Rule of thirds

In today's lesson we learnt about one very important filming technique that we always have to think about when filming. We learnt about 'the thirds rule'. The rule of thirds is a concept in video and film production in which the frame is divided into nine imaginary sections. This creates reference points which act as guides for framing the image.Below I have included a video which I found helpful with understanding the thirds rule.

Picture Storyboard

In today's lesson we were learning about framing. First we watched a 10 minute clip about 10 best tips for framing. This video was very helpful because it showed us the techniques that we should use while filming our own film. Some of the most important things that we learnt from the clip was to use match cuts, close up's, "The Third Rule" and to never zoom while recording. After we finished watching the clip, We were given the task of creating our own storyboard with the information our teaches gave us. While taking the pictures for the storyboard we learnt that it is very good to use different shot types and angles. After this lesson we now have more ideas of different shot types and angles that we will be able to use for our own film.

Research: Sound

Recently I have watched a lot of teen films so that I can learn more about the music used in them. As our idea for our own film is a teen horror I decided to watch some teen horror films. One of the films that I watched was Scream. Scream is a film about a killer known as Ghostface  who begins killing off teenagers and as the body count begins rising, one girl and her friends find themselves contemplating the "Rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one. Below are some examples of the music which were used in the film:

Researching music and sound

Today I spent some time on creative commons researching music for the openings of teen films. I researched music for different genres of teen films. 

The song above could be used in the opening of a teen horror film.  Most horror films begin with music similar to this song so that it is clear that the movie is a horror movie.


This type of song could be used in the opening of a teen drama movie. A teen drama movie would be a typical teen movie following the lives of the teenagers as they go to school, what they do at home and at the parties they go too. This song is similar to the songs used in the movie The Bling Ring which we have watched in our media lesson a couple of weeks ago.

Sound exercise: Submarine

Today's lesson was about music and sound. The reason for learning about this was so that we can learn about copyright and how to use music legally. Copyright gives the creator of music legal rights to control who uses the product and how it is distributed. This is to ensure the creator/artist will get paid. For us to be able to use music legally in our own films, We have to use the website Creative Commons where you are able to download songs which other artists have created and shared on the internet. The Creative Commons website lets you search for specific types of music and then you are able to download these songs from Soundcloud, Jamendo and YouTube. 

During the lesson we were given the task to use Creative Commons to find music which we feel will complement the clip we were given. Firstly we had to find the song which we wanted to download and once downloaded we used Final Cut Pro on the mac's to edit our clip with the song. This is our finished clip.

Sound excerise: Submarine

Today in lesson we looked at music in the opening scenes of films and the impact they make on the audience. our objective was to create the sound for the opening of submarine which our teacher showed to us without any sound. We had to figure out what type of sound goes into what place and other sound effects like the tidal wave or the birds flying around. This is the video that has our sound that we added in it and if I compare this with the original video, there are some similarities near the end where the music is quite similar to ours that we started with. The reason for this lesson was so that when we make our own film, we do not use copyright sounds. To complete this task we used a website called creative commons to get the music that other people have uploaded for free use. We listened to some of the soundtracks then downloaded the ones we need. We the imported the sound and the video to final cut pro for editing.

Shot by shot remake - comparing our version with the original version

The Breakfast Club (Original)

The Breakfast Club (Our Version)

Our task was to create the opening sequence of the breakfast club. For that we decided to do a little research into the original opening scene and we had to do a shot by shot remake of each scene in the opening. One problem we faced while filming this was the car scenes since we didn't have actual cars to film in. We first came up with the idea of filming it with toy cars. So I brought in some toy cars and when we filmed we realised how unprofessional it looked and we were running out of time to ask someone's permission to film in a real car. So I though it would save time if we did the whole thing on green screen since and it would also look professional. We did a little research on how to use green screen and found lots of videos that helped us out also some help from the technicians. By the end of post production our video turned out better than expected for beginners.

