Unit 64-Motion graphics and compositing video Task 1

Motion graphics is the use of virtual images which are added to a production during post production, these can range from simple titles to advanced complex special effects. In this blog I will look at current uses of motion graphics and analyse a range of film and television programmes which use these motion graphics.

Tv Idents

The first BBC ident

The most recent BBC ident

In television programmes there is a form of motion graphics called Tv idents, these are short motion sequences that inform the viewer of what channel they are watching, these started out as very simple black and white images but with recent developments in technology Tv idents are sophisticated pieces of film.

 The BBC have used Tv idents since the early 1950's and were very simple compared to the ones we see today. As the BBC began creating more channels there Tv idents changed to accommodate these different channels, after the launch of BBC 2 the original BBC channel was named BBC 1, this was reflected through the new BBC 1 ident.

 
The BBC Tv idents are distinctly different depending on which BBC channel is being viewed, the ident gives an indication of what types of programs are going to be shown, this is most noticeable in BBC 3 as the Tv ident contains the characteristics of a humorous channel, this ident prepares the audience for the types of programmes included in the BBC 3 channel.


Unlike the BBC ITV used colour to differentiate between their programs, each ITV channel such as ITV 2 had their own coloured ident, this was until the 1990's when ITV chose to unify its identity and created the idents we know today, these TV idents however are not as complex as the BBC's but instead are simple yet effective, they often contain smooth camera sweeps of an area or for example a building being worked on.



These idents are automatically recognised and always contain the program name fading in and then fading out at the end. These idents appear before and after the program and always contain music


Another form of motion graphics is title sequences and in programme motion graphics, these are commonly found in music programmes such as Kerrang! Tv. Kerrang! Tv uses a very simple title sequence, although very simple it is dramatically different to any other title sequence, this title sequence always features a yellow ninja giving the viewer an idea of the nature of the show, the ninja is often shooting a futuristic gun at a giant purple rabbit, this shows that the show is going to be casual and not serious which is true for the programme.


Kerrang! Tv also contains a range of in programme graphics including a graphic appearing in the bottom corner which tells the viewer the name of the song and where it appears in the countdown (eg number 4). Another form of in programme graphics featured on Kerrang! Tv are small graphics in the top right, these tell the viewer what they are watching such as top 100 anthems of the decade, this simply lets the viewers know what songs are going the be featured in the programme, Kerrang! Tv will also often have special guests on who will show there top 10 songs or something similar, when these are talking there is often graphics on screen such as a border which makes it look like the guests are on an olden style television.


News programmes are often filled with motion graphics ranging from small graphics such as the time to completely virtual studios. BBC news relies heavily on motion graphics during the programme and in the title sequence, in the title sequence for BBC news (which can be seen on the left) motion graphics have been implicated, most notable is the red signal flying through various areas, this is a recurring effect throughout the sequence, although it looks simple the movement involved would be quite complex to create, making it look like its actually happening in the environment. Also included in the title sequence is a countdown and the BBC news logo, the logo would have been created in photoshop and then imported into the title sequence. This title sequence includes different known locations, showing what regions and  are going to be covered in the programme.

In many Tv shows a virtual background will be used, most commonly found in news type programmes especially the weather. During a news programme at some point there will be a section on the weather, these take place in front of a green screen with a presenter, a green screen is used to allow complex graphics to appear behind the presenter without the need for any complex masking, this also allows the presenter to walk around freely. These weather sections are edited before the weather section is shown and are played on a screen off camera so the weather reporter can see where he/she should be pointing and when to speak. These weather sections rely heavily on motion graphics and composting video to  create the graphic the viewers will see, these graphics are almost always 2-D layers but will consist of many layers used together.

Moving to more complex virtual backgrounds, some news studios are completely virtual, combining 3-d and 2-d layers to create a realistic looking studio with the ability to have presenters interact with graphics, this is done very much the same way as the weather but at a much more complex scale, graphs and bar charts showing statistics are added after in post or live on the fly. These studios are able to display graphics anywhere allowing for interesting viewing. These virtual studios are much cheaper and easier to maintain as everything is done through editing, this also allows any type of studio to be created, meaning expensive looking studios can be produced simply through editing.

