Tuesday, 30 January 2018
A research report into conventions of promotional videos
From the survey I made about social media usage I've discovered that all 5 people who answered the survey used Facebook, 4/5 used Snapchat and Instagram and Youtube, only two people used Twitter.
Also all of those who answered the survey used social media for communication and entertainment, and that only 2 people used social media for news and 2 people used social media for buying and selling things.
I also found that four out of the five who answered said they found Snapchat to be easier to use whilst the 5th person said they found Facebook easiest. 4/5 people also said that Snapchat was their favourite platform, whilst the least favourite platform was Facebook.
80% went on to say that they preferred to use one platform over another, however due to the way I had the question set, they did not specify what platforms they used for what.
From my secondary research I learned that film audiences use social media to give their thoughts on a film in the comments sections.
For example in the comments section on 20th Century Fox's YouTube channel and on the more popular trailers such as the trailer for Maze Runner: The Death Cure there are several comments uploaded an hour, despite the trailer being released over a month ago.
Most of these comments talk about how excited for the film they are, however some are also criticisms of the trailer and how they don't have high hopes for the film.
YouTube also has a feature where people can give likes or dislikes, currently the trailer has 76532 likes and only 1189 dislikes. This shows that the trailer is popular. The trailer also has over 12 million views, showing how popular it is.
Meanwhile the Instagram for Maze Runner has an average of 25000 likes on their posts and an average of 300 comments.
Also the majority of the comments are positive and don't criticise the movie.
Disney's approach to social media is similar but at the same time very different.
The company's main Instagram page doesn't just post teasers and behind the scenes for their movies but also announcements of said trailers as well as images from movie premiers.
They also post fact videos about their movies, for example a video featuring Easter eggs in Moana.
They also post images of pets under the "Disney Pets" line.
As well as this they post a variety of Disney related content.
These posts get anywhere between 50,000 likes and 400,000 likes, with hundreds of comments on the posts.
They often post a few times a day depending on if there is Disney related news or not.
Meanwhile the Disney YouTube channel currently has 671 videos online.
Instagram and YouTube are very different platforms.
For instance, Instagram is photo based and the majority of posts are pictures whilst YouTube is entirely video based.
Also YouTube is more accessible as you don't need to make an account to access the site therefore YouTube is more likely to get more hits.
Also Disney and 20th Century Fox are very similar companies. (Ignore the fact that Disney has now bought most of the company as that's not yet come into full effect.)
Disney is a more family orientated and therefore they don't directly produce movies with film ratings above 15-18 but rather do that through Touchstone Pictures.
However 20th Century Fox has produced many films that are a 15, for instance Logan and Deadpool.
Friday, 26 January 2018
The Hunted Scene by Scene Breakdown
The Hunted
An interactive film by Tom Barber, Jess Graham, James Walkden and Oliver
BEN is trapped in an interrogation room, accused of assault, with a choice to give information about his boss, a nefarius gangster terrorising the country.
SCENE 1
BEN “Maverick” Parsons is handcuffed, sat at a table in a dimly lit interrogation room. A door opens and a man in smart attire walks in. He sits opposite to Ben and puts a file down on the table.
Introducing himself as D.I. BURTON, he tells Ben that if he plays his cards right, he can go free. BURTON’s only request is the identity of Ben’s boss, DESMOND Crane.
SCENE 2 A
BEN tells D.I. BURTON about a time when DESMOND saved someone from being mugged.
The screen fades to a flashback.
In an alley, someone is in the process of being mugged and attacked by a man.
There is a shout and DESMOND steps out of the shadows, he is tall and intimidating, wearing purposely torn clothes, he punches the attacker in the face who then falls to the ground, he throws the stolen items to the victim and continues to attack the victim whilst BEN watches on.
SCENE 2 B
BEN tells D.I. BURTON about a time when DESMOND had attacked another gang member for believing he had snitched.
The screen fades to a flashback.
In a living room DESMOND is sat on the sofa with BEN and other gang members when one person, JOHNNY walks in. DESMOND gets up and starts aggressively berating him, JOHNNY tries to convince DESMOND that he hasn’t snitched but it’s not good enough for DESMOND who starts attacking him, eventually stabbing him.
SCENE 3 A
D.I. BURTON orders BEN to stop stalling and to tell him DESMOND’s location.
BEN pauses for a moment and sighs, looking to the right and shaking his head, he tells D.I. BURTON that DESMOND has a hideout in a warehouse in the south part of the town.
D.I. BURTON thanks him and lets him go free.
SCENE 3 B
D.I. BURTON orders BEN to stop stalling and to tell him DESMOND’s location.
BEN looks to the floor, worried and tries to tell the detective that if DESMOND knew it was him who gave away his location, he’d be killed, D.I. BURTON assures him that he’ll be granted witness protection. BEN gives in, telling the detective that DESMOND is located in a hideout in the basement of a burned down pub.
D.I. BURTON thanks him and lets him go free.
SCENE 4 A
BEN leaves the police station and walks down an alley, the same one where DESMOND stopped the mugging. Out of the shadows steps DESMOND, he pins BEN against the wall yelling profanities at him. BEN tries to tell DESMOND that he gave the wrong location to the police but DESMOND doesn’t buy it and starts choking him.
BEN struggles and sees DESMOND brandish a knife.
DESMOND pushes the knife into BEN’s chest and stabs him several times, walking away from the body with bloody hands.
SCENE 4 B
BEN waits a while at the police station before leaving, escorted by the detective, he passes DESMOND who is being lead to the same interrogation room that he was in.
BEN steps out of the station and smiles, knowing his past is now behind him.
Thursday, 25 January 2018
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Unit 7 Production Log
23/01/18: Today I've made a concept website for The Hunted as well as looked at and downloaded fonts to use for the title.
