Pre-prod. What is a Vodcast?

As myself and Aimee have chose to create a pilot episode which would be as the format of a Vodcast, I thought i'd do some research into what actually is a Vodcast. 

What is Vodcasting?

After podcasting, which lets users subscribe to audio files, comes vodcasting, the easiest way to bring Internet video to your desktop. Here's how it works.

Portable video players make watching vodcasts a snap

What is vodcasting?

A step beyond podcasting, vodcasting, also called video podcasting or vlogging, adds video to the downloadable sound files podcast listeners are used to. Download the video files is a simple matter of subscribing to a vodcast in one of the many freely available directory programs.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The RSS feeds, short for really simple syndication, bloggers started using in 2001 to send their entries directly to readers' inboxes are just as useful when it comes to receiving vodcasts. An enclosure feature, standard to RSS feeds, allows links to videos that can be processed by programs like iTunes and Ipodder, which then download the vodcasts automatically, and leaves subscribers only with the work of finding vodcasts that catch their interest.

WHY NOW? 

So we decided that this would be a very good project to cover now as their appears to be a gap in the market for something like this. As there is clear demand for this medium, we feel that creating a Vodcast now would be using our initiative to fill in that empty space first. There is a platform already out there that can be our place to advertise & promote our project. 

https://www.dw.com/en/what-is-vodcasting/a-1849043 - Link to website defining what a Vodcast is. 

Pred Prod. Podcasts & Concept development

We've started to do some research into podcasts and their mass implications. Podcasts our listened to by millions around the U.K. and so this got us thinking about how we could maybe incorporate using a podcast somehow. We liked our previous idea's but we felt they had no end game, with nothing to really say or have an impact on. 

Target Audience
BBC 3/IPLAYER/Chanel 4 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GQKV7eb6wA 
(Run Lola Run - Example) 

Quick idea brainstorming -  Everyone can access these - Free downloadable - makes the relatable & wide reaching.


"The traditional limitations of the podcast form create much of its appeal: Listening to a story without visuals feels intimate. Restricting podcasts to audio encourages a small, loyal audience—but it also poses a hurdle for increasing their audiences. There's no easy way to share snippets of audio files through social media, and no easy access to shows outside of the Apple Podcasts app; those steep barriers to entry have resulted in a vast untapped audience of not-yet-listeners. This is the year when the podcast medium will prove whether it can reach listeners beyond its largely white, wealthy, and educated core. Through experiments with multimedia and even new distribution models, we're about to find out just how far podcasts can spread." 

https://www.wired.com/2016/01/serial-podcasts-multimedia-distribution/

A lot of concepts have been going around, finally reaching an agreement - Vodcast, combining podcast & visuals - 

We now need to think of a universal name for our brand/production company. Our goal/objective would be to approach podcast companies and creative visuals for their podcasts that seem suited for such things. - CASTLIGHT would be the name of our brand, we feel this fits with our brand ethos as it would be 'casting' a 'light' on the podcast, bringing it to life by creating a world for it to exist in.  

We feel that this is a fresh, unique & original concept, with a lot of potential. No much is like this out there and with research done, it seems like there is an appeal for it, thus creating a gap in the market. Hopefully with more conceptual development this idea will become stronger.

Pre prod. Green Light Pitch

GREEN LIGHT PITCH 

For the progression to be seen with our concepts, we had to give a 'green light' pitch which involved briefly going over what the concept of our project is, the research that has been done so far, and what is still yet to come. At this stage Simon either gives us the green light, amber light or red light, green obviously meaning the concept is sound & the project has a green light to continue developing it, amber meaning there is still a lot of work to be done, red thus resulting in a project that isn't going in the direction Simon thinks it should be. 

So me and Aimee created this pitch, in hope that Simon would give it the all clear. We wanted to demonstrate a clear & cohesive concept, with some research being portrayed through our use of the title sequence dissecting part. Here is our pitch - 

Hopefully this pitch is an indication to Simon that we're on the right path & heading in the right direction with our research, concept and overall work ethic. Research is going to be key within this pre-production package, so I know the work needs to get done.  

Pre-prod. Concept - Brief

UNIT BRIEF - PRE PRODUCTION PACKAGE

For this 3rd year unit we've been given the task of creating a fully developed pre-production package for either a major or hypothetical project. The major would then be carried out come January, where as the hypothetical would be complete and finished with in December. However you would then have to jump on board with a Major pre-production package post December time, and choose a delegated role to take on within that production. 