A common use of motion graphics is film titles, these tend to set the tone for film and give some information about the film including actors, director etc, these can range from very simple to extremely complex, often using 3-D editing programs paired with programs like After Effects, the title on the left is for The Thing, the title uses similar music to that which is used in the film, the inclusion of the earth in the background gives the impression of an alien type movie, the way the title comes in implies that this is a horror film, and the inclusion of John Carpenters name at the top anchors the thought that it is a horror film. The way the title seems to burn in is a major part of the film, the inclusion of this wont mean anything to the audience unless they've seen or know what happens in it.

One of the most complex ways motion graphics and compositing video are used is through special effects, this is done by combining live action with graphics and other video, for example to create the effect of a gun shooting you need to use many layers to give a convincing effect, you need a muzzle flash layer, a smoke layer, a layer of light cast on anything that would be affected by the flash and possibly a cartridge being ejected, this is a simple effect compared to what can be achieved with After Effects, the ability to create these special effects in post means that effects can be done for free and as many times as needed, this also creates a much safer environment for actors and crew.

All these motion graphics sequences will have been made with different editing software, from basic programs that most home PCs will have such as windows movie maker which can import pictures and text into video, very simple and basic, lacking the tools available in more complex programs. For complicated advanced motion graphics sequences a range of programs will be used, if the graphics used are 2-D then Adobe After Effects would be ideal as it has the tools to create almost anything you can think of if you take the time and effort, but if any 3-D layers are needed programs such as element 3-D and cinema 4-D could be used, Element 3-D works in direct link with Adobe After Effects and allows 3-D graphics to be exported from element 3-D and into After Effects. Although these programs have much more editing power and capabilities there is a much higher price tag and some people simply cant afford these programs, meaning they cant produce the effects they require.

Unit 38-Production diary-Multi-camera 'Cinderella' live show

27/11/13

We had our first production meeting, deciding on job roles, I took on the role of  the vision mixer, every member of the group had to operate a camera aswell, vision mixing involes putting footage from multiple cameras into one sequence synced together.

To become more familiar with the 'vision mixer' role I researched the role on the skillset website, i found alot of information which can be found below. A lot of the information found here is irrelevant as we don't actually have a vision mixer, instead the production will be vision mixed in post.

11/12/13

We went to the theatre to perform a location recce, this involved a risk assessment and a camera plan so we knew where the cameras were going. While filling out the risk assessment we pointed out a number of risks that would apply to the crew, audience and cast of the production. These included trailing wires which had the potential to trip up participants and audience members, to avoid this we decided it would be appropriate to tape the wires down minimising the risk.

17/12/13

Today we went to a rehearsal of the show, this allowed us to prepare for set changes and charcter positions. We were also able to identify any problems we would find with the camera positions and get a general idea of the running time. We found that our selected camera positions were suitable and that our plans could go ahead. 

 

18/12/13

 

Today we filmed the cinderella production, we stuck to our previous camera plan which gave us sufficient coverage of action, half-way through the production we all swapped cameras so we were filming from a new angle

 

09/01/14

 

We began capturing the footage, we only had 4 tapes so the rest of the tapes would have to be captured another day

 

13/01/14

 

We captured 3 more tapes today, leaving only 1 tape to be captured at a later date

 

14/01/14

 

we captured the last tape today, aswell as editing the entire show, to ensure we all got assessed for the edit we did a quarter of the edit each, we also exported the production

 

15/01/14

 

Today we buint the production to disc, this is the way the the production is assessed.

 

Unit 8: Understanding the Television and Film industries Task 2

During the production of a film or television programme, be it during pre-production, production or post-production, a number of different departments must be filled in order for a successful production, within these departments are many different roles, these roles are needed in order to complete production.

Creative

The creative roles are the most practical hands on roles in production, these are the roles involved in actually creating a story and putting a film or tv show together, this begins with script writing and ends with the edit, creative roles are required through all parts of production

Director

The director is possibly one of the most if not the most important role in production, the director is present through all of production, the director decides how the actors say their lines and how a scene plays out to make it as believable as possible, the director also works with the camera crew, ensuring the camera angles are correct and properly lit, if the scene isnt properly lit the director works with the lighting crew ensuring the lighting is set up to match the feel of the scene and to make sure the light is distributed evenly and looks natural. The director works closely with everyone in production this helps the directors vision to be put across on the screen, the director should have a vision of what the finished production will look like and be able to explain this in a way that translates to all members of production. The director must work to keep the actors happy and not have them waiting around all day, the actors must also be praised and rewarded in some way for successful takes, this can be as simple as a verbal reward.

