Case Study Blog

For this case study I have chosen three different types of film from BBC Three, Channel 4 and Vice. Two are factual and one is live.

The first one is all about table tennis, this includes a live action event as well as edited. This is because its telling a story of how the boy never gives up about table tennis. When he losses to a game he gets back up and keeps going. I like the way its edited as it shows his journey and how he's always motivated and makes him want to play, even when he losses. The live action shots had two cameras, one as a wide shot setting the scene and a mid shot of the boy. The reason we didn't get a mid shot of the other player is because we wanted the focus to be on the boy as he is the centre of the whole program. I can compare this to my live action table tennis match in the Crib at College. We also had two camera set up, but we had to mid shots of the two players and not a wide shot to set the scene. Obviously the program was much more professionally filmed then our film. Ours was mainly to get experience, practice and to understand how live action events are filmed. Also ours wasn't telling a story and was mainly about the match and a little interview at the end.

The second video is an interview, where you don't hear the interviewers voice. This is a very simple interview as the text just comes on screen and then Nick answers them on the spot. It was filmed with a mid shot and a background full of people. The only thing I don't like about this is there's no cut ways to overlay over the talking. My factual film we interviewed the photography students and a teacher and filmed cutaways in the darkroom of them developing the picture. When it came to editing this we over layered the footage on top of the interview to make it flow more, also to make it more interesting to look at. This is because if you get someone talking for five minutes its going to get really boring. Yet again the Channel 4 interview is much more professionally filmed with correct lighting and sound. We filmed are interviews in really bad lighting as we were just outside the darkroom. As for sound, when we interviewed one of the students there was a really loud humming sound coming from the heater in the background. This was pain as it was quite hard to hear what she was saying.

The third and finale one is my favourite. We have a informal BBC Three interview, or as they state it 'a test'. Tylor Lautner gets tested by Greg Davies about British Citizenship. Its filmed with three different cameras, one wide shot setting the scene, where we see Tylor and Greg sitting in the same shot. One mid shot of Tylor on the left and another mid shot of Greg sitting on the right. The whole place is really well lit up and is very sharp looking. Just like the previous film this also doesn't have any cutaways to fill gaps. But as its really informal and very comical It doesn't really need any. From this we learn a lot about Tylor's knowledge about Britain. For example, we learn that he cant make a cup of tea to save his live and doesn't know what we call plasters and nappies as he's American. To compare this interview to my factual film we both see the interviewer in the same shot. But my film has cutaway's and you get taken through a journey, although you learn things in Tylor's interview, in my interview we learn a lot more factual things like how to treat a lizard and to understand there different habitats.

I really want to make a professional film with good camera shots, correct lighting and a good story behind it. I would what this to be a challenge as I like to be pushed to my abilities to produce the best possible work. By doing this it will develop myself as a producer and will help me in the future.    

Effects used in Film

Effects used in Film

The scene I want to create in a dream like effect is when Tyler transitions into the hallucination in the subway. Tyler is going to get a sensory over load, as here starts hearing voices in his head. This was triggered by the Interviewer (Mr Evans). He says "Why do you want the job", but Tyler mistakes it for "Why did you kill him" as it glitches in his head. He shuts his eyes in pain and then when he opens them again he appears to be in a subway.

I would like it if there were smoke all around him. This is because It would defiantly put the viewer on edge and question is this really reality? It would create a more horror like feel.

I have seen some very good uses of this in both TV and Film, here are some examples -

These clips all have use of smoke and fog to create atmosphere. In Stranger Things the fog helps create a new world, which is the 'Upside Down' world. For this instance it makes it more horror like and your wondering what's behind the fog. It also creates a lot of tension.

The arrival of the Terminator is very iconic and dramatic. The use of smoke, lights and wind creates a very atmospheric feel.

The Merlin clip is a bit different. Its not there to add to the scene, it is the scene. Merlin uses his magic to create smoke and use it to hide.

With the arrival of the Autobots in Transformers. The cars drive through the mist and fog. I love this scene as it really sets the mysterious feel off. It also looks visually stunning as it introduces the Autobots for the first time in the movie.