26/01/18: Today I have made interactive content on H5P.org, this content is a breakdown of the homepage of the Pacific Rim Uprising website.
29/01/18: Today I was given the task of creating the site map. There will be 9 pages on the website and four links to social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
26/01/18: Today I have made interactive content on H5P.org, this content is a breakdown of the homepage of the Pacific Rim Uprising website.
29/01/18: Today I was given the task of creating the site map. There will be 9 pages on the website and four links to social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
1/02/18: Today I started work on the social media strategy.
Movie Websites.
The promotional website for the upcoming biopic The Darkest Hour has many features to help promote the movie and help create a buzz, which in turn makes more people aware of it promoting it further.
The first aspect of the website is the footage that plays on repeat, even when viewing the synopsis, this is to keep the idea of what happens in the film going through the minds of the person viewing the website.
The website also features the trailer for the film so people can watch that and hopefully decide to see the movie and tell their friends about it.
One prominent feature of the website is the option to buy tickets. On the homepage under the title it has a link to buy tickets for the film and when you open the link it goes to the page to buy tickets rather than the homepage itself.
The homepage also clearly shows the release date, 12th January and that Gary Oldman plays Winston Churchill, the protagonist.
In the synopsis page not only does it tell you what the movie is about but it also tells you who the cast and crew are, for the crew it is specifically the director (Joe Wright) and the various producers.
One minor note is the website has a gallery although it only features one image.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
The top of the page features the movie's logo expanding and retracting and an animation of the main cast and an aligator in the water, which is animated. As you scroll down it features a synopsis of the film and informs us that it is about four teenagers who are sucked into a videogame. The synopsis also informs us that the avatars of the teenagers are played by: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black.
Below the synopsis is a list of cast and crew, informing us that the director is Jake Kasdan (son of Lawrence Kasdan who is famous for writing multiple Hollywood productions such as Raiders of the Lost Ark). Because of this family link and Jake Kasdan's previous work, this could encourage someone to watch the film.
The website also features bios for the "avatars" of the main characters, as well as a game and a 360 degree experience.
The page also features a link to buy tickets, for the same reason as The Darkest Hour, to get people to see the film and talk about it, creating a buzz.
Creating a buzz is the reason why the page also features a link to share the webpage on Facebook.
The 20th Century Fox animated movie Ferdinand, like Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle does not have a website of its own but rather a page on 20th Century Fox's website.
The first see on the page's header is a picture of a Bull, Ferdinand as well as a comment from a review from a publication.
Below the header there are links to share on Facebook and Twitter as well as to buy tickets, something that appears to be a convention of these websites and webpages.
Below there are several videos including a trailer, clips from the film and other promotional videos. This is all to get the audience of the website excited to see the film.
The webpage also features a synopsis and informs you that it is by Blue Sky Studios, an animation studio responsible for the Ice Age franchise, this may entice potential viewers as the Ice Age franchise has been held in high regard (despite gradually declining in critical and audience reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes).
The page also has a list of the cast which again, may encourage someone to go and see the movie.
Unlike the other websites, Ferdinand's webpage features games, this is likely due to the fact that it is an animated movie for children. And unlike Disney Pixar's Coco, Ferdinand does have a webpage but I'm not sure why a children's film that doesn't appear to have appeal to other audiences (unlike the Pixar movies and films like Paddington 2) as children don't typically have access to the internet without parent's permission.
Molly's Game is a crime drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.
The official website for the film opens with the trailer but it has the option to close it.
The main page of the website has a black and white photo of Jessica Chastain's Molly. To the right of the page is the title of the movie and above the title is the announcement that it is nominated for two Golden Globes, below the title is the statement that the film is based on a true story.
The left side of the websites informs you that it has academy award winners Idris Elba and Kevin Costner, as well as telling us that Jessica Chastain was nominated for an academy award..
The nominations for Golden Globes may persuade a potential audience member to go see the movie as it must be good to have been nominated for best screenplay.
Also as the websites tells you that two members of the cast have Oscars and the lead was nominated for one may also persuade someone to watch the movie because if it has good actors then the movie is probably also good.
The fact that the movie is based on a true story may also get someone to watch the film as people may find the fact that it was based on a true story more interesting than if it was purely fiction.
In the top left of the website there is a drop-down menu which features a synopsis, two trailers, a gallery that features several stills from the movie and a link to buy tickets.
In the top right there are links to share on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to create a buzz to promote the film.
Early Man is a stop motion animation children's film due for release in late January 2018.
Like the website for Darkest Hour it has footage from the movie in the background on a loop.
It also prominently features the option to watch a trailer and to book tickets like the other websites.
Like the websites for Ferdinand and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the website for Early Man features games.
The website also features a gallery with pictures and videos and, like Jumanji, has a bio for the characters, but unlike Jumanji's there are more characters with bios but many are shorter.
At the top of the website it states that the film is "From Nick Park, Director of Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit." Both the film Chicken Run and the Wallace & Gromit series are critically acclaimed and award winning, therefore as Early Man is directed by the same person it is likely to be very good as well.
Like the other websites Early Man's website features the option to book tickets which takes to a map to find a local cinema.
The website also prominently features the links to social media websites and the official YouTube channel to share their promotional videos.
The Commuter is a mystery/crime movie starring Liam Neeson and is directed by Jaume Collet-Sera.
The website, like the website for Darkest Hour and Early Man, has footage from the film playing in the background of the website. In the middle of the website is a button to play the final trailer for the film, this may entice someone to go to the cinema to see this film as the trailer could convince them more than the website would on its own.
One interesting thing to note is that in the gallery all of the images move, this may be a useful feature for my website.
