Production Blog: The Road

01.05.2015
Today we went to my house to shoot the routine scenes 6, 8, 9 and 10. In which Zack goes about his boring everyday life. For this shoot we had a lot of time to play with and didn't need to rush any shots. I haven't worked with Sam on any projects before so today I was trying to figure out the best way to direct him. He worked very well with the direction I gave him. Isobel worked great on camera and was very helpful around set, giving good advice and criticisms of my ideas when she saw fit.

04.05.2015
Today we met up with our actors Jack and Sam outside of college at 6pm as planned. We then led them out to the location me and Isobel had scouted the week before. There were no weather problems, no wind, rain, or even sun to any extreme. The road was fairly quiet and only a few cars and one curious biker came by during shooting. We shot scenes 1, 2, 3, 6, 10 and 11. and everything went smoothly. This was the most we had planned to film in a short amount of time, luckily both Jack, Sam and Isobel were very flexible about how late they could film. With Jack on set Sam loosened up a little which made him a little easier to direct which made shots better. I feel much more confident about my film now that we have gotten the bulk of shooting out of the way. Heres a screen cap from the first shot.

13.05.2015
Today we met with Jack and Sam at college to reshoot the car scene as the original wasn't quite what I wanted. Unfortunately we only had an hour with Jack to film, so we had to rush to get things done. But despite this we managed to finish in time and come out with the footage we needed.

15.05.2015
Today was the hopefully the final day of shooting. We reshot some scenes of Sam going about his routine. Once again time was not short and we didn't have to rush. We added a few improvised shots onto the end since we still had time, which worked out great. I'm pretty confident I have everything I need.

Anti Smoking Production Blog

 

Anti Smoking Production Blog

03/03/2015
We began today forming the idea for what our film was going to be about. We sat down and talked about the ideas we had thought of seperately, and discussed which parts would and wouldn't work.
We eventually settled with a combination of mine and Alex's ideas.
The movie would be about The Grim Reaper as a personification of the negative effects of smoking being an everyday nuisance in a smokers life

04/03/2015
Today was mostly just getting paperwork out of the way so we could start filming as soon as possible. We plan to audition actors tomorrow for the part of the protagonist and the extras.

05/03/2015
Today we casted actors for the role. One of the actors we were going to audition was sick, so Jack got the part by default. I'm pretty confident in his ability, he should help make this film great.

10/03/2015
Today is the first day of shooting. Everything went according to plan. All actors and production crew turned up on time and were organised. Makeup artists did a fantastic job on Doms makeup. We actually managed to complete more scenes than expected, putting us ahead of schedule.

13/03/2015
Today is just preperation and organisation for a second and last day of shooting.

17/03/2015
Today was the second day of shooting. Things didn't start well today. One of our actors was late, another couldn't come in due to having to go to the hospital and our makeup artists had not come in without any explanation. After a while we managed to pull everything together and get a different makeup artist to help with the makeup. We quickly got back on schedule and shot everything we needed. Its onto editing now.

24/03/2015
The film is finished! The majority of the struggle in the post production of this fim was finding the right music. Eventually we came to a point where we would try anything to see if it worked. Eventually we settled with Mozart which I think added a lot of comedic value to the film. It doesn't fit perfectly to some parts of the film, but there are many parts where it matches up very well with the cuts.

 

 

Evaluation



To find out how effective our film was in deterring people from smoking. We created a survey to find out our viewers opinions.

From the respones we recieved it seems safe to say that A Grim Addiction was fairly effective in its delivery. I was somewhat dissapointed with the answers to question five, and if I were to do it over again perhaps I would have made the message more hard hitting for the audience.

Another issue I personally had with the final result is the choice of music. When we began the project we didn't have a peice of music in mind and therefore it wasn't created to fit with any particular track. In the end we settled with a peice by Mozart which worked well, but it wasn't perfect. Given another shot I'd probably stick with Mozart, but make the film to match the music.

Despite these issues I still think the film was a great success and I am very proud of the final product. I think we did a great job of translating jokes written on a peice of paper into a visual comedy, while still retaining a clear message to the audience.

A Grim Addiction

 

 

A GRIM ADDICTION

By

Luke Small

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INT: CLASSROOM

Three people sit in a classroom, finishing up college work. Two of them get up and pat Dan on the shoulder, gesturing for him to come with them. Dan stands and goes with his friends out of the classroom.

INT: COLLEGE

Dan reaches the bottom of the stairs with his friends; he says something inaudible to them and gestures to the door. He breaks off from them and heads in the opposite direction.

EXT: COLLEGE SMOKING AREA

Dan Stops outside and puts a cigarette in his mouth, he pulls out his lighter and lights it. He takes a drag, and looks up only to be confronted by the grim reaper looking over his shoulder standing uncomfortably close. Dan stares back in disapproval.

INT: COLLEGE

Dan returns to class, the Grim Reaper annoyingly maintains his distance the entire journey back, already becoming a nuisance.  The grim reaper sits down with Dan, casually annoying people in the surrounding area. Dan starts to cough. The reaper takes interest and raises his scythe only to look disappointed when Dan stops.

