Monday 23 April 2007

Preparation for Weston Rock


At first look producing the group project “Weston rock” seemed a daunting prospect. Andy explained the function of roles within the project and the division of work. Although we were each given primary roles that we are ultimately responsible for its still expected that we each try out different roles on the project.

Shooting “Weston Rock” is a massive undertaking and it felt like we had bitten off more than we could chew but Andy then went on to explain the processes behind shooting a film. As a group and individually we spent the morning working on what is known as a shot list. This is a break down of the script scene by scene detailing each shot with a thumbnail sketch. In the absence of a story board it’s a great way to get an idea of how a shot will look and what will be required of cast and crew, its also a good way of seeing if a shot will actually work at all.

The second process is known as a shooting schedule. The scenes are grouped together into shoots. They’re grouped together to make shooting as efficient as possible although that can mean that scenes are not shot in sequence.

Monday 16 April 2007

Murder Mystery Reveal


I was given the quicktime files for Murder Mystery with instructions to "make something!". The material was clapper boarded and so in the absence of a shot list I used that to sequence the film into a rough cut. Once the rough cut was done I was then able to begin the process of tweaking and cutting and tightening the video, shaping it into a finished piece. I was amazed just how much I could cut from the piece without affecting the storyline, although It is a Murder Mystery so suggestion is a big part of the piece. I had great fun using effects creatively especially on the dream sequence where I effected both using desaturation on the video and delay on the audio in an attempt to give the clip the feeling of a day dream flashback. I also colour treated the whole film to give it a more sinister feel. This make the outside scenes appear quite stark and the indoor scenes monotone which I think adds a feel of oppression to the film. This was a great exercise for me especially in light of my role as editor for our major project.