THE-MILL

Today I went to meet The-Mill and had a very nice talk with a lady called Amy and I was then shown around, I was told I will be working 10-4 that my travel is basically paid for me and that I get my lunch paid score! I was quite early so I wondered around and I found BBH which is another top company I want to work with so I went in and gave my CV in, I d love to get some work experience from them also! :D I am looking forward to starting my work experience with The-Mill in 3 weeks time, I was told I would be working with the runners, getting tea, coffee, lunches which does not sound amazing but I will be meeting so many people producers, directors, CEO's it is going to be an amazing experience and I have already seen different software being used that I have not been taught so hopefully I will learn much more about this!

WORK EXPERIENCE: THE-MILL!

I am really excited to be meeting The-Mill in London tomorrow, I am excited to meet everyone and be shown around and to be told what I will be doing in my week work experience in January! :D

General Feedback for Feel:

After a different group seeing our film this is what feedback we got:

• Title sequence- too simple, white on black
• Framing- cut off faces
• Handheld- shaky/messy
• Focus- in and out (unintentional)
• Continuity error 2.41 180degrees and at 3.39
• Slow
• Costume?
• Good lighting
• Music worked
• Good range of angles
• Nice Colour

After showing our film to everyone this is what we got back from everyone:

• Could not tell if the shakiness at the beginning was on purpose.
• Music was good
• Colour balance was good
• Day 4- the paste needs to be picked up
• The area where Max slept, the shoes and clothes do not need be to shot and the 2nd shot of him sleeping is not needed either
• Maybe with the titles for Day 1,2,3,4,5,6 maybe they could have be 1,2,5,10 or not even needed
• Good transition of night to day where Max runs off into the distance
• There was no music credits for Mike and Dave
• Nice edit
• Story is clear and it worked
• More tine in music, needed to be lifted a bit near the end

PRACTITIONER ESSAY IS DONE!!

PRESENTATION FOR FEEL IS COMPLETE!

Looking forward to Tuesday, presentation should go really well fingers crossed! Good Luck Team and everyone!

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS AN AMAZING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS! SEE YOU ALL SOON! :D X

Feel

Today, everything was sorted with the group for Feel and the edit is basically finished and ready for tuesday!

Practitioner's Essay

I went over my Essay and I feel it is finished, I just mite double check it over the weekend, its taken me ages to get the words down though having too many !!

Lecture: Editing

Today in the Lecture with Jools about Editing, we had to come up with a plot and specific, shot, music I came up with a woman who was in a changing room, her friends come in with some bad news, so I thought you d have a mid shot of the woman in the changing room with her bag making noises as she pulls her clothes out, then you d see a long shot of the girls coming in the changing room, you d hear talking and a close up of the door opening and shutting, then a mid shot of the girls sitting down with her and a close up of her face when she receives the news.

• The Choices made in editing revolve around the idea of flexibility of viewpoint
• Editor can alter time.
• Most people don't speak in a constant monotone- they speed up or slow down, rhythm of a conversation back and forth.
• harmony: sound and vision simultaneously
• Counterpoint: 1 sound against another image usually for dramatic and emotional effect.
• Dissonance: counterpoint techniques typically used to exploit, highlight discrepancies of image sound.
• Sound trailing may work, instead of dissolving it.
• Elevator Pitch: we watched a clip from Moulin Rouge on pitching an idea to a customer to buy. Then we had to go off individually and do our own pitch on anything we liked and pitch it to the whole class.
• My product was a documentary on work experience for 16-25 year olds that would show on itv2 and be a 30 minute documentary based in my own home, showing people tips and ideas and an insight on how to use your work experience to your full advantage.
• My target audience would mainly be students and school pupils for educational, work experience purposes, to give them an idea of what is expected of them.
• I Intend to sell this by giving flyers out around universities as well as schools, to set up a website and a face book group, also to make a trailer to go onto the website giving an insight to what it is about.
• I would be running this with the help of my peers to give out flyers and give me opinions for my website.
• My competition is other documentary makers.
• My competitive advantages is being able to show techniques, to inspire people and to show real life footage of what goes on in a work experience environment.