From everything I've seen of these websites, I've decided to have a still from the movie in the background of the homepage, to have a gallery with stills and videos, maybe I'll also have the images move with after effects. I'm also going to involve a 360 degree picture of the set and it'll have clickable points. Of course the website will also have a synopsis and a list of cast and crew.
The website will also have a link to social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube.
Unit 6 Production Log
23/01/18: Created a mind-map of ideas for "The Hunted" and made a branch chart as a template for the interactivity video. Also have come up with ideas for the four different interactive arcs within the video.
25/01/18: Completed the branch chart for my arc of The Hunted and started the scene by scene breakdown
28/01/18: Made the storyboard for The Hunted
30/01/18: Started working on the pre-production paperwork for the hunted.
31/01/18: Finished the first draft of the script for The Hunted.
25/01/18: Completed the branch chart for my arc of The Hunted and started the scene by scene breakdown
28/01/18: Made the storyboard for The Hunted
30/01/18: Started working on the pre-production paperwork for the hunted.
31/01/18: Finished the first draft of the script for The Hunted.
Monday, 22 January 2018
The Hunted Target Audience
The certificate will be a 15 and the target audience will be 14-18 year olds
It's a crime thriller with action aspects.
The content the TA is looking is clips from the film
14-18 year olds mainly post memes
What's the backstory, is it based on a true story, is there death?
There will be an instagram and a snapchat that will post a few times a day before the release of The Hunted
It's a crime thriller with action aspects.
The content the TA is looking is clips from the film
14-18 year olds mainly post memes
What's the backstory, is it based on a true story, is there death?
There will be an instagram and a snapchat that will post a few times a day before the release of The Hunted
Friday, 19 January 2018
Monday, 15 January 2018
The Relationship Between Audio And Video in Film
The 2016 movie, I, DANIEL BLAKE, written by Paul Laverty and directed by Ken Loach is a drama following the life of 59 year old Daniel Blake as he struggles to find work after being deemed fit for work and having his benefits frozen, despite his doctor telling him that he isn’t following a heart attack.
He meets a newcomer to the city of Newcastle called Katie and her two children, Daisy and Dylan.
The film re-enforces realism to promote the issues that are presented in the narrative and because of this in many scenes it focuses on diegetic and natural sounds.
For example in one scene in the middle of the film, Daniel is at Katie’s house and is putting together a makeshift heater as they don’t have hot water.
In the scene there is no music and you can hear every minor diegetic sound from the sound of Katie cooking in the background to Daniel putting the pots over the candle. All of these sounds are natural to help to immerse the audience into believing that they are in the room too and to help them to feel the situation that both Daniel and Katie are in.
All of the natural sound effects were probably added in post with foley or were at least augmented as it is unlikely the microphone picked up everything.
Daniel has one notable vocal tic in this scene when he pauses to remember the name of Daisy, this shows his age and also how he’s only known them for a short time at this point and their names haven’t been solidified in his mind.
The way Daniel and Daisy speak in the scene is very natural and seems as if it was improvised to help sell the realism of the film.
On the very other end of the spectrum is the 2016 animated Netflix show: Voltron Legendary Defender.
In season 4, episode 2 the character of Pidge finally discovers information about the whereabouts of her brother who was abducted a year prior on a mission to Kerberos, one of Pluto’s moons.
The scene titled “family reunion” sees Pidge discovers the hideout of her brother, Matt. She is attacked by him before the realize who each other is, embracing but being interrupted by a bounty hunter. Pidge and Matt then fight the bounty hunter and defeat him.
As the programme is science fiction and animated, most of the sound effects, especially in fight scenes are hyper-real. For example Matt’s staff makes loud metallic noises when it comes in contact with Pidge’s bayard. Matt’s staff also makes hyper-real “swooshing” noises when he spins and swipes with it. The bounty hunter’s “whips” also make electrical crackling noises
The voices of the bounty hunter and Matt wearing his helmet have been augmented to make them sound more electronic and futuristic.
The music is mostly ambient to replicate the emptiness and mysterious aspects of space. It is very electronic to fit with the science fiction genre of the show. During both of the fight scenes the music gets fast paced rather than the usual slow music.
When Matt and Pidge hug the music starts to sound happier to re-enforce the emotions of the characters.
Monday, 8 January 2018
Wednesday, 3 January 2018
Saturday, 11 November 2017
Thursday, 9 November 2017
College TV Production Idea 1 Pitch.
This particular idea for the College was the initial idea for the TV show before branching off and creating alternate ideas, a possible title for this production is College TV. It has the target audience of young adult/students as that is the main demographic of the college.
Firstly the majority of the show will be filmed live in the studio, this will feature the college news, upcoming events and most importantly the presenter introduction. The college news could possibly feature inserted videos expanding on the story but it is intended to be for headlines early.
For the Top 5 films and music track segments I plan for them to be around two-and-a-half minutes long and pre-recorded in front of a greenscreen.
I plan for the opening titles to have a fast paced theme tune and to use graphics.
For the on location segments we will have one or two reporters, depending on the subject of the news, and they will possibly interview local business owners about NUS cards or anything college related.
College TV Production Idea 2 Pitch.
Like the previous idea the target audience for this production is young adults/students as this is the main demographic of the college.
The presenters of the show should have a smart-casual attire and have semi-casual body language. They will deliver the college news headlines before cutting to a segment that is pre-recorded. The presenters will be filmed live in the studio.
The design for the studio will have the primary colour of dark red with a greenscreen background which will display an image related to the story. A possible story for the first episode could be an introduction student union and instructions on how to apply for an NUS card. This could involve investigative interviews with businesses about student discounts and with student support services on how to apply for an NUS card.
A possible frequent location for segments could be Tonbridge park.
College TV Production Idea 3 Pitch.
The target audience for this production (named West Kent College News) is students as that is the main demographic of the College where the production will be aired.