Script writer

The start of any production starts with a script, this is where the script writer comes in, its the script writers job to research an idea, write the dialogue and create a narrative storyline  which has the potential to be made into either a film or television episode, the script writer however doesn't just write one script, many drafts will be written until one is made that can be used. The script writer also views and decides on alterations to be made to the script, script writers often actively find producers who may be willing to help turn their script into a film or tv episode.

Management

Management roles are much less practical and hands on than creative and technical, instead supervision and keeping on track is the main focus of the management department, responsible for ensuring the production stays on track and that the production doesn't go over budget

Producer

The producer has the final say on all aspects of production they bring together the production team creating an environment where the whole team can feel comfortable and work to the best of their abilities. During pre-production the producer may come up with the premise for the film or television show or pick a screenplay from a range of possible choices, the producer then creates a production team, develops the finance for the production and then supervises the production, making sure everything is working and on track. The producer works closely with the executive producer, assisting with the development of finance, the producers also approve important choices such as the final shooting script, locations, the production schedule and budget. During production the producer is in direct communication with the director creating a smooth operation with little to no complications, as scripts are altered the producer remains as the final word on script modifications, all production changes must go through the producer first ensuring money isn't being wasted or used in-efficiently. The producer is also responsible for distribution and marketing of the finished product. The producer doesn't take on all these tasks alone, key personal work along side the producer assisting in areas the producer is less experienced in. Producers require a specific set of skills which make them a efficient producer, as a producers main role is to supervise production and step in if alterations are made, a producer needs excellent communication skills, this will help them put their ideas across to other members of the production team. Due to the importance of the role, producers are required to work efficiently under pressure and to motivate other members of the production team allowing the production to progress.

Executive Producer

The executive producer works closely with the producer, the executive producer may be responsible for legal issues such as copyright making them an important role. Depending on what type of production is being created the executive producer can have different roles, in television the executive producer supervises the creative content and may be in charge of the financial aspects of the production. There can be many different executive producers but one tends to outrank the rest and is then known as the show runner. If a executive producer establishes a successful tv show they will be credited for the show even after they have retired.

Location Manager

The location manager is responsible for locating and securing locations for filming obtaining all the required permits to enable filming to go ahead, looking into the logistics and cost of locations that could possibly be used as a film location. The location manager often oversees many location scouts and assistant managers during production, the location manager works closely with the director. Location managers are responsible for informing the owners of a location how long filming will take and what will have to be altered in the location and what is allowed and not allowed.  

Technical

The technical department covers sections such as camera wok, lighting and sound, making it a important part of production

Camera operator

The camera operator does just what it sounds like, they operate the camera, making sure all the camera equipment is rigged and working correctly, they must also be prepared to work quickly on their feet whilst carrying out complex tasks, they may work with assistants when moving the camera and checking for camera faults. The camera operator works closely with performers giving them constructive advice in order to get the desired composition. Camera operators require professional skills, great technical skills and a working knowledge of how the camera works. The camera operator is in charge of keeping all camera equipment in working condition. Whilst working on a multi-camera shoot the ability to work effectively as a team is important to ensure production goes smoothly and efficiently.

Editor

An editor is in charge of putting the captured footage together in a sequence to tell the story, an editor needs very good technical ability as the editing job uses advanced technology which is always changing and so the editor must be able to efficiently use different types of software in order to successfully put the film together. Editors select the best takes of a scene to put into the sequence, the editors work very closely to the director and producer, this allows the vision of the director to tranfer into the final edit, also making sure all footage is present and being edited to its highest standard, the editor only puts the film together in sequence to tell a story, visual effects and titles are added by other post production roles.

Unit 23-Multi-camera techniques

Multi-camera is just what it sounds like, the use of multiple cameras at once in a production, usually used in live events such as concerts, sports events and talk shows, this footage is captured individually and is often edited on the fly via a vision mixer if one is available, ill go into more detail about vision mixing and editing multi-camera footage later on , multi-camera can be used to film a scene twice, from different angles, reducing the number of times the scene must be played out, the cameras are setup in a variety of places to get a variety of different shots 

There are many reasons for using multi-camera, reducing the amount the camera moves thus saving time and effort, allowing live events to be filmed from different angles producing a more entertaining programme for viewers at home.