Shot by shot remake - comparing our version with the original version

The Breakfast Club (Original)

The Breakfast Club (Our Version)

We was given the task to remake the opening of  The breakfast club. After watching the opening i then realised how would be get hold of a car as we're all underage to drive. We came up with an idea of using toy cars and to zoom in to them to give the impression that they were bigger than they were. However after having a long discussion we came up with the idea of green screen. We were all very clueless on how we would achieve this. So we watched many videos of professionals demonstrating the process.The green screen allowed our version to look a lot more professional than i expected. We also went in to the science college next ours to film there stage and in there changing rooms. Filming the opening didn't take as long as i expected, we all met up one day after college and we managed to film it in a couple of hours. However the editing took much longer as we were having to apply the new skills we learnt from the videos. Overall i think the opening turned out quite well.

Shot by shot remake task: Our own film

The Breakfast Club (Original)

The Breakfast Club (Our Version)

Two weeks ago we were told that our task would be to film a remake of the opening 5 minutes of The Breakfast Club. At first I thought that it would be very hard for us to be able to do this properly because we do not have the equipment like real cars but after doing some thinking with the rest of my group we came up with the idea of using green screen. At first we had decided to use toy cars to represent the cars used in the original film but we then decided that it would be more technical to use green screen. This would also mean that our film would look more professional. After watching quite a few YouTube clips on tutorials about how to use green screen we started filming. I found filming the easiest part of the film but afterwards we had to edit our footage to the images we had downloaded. Editing was much more difficult than filming. We spent a few hours editing our footage but when we were finished it looked better than I expected it too.

In the original film the opening version has a lot of different shot types and angles which some were very difficult for us to film. In our own version we have not filmed all of the scenes that were in the original and this was because we could not find places in our college that looked similar. In the original film the parents and children were actually filmed in a car next to the school. As we did not have access to 4 different cars, we had to improvise and use green screen. I think that our film is very similar to the original. As we spent a lot of time editing our film, it does look like the people are sitting in the cars and I think this looks better than what we would have done with the toy cars. Overall I think by filming this, we learnt a lot about what we are capable of achieveing. Also that if we do want to achieve something that looks good then we have to put a lot of time into it.

Shot by shot remake: Editing

We have now finished filming our scenes. We filmed in front of the green screen and now what we have to do is to edit our footage with the images of the cars we have downloaded. The images of the cars we found on Google images and then downloaded them onto our account.

These were the images we downloaded and now these are the images that we will edit our footage too.

When you first open up Final Cut Pro on the iMac's this is what a new project looks like. 

First we uploaded all of our raw footage onto Final Cut Pro and then I placed them in order of scenes. After this I used the Effect Chrome Key to key out the green screen at the back. Which then left a black background with the characters. Then after this I added an image of a car which will be shown in the background with the characters. I have included screenshots of our editing process below. 

After we finished editing the background and editing the raw footage to the images. We then put all of the scenes in order and created our film.Below is a screenshot to show that we added our scenes in order of how they go in the original film. 

We then had to add a title sequence. In the title sequence we included the director's name, the title of the  film, the actors names and the production and distribution companies names. Below is a screenshot of the title sequence. 

After this we then added a voice over. In the original film there is a voice over and the song "Don't you forget about me" playing. When we finished recording our voice over and finished editing the music to our footage we were finished. 

Below is a screenshot of our finished film with the music and voice over added. 

Shot by shot remake task: Evidence of filming

On thursday as a group we decided to experiment with green screen for our remake of The Breakfast Club. What we decided to do was to record our scenes in front of the green screen and then using the iMac's to edit our footage with backgrounds of cars. The first thing that we had to do was to find images of car interiors that would suit each character. After we had to record our scenes. Recording our scenes was easy but the only tricky part was the angles at what we had to record at. For us to be able to edit our footage on the iMac we had to record our scenes from many different angles so that we can then edit them into a real background of a car. Overall the shoot was good because we were able to record most of our scenes in one day. What we now have to do is use Final Cut Pro to edit our scenes to the backgrounds of the cars.

Shot by shot remake task: Planning

Props:
-Chairs
-Tables
-Pens
-Paper
-Lockers
-Clock
-Notice board
-As we do not have access to 4 real cars we will be using toy cars.