The presenters (one male and one female) will be wearing smart attire behind a desk that would have mugs with either the college logo or the logo of the show (to be designed.)
This production will feature adverts for various aspects of the college such as the Hair and Beauty salon or Artisan Restaurant that’ll play between segments with logos in the corner during the rest of the production.
Tuesday, 7 November 2017
Have I Got News For You Analysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aByPw403hXM
Have I Got News For You is a BBC satirical quiz show.
The host changes week to week and on the episode I watched it was hosted by Jo Brand. She is wearing casual clothes and her hair is dyed pink. Whilst those on the left are dressed smart and those on the right are dressed smart-casual.
The background of the set have faked newspaper clippings that are comical which ties into the fact that it is a satirical show and thus is comedic and topical. Every few series they change the backgrounds to keep them more related to current affairs.
The shot type on Jo is a close up and the shot type for the panellists are in mid-range shots but go to close-up when they are speaking.
On the set at the desk where the host sits, there is a counter of points, not that it applies heavily to the show.
With the editing the show cuts away to extracts from newspapers and photos, the background is red and has a newspaper motif, tying into the fact that this is based on the news.
Have I Got News For You is a BBC satirical quiz show.
The host changes week to week and on the episode I watched it was hosted by Jo Brand. She is wearing casual clothes and her hair is dyed pink. Whilst those on the left are dressed smart and those on the right are dressed smart-casual.
The background of the set have faked newspaper clippings that are comical which ties into the fact that it is a satirical show and thus is comedic and topical. Every few series they change the backgrounds to keep them more related to current affairs.
The shot type on Jo is a close up and the shot type for the panellists are in mid-range shots but go to close-up when they are speaking.
On the set at the desk where the host sits, there is a counter of points, not that it applies heavily to the show.
With the editing the show cuts away to extracts from newspapers and photos, the background is red and has a newspaper motif, tying into the fact that this is based on the news.
Thursday, 2 November 2017
Creating an Interview
To create an interview it is ideal to initially inform the interviewee of the questions and to tell them what you want to get from them from the interview. You must also give you time to set up as it always takes longer than anticipated.
The interviewer should set up the camera beside them of behind them in an over-the-shoulder-shot. The camera must remain within the 180 degree rule this is to avoid confusion for the audience.
It is important to retain eye-contact for the comfort of the interviewee and to stop them from looking directly into the camera and keeping their eyes from darting around.
Some interviews will also feature cutaways of the interviewer nodding and asking the question. This helps to pad out the interview and make it more layered.
The interviewee should be wearing a lapel microphone so that everything they say can be heard.
It is important that the interviewee is in the middle of the screen with a close-up of them, making sure there is a gap between their head and the top of the frame.
The interviewer should set up the camera beside them of behind them in an over-the-shoulder-shot. The camera must remain within the 180 degree rule this is to avoid confusion for the audience.
Some interviews will also feature cutaways of the interviewer nodding and asking the question. This helps to pad out the interview and make it more layered.The interviewee should be wearing a lapel microphone so that everything they say can be heard.
It is important that the interviewee is in the middle of the screen with a close-up of them, making sure there is a gap between their head and the top of the frame.
Tuesday, 31 October 2017
Audiences
Audiences are highly important to all media texts as without an audience the media text will not have success and not make a profit. Considering the audience aids producers in setting parameters to aid targeting the audience through casting, plot or even the opening of the tv show/film.
Demographics are characteristics that are targeted by the media industry. Demographics are characteristics there are fixed. Some examples would be: Ager, gender, nationality/regionality and socio-economic status.
The national readership surgery displays socio-economic status in A to D with A being the richest and D being people with the lowest income (unemployed, students, pensioners)
An audience is either a singular consumer or a group of consumers of a media text. Media organisations produce media texts in order to make a profit and without an audience they won't make a profit at all.
Due to an increase in technology mass-media is more competitive than it was thirty years ago with the introduction of more TV channels, radio stations, newspapers, magazines and in more recent years the internet with digital media like on demand services such as BBC iPlayer and Netflix.
Old media such as TV, radio and print (newspapers, magazines and books) used to have a higher audience but with the introduction of digital media audience has become fragmented, meaning that the audience for something has been separated, for example one part of an audience for a TV show would watch it when it airs whilst another part would wait until it is on demand (iPlayer, ITV player, All 4).
There are two types of audience, mass and niche.
Mass audiences are those who consume mainstream or popular media texts such as soaps, sitcoms, reality tv or popular film franchises.
Those targeting these mass audiences have to think about a large group of people with multiple factors (women, men, children, adults.) Examples of texts targeting a mass audience would be:
- BBC News
- The Guardian
- Antiques Roadshow
- The One Show
Niche audiences are much smaller and restrictive audiences but very influential. A niche audience is more select and a collective of those with a unique interest.
Examples of texts targeting a niche audience would be:
- Bird watching magazine
- Walking with Dinosaurs
- Trekkies (documentary)
Demographics are characteristics that are targeted by the media industry. Demographics are characteristics there are fixed. Some examples would be: Ager, gender, nationality/regionality and socio-economic status.
The national readership surgery displays socio-economic status in A to D with A being the richest and D being people with the lowest income (unemployed, students, pensioners)
White Balance
White balance is the act of giving the camera a reference of "true white" meaning the camera can give a fully colour balanced shot. Giving the camera a reference of white means that it will record white correctly, thus will record all colour correctly as white is all colours.
It is important to white balance whenever the lighting conditions change, especially for going from shooting indoors to shooting outdoors. This is also important for early morning and late evening as the light colour changes quickly, despite our eyes not noticing, the cameras do.
To perform a manual white balance you must first make sure that your camera is set to the correct filter for lighting technicians. Then you should point the camera at a pure white subject, ideally a plain white sheet of paper as it is matte, thus non-reflective.