The Teen Wolf clip shows Stiles walking towards the tear in time (1:34). The use of lights and wind creates a very dramatic scene. The scene is slightly slowed down to create more tension. The wind machine blowing onto him is really effective. With all the effects and the music it makes the scene contain a lot of emotion. This is what I want to accomplish in our film.

So from these clips I want to do something along these lines in our film. When Tyler enters the dreamscape, I want the subway to be covered with fog. Maybe when Tyler and the Hooded figure start to fight and strangle, the wind can pick up and the lights could flicker. But obviously were not a massive production company, so we could have some one with a big piece of card waving it up and down to create wind. To get a smoke machine from the Media department. The only problem is doing all of this in a public space. It would be good to look into another place to film maybe, if this doesn't work out.

Music Composition

*Work in Progress 

So for this movie I'm going to be composing the music. This is a work in progress as I'm still working on it. The piece of music I'm composing is for the final strangling scene in the subway. As its a short film I will only need under a minute of music. I wanted the music to be epic but also to have a emotional feel to it. Within the 50 seconds of music we feel Tyler's pain as he just wants all of the hallucinations to go forever and for this to end. The music slowly builds up over a 3 act structure. The third part gets more intense, as strings go higher and more harder hitting percussion.

As this is a work in progress, instruments are not all on time and some parts maybe louder then others. I'm thinking about maybe added a slow piano and string part which will go before this particular track, as I want more of a build up.


Music Sample

Story Borads

Concept Art

Character Development

Tyler Springs

Tyler has a rich red shirt with long cuffs (unbuttoned). The shirt will be untucked and buttoned to the top. Also it will be creased and scruffy looking. Black trousers and a pair of black shoes. He will have a slightly pale face to show he looks ill.

Alex Evans (Mr Evans)

Alex will wear a black suit with a white shirt and a red tie. Very smart looking as he is the interviewer. Also wearing cuff links for that extra posh look. Black trousers and black shoes.

Hooded Figure 

He will wear a dark black hoodie all ripped and torn. As he will look quite dead looking, his face will all be peeling off with blood and bruising. His face will look very pale as he's coming back to haunt Tyler in his mind from a murder years ago. Dark black shadows under the eyes.. Black trousers and tatty white trainers.

Test Shoots

Test Shoots

In these pictures we went to the 'Interview Room' and took some test shoots of what the scene would look like and deciding what camera angles looked the best. We tried different positions of setting up the camera, so we did some over the shoulder shots both sides of me and Charlotte. The lighting was very yellow and wasn't too good, so we will have to bring in some extra lights to help with the atmosphere. Also behind Charlotte was a massive book case, we are defiantly going to move that when filming because it was in the way and made the scene off centre. On the blue notice board we are going to print pieces of paper of articles and posters of graphs and tables to make it look like a prober office set up as a interview room. Tyler and Mr Evans will be sat either side.

The first picture of us all standing behind a white hall is where were going to film the waiting room. Adding a line of chairs, a clock on the wall and a small table with magazines will create a office like feel. Tyler will be sat of centre in a wide shot to set the scene, as the camera slowly pans in to him. When comes to editing there will be ambient sounds of chatter and telephones ringing in the background. Also to get a few extras walking past to make it less set up.





So we went to the subway, where we are thinking of filming the whole hallucination sequence. Its a really nice place to film, its all lit up very well and has lots of room. But unfortunately there are a lot of cons. 1) The are mirrors either side of the subway, this would be rally hard to film as you would see the camera crew in the reflection. 2) It gets really busy as people are constantly walking past. If we were going to film a whole scene with fighting and shouting, it will create a lot of attention. 3) We wouldn't be able to take it over as its a public space and were not a huge TV and film company. The only thing we could do is find and film somewhere else. Or still use this subway, but only at a quieter time were there are less people. We could have three people at the entrances of the subway tunnel telling people to wait for 10 seconds or more, just while we do the takes. Even if it takes all day.  

We were trying out a couple shot types. A wide shot to set the scene with the hooded character at the end. Also a over the shoulder shot revealing where Tyler would be sanding.

