Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/165423264
Film Evaluation
My individual contribution to the film was sound recording and sound editor.
I turned up to every filming session and record all the dialogue and some sound
effects on set. I also went around Sheffield to record sound effects for the
panic attack scenes. I recorded foley sounds such as buses brakes screeching, traffic
lights bleeping and busy crowds. At the end of the project I made a quick sound edit, because the sound editor didn't give himself enough time.
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| Folders for the sounds recorded by me |
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| Sound edit by me |
The process behind producing the work was fairly difficult. However
under all the pressure and stress caused from arguments in the group, we should
be proud that we completed the film.
The main strength of the project is the sound effects. There
are is a huge range of sound effects, such as bleeping, scratching, water, and
crowd noises that were used to build up the sense of anxiety and panic for
Claire. These work really well and build up the sense of panic how we wanted it
to. Another strength is the actresses. The casting was good and they both fit
their roles well. They were easy to work with and the experience of working
with real actors was valuable. Another positive was the script. The chemistry
between the two characters was great, and just how we imagined the interaction
between two sisters in this situation would be.
The main negative was the breakdown in the group. Losing the
director, meant the motivation from the group was lost and it was difficult to
pick up the momentum once it happened. Another negative was not being able to
return to the house from the first scene. We were forced to film in student accommodation
for the rest of the indoor scenes. This looked unprofessional, as the lighting
was different and there was too much cutting between rooms. This also meant we
couldn’t have Claire stepping outside from a front door, which would have been
a key moment. Another negative was struggling to find locations and actors at
the start of the project. We were let down at the last minute multiple times
and this put the group under pressure from the start.
The most important thing learnt from this project was
working with real actors. For me, this was the first time working with real actors.
It was a valuable experience, and helped develop an important filmmaking skill.
Especially on how a filmmaker on set should interact with the actors. Another
thing learnt was problem solving. Issues raised included having to change the
script half way through filming because the film lacked drama. Another example
was when Nathan told the group he hadn’t done the sound edit a day before the
film was due. Me and Harry quickly put something together so that we had a
complete film that everyone was satisfied with. These problems were stressful,
but the lessons learnt about problem solving were hugely valuable.
Lastly the group set out to create something like Chuck from
Better Call Saul (2015). This character struggles from a mental illness where he has
the fear of electromagnets and from sunlight. He spends his entire time inside,
however in one episode he begins to build up his tolerance by timing himself
how long he can last outside. This is something that we tried to represent
here, and how Claire builds up her tolerance for the graduation the week after.
We feel we successfully represented this and it is something to be proud of.
In conclusion I feel we have done very well to produce
something, even after all the problems we had. We have produced something that
the group are satisfied with and we’re happy that we can have a complete film
which makes sense. The film doesn’t represent our potential, but the skills
learnt from working with directors and problem solving in a group will be
hugely beneficial for the future.
Bibliography:
Better Call Saul. (2015). [TV]. Directed by Vince Gilligan and Gould Peter. United
States, Sony Pictures Television.
Module Evaluation
From this module many new skills have been developed, as
well as furthering knowledge about different kinds of film. The main knowledge
gained from this module is learning about the different range of films. Learning
about documentary and experimental filmmaking was something entirely different.
Being educated about the planning, shooting, and editing process of documentary
and experimental film making was a new experience and new knowledge that can be used in the future.
Knowledge learnt from the experimental filmmaking module included
learning about the range of different experimental films. Watching many films on
this part of the module helped broaden the mind about approaching traditional film. The knowledge
about experimental approaches can be applied to other drama and documentary pieces.
The most interesting part of this module was being able to create a piece only from
using sounds from a park. This was something that was unheard of and it was
interesting to realize the range of sounds coming from one environment.
