meganwyrillfilmtv17.files.wordpress.com · web viewunit 10 – engaging with and audience in ....

Canterbury College

Level 3 Extended Diploma

Creative Media Production and Technology

Unit 9 – Characteristics and Contexts in

Media and Communication

And

Unit 10 – Engaging with and Audience in

Creative Media Production

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 - Contextual Study – Week 1...............................................................................5

Reflective Log................................................................................................................................9

Chapter 2 - Own Choice Contextual Study – Week 2........................................................11

Reflective Log..............................................................................................................................11

Chapter 3 - Copy Transform Combine Scene 1 – Week 3................................................12

Reflective Log..............................................................................................................................12

Chapter 4 – Characteristics Analytical Study– Week 4....................................................13

Reflective Log..............................................................................................................................13

Chapter 5 - Copy Transform Combine Scene 2 – Week 5................................................14

Reflective Log..............................................................................................................................14

Chapter 6 - Target Audience Study – Week 7....................................................................15

Reflective Log..............................................................................................................................15

Chapter 7 – Students Choice for Target Audience Study – Week 8................................16

Reflective Log..............................................................................................................................16

Chapter 8 - Copy Transform Combine Scene 3 - Week 9.................................................17

Reflective Log..............................................................................................................................17

Chapter 9 – Final Scene Production – week 10-13............................................................18

Presentation of Initial Idea........................................................................................................18

Research.......................................................................................................................................18

Planning........................................................................................................................................18

Presentation of Research and Planning...............................................................................18

Production....................................................................................................................................18

Post-Production..........................................................................................................................18

Evaluation.....................................................................................................................................18

Reflective Logs – one for each week.....................................................................................18

Advanced Production Skills................................................................................................19

Reflective Logs – one for each week.....................................................................................19

Table of Figures...................................................................................................................21

Chapter 1 - Contextual Study – Week 1

The Game {2014} – BBC One

Figure 1 - The game replicate 1 – BBC // Own work

This shot could have been more accurate with less fill light on the right of the subject’s face. The framing is almost accurate, but could have been a bit closer. At the beginning of this scene, there is a lot more light illuminating this character, focussing more of the audience’s attention on him and consequently giving him more power.

Figure 2 - The Game Replicate 2 – BBC // Own Work

The lighting on this shot is quite accurate (Dark with a bit more light coming from the right) and the framing is very similar. This character

Figure 3 - The Game Replicate 3 – BBC // Own work

This shot could have been illuminated more from the front (more key light) and framed closer to the subject, however I think the back lighting turned out quite well.


The action in this shot is well replicated, but similar to the previous shot of this character, there could have been less fill light on the right to make it more accurate.


This shot is quite accurately framed; the lighting is almost replicated but could have been slightly softer on the right.


The framing of this over the shoulder shot is quite accurate but the light coming from behind the camera could have been a bit softer to make the character on the left a bit darker.


The framing of this shot could have been slightly closer but is still quite accurate. The lighting is still the same as the other shots of this character, the fill light should have been softer to create more shadows.


This shot is slightly too dark but is framed quite well. With slightly more key light on the right and more back light for more outline definition, this shot would have been better replicated.


This shot should have been more face-on with the character but the lighting is more accurate than the past shot. However, more key light from the front could have helped.


This shot could have been framed closer and from a lower angle. The lighting is more accurate here.


This shot is framed quite well but the key light on the right could have been softer and placed more behind the character.


This shot is framed quite accurately but could have been from a slightly higher angle and with a softer/ warmer key light. The backlight could have been warmer but still gives the subject enough definition. The slight low angle shot emphasises the character looking up at the other, given an impression of belittlement, which strongly contrasts to the connotation behind lighting and framing at the beginning of the scene.

Broadchurch {2013} Ep. 1 (Broadchurch, 2013)

Broadchurch is a Television series originally broadcast on ITV 1 in 2013. Written by Chris Chibnall and starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman, the ‘Whodunit’ series set in a fictional town on the coast of Dorset, follows the investigation of a young boy, Danny Latimer, whose body was found on the beach.

Personal Context

Chris Chibnall, living in a small town in Dorset, has a deep understanding for the sense of innocence and calm that comes from a seaside town, allowing him to accurately and quite morbidly put that up against the horror of a child murder case. (Anon., 2015) Chris Chibnall was starting to gain popularity for his screenwriting, much like David Tennant, who after his role as Dr. Who from 2008-2010 gained a large fan base. With two well-known names working on this programme, plus the fact the production value was particularly high due to the working with ITV and Kudos, it’s not much of a surprise that this show gained recognition so promptly.