Nightmares

Nightmares

Everyone gets nightmares, no matter how old or young you are, everyone gets them. As a child you are probably going to get more because the world is new! You are experiencing everything for the first time, there are all sorts of amazing terrifying things in this world. From creepy crawlies and clowns to falling or being chased by your worst fear possibly imagined. But as grown human beings, people still get nightmares. Nightmares like 'the normal nightmares' like falling, spiders and getting chased or followed, are all original and most people experience this as its just life and its normal.

On the other hand, anxiety, stress and depression can release the real horrors within us and haunt and strangle our every happy memory to breaking you apart from the world we live in. For example if you suffer from anxiety in the real world it doesn't mean it will give you a break in your dreams, its with you 24-7.

Dreams in which you can't wake up are the worst, particularly if its a nightmare you want to get out of. Or even questioning yourself if you are in reality or not. Not knowing if you are still dreaming and don't even know how to wake up; this can be really frightening. Sometimes we scream ourselves awake into the real world. Even something like this can haunt you in the real world too, this can lead on to panic attacks, serious anxiety and poor mental health.

This clip is from the TV series 'Teen Wolf'. The character Stiles has dreams where he cant wake up and doesn't know if he's dreaming or not due to serious anxiety. "Stiles believes he is awake while dreaming and dreaming while awake". Due to this he experiences vivid hallucinations and suffers from a type of dementia where nothing makes sense where he can not read anything. All of this is correct and very realistic, apart from how he got all of this in the first place. As its a fictional show and has supernatural reasons behind it, its not going to follow the same rules as the real world we live in.

Researching Hallucinations, PTSD and Delirium

Researching Hallucinations, PTSD and Delirium 

Hallucinations are sensations experienced real to the person, but existing only in the mind. This can be hearing voices, seeing people from the past or imagining things which happened or never happened at all. This can be very frightening to the person and can not be controlled, also can be frightening to other people as the persons behave can be very unpredictable. Like lunging out, shouting at people or having a panic attack in a public space. Hallucinations can be caused by taking illegal drugs or drinking alcohol. It can be also from an mental illness like schizophrenia or dementia.  

PTSD stands for 'Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'. Someone with this condition will have a very bad life as they will often re-live the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks and because of this it they may suffer a lot of isolation and guilt. Also they will find it very hard to sleep as it will be always on their mind as concentrating will be really tough. For example if you watched a loved one getting killed right in front of you, you will carry the burden for ever and it will haunt you in every dream and nightmare. Or if you were in a bus crash and everyone died apart from you, you would never want to go on a bus ever again. A common example is military combat, so you would of seen a lot of violent deaths and blood. This sort of thing must be extreme hard to shake off, and probably will not and will have to live and cope with it forever. Although PTSD can be treated by psychotherapy.

Delirium is a mental confusion condition and can occur if you become medically unwell. "Its also known as an acute confusional state". Surgery and medications can cause delirium. It usually begins suddenly and if your lucky it can lift when the condition gets better. Just like PTSD, it can be very frightening for people around the person. With delirium you can be less aware of what is going on around you may question yourself about what your doing in that moment in time. Also to be unable to follow a conversation and speak clearly, This is an interesting one, having mood changes suddenly, from being happy to frightened or anxious in a matter of moments.

I'm researching these Mental conditions because in our film the main character, Tyler Springs has PTSD. So by researching these three conditions its given me a better understanding of the subjects.

  

Reflecting on Movie 1 and 2

Reflecting on Movie 1 and 2

Movie 1

In 'Movie 1'  lighting helped tell the story. This is because the story was about two cowboys having a stand off in a Weston styed setting. But the catch was they were having a stand off with a rock, paper scissors game. It had a comedy element to it as it was obviously not taken seriously. The lighting was very interesting. What we did was set up a big white sheet to hang across the background and shined four lights behind and in front and it created a nice orangey desert feel. To be honest I feel that we could of improved it a lot, this was because we didn't have much time to set up and film as no one could come up with an idea apart from me, but they ignored my idea unfortunately. My idea was to have an underwater scene with blue lights and ripples made by the white sheet, it would've been really good! So everyone agreed on this Weston scene in the end, which in my opinion wasn't anyone's finest hour, but it got done and it was an average short film which demonstrated how light can make a difference and add atmosphere to a scene. Web used a mixture of different camera angles, such as close ups, extreme close ups, over the shoulder shots and mid shots. As its a face off we want to see a lot of tension, and close ups and extreme close ups can defiantly create this for us.Also mid shots to set the scene at the start.