Events such as festivals and concerts require the use of multi-camera due to there nature, live events cannot be stopped to allow the camera to move to get a different angle, instead multiple cameras are set up allowing all the action to be captured at once, this also gives a more entertaining experience for people watching at home, the number of cameras used can vary depending on the size of the performance and the reputation of the performer.

 Performances captured by one camera lack the quality multiple cameras provide, mainly due to lack of angles, one camera can only capture one angle at one time resulting in a very boring viewing for people at home, also due to the limited angles one camera isnt able to capture all the action in detail.

As well as events such as festivals and concerts multi camera is also used in some TV shows such as The Cube, Pointless and The Chase, these productions are studio based, meaning they are recorded in front of a live audience, due to this multi camera is needed. These shows are all game shows and as such they cannot be stopped to allow the camera to be moved also the show has the be entertaining for the studio audience due to this the show cannot be stopped part way through for camera movement.

The placement of these cameras is consist ant, for example in Pointless one camera looks at all the contestants in a long shot and another a mid shot of individual pairs of contestants, and other cameras focusing on the presenters from 3 different angles, these studio productions usually follow the 180 degree as the camera never looks at the audience although not all multi-camera productions follow this rule.

I will now thoroughly analyse how multi-camera is used in a live performance of Enter Shikari, unlike most studio productions this performance breaks the 180 degree rule many times, multiple cameras face away from the band and into the audience, this gives a very specific visual feel to the production, having cameras placed within the crowd gives the audience a sense of being there which is very effective and makes the audience feel more involved and engaged as you get the full effect of the lights and smoke effects etc.

 In this specific example the use of multiple cameras helps to convay a meaning to the audience, quickly changing from camera to camera matches the hectic nature of the performance this is done more through shots of the audience, the energy and movement shown by the audience gives that hectic excited feel the performers want to put across, the cameras are also set up either hand held or on a tripod with aot of movement, by allowing the camera to move the audience gets a more exciting experience when watching.

As I said the 180 degree rule is broken sometimes, most commonly when the camera is on the drummer, this camera changes are sometimes synced with the music, as with this shot below.

From watching this performance I can see that there are at least 8 cameras evenly dispersed around the crowd and stage, giving even coverage of all the action. The shot above is used when the singer leans towards the ground when shouting, we'll call this camera camera A, this camera is a mobile camera and covers the action occurring towards the front of the stage. There is a camera at the back behind the crowd set up to capture a wide shot of the entire stage. There are also 3 or 4 mobile cameras located behind the crowd, these capture a variety of different shots, some cameras are used to give the impression that the camera is in the crowd getting mid shots to close ups. There are also cameras to the sides of the stage, these cameras capture wide shots and mid shots on either the left or right side of the stage. There is one final camera placed behind the stage, this camera doesn't move, it is used to capture the action of the drummer and the crowd.  



Unit 38- Soundtrack production

Soundtrack is one of the most important components of a film, but is one of the most overlooked components by student film makers, this can result in fantastic visuals being dragged down by poor sound design, simply having a good looking and engaging film is not enough, thats just 90% of the work, and that 10% can be the difference between a professional piece and an amateur one, the same amount of time should be spent on visuals as soundtrack allowing both to be at the same professional level. Soundtrack doesnt however just include music, other forms of sound such as foley and voice overs should be taken into consideration.

Foley sound is the process of recording sounds off set, this can be due to specially required sounds such as gun shots and other sounds that have to be added later, this allows the film maker to get imaginative, thinking of what will make a convincing replacement for the sound, money may not be available to get a real gunshot sound and so other things must be used. Foley isn't jst used for sounds such as gunshots, problems during filming such as a loud set resulting in poor sound will also require foley sounds, it is common for footsteps to be recorded separately, this requires someone to mimic the running or walking of the actor who was being filmed.

In this blog i will analyse 2 examples of soundtrack, one from film and one from television, for film I decided to go with what I believe to be one of the greatest soundtracks in film, Lord if the Rings.


