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