Movie 2

In 'Movie 2'  lighting helped tell the story. This is because the story was about a character parking his bike and a stranger comes along, knocks him over and rides off with it. We shot this film in the day time so we had good lighting to work with. We had artificial lights as well to brighten the scene. Looking back at the video I feel that the lights were too warm. They just looked a bit fake, but saying that the lighting shining at the start of the film could've been a sun set or rise? Some shots looked a bit over exposed or had way to much light shining on the subject. I really like the use of the 'Dutch angel' its a great inclusion to the film as it makes it more uneasy as the stranger approaches behind him. As for colour, it was not the best as we were not concentrating too much on that, as the task was to create a short film of your choice to include a Dutch angel, and we did.     

The 11th Doctor

Two Ideas

Two Possible Ideas

For this research project I've got two possible ideas which I would like to continue and expand
further. The first idea is to research TV opening titles and how they draw the viewer in. I will be  covering everything to text, tempo and effects. But mainly how the music and visuals work together in harmony, and how they reflect on screen. Is it appropriate? Does it draw you in? Why? etc. I really like this topic because It really interests me as its a huge passion. The use of  music and how it works and how it effects the viewers emotion, literally what brings them in.    

My second idea is to research costumes in TV and Film. I would be covering what they appear to wear and the reason behind that and how it reflects them as a character. If a person wears dark colours there personality might be a mysterious sadder character? If they wear brighter and colourful colours they might be a funny happy person. I may be wrong but there's a reason behind every decision made that's why this is a really interesting topic and would be great to research this further.

The one I'm going to carry on further is the TV opening titles, I feel this one I will enjoy more as music is my passion and I will be able to go deeper into the project. Personally I feel the title sequence to a TV show is the most important bit. This is because I feel it gets you into the mood of the show and if your a returning fan or viewer it automatically makes it more familiar. The music makes it more recognisable to the person. I don't understand why people would skip a title sequence, it really annoys me.

*Update 8/12/17

In the end I decided to still do the title sequence but to base it on the music and how it all ties in with everything else.

What is a research project?

What is a Research Project?

A research project is gathering information and facts on a particular topic. To go as far as you can to pull out every last little bit of info. The deeper you go, the better and more interesting the research project will be. We do research because it helps massively in developing ideas and expanding on them further later on in the project.

There's different types of research such as, primary and secondary. Primary is something you do yourself like a questionnaire or an interview and is all your own work because your going out of your way to get it yourself. Secondary is something you get from someone else's research, like a book, magazine or a website. The problem with this is you don't know if its going to be genuine and true, that's why primary is the most reliable as your doing it yourself.

"Project research becomes an integral part of project analysis which is a thorough examination and review of project activities" - What is Project Research?

For example the project I'm going to be doing is title sequences, so I'm going to be researching into this to get every last bit of information I can get my hands on. I will be looking into everything to, text, visuals and music. Why are they used? Does it suit the theme? Who's decision is it?  

Evaluation

Unit 11 - Preparing for Progression in Creative Media Production

Production Target 3: Evaluation P.T 3.1

Lyndon Coleman

I have enjoyed this unit of work because I found most of it very creative; it challenged me to express myself within practical tasks. Whist I found the showreel great fun to do as I'm a confidant editor, I feel that I actually learnt the most new things and was most challenged preparing my presentation, about my targets and goals, and visiting the BBC. 

Hand picking things I think would make me stand out, so I added a few piano arrangements, stop motion, drawings and some edits. To merge them one after the other was a bit of a challenge but wasn't too difficult, its something you have to think about because you can't just put it together any old way, its got to blend and work well. I feel that the showreel was one of my strengths in this unit, as I think it shows my editing skills.

For my logo; this was half done as I already have a logo, I just had to write about it. I didn't just write about it though, I also compared my logo with my previous versions, and it shows how it's evolved over the years which was very interesting and nostalgic to see. I feel this was also a strength in this unit.