For this unit I have chosen to work with Aimee to create a hypothetical pre-production package in the hope that we can create something unique and really innovative. We do have a plan for after this project finishes, we will jump on board with Callum & Will to participate in their Major project and fill in work roles. I will be taking on the DP role, and Aimee the editor. 

IDEAS

Even though the unit has just started, concepts have been thrown around but it's just about finding the right one and which has the best direction & outcome. We've been discussing certain topics and found that we want to look into social media groups/reenactment groups/groups within subcultures. Some of the terms are quite broad, so it's just about narrowing it down and finding a narrative amongst it all. 

We have a talking point, so it's a start. Now we just have to research each discussed topic and see if we can find a story out of them.  

Transitions: Cinematography Statement

I started this unit with some kind of idea of what my aesthetic would be and how it would evolve through this project. As the script was quite heavy with the dialogue, it was up to be & the director to try and make it as visually engaging as possible, without disrupting the narrative and taking away from the dialogue itself. 

Choices and why
- Continuous shot: 
This was a decision made by Oliver, but was meant with some controversy over its usage, as some members of the group didn't feel it was necessarily working. However myself and Oliver believed in the shot, and with feedback from Simon saying it was an original idea that did in fact work, made us feel right to push through with the proposed shot. 

- Handheld: 
A lot of the handheld footage was just improvisation, obviously the actors had their blocking done beforehand but it was really whatever felt right we just went with. I felt maybe i wasn't as experimental with the handheld as now looking back on the footage, that i could of been with it. Next time i'll know to not sit on the fence and question it, but just throw myself into the creative rhythm of it.  

- Long take of tying up body:
Not too sure if this really worked but after liaising with the director in regards to this shot, of how it would look post-edit, that i realised that it has the potential to succeed. 

There was some key coverage that was attained through just thinking of the edit, in my mind i'm imagining what Aimee will appreciate, and i'm shooting scenes knowing that she will understand, and bring her particular creative eye and sensibility to the arrangement of the material. Shooting for the edit is always key and especially if you know the person, it gives you more of a target to aim for, in terms of her style and what she would like to edit & how she puts her mark on the end product. 

Working with the director on this project was very smooth in the sense that both of our creative outputs were on a similar wave length, thus not really clashing a lot with the aesthetic of the content. There may of been one or two ideas thrown out there by myself which were shot down but i'm not the director, so i totally understood that. I felt comfortable enough though to speak my mind and discuss with the director about certain shots so the relationship was that of a good working standard.

Transitions: Colour grading

After the first rough cut viewing with Simon i was tasked with the job to colour grade our footage, as the majority of it was fairly yellow and the white balance being totally off in some scenes. 

I've done some exploration into the world of colour grading, but i feel i've only touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of knowledge and experience. Colour grading is a whole skillset on its own and for that reason it needs to be approached with great attention and care. 

(Colour wheel)

This is how the majority of our first half footage looks like, this slightly off yellow colour, especially on the skin tones. This needed resolving quickly as it definitely wasn't the desired effect we were looking to have on our characters since it does not convey the overall tone & aesthetic we were wishing to go for.

Then i began to colour correct it, which took me quite sometime to get it right, but after deep research & a few Youtube tutorials i had began to understand how to remove the yellow-iness and fix the problem. I pulled the colour wheel from central position, towards the opposite colour of yellow/orange, to blue/teal colours, to balance it out. However you had to be precise & accurate as if you pulled it over too much you'd then get a blue tint on the footage.

Overall i'm not massively satisfied with the colour correcting on the footage and i think i'll be correcting it until the last minute, but its been improved upon from the first viewing. Lighting & using the camera efficiently are key and could save us from this trouble in the first place. 

Transitions: First edit review with Simon

The first rough cut review went better than i expected, though there is still obviously lots of work with the footage to be done. Now everything is on the timeline however, we can now begin to delve deeper into the editing process and really play with the colour grading & sound to give it a cinematic aesthetic. 

Feedback - 
- Needs severe colour grading, which will be done by myself. 
- Needs tighter edits, quicker paced through out towards the end of the sequence.
- Needs cutting down, as it's currently too long.
- End sequence needs refining.
- Opening sequence needs to be cut quicker. 
- Sound needs refining & bringing more emphasis on visuals.

I was given the personal task of colour grading the whole sequence, which is a relatively big task as our footage was slightly yellow throughout up until the last scene, as that's when the natural light finally reaches the basement. 

On the whole, i was satisfied with the feedback given to us from Simon, we had clarity on some issues regarding a few shots, resulting in us being able to move and cut some footage out as it was pretty useless. Now it's just focusing on the edit, with colour grading and sound being the main focal point.