CONSTRUCTION: FILMING THE FINAL SCENE

Today we filmed the final ending scene for our short film. We used various angles for the scene so that it would be more visually appealing and interesting.

We also experimented with the sticky notes and eventually decided to stick one of the notes onto a book that the 'nice' male drops when he and the female character bump into one another. 

We decided audio was necessary and to make a distinction between the two male personalities we wanted to make sure the nice male sounded less confident. It had to match the shy personality created by the way he is too shy to reveal himself to the female character. 

When filming we decided that it was important to put emphasis on the books as they dropped and the note attached to one of them. The book with the note attached reading "I see you got my sticky notes" was placed in focus on the camera. Whilst this book was emphasised the other books and the audio of both characters apologising to one another could be heard and seen in the background. 

The scene following from this involved a two person mid shot. The female character has seen the note attached to the book and realised who has really been trying to attract her attention. In this scene we wanted the audio to trail off to create tension. The characters exchange glances and smile at one another which creates the romance.

To enhance the clip and make it more romantic we decided to use artificial lighting. The light was soft and warm setting a romantic tone. We felt it was far too dark before and the expression of both characters was a lo clearer. Using the lights was also important in order to keep our filming consistent we we used artificial lighting in previous scenes shot at the library. We also tried to minimise shadows as much as possible by placing the lights in specific positions. It was difficult to avoid this in the image seen above. However we made sure that in close ups of the books, there were as few shadows from the lights as possible.

CONSTRUCTION: CO COMPANY IDENT

Today I worked on creating a co company ident. I worked on the project alone using iStopMotion and I used work that I had made in iStopMotion previously. I then took more shots using the same monkey that was the subject of my ident before until I was happy that I had enough shots of it to work with and that it could flow well.

I used the clips and animations I had created and edited the footage in iMovie creating the ident so that it was an appropriate length and so that it looked succinct effective and visually appealing. I have altered and experimented with fonts, lighting, exposure and colour schemes. 

These images demonstrate the editing process taking place and the way in which the monkey is seen to move around on the screen. The small amount of footage is interesting and eye catching due to the movement created. 

Here I have altered brightness and colours of the clips to experiment with alternative looks to the ident. I have considered other fonts as well and iMovie allows me to experiment with various colours. I can also alter the timing for when the company name is seen. I can also experiment with audio to accompany the clip. 

CONSTRUCTION: RE-FILMING THE DATE SCENE

Today I found a new presentational tool called PowToon that allowed me to make either a video or slideshow with animations. I found you can insert text, sound, videos, images and use effects on slides and images. You can also use graphics and cartoons provided that are animated. I've been bale to produce a slightly different presentation that is visually interesting and appealing.

CONSTRUCTION: RE-FILMING PREPARATION FOR DATE SCENE

We decided it was best to re-film some of our footage on monday due to audio and dialogue issues. I discovered there might be issues with consistency in our shots so we solved this by changing the costume so that the main character would wear a dressing gown. When we uploaded the footage we spent time re-filming on monday we realised it appeared grainy on the screen. There was an issue with the settings on the camera that altered the size and quality of our image. After fixing this we also reflected on the lighting within the shots as it was particularly dark and the dressing gown did not work as well in the shots. It created more darkness and it was less aesthetically interesting or appealing to our audience as the shirt I wore previously. The shirt suited the "girly" and delicate personality of our main character far better than a dark grey dressing gown. We decided it was best to re-film once more to get the perfect footage. We filmed again on thursday making sure to fix the lighting and the camera setting. This provided us with better footage and there was more consistency with clothing than previously. 

Casey Neistat is an American film director and producer. He has a YouTube channel depicting his "Vlogs" and his videos/short films. This week I have decided to take inspiration from his Vlogs which he films using an app called Snapchat. I use this technology a lot so I have decided to use Snapchat stories like Neistat does to document how I got on with my group when constructing. It was an interactive way to work as images or videos captured can be personalised with captions, filters and drawings. For Casey Neistat snap-chat is not a professional thought out piece of work but the chance to view videos or "stories" in life as they happen. I thought this was an interesting concept and another way to show how we have constructed our short film. 

This "Snap" shows the way in which the mise-en-scene helps to create a relaxing and romantic atmosphere. The lighting is soft and it creates a delicate mood representing the way the girl is delicate and is in a relaxing environment as she gets ready for her date. 

This Snap demonstrates how we used height with out tripod when filming. Experimenting with the camera angle helped us to get a good view of the set. The mise-en-scene again can be seen to help with the shot as it includes props such as makeup which would show the personality of the character.  

EDITING: LIBRARY SCENE

PLANNING: RISK ASSESMENT

Today I have considered what risks are involved when we are filming scenes for our short film. There are various risks we have to consider and prepare for so that people are safe when we film. The following are risks I have identified and that we need to be cautious about:

1. Burning skin due to the hot arteficial lights 
2. Tripping over wires from the arteficial lights 
3. Broken glass - we used glass items such as wine glasses and had to be aware that caution must be taken as broken glass is a hazard
4. Allergies  - we must check if people are allergic to anything before we film at a students house
5. Heavy equipment could injure people if it falls or isn't carried properly
6. Electric shocks from water being around electrical 
7. Driving to the locations must be done with care 
8. Electrical equipment around water

CONSTRUCTION: FEEDBACK