I was really nervous when doing this but actually got some good feedback, a few people mentioned they thought my was the best including Jools, so I can't have been that bad lol!

FEEL

Over the past few days, lots of things have been done, I met up with my group for our project Feel, we have done a questionnaire, we have been filmed individual for our presentation and we sat down and did our peer assessment. So everything is basically done for our presentation on tuesday and I feel very prepared and ready for it. The only thing I need to do is an individual assessment which has not been put on the now and sort out what we will say about another groups project which I believe is Tea.

PRACTITIONER'S ESSAY

With the practitioner's essay I got my 2nd draft back from Deb and I have done all the things she has said, I also asked her what would have to do to get an A, I feel I have tried my hardest to do everything and I hope I get an A! I am going to go over my essay tomorrow and over the weekend to make sure everything is right and if theres anything more I can do to make it better, as I will be really busy over christmas working and doing work experience, so I wanted to work on it over the past 3 weeks really hard so that I can focus on other things, however I do not feel I have rushed it as I have been working nearly just as long as the Context 2 essay which was a good amount of time!

Today we had a LECTURE: DVD AUTHORING, where we were asked as film makers how should we use the DVD format and we came up in a group with

• Easily produced
• Cheap
• Storage
• Interactive Portfolio
• Allowing extra features- pictures
• Play back easy access
• Distributed

That a DVD can be a 2-1, depending on sizes a lot can go on them, that apparently Mac books require (-R) DVD disc's!!

We were asked what we would put on our DVD portfolio Show reel and I thought I would put:

• Rundance Footage
• Alley Cafe Footage
• Documentary from Visual Essay
• Feel: Trailer
• Malac Footage
• Documentary of my work experience with The-Mill maybe?
• Documentary we do next term for a project

Feel Trailer Coming Soon..........

Feel: Pictures

Practitioners Essay

Over the weekend I have been working on my Practitioner's essay, I sent a draft in and got some feedback and have been working on it ever since, I plan to have another draft done by tomorrow for tutor to see. I then plan to finish it by wednesday so I can concentrate on the presentation with my group the following tuesday and see if any little bits need to be done to the footage of Feel. Also so that I do not have to stress about this essay over christmas, as I will be working and be doing work experience with The-Mill for a week.

I went to the library and took out two books, one which was recommended by Jools in a lecture which I will be looking at over this week, I also took out this book below too which is about directors for my Practitioners essay, as there is quite a bit of information on commercial directors which I thought could help me.

Practitioners Essay

So today I receieved feedback from Deborah and I will be working harder on this for another draft for next tuesday.

The Mill: Work Experience

Jonathan Hearn kindly emailed me back about all my questions relating to the Mill when he did work experience and has given me loads of tips, which makes me feel a lot more confident for January and when I meet them on 13th Decemeber.

Feel

Today all are group meet up and started to discuss the edit, sound and I was starting to look at various competitions to enter our short film into, I have looked at the Bridport Prize, The London Independant Film Festival Screenplay Competition, The National Film Challenge and the Bang Short Film Festival however with this one I wont be able to put the film in till April but thats fine as I will remember!

Jools mentioned to me about a student called Jon Hearn who graduated last year and who did work experience at the Mill. I had a look at his blog which I found really interesting, I have emailed him asking him questions about what the mill ask him to do, to see if I can get a insight before I go to meet them.

http://blog.jonathanhearn.com/2010/01/mill-work-experience.html

I have been looking at a few festivals and competitions for maybe putting The Feel Footage on,

http://www.tank.tv/ap/nowshowingafterparadjanov.html

http://www.nolimitsfilmfestival.com/

http://www.designfilmfestival.com/

http://www.depict.org/

Also there is a short film festival going on this weekend at Broadway:

http://www.bangshortfilmfestival.com/

Right so over the past week lots has been done!

