MUSIC RESEARCH:

Below I have embeded two different videos:


-The first is by composer Sean Callery, whom I admire for his work on the US drama 24. This track, from the 24 soundtrack, is a briliant and inspiring example of a suspense filled idea.


-The second is a track from the hit video game COD Modern Warfare 2. Hans Zimmer, the composer of this particular work, is one of my favourite composers/sound designers, having produced the music for films ranging from Madagascar to The Dark Night. This extract (skip to 2:20-2:45) is a great example of fast paced action music. I really like its focus on percussive timbres and the electronic/techno-style soundscape created.   



(Skip to 2:20-2:45)

Teacher Feedback: BLK

The overall feedback given to our rough cut was that most of it could and should be used for our actual film. This was agreed as bad weather conditions expected over the weekend would make any footaged gained impossible to match (e.g. if it was raining, then suddenly it was snowing!). It was agreed that filming the whole sequence again in the rain would not be worth the effort just to fix the minor problem of slightly imperfect footwear on our 'bad guy', as the sequence we have created out of our test footage works really well one the whole.

So, as a result it was decided that if we get good weather, we will try to film the shots of our 'bad guy' outside with the car in better costume.

We will also film, if weather allows, the shot of 'Matt' coming through the door, but this time, closing it.

We will also film, if weather allows, the shot of the 'Bad Guy' breaking into the house, trying there to improve the action - maybe he kicks the door?

We will film, regardless of weather (as it's inside) the final scene of our sequence (the fight) to acheive better matches on action and maybe make it a bit longer.

Rough Cut

Rough Cut - Group Feedback

Here is what we as a group believe we need to change for saturday:

• Different costume - Tom P will order a balaclava tonight, and Hugh will be wearing black cargo pants and black boots
• We will experiment with focus pulls over the banister shots in order to have variety in what shots to use
• In one of the final shots (the slow pan over to Matt's eyes), we will use a range of different focuses in order to achieve a more thrilling effect with the mirror
• We will try to achieve better match on action in the fight scene at the end by making the fight more similar each time it is shot
• In order to make the bad guy look more convincing we will have him looking around less when he is on the street
• We will make sure Matt closes the door as he enters the house to try and give the effect of trying to keep people out of the house

Teacher Feedback: DYM

I must point out that the lack of posts for the past week and a bit is almost completely down to Hugh being on holiday. But we have completed our rough cut, and here is the feedback:

• The beginning of the sequence needs to be slowed down
• The kidnapper looks around too much - needs to be more subtle
• All the stairwell shots work well
• Matt shouldnt leave the door open when he enters the house
• Pull focus on the bannisters?
• Try different focuses for the wolfman shot

Editing

We have just about finished editing our rough cut sequence.

We are really pleased with how its turned out. We will probably upload the video as soon as we're back from half term.

Have a good holiday people!

Test Shoot Photos

This is a chase scene from the film 'District B13'

This is very cimilar to the style we are trying to achieve with our film. The use of certain shots we may attempt to mimic. The fast paced editing is also a big factor in what we are hoping to get into our test shoot. 

The colour scheme of the urban environment is directly related our film because the setting of ours will be similar. From this I can see that even in a dirty looking environment an epic chase scene can still be created.

Prop Prep:

The gun we are using is a toy gun owned by our lead actor Matteo Bragoli. The gun orginally was red at the top, so Tom P, Matteo and I took a trip to the art department to have a go at painting the gun a nice black.

 

We used black acrylic paint.

We used a hair-dryer to speed up the paint drying, and the whole process took us 40 minutes. The end result looks rather good!

I would like to thank the art department on behalf of our group for their co-operation.

Script

Here is the final version of our script
 
hugh tom and toms script

Test Shoot Preparation

Shooting times: Saturday 06/02 - 10am until 2pm
                        Sunday 07/02 - 8am until 4pm

Actors: Matteo Bragoli and Hugh Donnely

Props: Toy gun and Car

Costume

Matteo: Black jeans, Single colour long sleeved top, Trainers

Hugh: Black coat, balaclava, Black cargo trousers, Black boots, Black gloves

Continuity Editing Techniques

Continuity editing refers to a set of rules that all fimmakers stick to. It allows the images to be stuck together to create a seamless narrative. We must also be thinking about these rules when we come to make our sequences.

180 degree rule

The 180 degree rule refers to an imaginary line which cuts through the middle of the scene, for example though the two main characters. The camera must stay on the same side of this line for the entire scene, otherwise the viewers perspective is changed, which may result in diorientation or confusion.

30 degree rule

This rule says that the camera should move at least 30 degrees when cutting between two shots of the same person or object to avoid a jump cut. An example of a jump cut can be seen at 2:40 in the linked sequence from Casino Royale. http://latymermediahughtomatomp.blogspot.com/2010/01/shot-references-james-bond.html

Match on action

This is where two shots are cut together so that the action in the second shot matches the action in the first shot. For example, a door opening, shot from both inside and outside the room, will be cut as the door is half-open, and will continue in the second shot from the same position.

Production Meeting 5

This meeting was again spent storyboarding. Only me (Tom P) and Hugh were present because Tom A was in court. The storyboard has finally been almost completed however it has taken an extremely long time. The time spent is the equivilent of the running time of the film Avatar (2 hours and 40 minutes).

From this meeting we have decided that the next priorities are the shot list and scipt.

Production Meeting 4

This meeting has been mostly spent on storyboarding our sequence. The timeline was also finished and a list of props, actors and costume was made. The storyboard is about a quarter complete and very time consuming due to the number of shots we plan to have.

The main task that has been set is to finish our storyboard as soon as possible so changes can made if needed and all is ready for our test shoot on Sunday.

Opening Sequence Timeline

• Matt runs through gate
• Matt continues to run through carpark
• He reaches gate and opens it
• He runs through garden
• He fumbles through keys and then opens back door
• He runs up a short flight of stairs and through a room
• He runs into the front hall up a long flight of stairs
• On the first floor he runs up another flight of stairs and enters a room
• Here he crouches by a wall next to a window
• The sequence then cuts to a shot of a car pulling up in front of this house
• A shot is shown of the rear view mirror with armed man's eyes
• The man picks up a balaclava and puts it on
• The man steps out of the car and is shown holding a gun
• The sequence cuts back to Matt who is shown looking at this man
• It then cuts back to the armed man who is looking around
• From Matt's point of view again the man is shown to make eye contact with him
• Matt then crouches back behind the window and mutters 'Ah shit!'
• Camera lingers on Matt and a loud noise is heard which indicates that the man has broken into the house
• Armed man is shown in the front hall and begins to move up the stairs
• Matt realises he is in danger, he starts to run even further upstairs
• Crosscuts are shown between Matt running upstairs and hiding and the armed man moving up the stairs
• Slower cross cuts between Matt hiding and the armed man searching upstairs
• Armed man finally is shown a the door of the room Matt is in
• Armed man walks in, whilst looking around Matt tries to disarm him
• After a brief tangle Matt is pinned up against a wall with a gun to his head
• Matt gets knocked out with the gun