The documentary part of the module was most important. From
learning how to find a suitable idea for a documentary, and how difficult this
can be. All the way to realizing how many cutaway shots you need, to getting good
contributors and asking the right questions. The entire process of creating a
documentary was new. The most important skill learnt from this module was
learning how complex the cutting process of a documentary is. This skill was
massively developed on this part of the module and help grow confidence on Avid
Media Composer hugely. The one thing taken from this part of the module was how interesting documentary filmmaking is. Out of the three parts of the module, documentary was surprisingly the most enjoyable and there was a hidden passion for it.
Producing a drama in dependability wasn't something new, however producing a drama in a group was a new experience. Learning how to work together was difficult but an important skill to learn for employ-ability outside of university. Contributing on the development of the script was a new experience and the learning process behind writing a character profile and writing an inciting incident that audiences will care for were new skills developed. Lastly working with actors was an entirely new experience. This brought the whole group out of their comfort zone and this was a good way to improve our confidence whilst filmmaking.
The main skills developed was getting confident with the
equipment and software. Skills on how to use the equipment were learnt on other
projects, but being able to put these new skills into practice, was the key
skill developed on this module.
On the soundscape project, it was the first time being able
to use the shotgun microphones on a project. Collecting lots of sounds over
various days increased confidence with the Zoom H4N massively. Learning how to apply
the correct settings on the Zoom, and being able to set it up independently was
something to be proud of. Learning the way around Avid Media Composer is most
difficult, but from spending hours editing the documentary it helped learn all
the tools on the program greatly. Also, learning about new film approaches such as documentary and experimental film were new, but from this module it would be easy to produce these films again with skills learnt on this module.
In conclusion I have learnt a lot from this module. Mostly
learning confidence in the equipment, but also working in groups for all the
projects is a skill that is so important for filmmakers. Lastly this module has
broadened my horizons as a filmmaker and has allowed me to learn about
experimental and documentary filmmaking for the first time. I didn't realize I had a passion for both and really enjoyed them. I would be most confident producing films like these before, something I wasn't able to say before this module.
Edit Tutorial
For the edit tutorial we presented the scenes that we had filmed so far. This included the opening scene of Claire waking up, Jessica looking at photo albums and the park scene. Most of the tutorial was about discussing the lack of drama in the film. The film currently lacks any drama, and there is no drive for the main character to leave the home. On discussing this we have decided to have Jessica, the sister ask Claire to come to her graduation ceremony the week after. This will act as the goal for Claire to leave the home and build up her tolerance with going outside. We will rework the script and add new lines in the scene when Claire opens the door for Jessica. We will still use what we have filmed so far.
We discussed what we will film next in the tutorial also. We have decided due to the film only being five minutes then we'll have to cut out a major part of the script which shows them walking to the park. Instead we will cut straight after they go outside. We will then show them entering the park. Unless we do this, the film will overrun the five minute mark. On Wednesday we will film the rest of the scenes. This will include Claire opening the door for Jessica, Claire breaking down in the toilet, and them leaving the flat.
In the tutorial we also discussed the use of sound. On Tuesday me and Nathan are going to record sound effects around Sheffield. These sound effects will be for the panic attack. We will get sounds of cars, busy people, bleeping and scratching which builds up the sense of anxiety.
In the tutorial we also discussed the lack of information given to the viewer. It wasn't explained why she has a fear of going outside and why we should feel sorry for the main character. We have decided to work in a backstory of her being involved in a car crash. We will now begin the film with a black screen, have sound effects of a car crash and then this will stop when the character wakes up from the door knocking.
Lastly we have changed the director to Harry. Some of the group members were not getting along with Nick, and alot of time was wasted on set when they were having arguments. Having Harry in charge will enable a smoother process on Wednesday when we shoot the final scenes.
Planning Documentation, Log Sheets, Production Stills & Behind The Scenes
Planning Documentation & Log Sheets
Script by Director (Nicholas England)
https://www.celtx.com/a/ux/scripteditor?id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.celtx.com%2Ffeeds%2Fdefault%2Fprivate%2Ffull%2F62a9ff277112425f5f529d8eb79390e040e3eb5d&public=true
Shot list by Cinematographer (Nat Clarke):
Sound list by Sound Recordist (Tom Cushnie):
Filming Plan:
Tuesday 12th April 2016: 2:00-4:00 Location: Crookes Valley Park - Sheffield
We will film the later part of the script where Claire and Jessica enter a park, sit on bench and take a photograph together.
