Fiction Adaptation - Haiku Challenge

In our lecture with Mike, we were briefed on our new project, Fiction Adaptation. With this brief we were given a nice introductory task that would give us some insight into the kind of skills and logic behind the films that we would eventually be creating for this unit.

So we had to create a short 30 second clip from a select list of poems, I chose - Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) - 

My life, - How much more of it remains? The night is brief.

I felt with this, I wanted to go down the route of pollution, life on this planet and the fragility of it. The way in which i tried to portray that was simple, trying to gather clips of factories/industrial landscapes and smoke to capture that sense of pollution/emission into the atmosphere. 

I didn't quite get the footage that was desired, however I still felt it possessed stylistically the themes that were intended to be depicted. 

(Haiku Challenge - Short film)

TV News: Critical Evaluation

These 6 weeks have flown by, to think I was being briefed on what this project was about 6 weeks ago! I can't believe how fast time is going and with that my time at university. So lets begin by reflecting on everything from start to finish. 

I think as with all projects, I tend to have a vast amount of ideas for the beginning of a project, but all generally get found out, and lose their attraction rather quickly as they never really have a strong narrative. So it is hard to get the ball rolling, and coming off the back of a long summer I found it difficult to get straight back into that work mindset.

PRE-PRODUCTION
I felt the workshops, planning and critical discussions we had with Helen & Jo served us brilliantly. The camera & editing workshops were really focused and I felt I gained a lot from them, it gave us new attributes that we were able to implement into our project that we didn't know before. I was really pleased with how we dealt with our initial ideas being dealt a severe blow by Jo & Helen, as everything they said was correct, the initial concept of E-cigs and myths, didn't really fit with the humorous style we were going for, so we had to think fast and change it an which we did effectively. Planning and scripting was key for this task as we didn't have a lot of time, so thanks to Alex and the group collectively we were able to express ourselves more freely on set because were had prepared so well in the pre-production. Overall I felt we had great structure and with that comes success, Google doc demonstrated that as I believe if we didn't keep all of our progress and updates somewhere then it would of been anarchy following up research etc. Overall the pre-production was great, all down to a great hard-working team. 

(The Ladies)

PRODUCTION 
Having missed one of the days of shooting due to illness, I felt on the day I was on set I had to give 110% to make up for my losses on the other shoot day. A few minor things went wrong, we had only realised half way through the shoot that the mic had been unplugged from the camera, so some of the footage already filmed earlier on in the day will of been filmed with no sound. Obviously this could of been avoided if someone was wearing headphones, and I think for a part of that filming I wasn't, so that's something i've learnt, ROOKIE MISTAKE. Everyone was class on set, there would be times where everyone would zone out, and slowly it would descend into stupidity but we got back to working order quickly after a few shouts. Cinematography wise, we didn't get all the coverage we would of liked, near enough though, we would of liked a few more establishing shots but overall very satisfied with the footage we acquired. Also, what could be done better within production next time is properly time managing, being stricter with it so that we can all be there for the start, until the finish.


POST-PRODUCTION 
This is probably where I spent most of my hours in the whole of the production process as I wanted to create the best possible sequence. We all separately tackled our own pieces, but the package was the main focus as that was the one that could be manipulated an played around with since it wasn't the 'live'. I felt the overall product looked great, again it goes back to the production, if we were able to go back and manage to get a few more variations of shots, maybe it would of pieced together even better, but its finished now and hopefully to a satisfying/pleasing standard. 

WHAT WORKED
There were many things I felt we had got really right with the final piece. Mainly things in the edit, we had lots of sounds and titles, making the end product feel generally quite tight an engaging piece. We as a team had great communication skills throughout, we had set up google doc, and had our own group chat on Facebook and Whattsap. If ever anyone needed anything we were literally a message away, so there was never any miscommunication etc. The editing of the package, a section where Aiden is drinking, we've edited it so it gradually speeds up, denoting the passage of time and the amount of drink he is consuming.

(The Man)

WHAT DIDN'T WORK
I felt certain scenes could of been produced much more creatively/better. Our metaphorical sequence that we attempted to do showing the bodies process of a hangover, I felt that could of been developed into something much more creative but we lacked time an we needed something. Also our studio shots of Alex in the 'bunker' looked kinda cheap, and rushed, it was kind of the angle we were going for but again, I felt it could of been better if we  thought it through a bit more. We weren't decisive enough from the beginning on our initial ideas/concepts so I think that was an issue which resulted in other issues.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT
In this speedy 6 week unit, I think its safe to say one major thing i've learnt and should of learnt sometime ago is to keep myself updated with the blog. Also, how to use after affects and having a basic understanding of the DVX 200's. I feel more confident with editing having been tasked with quite a chunk of it, an just a general boost of confidence with my all round ability and attributes but still knowing there is much more to be learnt.