INT: CAR

The reaper gets into the car with him and his friends, awkwardly squashed into the middle seat in the back.

EXT: FIELD

Dan plays a sport; all the while the Grim Reaper is riding on his back, making running very hard. Later the reaper gets off his back only to tackle him.

INT: RESTAURAUNT

Dan goes on a date with a girl to a nice restaurant. The Grim Reaper joins them, putting his feet up on the table and having generally poor table etiquette. When the bill comes for the food Dan opens his wallet to pay only for the reaper to rip any money there is out of it and in return throwing cigarettes at Dan.

INT: DOCTORS OFFICE

Dan is at the doctors and the doctor illustrates that smoking is dangerous, and then points out the grim reaper, and then the grim reaper knocks the papers out of the doctor’s hands.

EXT: FOOTPATH

Dan takes a walk in public, the grim reaper, is a general nuisance to those around.

 

INT: BEDROOM

Dan wakes up to a bright light, he looks around to see the grim reaper sitting next to him reading a book.

EXT: BRIDGE

Dan and the reaper stand side by side in unpleasant and cold weather conditions. Dan, cigarette in hand is shivering. The Grim Reaper is wearing a warm coat and colourful gloves over his robe.

INT:

Dan plays a civil game of chess with the Reaper, only to be checkmated. Dan loses his temper and flips the board.

INT: CINEMA

Dan sits in the cinema with his girlfriend and the Reaper, the reaper nudges him, gesturing he wants to go outside. Dan ignores him. The Reaper then tries to physically pull him out of his chair; Dan falls out of his chair and gets angry, getting into a fight with the reaper while people watch the movie. An audience member shushes Dan, a dismayed Dan is tackled to the ground by the reaper and dragged out of the door.

INT: College

Dan finally considers quitting. Picking up a leaflet from a stand and looking at it. The grim reaper stands in front of him, and slaps the leaflet out of his hand.

<Can you deal with this for the rest of your life?>

The Grim Reaper and Dan stare at each other for a moment. He slaps Dan in the face.

Motion Graphics idea generation

 

60’s motion graphics sequence ideas.

Entry 1.

Script

Hits: The history of pop

The 60’s is known most for the dramatic changes that took place in the decade. The 60s was a time of “out with the old in with the new”. The decade saw LGBT and civil rights appear in the public eye, British music was at an all-time high of popularity and musical icons of today experienced their first taste of fame.

Shooting to fame in 1962 with their first single “Love Me Do” that reached the number 17 spot on the UK charts. In 1964 The Beatles invented the first music videos with the premier of their film “Hard Day’s Night” at the height of their popularity.

In 1964 while the Beatles were conquering America, Bob Dylan released The Times They Are A-Changin’ a heavily opinionated album that was inspired by the Civil rights movement in America, increasing his notoriety of being a rising protest musician.

Meanwhile in England the Rolling Stones got their first booking outside London, As a result of the success of the single “Come On” which reached #21 on the UK singles chart, sharing the bill with The Hollies at a club in Middlesbrough, England. Soon after in 1964 their third single, a cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" is released and reached #3 on the American charts.

In 1969 the decade came to an end with a bang when the first Woodstock, one of the most popular music festivals in the history took place. It attracted an estimated 400,000 people that came to see huge performances from names like Jimi Hendrix, and The Who. Three days of harmony to represent the best of the “peace-and-love generation.”

Entry 2
 

I like the idea of using a fractal effect for my motion graphics intro, to capture the interest the 60's had in all things psychelic. I'm going for something along the lines of these examples.

 

 

 

I don't know how difficult it would be to animate one of these, or if it can even be done in after effects...

 

Entry 3 

After doing some research I discovered that a fractal can be animated quite eaily in motion graphics.

This is the technique I will use.

 



Understanding film an TV: Technologies

Satellite
Satellite is a way of broadcasting TV by receiving signals from communications satellites suspended in orbit around the earth with the use of a satellite dish connected directly to your television by a cable. The downside to this technology is that the signal can be effected by something such as bad weather conditions.

Cable
Cable television is a way of distributing television to customers through radio frequencies or light pulses through cable wires. It can also provide multiple other services such as internet and voice calls. Cable is a much less recent technology than satellite and has been around much longer.

HD TV
High Definition television is a recent improvement in television hardware. Allowing viewers to watch TV in much higher resolutions than before. 1080p used to be the highest standard for High Definition TV, now it has been upgraded to the 4K TV which allows over 8 million pixels on screen at one time.

Analogue
Analogue is a continuous signal that can vary in frequency and amplitude. All television signals were once analogue. at this point in time only five channels were available BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV 1, Channel 4 and Channel 5. Analogue has now been universally replaced by digital in the UK and many other countries.Digital
Digital signals are not continuous. Instead they switch between two separate binary states: On (1) and off (0). Much more data can be transmitted at one time through this kind of signal rather than analogue. That is why so many more channels can be provided on digital TV, as opposed to the original 5 channels available on analogue tv.