The Lord of the Rings has one of the most epic soundtracks ever devised, being built up from nothing to giving the impression a war is taking place and the camera is right in the middle of it, this is done through the inclusion of many types of sound, utilising diegetic and non-diegetic sound, diegetic sound is sound that can be heard by characters in the scene such as dialogue and sound effects caused in the scene this could be a door closing or a car engine starting. Non-diegetic sound is sound that is not heard by characters in the scene, like background music and commentaries. In this scene non-diegetic sound is used alot, an example of this is the music played in the background, this is used to create the mood of the scene, in this sense this mood is the build up to glory, the music also gives the impression of a much larger scale, this is most likely filmed on green screen and so the mountains and apparent scale are digitally created, this music assists the visual effects in putting across the impression of a much larger scale. External diegetic sound is sound in the scene that could be heard in the scene by characters such as environmental noises such as wind and rain, these sounds can also be produced by people such as footsteps, in this Lord of the Rings example a external diegetic sound is the sound of the horses running, this is simply done by filming the horses playing out the scene. Another form of diegetic sound is Internal digetic sound, this is usually coming from within a characters mind such as a thought, the character can hear this and so can we but other characters cant, another exam. The use of non-diegetic sounds in this example such as the clinking of swords on hundreds of characters at once, this increases the scale of the scene adding depth and realism.

This scene relies heavily on diegetic sounds, particularly the sounds of the elephants and the sound of people being stabbed and slashed, without this the scene would lack depth, it would feel very boring and flat, these sound effects provide the base line for delivering a believable battle, creating a sense of violence and action. One of the most noticeable uses of non-diegetic sound in Lord of the Rings is the music used in the background, the music varies dramatically depending on the scene and the emotion, in this scene in particular the music is being used to portray overcoming an obstacle, giving a sense of victory, this is done through a slow build up and change in the music, to begin with the music is quiet during preparation for the battle, giving the feeling of being in the battle, pulling the audience in. Although non-diegetic sounds are used alot there're still alot of diegetic sounds being used, most dialogue and natural noises in the scene are being recorded during the scene is played out, these sounds are usually used to create realism and believability of the scene.

All these types of sounds are also implicated into Television programs, I will analyse the use of different sounds used to create emotion and generate an atmosphere to entertain the audience. In this particular scene non-deigetic sound is used alot to put across the danger the characters are in through background music, high notes are used to create tension and suspense, this paired with the diegetic sound and visuals of stumbling zombies creates a very real, believable scene, the music is however used best when not played at all, it creates a heart in your mouth feeling, creating alot of suspense. Use of digetic sounds is common in this scene, mainly for the zombie sounds, these sounds are used to give the illusion of zombies within the scene, paired with different zombie noises the illusion of a herd of zombies is created, without these digetic sounds the world would appear set up and not believable. A major form of digetic sound is the characters dialogue, this is important in this scene as the characters have to be quiet but when talking they must still be heard over the music, zombie sounds and other environmental sounds. The timing of the music flows with the visuals, constantly adding to what is happening on screen even when events suddenly occur, such as in my example when the zombie spots and begins to chase Sophia, the music used quickly changes from suspenseful to full blown panic and fear, this combination when paired with the zombie sounds, dialogue and general environmental sounds the scenes construction makes for a believable in depth scene utilising sound and video combination.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-1hYIsRBKw -The Walking Dead Season 2 episode 1

Issues in Factual

There are a variety of issues facing factual programming directors, these issues must be considered by producers when creating a factual programme. These issues can easily be avoided but have serious consequences if not considered.

Balance & Accuracy

One issue that is obvious is balance and accuracy, this means the programme must be honest and true, the producers must not lie about facts or try to mislead the audience keeping the story even and fair on both sides as facts shown in the programme will be viewed by possibly millions and facts shown in the programme will be believed by watchers, an example of a programme that doesn't look at both sides equally is super size me, the audience are only shown the bad side of fast food, pushing the audience to see the negatives of fast food misleading them, this issue is dealt with by showing the changes the restaurants have made to make their service better, although the programme leans towards the negatives of fast food, this is very similar to bias which I will look at later in this blog entry, the inclusion of positive changes made by restaurants allows the programme to avoid these issues.

