the characters in a short space of time. Quick close ups of different faces to familiarise the audience with all of the characters to create identity for each one, so the audience does not ignore any. Over the shoulder shots to create a sense of closeness within the table conference.
Use of Sound: The noise from plates and cutlery, background voices from other people in the diner. No music.
Genre Characteristics: Unusual camera angles, experimental dialogue.
Target Audience: Ages 15 to 35 would most prominantly watch this.
Titles: The titles are not used in this scene, they are used after the opening scene in the next scene. Possibly to initially develop a more intimate relationship between audience and the characters.

Production Process

Pre-Production:

• Storyboard
• Script
• Idea
• Shot List
• Pitch
• Synopsis
• Production Schedule
• Location

Production:

• Crew
• Shooting
• Lighting
• Camera
• Tape Logging
• Location
• Sound
• Capturing

Post-Production:

• Editing
• Special Effects
• Mastering
• Music
• Titles
• Sound
• Capturing