The Princess
- Pink shirt
-Brown leather jacket                    
-Black trousers
-Brown boots








The bully
-Big grey coat
-Red scarf
-Baggy jeans
-Black boots


The athlete
-Baseball jacket
-Jeans
-Trainers


The nerd
-Green jumper
-Jeans
-Black shoes


The basket case
-Big puffy coat
-Grey skirt
-Black top
-Black boots
-Grey socks


Locations:

The location of where we will be filming is at City and Islington College. We will be filming in the hallway,classrooms and canteen.

Shot by shot remake task: Digital storyboard

Shot by shot remake task

This week we  have been given the task to re-shoot the opening of the film The Breakfast Club. We will have to follow the shot types in terms of Close ups, Long shots,etc. We will have to be imaginative and creative with the way that we will recreate the opening.

In the opening of The Breakfast Club the location of where the film is set is introduced. There are several close ups used, for example the clock,the canteen and the lockers. There are also several long shots used, for example the hallway, the lockers and the hall. At 3:10 the characters get introduced. 'The Princess' arrives to school in a BMW and this is how we find out that she is the popular girl in the school. Then the nerd is introduced, he is represented as being the nerd by the way that he is dressed and because his mum tells him to "figure out a way to study". Then the athlete is introduced,  we know that he is the athlete because he wears a baseball jacket. The bully is introduced, and then the basket case. We know that she is the basket case because of the way that she is dressed.

Locations: 

The locations that are seen in the movie,are only the high school. The opening of the film is filmed in the school. It is filmed in the hallway,canteen,changing room and the library. 

Modes of transport:

The modes of transport used in the movie are cars. The princess arrives in a BMW. The nerd arrives in a family car. The athlete arrives in a 4 by 4. The bully arrives to school on foot. The basket case also arrives in a family car. 

Travelling and Arriving task

In today's lesson what we were learning about was travelling and arriving. Travelling and arriving forms a key part of the opening of many teen films. It allows the audience to travel with the lead protagonists to arrive at the location. Frequently this will be a school and films will begin on the first day of term, allowing the audience to experience the new environment through the protagonist's eyes. Our task during this lesson was to first of all brainstorm all means of transport that are seen in teen films. Some of these were cars, motorcycles, school buses and scooters. We were then given the task to create a storyboard of a simple sequence using creative camera work to show the protagonist travelling and arriving to school. As a group we decided to draw a storyboard of a motorcycle using different close up's, high angle's and point of view shots to show the protagonist travelling and arriving to school. 

Order of titles:

Title Sequences

The production company is introduced first. The production company appears first because they are the most important. Then the name of the film appears. Followed by the names of the actors,costume designers, producers and writers. This is the title sequence most commonly used in movies.

The production company is introduced first. Then the name of the actress or director  appears because if they are a very famous actress/director their contract will demand it. Then the name of the film appears. Followed by the names of the actors, costume designers, producers and writers. This title sequence is not widely used in movies.

Embedded timetoast

Order of titles - Embedded timetoast

Donnie Darko

Location & Mise- en- scene 

In the opening the scene we're shown 2 different locations, the school and the playground. We are shown various detail to successfully create the world of school, such as the school bus right at the beginning, posters and lockers. This creates a realistic background of a typically high school so teenagers can relate and identify with the background. Costumes are used so the audience can identify the characters, all the students are wearing school uniform and the teachers were wearing smart clothing   so you can tell them apart.

Camera and Editing

In the opening scene the first shot is a low angle shot of the back of a school tilted to the left. As students get off the bus the camera slowly slides up and tilts back to normal view at a eye height level to give the impression that its looking through the perspective of a student. The camera then tracks the students going off the bus and it pans showing the setting and location which is the school. The camera seems to pan when introducing a new character. There are lots of slow motion and fast motion in between characters.

Characters

• The first characters that we see is the normal school kids. In the film we might see them coming across problems with the bully.
• The bully is then introduced, he is the guy that everyone is scared off and this is shown by him getting in the way of the normal school kids.During the film we might see him starting more arguments with the geeks and the normal school kids.
• The princess is the girl that all the boys want to be with and all the girls want to be. Through the film she will develop a relationship with the bully who is the popular guy in the school.
• The geeks are the people who are not popular but they study to keep their good grades.
• The young girls that we see are the girls who want to be like the older popular girls. During the film we might see them starting a friendship with the older girls.