Impartiality

Another issues faced is impartiality, this covers problems such as discrimination against race, hair colour gender etc, this issue is in place to prevent any uproar caused due to offensive content, an example of this would be a program about people who have blonde hair being stupid and unable to hold a job, this would be very offensive towards blonde haired people and would receive bad press and possibly lose the privilege of being broad casted, impartiality is not completely possible as some form of opinion will always exist, a good example of this is again in super size me, the producer has a pre-composed opinion and attempts to push his opinion on us the viewers, this is done by forcing himself to eat as much fast food as possible, whilst making little attempt to show the other side of the story, avoiding this issue would have reprocutions, in the example of super size me McDonald's restaurants could

Objectivity and Subjectivity


As film makers we can either be objective or subjective either we tell a truthful story by being objective or we push our own personal opinions into the production. While it is important to be truthful and show the facts during a production, being subjective is not necessarily a bad thing, Supersize Me was very subjective, the film makers of Supersize Me included their opinions in the production, they clearly believed that fast food was bad for you and wanted to put that across in the film, this can be seen through the focus on the negatives of fast food and the service they provide, this wasn't much of an issue as there is proof that fast food is bad for you and what was discussed in Supersize Me was accurate but put across very subjectively. The opposite of this can be seen in Lift, unlike Supersize Me, Lift is objective, opinions were not pushed instead the Film Maker had no opinion of what would happen when he started recording he instead let the action unfold by itself, creating great raw emotion and behaviour. This issue would effect the production as if the film maker wanted to make a fair honest documentary he/she would have to be objective and stick to the facts keeping personal opinions out of the production, this could be difficult if the film maker as a strong opinion related to the subject, this can cause some subjective views to be taken.

Opinion

When planning a factual programme research is very important in order to pin point the subject and the direction to take the story, although this is effective the addition of public opinion can assist in the subject decision, this can be done by asking the public what they think about your idea or their opinion on the subject matter, this simply gives you more knowledge on the subject matter. The inclusion of the public's opinion in the film gives the audience more security as they know you haven't just done your research you've also gotten others opinions. Supersize Me does this, asking the public about fast food and getting advice and information from professional health care specialists, this gives the viewer the security that what they are watching is true.

Bias

Bias is when one side is favoured over the other or vice versa, News Papers are often bias, mainly in political views, all Newspapers have a strong political view and stories found within these Newspapers will be positive towards their political view but negative towards others, this however means the audience for the paper is reduced as people with opposing political views wont read the paper. In factual programming bias is likely to be an issue as everyone has some form of opinion before hand even if it isn't a strong one, this is likely to creep into production at some point, to avoid this the film makers must ensure they give even positives and negatives on both sides of the story. Supersize Me was very bias, portraying fast food as very bad for you without saying much positive about the food and service, this was clearly the way the film maker wanted the programme to appear, and in the case of Supersize Me it was successful in putting the intended message across mainly due to the overwhelming public opinion that fast food is bad for you. Being extremely bias does have its problems, mainly due to the audience, if something is very against what someone believes, they are unlikely to watch it resulting in a smaller target audience and thus less viewers.

Representation  

Representation relates to how characters and people are related to in a film or other form of media text, representation can apply to anyone, representations can be positive and negative and can be applied to huge groups. The representation of women is often raised as in the media women are shown as strong, independent and empowering, this is a very positive representation and creates good role models  for young girls. A film maker will think of representation alot, do i want this character to appear to be nice or not, and depending which is chosen will determine the audiences view on that character or group. In Supersize Me the representation of the McDonald restaurants is very negative showing bad customer service and poor health benefits from eating there food, the representation of the American public is also very negative, the focus on obesity levels and how they have risen gives the public a bad image, this however is supported by facts and cannot be pushed aside. Representation can be a big problem if taken to far, programs may be denied broad casting due to poor representations of people which could get the production company in trouble, for example a program that represents all ethnic people as being thieves and carrying knives and just being generally anti-social would cause problems within the ethnic community.