WHAT COULD I DEVELOP
There are many aspects of mine that definitely do need further development, but if i were to focus on the main ones, it would have to be editing and camera operation. If I want to be serious about camera operation then I have to do my own research and keep continuing to create short films not just in university times but outside of it. I'd like to nail down my technical competency, be sure enough in my own ability to go out and believe in myself that I can do a job. I think my editing obviously needs refining as well, there is always much room for growth and improvement. I know there is so much more to learn regarding both disciplines, which is kind of daunting but exciting at the same time.

CONCLUSION 
All in all, the unit has been a learning curve for me in many aspects, my abilities are only expanding and i'm grateful for that. I feel pumped now, ready for the remainder of 2017. I think i'll definitely spend more attention to detail on the blog in the next unit, as I feel that's where my work lacks the most. 

TV News: Final Cut

With deadline day being tomorrow, and having both Helen and Sam's feedback given and taken into deep consideration, we needed to get on with it and apply the finishing touches that had been asked of us. 

With having both of their critical views been applied straight away it wasn't long before we had perfected our project. We did this by adding extra titles, extra sound bites and stings, just giving the sequence more life throughout it as that was one thing Helen said it lacked throughout parts of it. 

We then also colour corrected all the packages and sequences, giving it that extra bit of professional feel, an all rounded completeness. After that it was time to pass it to Ferg and get it uploaded on the hard drive!

(The final cut)

TV News - 2nd Edit feedback with Sam

Having had our first edit session with Helen and her feedback being applied with effect, we then had Sam look at our work. Sam thought the sequence had cohesiveness, a theme and a good aesthetic. 
However he did have some constructive criticism, and potential enhancements to consider before handing it over: 
- Include more graphics over title sequences
- Get rid of the Mum shot
- More visuals to words
- Colour correcting needed doing
- Sound levels needed checking
- Find the right music that will fit with the tone of the piece

Overall the feedback was taken on board, progression is being made and we're working collectively to ensure the complete product is what we want. 

TV News: Shoot schedule & Shot list

So we had scheduled two days to be our allocated time for filming. These two days were to be Monday 16th October, and Wednesday 18th October. We had everything organised and prepared for these shoots to be as efficient as possible. 

On Monday 16th October, Melissa, Katie and Alex would be going to Broadditch Farm to shoot the Live package. Katie will be the presenter for the piece, Alex the camera man and Melissa the runner keeping everything running smoothly. 

On Wednesday 18th October, All of us would be filming all day at various locations throughout, Alex's sisters house and his house. The day started at roughly around 10am and we finished filming at around 8pm. I would be presenting this piece, an partly taking role as a camera operator, Alex would be camera op and presenting also as we'd be shooting some of the trailer and opening sequence here at these locations. Katie would be on camera, and Melissa also on camera. 

Here is a shot list created by Melissa - 

TV News: First edit & Helen's feedback

Having filmed and acquired all of the footage on our hard drives, we began quickly to edit the footage to have something to show Helen for the rough cut. 

We split the editing up between us as a group, Katie did the Live news sequence, Alex did the promo, Melissa did the first scene of the package and I did the rest of the package.

PUT PICTURE HERE

In total honesty we didn't have a great deal to show Helen as we'd only just got the footage together, but what we had to show we received positive feedback on. As we were going for a quirky, interesting an humorous feel, Helen supported that an stated she felt it also. 

There was something that we as a group wanted to ask Helen, basically to get the all clear on a shot that we wanted to include in the package sequence but to no surprise it wasn't granted clear passage. We had shot two kinds of end sequences so fortunately we didn't just rely heavily on that one. 

Feedback was clear and concise, Helen had mentioned she already felt it had a quirky, fun, engaging tone to it and that she could see people watching this within our target audience. 
Feedback - 
- A few more cutaways on the Live news sequence.
- Get more down on the timeline for the package. 
- Think about the music choice for soundtracks.

Overall the 1st Edit meeting went positively and filled us with confidence and belief. We now just need to keep it coherent and have the same themes running throughout it. 

TV News - Shoot Day

Having booked my train for 9am, to be at Gravesend for 10am, I was ready for a long day ahead of me. Kids, bloody kids had already disrupted the shoot day, holding me back atleast 30 minutes due to causing disruption on the train, the filming hadn't even begun yet but we were behind on our shoot schedule due to this, thankfully other members were late too so it didn't feel like all the weight was on me.