Feel

We filmed on Tuesday 16th and everything went quite well, we started off late but managed to get all the shots we needed right up to 4.:55pm so just enough time! We have been having problems editing and getting our sound off the tape but hopefully by end of this week we should be on our way with finishing editing if not completed!

Practitioners Essay

I have written 900 words so only 400 to go, I am planning to be able to show Deborah a draft by tuesday to then enable me continue to make it better.

Work Experience

I have managed to get some work experience with one of the top 4 companies I want to work for in January called The Mill in London and I am really excited to start, I am meeting them on 13th December so bit nervous!

I have also managed to get some work experience with a company called ZenithOptimedia which I will be doing in the summer in London also. I am extremely excited that these two companies have given me this opportunity and I will use it to my advantage!

So today I met the actors with the director Ben for our project called Feel, Tony and Joanna seem great and I feel really confident in filming tomorrow! Everything has been prepared and we just fingers crossed hope it doesn't rain and that everything runs smoothly! :D Good Luck Team!

Practitioners Essay

So today I started this essay and managed to write 905 words and only 395 words left to go! :D

Pizza Project

Wednesday 10/11/10: Rich Lovewell

Myself and Vyte went to go meet Jools and Rich Lovewell, who is the guy wanting use to promote a pizza company, we had a meeting and discussed many things.

• Rich is wanting myself and Vyte to take some footage in the Ali Cafe of how they make there pizzas.
• He is wanting something ranging from 2-3 minutes long
• Sound is not needed
• He would like a normal and compressed version of our footage we take
• Myself and Vyte went along with Rich after the meeting to see what Ali Cafe is all about and to get an understanding and flavour about it, we found it was a very nice cafe, quite hidden, i do not think many people know of it.
• Myself and Vyte plan to start this project next term as we only have 4 weeks left of this and have 2 other projects on at the moment, Rich is not too concerned about a certain deadline but we d like to think about February.
• We met the manager of the Ali cafe and he seemed really nice and he explained to us that he has quite a few bands that play here, so me and Vyte were thinking next term we d try go with a camera on a night where a band is playing to make it more interesting.
• I was a bit disappointed when Rich explained the footage is only going to appear on the website but its all experience!
• We will need to do RECCE FORM AND RISK ASSESSMENT!

Feel

Everything is ready for Monday for our meeting with the actors and to start filming Tuesday! very exciting!

Here below is the Location, prop list, schedule, risk assessment, storyboard and the shot list will be here shortly!

Research & Development: Thinking about post during pre 12/11/10: Lecture Jools

• Do some research after the shoot and before the edit about post production shot.
• After effects- software or motion

Shoot to Edit Lecture- Deborah 12/11/10

• Camera Assistant Job: to ensure whether gells are being used, to know if its a day or night shot to be consistent with lighting.
• Lighting Continuity: need to stay constant
• Continuity of eye-lines: ensure that you make eye-lines match when shooting a scene.
• Covering the action, shot sizes: maintain composition move the camera to follow the mini action
• Record cutaways & inserts: focus, depth of field
• Don't cross the line: Honour the don't cross the line
• Always start & end with a still shot: Allow still shot easier to edit afterwards- leave the frame rather than constantly following it.
• Record Atmosphere tracks: 1 minutes silence.
• Wow tracks: important, add that extra bit of sound.
• Record wild tracks: of action off screen- record straight after-scene.
• Record time-code: help editor to keep track of shots: label your edit, shots.
• Editor: how to manage the films
• Also just because you get something free i.e a piece of music always Credit where you got it from!

Practitioner's Essay

We have been given a new essay to start which is 1300 words, so I am starting my research today on what specific 3 roles I will be talking about.

Context 2 Essay: FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!

I have officially finished my essay and its now sitting in the drop box waiting to be read! :D

Recording Media and Formats 9/11/10: Lecture Danny

Today we talked about sound:

• 1877 was when the first sound recording happened
• We still record into waves today which is un-compressed, waves have been going on for a long time and are still effect to use today.
• I felt I did not find this lecture that interesting, some parts were good but found it not very exciting.

