Evaluation Question 4

This is a vlog that I recorded to answer this question:



The transcript for the video:

Research

For our research, we had to investigate into each of the genres we were interested in. This was mainly done using brainstorming between groups and garnering inspiration from TV Shows and movies we were watching at home, as well as short films on YouTube and Short of the Week as all these sources had a wide range of products available that allowed us to expand and develop our knowledge on different genres. To jot down ideas, we used Notes on iPhone and Mac so that they were always accessible through iCould. Our favourite ideas took inspiration from the Undateables (which we watched on YouTube), however we had also previously had the idea of using serial killers, so we further researched mockumentaries and dark comedy on these same sites.

We further researched character inspiration using websites such as Wikipedia and a website called Twisted Minds to research serial killers - this helped us to develop our characters and build a character profile that helped when writing the script and designing costumes. To get images of our desired costumes and images of colour wheels with meanings, we used Google Images. All the sites that we used were user friendly and allow us to delve deep in order to expand our knowledge on all areas, such as target audiences and codes and conventions, not just costumes.

For our audience research, I created a survey on SurveyMonkey.com. I then sent this survey to my classmates and friends using Facebook messenger, to my friends overseas using Snapchat and to my older family members using WhatsApp. As SurveyMonkeys freemium model didn’t allow me to analyse the figures per age group or gender, I had to manually do it. I worked out the figures by writing them all down by hand and visualised them using the graph options on Pages on my MacBook.

Planning

From the beginning, I used Blogger to note down everything that I thought or did, so that it displays my continuous thought and work process for every moment of the film. I was able to add photos and videos, and even embed videos and presentations, as well as alter the date so that the work flowed nicely and made sense in terms of what stage of production we were at.

Once we had finalised our idea and were confident in the creation of our characters, we decided to start planning specifics of the film. We first of all used Notes on the group’s Mac - here, we wrote down the plot for the beginning, middle and end of the film using bullet points so that the script was easier to write. We also wrote down tidbits of inspiration, such as puns that we wanted to include or shots that we felt would add to the film. Once this was completed, I wrote the script using a website called Celtx from which I was able to take screenshots of using the screenshotting and cropping feature on my MacBook. Once the script was written, Andrea drew out the storyboard by hand, however we were able to take photos of these using our iPhones so that they were accessible during every point of production.

When scouting locations, we used our iPhones to take photos of possible locations we saw in everyday life and sent them to one another using Facebook Messenger. We also used Google Images and Google Maps to scout other possible locations.

Once we had decided on locations, it was important that we chose the right actors. We first of all tried to contact a local drama group through their website and through email, but got no response. We then tried using a local casting website, ExtrasNI, where we were able to see headshots of possible candidates and we were able to contact them. However, we decided to use two actors from school who study drama A Level as we could trust them & their acting skills, and we contacted them using Facebook Messenger to arrange a date and time for filming. 

Once a date and time was suggested, we wanted to make sure that the weather would hold out as it could not be rainy or windy for the outdoor scenes. To do this, I used the MetOffice app which I know is usually accurate and reliable, and this proved to be successful.

Before filming, we had to make sure that all our props were ready. Firstly, I printed off the recipe using a Laserjet Printer from deliaonline.com. Then, I had to research a non-staining recipe for fake blood. This originally proved to be challenging, however, after thoroughly looking through Google, I managed to find one on instructables.com and I had to order these products through Amazon, as some were very specific. I also ordered a retractable knife on Amazon.

Filming

On the day of filming, we used a Canon EOS 1300D camera with a 32GB Sandisk SD Card to transfer the footage to computers alongside a Zoom H1 Handy Recorder to record the audio incase any dubbing was needed in editing. We also used a Yongnuo YN300-11 Pro LED Video Light for some indoor scenes. On the camera, I used manual focus so that I always had full control over my shots and was able to make sure that every shot looked clean, concise and professional. We also used a tripod for most scenes (except for those that were intentionally handheld shots). The spirit level on the tripod helped us make sure that the shots were taken straight and we were also able to adjust the height based on what we were filming. During filming, we transferred some footage to my MacBook so that we were able to check the shots in better detail, help the actors review their work and also aid the actors in their script e.g. when Cormac had to respond to a conversation on the phone, we played the footage from the other half of the conversation.

We used the voice notes app on an iPhone 8 to record the narration for our film. We recorded it as one continuous voice note and then air dropped it to a Mac where we could chop it into lines that fit into the film.