Then you should set your focus, followed by activating the white balance button. This should take a few seconds and your camera will inform you when it has completed the process.
In our lesson we also experimented with changing the colour of the shot by exploiting the white balance setting.
The process is almost the same but rather than using a piece of white paper you use a coloured gel (normally intended for lighting) or a coloured piece of paper. However the colour of the paper will not create the same colour for the shot but rather the opposite, so a blue sheet of paper or gel would result in the shot being warm (red or orange) whilst a red gel or paper would result in the shot being cold (blue).
The results of using green is a purple or pink shot and vice-versa.
It is important to white balance whenever the lighting conditions change, especially for going from shooting indoors to shooting outdoors. This is also important for early morning and late evening as the light colour changes quickly, despite our eyes not noticing, the cameras do.
To perform a manual white balance you must first make sure that your camera is set to the correct filter for lighting technicians. Then you should point the camera at a pure white subject, ideally a plain white sheet of paper as it is matte, thus non-reflective.
Then you should set your focus, followed by activating the white balance button. This should take a few seconds and your camera will inform you when it has completed the process.
In our lesson we also experimented with changing the colour of the shot by exploiting the white balance setting.
The process is almost the same but rather than using a piece of white paper you use a coloured gel (normally intended for lighting) or a coloured piece of paper. However the colour of the paper will not create the same colour for the shot but rather the opposite, so a blue sheet of paper or gel would result in the shot being warm (red or orange) whilst a red gel or paper would result in the shot being cold (blue).
The results of using green is a purple or pink shot and vice-versa.
Thursday, 19 October 2017
Final Evaluation of Foley Project. (Updated)
In the recent weeks, Stuart has set us a group task to provide sound effects to the iconic "shower scene" from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho using Foley methods.
Foley is a sound effect technique named after sound effects artist Jack Foley. It is where you take everyday objects and attempt to create sounds that match what is shown on screen.
Two weeks ago we had a Foley workshop set up by Stuart where we had a range of items to use, for instance there were several cabbages and a knife to aim to recreate the stabbing sound as well as rice which my group used to try and recreate the sound of shower water. There were also balloons which we used to try and make sound like Marion Crane, (the woman who was murdered) sliding against the bathtub by rubbing the balloons. However this didn't go so well and did not have the desired result. On the contrary the rice being poured went successfully and sounded close enough to shower water to be deemed a success.
My group in particular did not have to resort to found content, however if we did need to we would have to use it sparingly and give credit as it is plagiarism.
The editing software used to apply the sound effects was Adobe Premier Pro, as I and two others in my group (Megan, Jess and Alice) have had previous experience with Premier Pro we found it easy to use. We managed to apply sound effects for walking, a door closing, the shower and humming/singing.
Sadly the software crashed and it is currently unknown if any of the work survived, therefore in the next session we need to check the damage and re-do anything that was lost, most likely on a different computer.
I feel the final product is a good first attempt. The syncing of the majority of sounds such as the door, footsteps, the shower, the shower curtains and the water rushing down the plug all sync successfully however the sounds of the screams didn't sync properly and were choppy and cut-up, I don't know why this is but if I had more time I'd correct it.
Overall I enjoyed the audio production, despite finding some parts of the editing tedious. I enjoyed the recording of all the sounds and found that the majority were useful. The sound that worked best was the pouring of the rice and I used this to replicate the sound of the shower, the sound of the rice worked well as it sounded similar to water and was constant and flowing like that of water from a shower.
The feedback I received were generally along the same lines, many said that the sound effects were good however it would have been even better if the sound of the screams were properly synced. I whole heartedly agree with this criticism.
Foley is a sound effect technique named after sound effects artist Jack Foley. It is where you take everyday objects and attempt to create sounds that match what is shown on screen.
Two weeks ago we had a Foley workshop set up by Stuart where we had a range of items to use, for instance there were several cabbages and a knife to aim to recreate the stabbing sound as well as rice which my group used to try and recreate the sound of shower water. There were also balloons which we used to try and make sound like Marion Crane, (the woman who was murdered) sliding against the bathtub by rubbing the balloons. However this didn't go so well and did not have the desired result. On the contrary the rice being poured went successfully and sounded close enough to shower water to be deemed a success.
My group in particular did not have to resort to found content, however if we did need to we would have to use it sparingly and give credit as it is plagiarism.
The editing software used to apply the sound effects was Adobe Premier Pro, as I and two others in my group (Megan, Jess and Alice) have had previous experience with Premier Pro we found it easy to use. We managed to apply sound effects for walking, a door closing, the shower and humming/singing.
Sadly the software crashed and it is currently unknown if any of the work survived, therefore in the next session we need to check the damage and re-do anything that was lost, most likely on a different computer.
I feel the final product is a good first attempt. The syncing of the majority of sounds such as the door, footsteps, the shower, the shower curtains and the water rushing down the plug all sync successfully however the sounds of the screams didn't sync properly and were choppy and cut-up, I don't know why this is but if I had more time I'd correct it.
Overall I enjoyed the audio production, despite finding some parts of the editing tedious. I enjoyed the recording of all the sounds and found that the majority were useful. The sound that worked best was the pouring of the rice and I used this to replicate the sound of the shower, the sound of the rice worked well as it sounded similar to water and was constant and flowing like that of water from a shower.
The feedback I received were generally along the same lines, many said that the sound effects were good however it would have been even better if the sound of the screams were properly synced. I whole heartedly agree with this criticism.
Tuesday, 17 October 2017
Week 5 Photography Lighting Workshop Summary.
On Thursday the 12th of October during week 5 of the UAL Media Studies course we were given a lighting worship where we experimented with lighting for film and photography.