Deborah was ill today so instead of having 4 hours today I had 1 result! :D

I found these sites quite interesting, just put them up here to share

http://www.delicious.com/

http://www.thefilmlot.com/interviews/INTduplassbros.php

Lecture: Jools: Between Action & Cut 5/11/10

• What is acting: when you portray yourself as someone your not, when you change your character's personality, for a certain role capture a recording, an entertainer, a form of visual art, ability to bring script to life, pretending something is real, recreating human behaviour.
• Acting is the natural process of hearing, thinking and responding in the unnatural environment of knowing what you are going to hear, knowing what you are going to think and knowing how you are going to respond.
• Three Requisites:
• Relaxation- the ability to react quickly and reduce tension
• Concentration: The ability to shut out all distractions
• Recall: the ability to recall experience in detail.
• Beats: are a moment of decisive realisation for any character.
• First step characterising the beats: gives each beat and each dramatic unit a purpose.
• Improvising an interior monologue: have the acts improvise their characters inner monologue.
• Some actors do a scene from memory: use tags as dialogue.
• Rehearsal: develop the cast and relationships, focus the thematic purpose, encourage actors to develop their character.
• Rehearsal is not performance but to get ideas that will work in front of the camera.
• 10 point plan:
• 1. Ideas of what film is about.
• 2. What is means to you personally.
• 3. Each scenes, facts, images and question it raises.
• 4. What the scene is about, how it fits the story graph of the script.
• 5. Possible character objectives and imagination back-story adjustments.
• 6. Beats of the scene, its characterisation and action verbs ideas of how you might work on the beat.
• 7. The Scenes reality and environment.
• 8. Research you have done and research you have left to do.
• 9. Your plan of what you wish to accomplish.
• 10. A blocking diagram (which means you are psychologically prepares to throw away your story board).
• Shooting Script Rehearsal: do not expect your actors to have learnt the lines, you provide the stage direction.
• Characterisation Exercises:
• Inner Monologue
• Tag lines
• Moral Positioning
• Back-Story development.
• If rehearsal is on your shooting day, set the crew off technically, this is where story-board, shot lists, mise-en-scene can pay off, sit with the actors, read lines, find some simple movements and objects, look for false moments and solve them.
• Discuss what the characters objective is for that scene- add stuff slowly in layers and beats, be wary of giving too much back-story all at once, when finishing one beat- deal with the next one in isolation and remember action verbs and images.
• Be aware of the value of bringing objects to rehearsal and be very aware of introducing it to the scene.
• Rehearsals should end with questions, with things for the actors to work on.

Over the weekend of the 5/11/10 to the 7/11/10

I watched two new films and thought I write a couple of notes on here about them, the first one I watched was called Frozen which was directed by Adam Green, is it about three skiers are stranded on a chairlift and forced to make life-or-death choices that prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death.

I thought this film was extremely good, very good with suspense, bit cringe with some things that happen made feel sick, I was disappointed at the ending but they have left it open I feel for another continued piece maybe.

I also watched a film called Paintball which was directed by daniel Benmayor which is about a truck which is rumbling down a potholed track, in the back sit a group of passengers, their eyes blindfolded, they endure on a task to beat the other opposing team to all the different flags, when the game turns into a deadly life threatening situation, that people are playing with paint balls but real bullets. People on the outside of the game pay to watch people fight for their lives as this game is twisted and turned into a sick trap for these people who thought they were going to be playing paint ball.

I thought this film was fantastic, I liked how it got you to want to literally help the people stuck in there, it was a very good twist, a lot better than what I was expecting from it.