Interactive
Interactive TV is a kind of television that allows the viewer to not only recieve information but send it back to the broadcaster. For example many shows have an interactive element that can be triggered by pushing the red button on the remote. On a television provider like Sky you can push the red button to play games.

F
Internet
The dawn of the internet and websites like Vimeo and Youtube revolutionised the media industry. An entirely new kind of media was created, advertisers were forced to adapt to the new online video, which is now a huge business, with Youtube videos being monetised with the use of advertisements, there are many people that now make a living from creating video content for the internet. Also advertisements can be uploaded to the internet for free., for the whole world to see and also be monetised at the same time. 
Not only did the internet start online video, but it also made piracy incredibly easy for the average consumer. This has hit media industry hard and put them in a difficult position, one that they still have yet to figure out, seeing as bills like SOPA, PIPA and CISPA made to regulate the internet have failed time and time again they may actually have to think of a new business model to compensate for the huge, impossible to police piracy of media that happens through the use of the internet.
Another way that the internet has changed the face of the media industry is with online streaming websites such as Netflix, that famously killed off the video renting businesses such as Blockbuster by making it much more convenient and cheap to obtain films and television shows. People are also getting less TV subscriptions and opting for internet based options instead.

Director
What is a Director
Directors are responsible for creatively translating the film's written script into actual images and sounds on the screen. They are ultimately responsible for a film's artistic and commercial success or failure.
Directors may write the film's script or commission it to be written, or they may be hired after an early draft of the script is complete. They must then develop a vision for the finished film and work out how to achieve it.
During pre-production, Directors make crucial decisions, such as selecting the right cast, crew and locations for the film. They then direct rehearsals and the performances of the actors once the film is in production. 
They also manage the technical aspects of filming including the camera, sound, lighting, design and special effects departments.
During post production, Directors work closely with Editors through the many technical processes of editing, to reach the final cut or version of the film. 
At all stages, Directors are responsible for motivating the team to produce the best possible results. Directors must also always be aware of the constraints of the film's budget and schedule and manage the expectations of the film's financiers.

Qualification requirements

No formal qualifications are necersarily needed to become a Director.

There are numerous training courses and reference books on directing and studying the art and craft of directing is important.

If you are considering taking a film production course in higher education, the following courses have been rigorously assessed by the film industry and awarded the Creative Skillset Tick for the high standard of education they provide and the degree to which they prepare you for a career in film:  

However, the role can only really be mastered through in-depth practical experience. You will find writing a screenplay, directing your own short film or an amateur play are all good starting places. 

You will also need extensive industry experience; up-to-date knowledge of filmmaking techniques and equipment is vital, as is learning how to work with actors to create a performance.

Unit 64: Motion Graphics and compositing video

Motion graphics is the combined use of live footage, pictures and/or animation to create the illusion of a real life moving image. It can be found everywhere within every part of them media industry, television, film, video games, and online video all make use of motion graphics and with sufficient knowledge the possibilities of these techniques are limitless, which can make for some incredibly entertaining and eye catching effects.

Idents a Stings are an advertising technique used to create a memorable brand. A sting is usually just a brand name or logo that appears on screen for a few moments to remind a viewer who's work they're watching, while ident is a usually more elaborate.  The more interesting they are the more likely that a consumer will remember their brand. Because of this motion graphics is often used to make a creative and eye catching ident/sting. A very good example of an ident (that clearly worked on me because its the first thing I thought of) is the one Channel 4 uses.

And an example of a sting.

Compositing is combining visual elements from separate sources to create a single image. Green screen is a form of compositing in which the green background of a scene will be removed and replaced with an artificial one. An everyday example of this would be the weather forecast on any news show, where they will replace the green screen with a image of a moving weather map.

DVD menus often incorporate motion graphics animations. They are usually fairly simple like the menu text fading in. Selecting an option may also trigger an animation to transition from one menu to another. The animations are there more or less just to make the menu a little more flashy and fun for the person viewing them rather than having a very dull, static menu.

Resolution refers to the number of pixels (points of individual colour) on the screen at one time. The more pixels there are on screen the sharper and more crisp an image will be. Resolutions settings range from 144p, one of the lowest qualities of footage to the ultra high definition 4K, the highest possible resolution. A 4K TV image is 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, thats more than 8 million pixels in total. 

This video can be viewed in 4K, if your internet connection can handle it, try choosing from any of the resolution options to see the difference in image quality.

Aspect Ratio refers to the width/height ratio of an image on screen. A variety of different aspect ratios have been widely used over the last century as cinema and television evolved and adapted. The most commonly used aspect ratios today are the following:

Aspect Ratio		Uses	TVs
4:3	1.33:1	Standard Channels	Old TVs
16:9	1.77:1	HD Channels	The majority of HDTVs
21:9	2.35:1	Most movies	Very few TVs

Using an aspect ratio that is not suited to the ratio of the screen it will be viewed on causes black bars to be used to fill in the empty space. This is not always too pleasing to the eye. Here are some examples of different aspect ratio/screen combinations.

Because of this it is very important to consider what kind of screen your media will be viewed on to ensure that it is not at all jarring to the audience.