Editing

Our editing has run very smoothly with only minor problems.  I think because we had already made an animatic and test sequence for the project it has made it alot easier as we already know the structure of the edit.  We have finalised our music selection, chosing Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.  The first half uses the original music to suit its slow pace.  However the moonlight sonata piece picks up a customised version by Es Posthumus, which suits the fast pace of the sequence.  We have also finalised the style of our titles however when I tried importing them into Adobe Premiere Pro they became pixelated, but our technician should have a fix for this some time soon!

Final shoot reflections

I believe that our final shoot went really well.  We managed to get all of our shots done by the end of shoot, although it really was a rush towards the end of the day.  I think this time we were alot more confident about how we wanted the day to plan out.  We filmed all the kitchen shots first, so that for lunch we could air out the kitchen for the cigar smoke so Francis' parents didn't get too cross!  We then shot all the living room shots within an hour so we were really low on time, but in the end it turned out ok.  Time for editing!

Final Shoot

From our test shoot I've learnt that the use of lighting will be essential.  Our shots are far too grain in the test and so we will need to hire out the lighting equipment and learn how to use it effectively.  We have aloso decided to completely scrap the phone call from the opening as we feel it doesn't add anything particualrly interesting to the sequence.  I think this will allow us to use more shots at the beginning of the sequence, creating more enigma and suspense for the audience.  It will also allow us to slow the first part of the sequence down so that there is even more contrast between the pace of the sequence at the start, to the fast pace after the assassination at the end.

I also hope that we could add some more iconography such as cigarsor cigarettes and possibly an older more classic briefcase you can see im movies such as The Godfather to add tradition and conventions of our genre.   I think cigars would improve the mise en scene of our shots, with the fog of smoke lightly adding to the cold background.

A more suited briefcase of maybe brown or black leather would certainly add class to the shot, making our character look rugged yet sophisticated, heightening his importance.

Test Shoot- Reflections

I believe that our test shoot went well.  We managed to shoot all of our shots bar two; the money in briefcase CU and the pulling off of the gloves CU.  This was because we simply forgot the props needed for these shots.  The test shoot brought up alot of things that we need to think about.  We need to ensure that we bring all the necessary props to the shoot and even make a props list so we do not forget any we need.  Our main problem however was that we struggled lighting our sets and our shots were grainy, so for our real shoot we need to learn how to light effectively for the sequence.  Also, although Tasha finally pulled of a goodfocus pull, we may need a more prominent one to be effective as a shot, and so more research and advice from Chris will be needed for the final shoot.

Animatic Reflections- Joint Commentary

First Shoot 5/2/12 : Snow!

Unfortunately  our scheduled shoot on Sunday had to be cancelled due to the heavy snowfall on Saturday night, and so it wasn't possible to travel to Potters Bar to do the shoot.  We have spoken with Mrs Blackborow about when we could do our second test shoot and have decided to do it on Sunday 19th February at the end of half term.  Although this will be doable, it falls just two days after we return from L.A. on our media trip, and so I assume we will be tired through the shoot.

Update

We recieved our green light after making several changes to our initial proposal.  We firstly clarified our plot, making sure that our opening sequence was presented thoroughly, including specific shots we would like to use. We also talked about the practicalities of our sequence, for instance the use of props such as the gun and how we would need to research the post production editing of a gun shot and the special effects make up on set for a head wound. 

After our pitch, we adressed the issue of our script.  Francis made an initial script to use as a template so we could build upon it.  Chris, our media technician read the script, and knowing what direction we wanted to go with it, wrote us a revised script with all the technical language you would expect to hear in our type of film, which we were very grateful for.  The revised script is posted on our group blog. 

We are now completing our animatic, and I have been working in the edit suite putting all our shots in order, whilst also choosing a suitable soundtrack that wasn't copyrighted and creating the titles consisting of our institutional information.

Proposal feedback: Individual reflections

Year 12 film pitch feedback group 2

Individual Reflections

I believe that institutionally we were successful in choosing a distribution company that suits our film as Miramax distribute stylised/indie films, and even distributed one of our main inspirations Kill Bill.  I think that the concept for our film is a good one as it targets both genders at a wide age range between 15-30 (primary audience).  However, in regards to our opening sequence presentation I believe that we were too brief and unclear as to what actually happens in our seqquence, and things that we had previously discarded were brought up as current ideas which further made our presentation unclear, such as the use of our male characters family.  Initially we were going to show his wife and child leaving the house but decided against it.  However we did not chage this on our initial treatment and so it was brought up by Miss blackborow, which then highlighted our lack of preparation.  We also had no evidence of research into our gun sounds and effects needed for this shot which was is a key shot in our opening.
   Having said that I believe I presented ok on the inspirations of The Bourne Trilogy and Casino Royale and how we could incorporate ideas from them and use them in our sequence.
  I wasn't surprised when Ms Blackborow and Mr Bayliss didn't give us a green light right away as there's still alot that we had to think about regarding our sequence, and it gave us time to think about the suggestions and criticisms that were brought up in our presention and how we could improve/resolve any problems.

Film/Opening sequence Inspiration

I think this Bourne Supremacy clip is good inspiration for our film as it is set in a domestic environment where Bourne and the other asset incorporate household objects into their fight sequence.  Also I do like the pace of the sequence; it starts off quite slow to suggest that there is little threat against Bourne and builds the tension of the situation for the audience. However the pace then quickens to suit the action of the fight sequence. The sequence presents the level of sophistication and proffessionalism of the characters which I'd hope to emulate for our opening sequence.


Similiarly with this Kill Bill: Volume 1 sequence, the fight sequence is also domesticated.  The use of household objects such as the frying pan and wooden table legs are smartly used to create an untypical environment for two assassins to fight in.  In contrast to the Bourne sequence, the action is much more rough and bloody, and the characters aren't sophisticated but are ruthless and use any means possible to try and injure eachother.