Microphones 2/11/10- Danny

• The more expensive a microphone is the better quality it will have: never buy a cheap microphone.
• Dynamic- condenser- Electret condenser: a low-mass moving coil transducer, high sensitivity, rugged construction.
• cardioid
• Supercardiod: More Directional
• Hypercardioid
• Music from right and left: coincident cardioid

Deborah 2/11/10: talked about our Proposal

• Proposal: "Offer or bid to do a certain project for someone".
• Communicate Ideas
• Direction & Feel
• Likely success of the project
• Attract Funders
• Need to know details- not just about money
• Pre Production then Production then Post Production
• Apparently Channel 4 have promised to be innovative broadcaster
• You need a clear schedule
• Stylistic Info ( Treatment)
• Technical Specifications
• Talent
• Length
• Schedule
• Budget (depending on commission)
• Where will I post our film once its complete- COMPETITIONS?
• Must be 6 minutes and no longer or shorter
• Drama Treatment: More descriptive
• If the proposal is accepted then it becomes the initial agreement
• www.writingtreatments.com, this website its very handy it explains what a treatment is, how to write a treatment and why you need one.

Deborah asked us to look at the lecture Production Design as we discussed the proposal in lesson time, so here are my notes on the Production Design Lecture:

• Production designer: making the visible invisible: a production designer's job is to turn real spaces into cinematic spaces of the imagination.
• The Art department: Production designer, Art Director, Prop makers and set construction, Technical artist, Art department assistants, Set dresser, Storyboard artist and Continuity sometimes.
• Models give a 3D representation of the set, creating storyboards, shooting methodology
• Methodology is a set or system of methods, principles, and rules for regulating a given discipline, as in the arts or sciences.
• Dr Strangelove: Sir Ken Adam- Production design- Doctor Strangelove- War Room, this picture "creates frames on the screen that comply with the time honoured rule of thirds" as the camera glides around the room the vertical and horizontal zones frame content perfectly according to aesthetics or its principles, in a aesthetics manner.

• Also the hotel set where General Turgidson and Miss Scott establish their relationship had two mirrored walls, facing each other which creates a sense of depth, also the costumes there wearing are patterned giving another visual layer and finally the low ceiling and use of practical lighting helps to give an sense of architectural form, this set allows the audience to focus on the couple.

• I looked up Pans Lavyrinth on google and did not realise they recieved 3 academy awards for best cinematography, best art direction and best makeup which is amazing, this is about the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, with this film Eugenio Caballerio moved swiftly, recalls del Toro, they were "popping out set designs in 1/2 days, very intricate work: puppetry, tractional prosthetics, CGI and more but executed in a context that was totally unexpected, Eugenio and Guillermo were completely attuned to what I wanted".

We had a guest lecturer on 2/11/10 called Peter Smart

I fount his lecture very interesting and I am glad I went, Peter talked about how to do a proper Curriculum Vitae and covering letter.

• Multimedia is issued in libraries, museums, security systems, cable TV, schools, retailers, films, training and video conferencing.
• You can offer a range of skills- you don't have to be just an animator or just a wed designer.
• Look at local press, directories and vacancy websites.
• Local organisations of all kinds have websites and use multimedia, they don;t have to be multimedia organisations as such.
• www.ntu.ac.uk/careers
• www.propects.ac.uk (based in Manchester)
• www.skillset.org
• www.e-skilss.com
• www.bcsrecruit.com
• www.ukwda.co.uk
• Peter mentioned on your CV do not write Curriculum Vitae as they know what it is, its stating the obvious.
• To have a professional email address.
• How to layout your CV: Education and qualifications, Technical Skills: photoshop etc, Employment and work experience
• Most CV's are one page but if no one mentions how long it is do 2.
• Additional Skills- driving?
• Interests and Achievements: do not put socialising with friends (organised)
• References
• Covering Letter which is more important to have if its not for a specific job, to say what the letter is about and to send to a named person is possible.
• What I have to offer?
• Why you are applying?
• Do not be blunt, if you mention you have good communication skills what does that mean?