We were taken into the studio where there were four different lighting set-ups, three were 3 points each using different types of lights, Arri 300s, dedo lights and redheads and the fourth set-up was a horror set-up using Arri 300s.
The three different lights have different brightness levels. The Dedos are the smallest and least bright, they also feature a slider to adjust the brightness. The middle brightness were the Arri 300s and the brightest ones are the redheads.
The redheads use 2400 watts, the Arri 300s use 900 watts and the dedos only use 450 watts.
All of the lights were nice and easy to use safely, once being briefed on the health and safety aspects.
As the lights get very hot it would be dangerous to handle them without gloves as you'd risk being burned by the sheer heat of all the lights, in fact even with the gloves you could feel the heat of all of the lamps and couldn't handle them for long. Another health and safety risk with the lights, especially the redheads is that the extension leads need to be pulled out fully or else they could catch fire due to the immense amount of electricity going through the wires.
We were separated into four groups and in our groups given different roles such as operating the camera, being the model, operating the lighting and taking photos of the whole process. We all changed roles and tried everything and overall the experience was good and taught us a lot about the importance of lighting and how to set up lighting.
We were taken into the studio where there were four different lighting set-ups, three were 3 points each using different types of lights, Arri 300s, dedo lights and redheads and the fourth set-up was a horror set-up using Arri 300s.
The three different lights have different brightness levels. The Dedos are the smallest and least bright, they also feature a slider to adjust the brightness. The middle brightness were the Arri 300s and the brightest ones are the redheads.
The redheads use 2400 watts, the Arri 300s use 900 watts and the dedos only use 450 watts.
All of the lights were nice and easy to use safely, once being briefed on the health and safety aspects.
As the lights get very hot it would be dangerous to handle them without gloves as you'd risk being burned by the sheer heat of all the lights, in fact even with the gloves you could feel the heat of all of the lamps and couldn't handle them for long. Another health and safety risk with the lights, especially the redheads is that the extension leads need to be pulled out fully or else they could catch fire due to the immense amount of electricity going through the wires.
We were separated into four groups and in our groups given different roles such as operating the camera, being the model, operating the lighting and taking photos of the whole process. We all changed roles and tried everything and overall the experience was good and taught us a lot about the importance of lighting and how to set up lighting.
Thursday, 12 October 2017
Summary of Carousel Week 5 Photography
On Tuesday the 10th of October for week 5 of the carousel we were in a photography workshop.
We covered two processes of photography, taking photos with different shutter speeds and taking photos with different apertures.
We gathered evidence in two different ways
Our Primary evidence was us going out in small groups and taking photos using different shutter speeds and aperture settings. In the first session we were to take pictures capturing movement for example capturing falling leaves or people jumping, even Alice in her wheelchair moving. The effect caused was a blur when using a low shutter-speed and with a high shutter-speed the image was crisp.
In the second session we were tasked with changing our aperture size and taking photos in the garden by the college. The larger the aperture, the more light goes through and the less in-focus everything is in whilst with a smaller aperture more of the subject is in focus.
The method of changing the aperture and shutter-speed is by first turning the mode dial to the S (for shutter speed) and then turning the main command dial on the camera to change the speed of the shutter and to then press the shutter release to take the photo.
The method of changing the aperture is similar but rather than having the mode dial on S it is rather set to A.
The camera used was a Nikon D3200.
We covered two processes of photography, taking photos with different shutter speeds and taking photos with different apertures.
We gathered evidence in two different ways
Our Primary evidence was us going out in small groups and taking photos using different shutter speeds and aperture settings. In the first session we were to take pictures capturing movement for example capturing falling leaves or people jumping, even Alice in her wheelchair moving. The effect caused was a blur when using a low shutter-speed and with a high shutter-speed the image was crisp.
In the second session we were tasked with changing our aperture size and taking photos in the garden by the college. The larger the aperture, the more light goes through and the less in-focus everything is in whilst with a smaller aperture more of the subject is in focus.
The method of changing the aperture and shutter-speed is by first turning the mode dial to the S (for shutter speed) and then turning the main command dial on the camera to change the speed of the shutter and to then press the shutter release to take the photo.
The method of changing the aperture is similar but rather than having the mode dial on S it is rather set to A.
The camera used was a Nikon D3200.
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| Nikon D3200 |
Wednesday, 11 October 2017
Soundtrack analysis of Han Solo's death from Star Wars The Force Awakens
In the now iconic scene from Star Wars The Force Awakens where Han Solo, fan favourite character is killed by his son, Ben AKA Kylo Ren.
The soundtrack from the scene is complex, using not only music and dialogue but also ambient sound and sound effects.
The score of the scene the music is low pitch and atmospheric, this helps to build tension for the inevitable confrontation between Han and Kylo. What also aids this is the slowly paced rhythm of the score at this point.
When Han shouts the name of his son the score halts for a brief moment. This helps to take the audience out of the moment for a bit to allow the information of Kylo's real name to sink in. This too also aids in building tension. As Han walks to his son the score slowly begins to crescendo, the music itself is orchestral, mainly string instruments. The tempo is still slow, the timbre is sad, preparing the audience for what is to come.
Finally following Kylo killing Han there is a sting of shock accompanied by the cries of Rey and Fiin and the roar of Chewbacca. This sting reflects the feelings of the audience and characters alike, following the sting the score becomes empathetically mournful and continues as we cut to Leia feeling the death of her husband through the force.
In this scene's soundtrack there isn't much ambient sound however there is still some to note.
For instance the low mechanical hum of a generator can be heard, this informs the audience that the scene is set in a room with generator rooms and thus must produce power for the base.
When Han and Ben are atop the walkway you can faintly hear the sound of wind, this adds to the illusion that the two are high up. The sound of wind also adds to the emptiness of the entire room and almost makes it seem like the father and son are alone despite not actually being alone.