Visiting BBC Bristol the other week and I asked a couple of questions, I recored this and wrote about what I learnt. I had some really good advice, such as to keep bothering the BBC. This will make you look very keen and will prove to the BBC you are committed and passionate. Also to be active on social media. Which is good news for me because I have a YouTube channel which shows a lot of my skills through editing and piano arrangements. I feel that this was one of my strengths in this unit as I am really determined to work for the BBC one day. To get an apprenticeship in editing or to start of as a runner and build myself up.

One of my weaknesses I felt was the pitch I had to deliver to the class. I had to present my 12 months development action plan and talk about my goals and targets I hope to achieve. Feedback I had was to look up more because I was reading pretty much of my piece of paper. I knew this would be the case and I knew this would be brought up. Also I feel that I should of used Prezi maybe, as it looks a lot more visual than Google Slides. That and I think I should of had less words on screen and left room for my imagination to expand on things straight out. The main thing I find difficult is writing this right now. I find the writing and analysing really hard. I would like this to be improved and this will come in practice and time, same with the presentation. I think I can do two things in the short term that may help me to improve my critical analysis skills and self reflection: 1) Read other peoples personal statements. 2) Watch a selection of presentations on YouTube about things I enjoy; such as by film makers. 

The three things I've learnt is how to write a job application, I think this skill is very useful for the future and will help a lot getting jobs. Also I learnt a lot visiting the BBC, lots of great advice was given to the class. Finally I learnt to look up more when I'm presenting to the class.

Logo

My logo

Below are three hand picked logos I've used in the past to what I use now. I love how it's evolved over the years. From just saying my name with a black background to grey text and a space background. 

My current  logo has a very simple design (bottom logo), but is very effective and stands out. It says my name in a bold text in a silvery texture. I like this because the silver really stands out in front of the background of space. I 've used this particular logo for almost 2 years, I just really like it that's why I haven't changed it since, maybe I might in the future. 

(2014)

This logo inspired me from the Doctor Who font, which has a similar design. I think its very clean, fresh and basic. I chose the black and white theme because its high contrast and stands out at small a size. I thought it reads well in a small size as I designed it mainly for YouTube.

(2015)

In this version I changed the background to make it look like space. So people can make the connection to my name and science fiction. I made a slight change to the spacing of the font as I wanted it to be more central.

(2016-present)

This is my current logo. It is a mixture of the first two logos. The text is bolder as it was in the first logo and maintained the space background. I brought the name clearly into the foreground by removing those annoying lights which made it confusing.

The logo can be easily customised for example at Christmas time I put a Santa hat on the 'L' and decorate with coloured lights.  

BBC QUESTIONS:


1) What video editing software do you use?
2) What is it like to work for the BBC?
3) What jobs do people get after they have completed there apprenticeship at the BBC?
4) What's the best thing and the worst thing about working for the BBC?
5) How much is the average starting wage working for the BBC?
6) What's the working environment?
7) Any advice for getting into the BBC?

The three things I learnt is to keep bothering the BBC. To keep sending emails and don't give up because It will give them the impression that I'm very keen. Also to start small and maybe even be unpaid, but to have a huge passion for film. To promote yourself by having a Twitter account and a YouTube account.

Research

Research

I'm going too research the basic bible story of good against evil. Where Angels and Demons are enemies. I looked into different types of Angels and what they mean. I came across Angels of many different abilities and strengths, but there was only one that stood out.

I came across an angel of healing which is known as 'Raphael'. I really like the name and suited the power of my chosen character really well. So I changed the name from 'Raphael' to Ralphy, so its less weird for him in college as he's trying to blend in. At the end of the film Ralphy saves Maya and sacrifices the power sourse to destroy Demon Oriax. From this Ralphy then becomes Maya's 'Guardian Angel'. But I thought by doing this, the considquence will be he will be trapped on Earth and the gateway closes.

A Guardian Angel is an Angel that protects and looks over a particular person or place. I thought it would be interesting to see this happen at the end of the film.