Wednesday 13 April 2016: 1:30-3:00 Location: Student House, Crookesmoor Road
We will film from the start of the script, until the two characters beging to leave the house.
During the edit tutorial we decided to rework the script. We are going to have all the same scenes planned before but we felt the script lacked drama. To solve this we have added new lines during the scene where the two characters (Jessica and Claire) meet at the door. The drive for the character to leave the home is Jessica having her graduation next week. With a goal for Claire to leave the home, it will hopefully add more drama to the film. We have also discussed having the backstory of a car crash being the reason she cannot leave the home, through the use of sound effects we're going to get this message across to the audience.
The reworked scene can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7x0eguk-EaOazZNTVM3ZGNRWUk/view?usp=sharing
Tuesday 19 April 2016: 2:00-3:00 Location: Sheffield City Centre
This session will be to record sound effects for the panic attack.
Sound list: Bleeping, Screeching, Traffic, Crowd, Heartbeat, Waterfall, Door Knocking, Siren.
Wednesday 20 April 2016: 1:30-1:30 Location: The Pinnacles, Sheffield
We will film the new edited script. Scenes that will be filmed include Claire opening the door for Jessica, Claire having a panic attack in the bathroom, and them leaving the flat.
The plan for Wednesday the 20th is below:
Production Stills & Behind The Scenes
Read Through Workshop
The technical and aesthetic approach will include a lot of close up camera shots. Our film will be about the relationship between the two sisters and closeups will allow the camera to show intimacy and emotion between the characters. We will include a lot of high angle shots for the sister with agoraphobia. This shows entrapment as the camera points down towards a character. making them feel small and powerless. The mise-en-scene of the characters home will include comforting items, such as; candles, teddy bears, slippers, and warm thick clothes which shows the characters attempt to comfort herself in her own environment. The lighting will be low key and the colour monotone to show the negativity of this way of life the character is living due to her trauma. Lastly, the editing rhythm will be slow and somber. This will express the intimate relationship between the two sisters.
The read through workshop was helpful for our group to realize the positives and negatives of our scripts. We brought two scripts along and the read through made us realize that their was positives in both scripts, and if Carly and Nick work together and bring both their ideas from each script together then we will have a good screenplay. Nick's approach was having a pregnant mother suffering from agoraphobia and how her daughter having a child encourages her to leave the house. Carly's approach was more light-hearted and involved a daughter helping her mother gradually overcome her agoraphobia by making her collect the letters from outside her home. The chemistry between the mother and daughter in Nick's script was very good and I would prefer to use that interaction in the script more than Carly's. However in Nick's script, his character had been struggling for four years and she wouldn't overcome this struggle is just five minutes. Nick's script was also 11 pages long and too long for a five minute short film. Carly's idea was more condensed and more appropriate for a five minute short film. Her idea was a small step in the long journey of overcoming agoraphobia. If we can combine the lines written by Nick between the mother and daughter, but use the more condensed narrative idea by Carly then this will work well.
Through the read through it really brought our script alive and we enjoyed hearing it played by too young actresses. As a group we discussed using them both, instead of an older mother and a daughter. It will be easier to get hold of them than getting an older actress. Nick is reworking the script and using ideas from both of the script so that we can cast two younger actresses. We were thinking of casting them as two sisters instead of a mother and daughter.
Nick's script: https://www.celtx.com/a/ux/open?id=https%3a%2f%2fwww%2eceltx%2ecom%2ffeeds%2fdefault%2fprivate%2ffull%2faf265177864488583e714b410bf4477ccb9c6635%3fpublic%3dtrue
Pitches
Here at the links for the two presentation pitches:
Idea 1: http://www.scribd.com/doc/305920070/A-Step-Back-in-Time
Idea 2: http://prezi.com/lzonatfygu1s/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
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