The dialogue given in this scene is empathetic. The timbre of Han's voice is loving and caring, something that is typically contrapuntal to Han's character as he is usually portrayed as a man who only cares for himself and his own gain. The fact that Han's tone is caring shows that he loves his son and wishes for him to return home, he even states this himself. It is in contrast to how Kylo views his father, he sees him as a man who wasn't there for him as a child. At first his voice carries tones of anger when he exclaims, "Your son is dead" however as the dialogue continues the tone becomes sadder as he realises what he has to do. This shows us that he doesn't truly want to kill his father, however his master told him that it would indeed make him become more powerful.
The soundtrack of this scene contains many sound effects, the majority of which were likely added in post, some for example the sound of Han's footsteps were likely done using foley techniques rather than being recorded on-set.
Once such sound effect used in this scene is a the sound motif of Kylo Ren's lightsaber, unlike most lightsaber noises, Kylo's is more warped and raw, this is due to the fact that it is broken. The use of this different sound effect for Kylo's lightsaber helps us identify that it is specifically his, it could also be a parallel to Kylo's character and the fact that he is a warped form of his former self whilst Rey's (Or Anakin's, or Luke's) lightsaber's sound is more basic and simple, showing how she has not been corrupted by the dark side.
The soundtrack from the scene is complex, using not only music and dialogue but also ambient sound and sound effects.
The score of the scene the music is low pitch and atmospheric, this helps to build tension for the inevitable confrontation between Han and Kylo. What also aids this is the slowly paced rhythm of the score at this point.
When Han shouts the name of his son the score halts for a brief moment. This helps to take the audience out of the moment for a bit to allow the information of Kylo's real name to sink in. This too also aids in building tension. As Han walks to his son the score slowly begins to crescendo, the music itself is orchestral, mainly string instruments. The tempo is still slow, the timbre is sad, preparing the audience for what is to come.
Finally following Kylo killing Han there is a sting of shock accompanied by the cries of Rey and Fiin and the roar of Chewbacca. This sting reflects the feelings of the audience and characters alike, following the sting the score becomes empathetically mournful and continues as we cut to Leia feeling the death of her husband through the force.
In this scene's soundtrack there isn't much ambient sound however there is still some to note.
For instance the low mechanical hum of a generator can be heard, this informs the audience that the scene is set in a room with generator rooms and thus must produce power for the base.
When Han and Ben are atop the walkway you can faintly hear the sound of wind, this adds to the illusion that the two are high up. The sound of wind also adds to the emptiness of the entire room and almost makes it seem like the father and son are alone despite not actually being alone.
The dialogue given in this scene is empathetic. The timbre of Han's voice is loving and caring, something that is typically contrapuntal to Han's character as he is usually portrayed as a man who only cares for himself and his own gain. The fact that Han's tone is caring shows that he loves his son and wishes for him to return home, he even states this himself. It is in contrast to how Kylo views his father, he sees him as a man who wasn't there for him as a child. At first his voice carries tones of anger when he exclaims, "Your son is dead" however as the dialogue continues the tone becomes sadder as he realises what he has to do. This shows us that he doesn't truly want to kill his father, however his master told him that it would indeed make him become more powerful.
The soundtrack of this scene contains many sound effects, the majority of which were likely added in post, some for example the sound of Han's footsteps were likely done using foley techniques rather than being recorded on-set.
Once such sound effect used in this scene is a the sound motif of Kylo Ren's lightsaber, unlike most lightsaber noises, Kylo's is more warped and raw, this is due to the fact that it is broken. The use of this different sound effect for Kylo's lightsaber helps us identify that it is specifically his, it could also be a parallel to Kylo's character and the fact that he is a warped form of his former self whilst Rey's (Or Anakin's, or Luke's) lightsaber's sound is more basic and simple, showing how she has not been corrupted by the dark side.
Thursday, 5 October 2017
Review of 4 Hippies in space and a Bic Pen
Today on the 3rd of October for our creative studies carousel we were set the task of producing a mock advert for a Bic 4 colour pen. We were separated into four groups to brainstorm ideas and then there is a vote to find which idea will be produced.
The idea that was selected to be produced was about four hippy astronauts who were in a space ship flying to the moon, one of the hippies has a treasured 4 colour Bic pen. Upon arrival to the moon they are confronted by an alien who threatens the hippies with death if they don't hand the pen over to them.
Personally I felt the production of the advert was mis-managed, we struggled with teamwork and despite Kian the director having a vision of what he wanted to create he wasn't that great at showing the rest of us what to do.
Another problem with the production was how limited we were with resources and having to do it as a live edit meant that we couldn't use a green screen, thus would struggle with creating the illusion of being in space, however to my surprise it was a success and ended up feeling almost like an old episode of Doctor Who or Star Trek. Another positive was the non-diegetic sound effects, the actors did not know when the effects would play and were essentially blind but in the final edit the sound effects synced almost perfectly and gave a satisfying feeling. I myself set up half of the lighting and I am pleased with my results, the lighting in the video is low-key however colourful, using red, blue, green, orange and pink, the first three of those colours are featured on the Bic pen, whether this was the intention of the director or not I do not know but it feels satisfying and is aesthetically pleasing.
I have a few complaints about the finished video, for instance the transitioning of cameras isn't well timed and could be improved, it feels off and wrong, I can't fully articulate my grievance with the transitioning. Another issue I have with the final edit is how it doesn't fully feel like a proper tv advert. It doesn't have many conventions of a standard advert, the only thing we learn about the product is that it is a pen with four different colours and it can apparently kill aliens. I wish it could elaborate more on why the product is worth buying, possibly how many people use it as a fidget toy or how the 4 colour biro is the most stolen pen.