Just like It did with Angels, I looked into different types of Demons. There was one that stood out and his name is Oriax. A Demon of hell and darkness. This is exactly the type of Demon I needed. So like it did with Ralphy I changed his name to blend in. Oriax to Orias. Or Mr Orias as he's called at Crosswell College. Of course taking human form to disguise himself.

So this power source is like the 'holy grail'. The ultimate power to rebuild worlds and to in brace the power like none other. Demon Oriax wanted it to spread Chaos on Earth and to transport his brothers and 'The Hells' to him. Ralphy wanted the power source to rebulid 'The Heavens' (his home world). Basically to save his planet and to bring life to it. So there's this fight for power and a great urgency to who finds it first.

From these points I've got quite a few Biblical references which have been twisted and harnested into what could be a movie. I've put in there's a good between evil, Demons and Angels, a sacrifice to save another and the Guardian Angel.

Reflection

Reflection

I presented my pitch to Ed and the cameras.  I felt it went good as I was quite nervous about pitching my idea. I didn't manage to fit everything into the allocated time because I had a lot to say about my film. The feedback I got was the story has such a massive scale that it could be turned into a 13 episode series or a full length movie. I got told to shrink it down and simplify it. Also to understand the types of conventions and the world its set in.

In the end the film wasn't chosen and I felt sad. I felt like this because I really thought the film had something special and could of worked really well. Its just the film had so much to it, and would of been a real challenge to make into a short film.

Infograhic

Each route is going the BBC. The particular route is an Editor. The first ladder is the eduction route, school, college and uni. The middle one is the freelance and work experience route. This can be working at home and getting noticed. The last one is the apprenticeship route and building yourself up slowly. The infinity symbol represents the future possibilities. 

Swot Analysis

Swot Analysis 

In todays lesson I learnt what a Swot analysis was. Swot stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. I created a table and listed the things in those categories. Its a tool used to analyse your self. 

In the top left box I listed of my strengths and came up with a few. First of theres the editing. I really enjoy editing and putting things together like a puzzle and to see the end result is so pleasing. I can say I'm a good editor and practice a lot in my spare time. My YouTube channel is a great example and prove of this. I've been editing for about 6 years and been using serval different versions of Sony Vegas and Sony Movie Studio. But since being at Bath College I've become familiar with using Adobe Premier Pro and got the hang of it quite quickly. My camera work is nice and have a good eye for detail and attention to perfect accuracy. As I've done Photography its helped me understand the camera and how it works. I've got great skill using Adobe Photoshop and I've been working with it since school and in my spare time. Creating posters, banner art and any sort of creative projects I'm really good at. I understand most of the tools used and feel really confidant with it. Also unfortunately this can be a weakness as well as a strength, I'm very much a protectionist, and like things to be spot on and 100% correct. I know this isn't always the way but I've learnt to let it slip. In my own time I play a lot of music, I can hear a tune and recreate it on the piano and can tell if a tune/song isn't right or out of tune. This can also be a weakness as I'm hyper sensitive to sound and in everyday life it can be very hard to filter and block things out. 

I find it very hard to understand a brief and to sink in the information given and takes me a lot more long to connect with it. This is a real struggle if the lesson is fast paced. I also find talking to people really hard. In pairs or as a group. Getting my thoughts across if I had any at that point in time. Presenting is the main weakness I think, as I get very stressed about it because I have to stand and speak to the rest of the class which I found difficult anyway. Also I think speed is a weakness, as I said it takes longer to adsorb information and briefs than other people and that's a struggle if its a fast paced lesson.

As for new opportunities I am looking forward to using industry standard equipment and visiting new places. I am looking forward to new projects, creating new content and improving my skills as I go. Its a new opportunity to work with new people and practice working together as a team. As for threads transport might be a slight problem because of morning traffic and lateness, so I going to get an even early bus to get on time. Also my change in support might confuse things as I don't like change. The amount of time to understand work might be a tricky one as I need more time. The amount of work given as there are serval projects on the go all at once.

Evaluation

Evaluation

My chosen topic is a short film about the beauty of spring. Which will be in harmony with the music I have chosen. So I came up with the idea while I was listening to my favourite piece of music. The track works very well with the beauty of nature, particularly wildlife in spring. The track is from the BBC series Atlantis and is called ‘Journey To Aegina’ and composed by Stuart Hancock. As I know Stuart he gladly gave permission for me to use it in my project.