We adapted to this and planned to have everything ready to be shot at Alex's sisters outhouse by 11am, unfortunately we got side tracked and had several things to purchase for production purposes (Fry up scene). We eventually got there at around 1pm, and began to shoot the first scene in which I was presenting, I found it hard and increasingly pressured with each take as inevitably mistakes would be made and I found myself putting even more pressure on. I managed to learn most of the script, enough so that I could piece to the camera an eventually be able to look at the script as then we could cut out the bits where i'm not looking down the throat of the camera. 

We had got through half of the day unscathed, slowly but surely working our way through the script, trying to get as much coverage and shots as possible so that when we came back to the edit we had a vast amount of varying footage to play with. We were following the script but now and again go off it to do some improvisation like the intro, and a certain scene with the lemon, but mostly sticking to the script throughout. 

As the day got later, and my stomachs got hungrier, stress began to sink in and we just wanted to get this done and wrapped. We were put on hold as to think of a way to get the dogs attention for one of our shots, when suddenly Alex just started screaming at the dog, an boy did it work, we didn't have a clue what was going on until we saw the camera rolling. We ended the day with pizza freshly baked by Alex's mum. Nice.

What worked? 

I felt on the day everyone pulled their weight, we had great luck with Alex's friend being so cooperative and positive throughout the process, that made everything that much easier. I believed we got all the shots we wanted, we weren't rushed at Alex's house for time so we had ample time to think through fully on how to create the best possible shot and way of telling the sequence. What also worked nicely was the metaphor sequence, even though we didn't have a vast amount of material, we did well with what we had.

What didn't work/ could be improved?
Well with everything going to smoothly on the day there were only a small number of things that I could realistically flag up. One that could definitely do with some improving is time keeping, making sure we stick to the schedule as we had some crew needing to leave to go to work and if we had all been on time and ready/prepared, we could have avoided those situations. Another one potentially, bringing up creativity to the game, and this comes in to preparation of a shoot, writing up more potential concepts and creative gags on screen to play out. I felt we lacked at some points a real creative point, or not lacked, but it just took a lot longer than it should of, and especially when we're on shoot I felt like we should of had those concepts/ideas down and ready to test. Maybe that could be a point to establish in the next unit, to test out more ideas first to see if they actually work. Also wishing we got more coverage of the metaphor sequence, we didn't have much to play around for that sequence and I felt that was a shame. 

Overall I thought the day went to plan by 95%, productivity levels were sky high and morale never stooped lower than 110%. We worked creatively together and brought the best out in one another on the day and managed to get everything done on the script, so I couldn't of been happier. I think for next time if we can just mange our time a bit better we'd be overall a bit more efficient but apart from that it was a great shoot day. 

TV News: Location reccs & Risk assessments

Location recces for both primary shooting locations were not taken as we couldn't of gone there before the shoot date, however for one of them we had done filming their before so we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Risk assessments for both locations were deemed a risk free environment. 

Alex's home was used for one of our projects last year so we knew as a group how to approach this location in a safe and orderly manner. We just needed to be careful of wires covering the ground and any other trip hazards. Any tracking shots needed to be planned out meticulously before we started using the equipment so that we could ensure safety of people/kit. Obviously making sure that whilst we're filming we don't accidentally block fire escapes that would result in putting everyone in danger. 

Overall the locations deem no real risks to ourselves or the kits so the risk assessments were signed off as low level risk.


  

TV News: Research and Development

So having our concept be around myths and social misconceptions we all decided to go off and do some research into those specific fields. 
We created a google doc. which we as a group contributed into and stored all our files and findings. 

We kept our research material in here for all of our 'debunking' myths material in the package, information regarding the cures for hangovers etc. 

The shoot script, created by Alex, would be put on here for everyone to see and edit, especially for me as I would then create and input my own twist on my presenting output.

The script was something to always go back to throughout the production process, I would go through it and edit certain bits appropriately, adding my own spin on certain sentences and phrases that I use. 

TV News - Research - VICE

One news brand that I chose to focus on an to try gain some inspiration was VICE, a print magazine and website which focuses on arts,culture and topical news. 

As our groups target cross section was aimed at young adults, I felt this brand personified perfectly what we were trying to capture and focus on. Vice tracks current affairs, it covers topics in contrasting ways from the mainstream media, as it is primarily a social media brand, its reach on those platforms is vast and easily accessible for its users. We wanted to create that user friendly feel, to have it engaging and interacting with its demographic via website homepage, twitter, facebook etc, on all social media fronts. 