‘The Teddy Bear Scene’

This scene shows to a full extent the location in which the kidnapping has taken place and seeing the police investigation set up clashing with the otherwise serene beach landscape, is one of the first times the contrast between the setting and the subject matter clash, putting into perspective the horror of this case. The fact there are also a particularly large number of tourists enjoying the sunny seaside despite the incident also makes this scene particularly morbid.

Political context

This episode and the show in general shines a light on how difficult it is for the police to work on a child kidnapping/murder case. Not only do they have the livelihoods of both the victim and the victim’s parents in their hands, but they also must keep on top of the media, fake news, and the fear felt by the locals. This scene shows one of the investigators on this case struggling emotionally with the horror of working on not only a very sad case, but one very personal to her. The show certainly humanises the investigators and highlights the emotional pressure cases like these can put them under.

Social Context

This scene is also the first time that Broadchurch highlights the issue of social media and media exploitation. Olly Stevens, the local budding media reporter, is seen exploiting this trust and close-knit community, by using the fact he recognised the victim’s sister to leak information on the case to a larger media company. This is the point at which ‘Danny Latimer’ became less of a victim of an awful crime and more a face of a media story, used for the media’s gain. This is just the start of a running theme throughout Broadchurch that very much paints the media as a destructive force. This theme was most definitely covered by the writers due to the ongoing social issue of media exploitation and the rise in ‘fake news’ due to sites such as

Figure 13 - Broadchurch beach shot - BBC

Figure 14 - Broadchurch Car shot - BBC

Figure 15 - Broadchurch Twitter Shot - BBC

‘Twitter’. The evil nature of the media in this episode is put directly up against the theme of innocence and childhood, specifically with the use of the teddy bear.

Historical Context

This show was written amid the Madeleine McCann investigation, meaning the horrific idea of child kidnapping was very fresh in a lot of the publics’ minds. However, this show highlights yet another social issue, recognised off the back of the madeleine McCann investigation. The kidnapping victim of the show was an 11-year-old boy, which tackles the issue of mainly young, middle class female victims getting more media coverage to catch a reader’s attention. This issue can be shown directly with 2 real cases from the early 2000’s, Madeleine McCann’s case and Shannon Mathews’ case. Madeleine came from a very middle class background with parents in well-respected jobs, Unlike Shannon who was raised on a council estate with a less wealthy background. (Greenslade, 2008) There were also many more home photos and videos of madeleine, for the media to use and exploit, than there were of Shannon. Both factors, plus others regarding Shannon’s less fortunate background, have been put to blame for Shannon not getting anywhere near as much media recognition or help as Madeleine received. The Madeleine McCann case also got a lot of, both negative a positive, media engagement, like that of Danny Latimer.

Reflective Log

This week the expansion of my knowledge on context and understanding the reasoning behind a filmmaker’s choices, has helped me to think deeper into the different ways I can portray a strong social message with my work. I also feel I now have a greater understanding of why the framing and lighting of shots is important to the context of a show and how to take certain ideas from a show or film and use them in my own work.

Chapter 2 - Own Choice Contextual Study – Week 2

3 Point lightingThis practical task involves us recreating the 3-point lighting technique to light our own subject in a selection of

photos. We also then sourced a shot from a film or TV show of our choice and recreated the use of 3-point lighting, in said shot, ourselves.

Figure 16 - 3-point lighting set up - Self Produced

The image above shows the 3-point lighting set up for the following shots. We used white light diffusers to soften the light slightly and had the key light and backlight as the strongest sources.

Figure 17 - 3-point lighting - self produced

This shot is illuminated with all 3 lights. The light is harsher on the left side of this face (The side of the key light) but is still clearly lit on the right (The side of the fill light). You can also clearly see the outline of the subject’s shoulders, due to the backlight.

Camera tripod

Key light

Fill light

BacklightSubject

Figure 18 - Fill light only - Self produced

This shot is illuminated by just the fill light on its own. Very little can be seen of the subject’s face, apart from a slightly brighter area on his right (The side of the fill light). There is no depth or outline of the subject either.

Figure 19 - Back light only - Self produced

This shot is only lit by the backlight, which has given a strong outline of his shoulders on the right side of his body (due to the direction and placement of the backlight) and a small coverage of harsh light on the ride side of his face (Also due to the placement of the backlight).

Figure 20 - Back and key light - Self produced

This shot is lit only by the backlight and key light. In comparison to just the backlight, slightly more of the subject’s face has been illuminated in this shot. The contrast between the light and the shadows is still very strong.