Privacy

Privacy is very important for any type of programme, but for a factual it is a necessity. Getting permission to film a subject is the first step in protecting someone's privacy without the permission ti film you could be invading someone's privacy by pushing a camera in their face. Although you may have gotten permission to film a person or group of people their privacy can still be invaded, you may not be wanted following subjects around there house or at work where they're just trying to live their lives. The privacy of people in Supersize Me was kept as the privacy of McDonalds employees was not invaded at all, and the people being interviewed were just interviewed, no attempt to follow up the questions was made.

In my 3 minute wonder documentary I will take into account all the issues I have discussed above and use them to keep my documentary fair and true. I have a personal opinion based on my 3 minute wonder and I must not include it in my production as I am trying to give a fair representation of the subjects I am filming and interviewing, I will give both sides of the argument equal opportunities to give there opinion, this should give me a fair factual programme. As alot of my subjects are under 18 I will have to get permission to film them, via a contract, making sure I don't invade their privacy. During my production I will try to get the opinion of the public on my subject matter and so must get a fair representation of the public, I will do this by getting a range of interviews from a range of different types of people, this range of interviews should give me an unbiased view, pairing these interviews and keeping my ow opinions out of it should make it successful. All filming will be known of, no secret filming will be done to keep the privacy of all involved. My documentary will be very subjective, as it is focusing on peoples opinions and what they think of a certain subject, this should be ok though as it is not me that is being subjective, it is the people in my film. My 3 minute wonder will acknowledge the issues raised and progress positively in order to avoid these issues and create a fair accurate documentary.            

        

Post Production Blog

Introduction

I was in the production group working on 'Maladjustment', I wrote the script, partially directed, recorded and operated the boom mic. Every member of the production team then had to edit their own version of the film, we used Adobe Premiere cs3 to put the film together, colour correct and to add titles and credits. I used Adobe After Effects to apply special effects including replacing a mirror reflection, adding a fly and making a character appear to pass through a wall.

Organising the edit

In preparation for the edit I created a set of 'bins', these are essentially folders to store footage, soundtracks, titles and special effects, this meant when I went to put scenes together I had already selected the clips to put into those scenes, I named the 'bins' scene 1-8, soundtrack and special effects, this meant when it came to putting in special effects or applying a sound effect I wasn't searching through all my footage, which consisted of over 350 clips, I could instead just go into either the relevant scene 'bin' or soundtrack 'bin' and select the desired clip or sound, this process speeds up the editing process and creates a much more organised and professional looking edit.

Edit decision list

The edit decision list involves going through footage ans selecting footage that is suitable for use, reasons that footage may not be chosen can include poor framing, poor acting, lights or other equipment in shot, poor sound levels etc. The clips that are seen as unusable are then either put aside in a 'outtakes bin' or deleted.

Putting together the scenes

When putting together the scenes instead of creating on long sequence as my entire film I made a sequence for each scene, this allows modifications to be made within each scene. This makes the edit much tidier and makes the scenes more accessible as the sequences are much shorter and contain less clips. When the scenes are all put together correctly I made another sequence called master, this will contain all the other scenes sequences and act as the final edit, because I made sequences for each scene if i wanted to change anything I simply had to open up the desired scenes sequence and make changes in there, this would effect the master sequence.

During the edit

While I was editing i came across some problems, which were expected from a first production, most notable was a boom mic in shot, we had no other shot to use to replace this and so I had to try and hide it through editing.



This is the original clip, the boom mic is clearly in shot and is unusable, to fix this I had to find a point in the clip where the boom was least visible, i then cropped as seen on the left.






I put this cropped image on top of the clip which successfully covered the boom, the clip is now usable.





Colour correction and special effects

In my film i wanted to create a gritty feel which was not achieved through just lighting alone, I used a effect called fast colour correction, this gave me lots of freedom to change my film yet the interface was simple enough that i could easily reverse anything i didn't like, I also did a few special effects, the most time consuming and most believable effect was the mirror reflection replacement, this was done in after effects, I took my original clip of Jacob in the mirror, the camera couldn't move otherwise the effect wouldn't have been done, without moving the camera or tripod Fran stood in the same place Jacob had so her reflection was there, I then filmed her doing her actions. In after effects I stitched the 2 clips together so that Jacobs reflection was Frans, I used the pen tool to draw around Jacobs reflection and cut it out so that Frans can be seen beneath, I then applied my colour correction to the scene, I dropped the saturation, darkened the whites and pulled up the blacks to give the colour seen below.