Also the way in which Vice covers its stories was something that had quite an influence towards some of the input to the project. As a follower of VICE for quite a few years now i've noticed its general themes and topics of affairs it covers, ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other. I enjoy that it can laugh at itself but yet also take a serious approach whilst still maintaining the humour, as that in essence is what we were trying to capture from the get go with our piece.  

Obviously, the branding of vice as well is attractive, it gives off quite a vibrant, trendy, different aesthetic to many other news brands like it and that's why I think it does so well at maintaining its popularity an overall success. That is clearly something we had to think of as well, to create this consistent aesthetic and I thought especially through the project we did that through the use of text and titles. 

Taking time to research further into VICE definitely helped with the branding side of things and if ever I was lacking with ideas, it would help to look on their webpage to give me some inspiration so I could give more input towards the project.

TV News: 25 Word Pitch

We wanted to keep our 25 word pitch relevant, engaging and creative. It took us quite some time to figure it out, but in the end it came to Alex like a switch of a light bulb. -

 " Hello and welcome to THE BUNKER, Youtube's answer to debunking weird, wonderful myths and theories you may or may not even know existed."


This sentence actually came from our opening of the script but we felt that worked really nicely in terms of placement and how it generally fitted. It tells us enough and leaves us asking more of it, intrigue and excitement come to my mind when I read it. 

Workshop: After Effects - Keying

This edit workshop with Ferg was primarily based on Keying, now this is something new to me which i'd never heard of until this point. But I was keen to experiment and soak in what was being presented to us. 

                                       

So we started with looking at Keylight to key the news anchor footage onto a newsroom environment. This involved picking the green colour on the screen from the green screen - the software then removes everything that colour from the clip. Then had a little mess around with changing levels to see what worked best, what didn't, and found that even when the background appears to be a solid colour, it is still easy for shadows and alterations in light to come through. 

Then after Keylight, we looked into Luma keying, which kind of differs from Chroma key, as it makes the video transparent based on brightness rather than colour. This is extremely useful with graphics, so we played around with editing text onto a background. 

Overall I found the workshop to be creatively satisfying, giving me knowledge on such vital tools that are going to be incorporated into my work in the future. I can now apply these new learn skills into this project and hopefully with a positive outcome. 

TV News: 2nd Discussion & critiquing with Jo

So still in major limbo about the connecting narrative situation, we went into our meeting with Jo still uncertain with our final approach to this. She said straight away that we still don't have a story in respective of the E-cigs and Mythbusting, and that there needed to be another angle to it all. 

We hadn't made any progress either on boxing off interviews/interviewee's, contacting them an so forth. We had sent initial emails with no responses so Jo told us to get on the phone and make it happen. 
So I rang up one of the E-cig/Vape lounges and managed to lock down an interview within the establishment, for Wednesday 11th October. So the ball was rolling and with that confidence grew within our group. 

We eventually broke through our mind block with a new angle to focus are E-cigs narrative on. It had became apparent to me a few weeks back that there were people creating their own juice for their E-cigs, cutting the cost of purchasing branded juice, but potentially resulting with unknown health risks? Jo instantly responded with ' You have a story here now ', to which we were relieved to hear. 

Now we just needed more research on this subject matter and to start making those phone calls and asking the right questions. 

Overall this meeting was probably the most productive out of the lot, we just needed to piece together the mythbusting side of things with the humorous tones of the rest.

TV News: 1st Critique with Jo

Meeting with Jo and all the other groups was really thought provoking, allowing us all to critique one another and give constructive criticism, positive feedback an general comforting words of wisdom.

It felt like we had kind of hit a brick wall in regards to our concept, we still wanted to have the humour theme throughout but that felt as if it was being hindered by our more serious theme of the Stopober campaign/Health awareness. We spoke to Jo about what our best options should be and where we should focus on and she gave us this feedback:

- Find an actual story, which you can come at it from both sides.
- It felt like we didn't have one, and the E-cigs and stopober did not fit well at all, one needed to be the focus, not both.
- Possibly drop one? 
- Mythbusting is great but does it fit with the other narrative?

So in conclusion, the talks were productive, but we had a lot to think about in respect to what our narrative should be focusing on. It had left us in a pondering state, as to whether think of a totally different concept ensuring that we could coincide this new one with our comedic themes on the mythbusting route, or, keep with it but potentially risking the narrative of it to be dull and lacking engagement with our target audience.