Editing

For editing, I used Final Cut Pro on a Mac. First off, I used the audition function to decide what clips we did and did not want. From here, we cut all the clips (using the blade function) we selected so that the “actions” and “cuts” and bloopers were not included, and placed them in the order they appear in the film. If there were any shots that hadn’t been filmed yet or had to be refilmed, I used the P key to put in a placeholder for that piece of footage. 

For some shots, for example the shot of the blood, we used the colour board in final cut pro. This allowed us to change the saturation, exposure and more in order to get our desired shot. Some shots needed to be brightened and some needed a certain colour added in so that they flowed well in the film. We also had to crop some images, as a member of the team took some shots that had extra props and scripts lying in the background, and some had to be rotated (particularly those shot outside on uneven ground).

Some of our shots were meant to be handheld, however upon watching them in the film, they didn’t all look professional and clean. To solve this, I used the stabilisation feature in Final Cut in order to stop the shakiness, where it analyses the image to find the dominant motion and applies this to the shot. I also used scaling to zoom and crop images with unnecessary background space or props in them.

Soundtrack

To find royalty free music, we used two websites. The first, Purple Planet, allowed us to search for music by the tone and mood e.g. creepy, upbeat orretro. This was helpful as we knew the mood we wanted to set with our first piece of music, and made it very accessible. The second website, SmartSound, also allowed us to search by mood and genre, and even filtering it so that the results were a blend of two. This made it even more accessible than the first and helped us to find the perfect music to set the tone at the end of our film. This piece of music, however, had watermark audio throughout, so I had to use the Blade and Fading tools in Final Cut Pro to cut them out and blend together the music on either side.

We also edited sound and added in foley at times. Sometimes, we had to dub over certain lines because the shot they went with did not look good. An example is the dinner scene when Poppy speaks - she should be showing her face, however this shot was low quality, so we took the audio and dubbed it over the beginning of the following shot. We also added in an alarm sound from Final Cut and added a telephone effect during the phone scene. For the music, we faded it in and out so that it did not seem too harsh, particularly at the end. For the end music, there was a watermark sound throughout the song, so I had to cut this out and edit the music using fading and the blade tool to make sure it didn’t seem too jumpy. There are some points when we also needed to add static noise from another shot so that the transition from the previous shot’s audio wasn’t unnatural.

Ancillary Texts

For the construction of my magazine review, I used Adobe InDesign. I had never used InDesign before, so I had to watch beginner’s tutorials on YouTube and Google some questions about certain features, as well as using a preset magazine template in the programme. I added text boxes and images that wrapped around the main body of text, and that I could add effects such as a drop shadow on to so that they stood out. I also added a solid black image over the top of all the layers and reduced its transparency in order to darken the entire spread.

Once I had gained experience and knowledge in this programme, I was able to competently use it to its full extent, with knowledge of all shortcuts and features. Because of this, I decided to also use it to design my poster. In both instances, I had to create many layers, navigating around them using the keys on my computer, that merged down to create a JPEG image. I then used AirDrop and social media to send this JPEG image to friends and family to get their feedback.

For the main image of the poster, we used an iPhone 8 Camera and the torch of another iPhone 8, so that we could utilise 3D touch, allowing us to alter the brightness. We then edited this image firstly using iPhoto to alter the brightness, saturation etc., then on FaceTune, which allowed us to alter the colours in the photo I.e. making the red deeper and the desk darker.

For our fonts, we knew that we wanted magazine cut-out letters. We used Google and searched “ransom note fonts” and found a website called 1001fonts.com, where we were able to find many different options. We screenshotted and cropped these options using the Ctrl Shift 4 option on Mac and layered them on the poster to see what looked best. For the credits, we used a preset font, “Copperplate” on Adobe InDesign and then changed the height, width and line spacing of the letters to make it look more conventional.

Evaluation

Emaze - I found this easy to use, with interesting and modern layouts to make the presentation look professional.

Prezi - Prezi had interesting layouts and allowed for a lot of information, however it proved difficult to use at times. One benefit was that it made it easy to structure answers into different sections, making them clear and concise.

Keynote - Keynote is like Microsoft Powerpoint  and offers many different styles, however I found it to be quite mundane and boring to watch so I decided to pair it with QuickTime Video to record and narrate the presentation, uploading it to YouTube.

Photo Booth - I used Apple Photo Booth to record myself speaking part of my evaluation as a blog, editing it in iMovie where I was able to add graphics to support what I was saying and add titles to structure my answer.