The idea that was selected to be produced was about four hippy astronauts who were in a space ship flying to the moon, one of the hippies has a treasured 4 colour Bic pen. Upon arrival to the moon they are confronted by an alien who threatens the hippies with death if they don't hand the pen over to them.
Personally I felt the production of the advert was mis-managed, we struggled with teamwork and despite Kian the director having a vision of what he wanted to create he wasn't that great at showing the rest of us what to do.
Another problem with the production was how limited we were with resources and having to do it as a live edit meant that we couldn't use a green screen, thus would struggle with creating the illusion of being in space, however to my surprise it was a success and ended up feeling almost like an old episode of Doctor Who or Star Trek. Another positive was the non-diegetic sound effects, the actors did not know when the effects would play and were essentially blind but in the final edit the sound effects synced almost perfectly and gave a satisfying feeling. I myself set up half of the lighting and I am pleased with my results, the lighting in the video is low-key however colourful, using red, blue, green, orange and pink, the first three of those colours are featured on the Bic pen, whether this was the intention of the director or not I do not know but it feels satisfying and is aesthetically pleasing.
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| Megan on camera 4 |
I have a few complaints about the finished video, for instance the transitioning of cameras isn't well timed and could be improved, it feels off and wrong, I can't fully articulate my grievance with the transitioning. Another issue I have with the final edit is how it doesn't fully feel like a proper tv advert. It doesn't have many conventions of a standard advert, the only thing we learn about the product is that it is a pen with four different colours and it can apparently kill aliens. I wish it could elaborate more on why the product is worth buying, possibly how many people use it as a fidget toy or how the 4 colour biro is the most stolen pen.
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| The Beta set |
Monday, 2 October 2017
Psycho Shower Scene Foley Activity.
In the recent weeks, Stuart has set us a group task to provide sound effects to the iconic "shower scene" from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho using Foley methods.
Foley is a sound effect technique named after sound effects artist Jack Foley. It is where you take everyday objects and attempt to create sounds that match what is shown on screen.
Two weeks ago we had a Foley workshop set up by Stuart where we had a range of items to use, for instance there were several cabbages and a knife to aim to recreate the stabbing sound as well as rice which my group used to try and recreate the sound of shower water. There were also balloons which we used to try and make sound like Marion Crane, (the woman who was murdered) sliding against the bathtub by rubbing the balloons. However this didn't go so well and did not have the desired result. On the contrary the rice being poured went successfully and sounded close enough to shower water to be deemed a success.
My group in particular did not have to resort to found content, however if we did need to we would have to use it sparingly and give credit as it is plagiarism.
The editing software used to apply the sound effects was Adobe Premier Pro, as I and two others in my group (Megan and Alice) have had previous experience with Premier Pro we found it easy to use. We managed to apply sound effects for walking, a door closing, the shower and humming/singing.
Sadly the software crashed and it is currently unknown if any of the work survived, therefore in the next session we need to check the damage and re-do anything that was lost, most likely on a different computer.
Foley is a sound effect technique named after sound effects artist Jack Foley. It is where you take everyday objects and attempt to create sounds that match what is shown on screen.
Two weeks ago we had a Foley workshop set up by Stuart where we had a range of items to use, for instance there were several cabbages and a knife to aim to recreate the stabbing sound as well as rice which my group used to try and recreate the sound of shower water. There were also balloons which we used to try and make sound like Marion Crane, (the woman who was murdered) sliding against the bathtub by rubbing the balloons. However this didn't go so well and did not have the desired result. On the contrary the rice being poured went successfully and sounded close enough to shower water to be deemed a success.
My group in particular did not have to resort to found content, however if we did need to we would have to use it sparingly and give credit as it is plagiarism.
The editing software used to apply the sound effects was Adobe Premier Pro, as I and two others in my group (Megan and Alice) have had previous experience with Premier Pro we found it easy to use. We managed to apply sound effects for walking, a door closing, the shower and humming/singing.
Sadly the software crashed and it is currently unknown if any of the work survived, therefore in the next session we need to check the damage and re-do anything that was lost, most likely on a different computer.
Saturday, 30 September 2017
Title : Critically Comparing my Skills, Processes and Methods
1st. Formulate your question:
Look below at what you are you being asked to evaluate.
Unit 1
U1.2.1 Critically compare a range of communication methods used to convey meaning in creative media production.
Note Critically is similar to compare but concentrate on the things that are different with two or more methods used or what sets them apart. Point out any differences which are particularly significant.
In your own words say what U1.2.1 is asking you to do.
Answer: To critically compare a range media products.
2nd. Gather your information:
What have you been doing that you can evaluate
On your blog you now have two weeks detailing classes in The Carousel and professional ways to use tools, skills, processes. If you have details of these you have done this point just add the links below.
Blog link to last week:
Blog link to this week:
3rd. Apply the information
How well have you done in the sessions?
Ask yourself:
- Which skills, Processes and Methods or tools you enjoyed the most?
Answer: Mono-printing, making thick lines that look like they were made by a 2B pencil resulting in a black-and-white print.
- Which of the things you have been shown could you demonstrate to another person?
Answer: Drawing still life, juxtaposing colours of red and blue.
- Which of the things you have been shown do you need more practice with?
Answer: Drawing using a biro and also using charcoal.
4th. Consider the implications
If you were asked by a professional to use some of the tools, skills, processes how well would you do?
Answer: If I was asked by a professional artist to draw from life I feel I may struggle as my drawing technique is imperfect and I could use some practice.
5. Explore other points of view
Have you considered feedback from teachers and Peers as to how well you did in the session, if so what feedback have you had?
Answer: No
What Feedback have you had so far that tells you you are doing okay in the session?
Answer: One of the fashion tutors told me that my fabric looked good.
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