The strengths I believe I have and other people say that the cinematography was excellent , footage was in harmony with the music, the editing flows very well, and builds to dramatic images and music. My weaknesses in this film is some of the beginning shots which are quite noisy and grainy because I filmed in low light conditions. I'm not happy with the quality of a few shots, also I would have liked more variety of wildlife. I ran several questionnaires about my film and got some good feedback. I took this feedback and made a better film because of it. For example a lot of people liked the longer shots of the animals, so I took that forward and listened to the feedback given. Also everyone liked the music choice because it flows very well with the footage, I was very happy to hear this because this is what I planned from day one, "to have the footage in harmony with the music". Mission accomplished. 

The main theme was nature and the idea that I wanted to convey was a journey of new beginnings. My main influence was the music by Stuart, as I listened to it it made me think of nature and spring. I researched nature programmes i.e Life on Earth and looked at camera angles. I researched how to film nature and wildlife in books and the main thing I learnt was that you need to be patient and let the wildlife come to you. Some of the shots were unexpected and lucky, for example the seal and the buzzard. I was filming other shots and they appeared and I managed to film them. I looked into where to find certain wildlife and their habitats by researching online.  

I found a trailer for Planet Earth which uses a variety of nature films from around the world. It used dramatic music and it has been edited to match the film action with the music. This seemed like a good choice as it is essentially what I did with my film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8aFcHFu8QM

Comparison wise, the build up with the music and the images becoming more dramatic. Also obviously its about nature. For differences my film was a journey through the day, the Planet Earth trailer did not have any night shots. Planet Earth had more animals whereas mine focused on landscapes interspersed with film of animals.

I think the one thing that developed over the project was the dialogue at the start of the film. I started off thinking I wanted an narrator to say some powerful words. At the start of the project I didn't know who this was going to be, In the end I thought about having a impressionist to speak in a Peter Capaldi voice because his voice is very dramatic and full of life. I kept adding to the script everyday day and kept coming up with new words. So I think I have massively developed this aspect of the project.

I have had positive feedback from the people that have seen the film and although this had made me happy I still feel that it could be improved. I feel this about every piece of work because I am a perfectionist.

On the whole, I followed my statement of intent as intended. The one thing that I had planned to do, but did not, was to storyboard. This is due to the unpredictability of nature. I knew that there would be certain times of day when I would be able to get shots of trees or the sea but it is impossible to predict which animals, birds or insects I would be able to film.

I felt nervous before I delivered my pitch because I do not feel comfortable standing up and talking. The pitch went much better than I had expected but I did find some of the questions difficult as I felt very pressured. The feedback I got was to make sure that I documented everything and noted all the technical aspects of the project. I took this advice and there is evidence of this in my blog.

The next time that I deliver a pitch I will make sure that I practice it more beforehand and that I try to predict what questions I might get asked so that I am better prepared.

I really enjoyed making this nature film and loved editing it together and hearing good feedback! Also it was a great adventure being in the natural world of nature, also a journey I will not forget.

Researching in the Library

Researching in the Library 

So one lunch time I went to the library to research nature photography. I looked at these three books which I found very interesting. It gave me ideas in ways to take photos and took some advice forward into my FMP. The books say how to photograph wildlife, like the best angels and shot types, but also more technical things like, aperture and shutter speed. The 'Heart of Britain'  book showed a lot of dramatic atmospheric shots of woods and seas, this makes me want to create something similar to this. My film won't be just a boring old nature film, I want to make it as dramatic as I can, with lens flares and overexposed shots to bring out the magic and atmospheric emotions. Also footage that will be in harmony with the music.

It said to film wildlife you have to be very patient and pretty much let the wildlife come to you. Things like squirrels and bird of prey they are very hard to capture because there really fast and you have to be very quite to film them. You wont capture anything if your really loud, maybe a small insect if your lucky. Creep around and blend in, into the surroundings and be patient. I plan to take away some of this advice as I think it will really help me out.

Vlog

Vlog

Schedule

Schedule

Here is my diary. I noted down mostly all my plans and where/when to film.