Feel 2/11/10

• We did our proposal on the 4th and it went quite well, we have decided on a location being Harvey Hadden Athletic Stadium, we are having to pay £51.70 as a group so its not too much but its a brilliant location so it worth the £7.31 each.
• Treatment: A subtle and compelling love story; set in a sterotypical competitive environment. A former athletics coach is drawn back into coaching, when inspired by a talented homeless athlete. The homeless guy is given the chance of release from his unfortunate surroundings, when an opportunity arises for him to flourish in a hidden passion.
• We have been given two actors called Tony Claassen and Joanna Wells
• I have made a very organised schedule: where on the Tuesday 9th November we are planning to have a draft of:
• sound to be in place
• storyboard draft
• risk assessment and recce forms to be completed so that equipment can be taken out the following monday 15th November
• props to be in place
• By Thursday 11th November to have everything ready for Monday 15th
• Monday 15th equipment is booked for 4.30 and we must return by 12.30 Wednesday 17th.
• Monday 15th November 1-4: will be meeting the actors
• Tuesday 16th November 10-5: filming
• Roles:
• Ben King: Director and Location Manager
• Myself: Producer, camera assistant and photographer
• Thomas Pierrepont: Camera
• David Cassey: Sound assistant and post production music/effects and lighting
• Laura Read: Editor, runner and health and safety representative
• Mike Wilson: Sound recording and props
• Alex Lea-Hayes: Production assistant, locations assistant and titles designer, post production visual effects.

Here are some pictures of the Location and actors, also a screen shot of the handout I prepared for the Proposal:

Here is are new Script that has been edited

1.EXT. ATHLETICS TRACK. DAY 1 Max watches intently as others train

2.EXT. ATHLETICS TRACK. DAY 2

MAX attempts to imitate others at the track. Copy’s others stretching. Mirrors athlete rehearsing his starting block position

3.EXT. ATHLETICS TRACK. DAY 3 Max runs round the track Elaine watches and then approaches

ELAINE Your quite an athlete. Whats your

name? Max doesnt’t respond and looks uncomfortable

ELAINE Look, I used to be a coach, I don’t

really do it anymore. Would you be interested in letting me coach you?

Max doesn’t respond again,

ELAINE Ok, Look I’ll be here at 8am

tomorrow. If you want come along and I’ll coach you.

Max doesn’t respond Elaine walks away

4.EXT. ATHLETICS TRACK.

ELAINE arrives at the track MAX waiting in exactly the spot Elaine said.

5.EXT. MUDDY FIELD. MAX is on all fours face down in the mud ELAINE stands over him and assertively orders

ELAINE Get up. Get up now. Do champions

lie in the dirt? Champions need to get up. Get up. Get up. Get up.6 EXT. BACK OF STAND. Max snuggles up in sleeping bag and smiles

7 EXT. MUDDY FIELD. DAY 3

Max is doing an aerobic circuit. He repeats this action until exhaustion makes it impossible. Elaine stands observing his every movement.

8 EXT. ATHLETICS TRACK. DAY 4

Max lies face down in the mud. His eyes are twitching, Elaine is screaming at him we cannot hear a word.

ELAINE Without feeling this cannot be won.

You are supposed to feel it

9 INT. CHANGING ROOMS. DAY 4

Max is washing himself at the sink. Another athlete walks in and stands alongside.

OTHER ATHLETE (Heavy sigh) I feel like i live

here sometimes

10 EXT. ATHLETICS TRACK. DAY 5

Elaine grips the stopwatch. She doesn’t take her eyes off the Second hand’s inevitable progress Max is running down the final straight. The strain of his effort really telling

(vo)

MAX

Elaine looks down at the stopwatch amazed as Max crosses the line.

ELAINE Again, Do another lap

Max Smiles and without a second thought he sets off again.

As Max crosses the line again Elaine stands mesmerized by the stopwatch.

2.

11 EXT. ATHLETICS TRACK. DAY 7 Elaine arrives at the stadium with two cups of coffee

ELAINE Here you go champ

Max runs. Elaine follows on a bike. Pedalling slowly a few feet behind

ELAINE I want this for you. I want this

for you. Run with the wolves. Go shoot the bear. Hunt like a hound

(vo) Max accelerates away from Elaine

12 INT. CHANGING ROOM. DAY Elaine strokes Max’s hair. Max lies prone on the bench

MAX

Max ELAINE turns to look at MAX

MAX Max is my name

ELAINE smiles, they both return to their original position