Figure 21 - Key and fill light - Self Produced

This shot is illuminated with just the key light and fill light. This has resulted in the key light strongly illuminating the left of his face and the key light slightly illuminating the right of his face. The lack of backlight has resulted in his shoulders merging into the background, with no solid definition around him.

Figure 22 - key light only - Self produced

This shot is only illuminated by the key light. In comparison to the previous shot, the lack of fill light has resulted in even more of the right side of the subject’s face being lost / merging with the background. It has also meant the shadows have become stronger and there is a greater contrast between light and dark. The effect of the lack of backlight is the same as the previous shot.

‘Copy, transform and combine’ – Recreating a shot using the 3-point lighting techniques.

I chose to recreate this shot from the film Baby Driver as I thought the lighting used to illuminate the subject (Baby played by Ansel Elgort) is illuminated in an interesting way, with an identifiable key light, fill light and backlight.

Figure 23 - Baby Driver shot (Baby Driver, 2017)

Figure 24 - Baby driver recreation - Self produced Figure 25 - Baby Driver comparison - TriStar Pictures

In my recreation of this shot, I think I vaguely replicated the shadows on the left side of the subject’s face. However, I think the key light should have been harsher and covered with a white diffuser instead of an orange on. I set the backlight up from the same direction and I think it replicated the defining but subtle effect that is shown in the ‘Baby Driver’ shot.

After this practical task, I feel I have definitely furthered my understanding of each light in the 3 point lighting technique and how the direction and level of diffusion can change both the mood of the picture and the definition of the subject. Recreating a shot from a film of my choice also allowed me to thing into more detail as to how films use the 3-point lighting technique and how I can recreate this in my own work.

Backlight – Diffused, Very soft light.

Fill light – Soft

(Reflector?)

Key light - Harsh

Sherlock / Series 1 / Episode 1 (Sherlock, 2010-2018)

Production

The main production team working on this show were Hartswood films along with BBC Wales and Masterpiece Theatre. The show was then initially distributed by BBC worldwide on British Television (BBC One). (Anon., n.d.) The show stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as John Watson. Martin Freeman had been cast in many successful British films and TV shows, Including the BBC’s ‘The Office’ in the years prior to the production of Sherlock. This made him a particularly high profile British actor and would be a recognisable face to the initial viewers of Sherlock, possibly increasing the number of viewers keen to see the new show. Benedict, on the other hand, had not been in the public eye as much as Martin Freeman, apart from a few small British Soaps but managed to gain a surge in popularity after the show aired. (IMDb, n.d.)

Personal

The writer of this show, Mark Gatiss, was a known writer in the BBC having written episodes of Dr. Who in the years running up to Sherlock. He also had a history of acting, hence his role as Mycroft (Sherlock’s Brother) in the series. Mark Gatiss has previously talked of his love for the original Sherlock Holmes novels, By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, growing up (Deacon, 2010). This love and appreciation for the original novels would go on to aid his understanding and enthusiasm when it came to not only playing one of the characters, but writing the modern-day adaptation.

Social

The opening scene to this episode introduces John Watson and a detailed depiction of his struggle with PTSD and general everyday life having returned from war in Afghanistan. This is a running theme throughout the first episode as John continues to struggle with a psychosomatic leg injury, after getting shot in battle. PTSD is a social issue that often goes untalked about/ undocumented in media despite being common due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The opening scene of this episode also sets up the background to the case that would be covered throughout the case. The investigation covers a string of suicides that turn out to be the work of a serial killer, who would force victims to self-administer a poison. The media were shown not to care as much about the case until it was suggested by the police that the suicides may be linked, suggesting they were the work of a serial killer. This suggests the media were portrayed to only want a story that is going to scare and subsequently going to interest the audience. On the subject of the media portrayal in this episode, like that of Broadchurch, the police and investigators are shown to be ‘treading on eggshells; around the press in hopes not to give them any way in which to twist their words and spread fake news – Representing a very realistic and relevant issue in society today.

Political

Figure 26 - John Watson ep. 1 - Sherlock - BBC

Figure 27 - Media in Sherlock ep. 1 - BBC

Figure 28 - Police comment 1 - Sherlock - BBC

The show is set in London, both because of the original books and because Sherlock’s character is portrayed as being constantly at the heart of the most horrific crime investigations, and people would naturally relate such a thing with a major city like London. The portrayal of the police in this episode and the show in general is not great, possibly as a way of heightening the power of Sherlock and to show how much he is needed to help solve these crimes. For example, when Sherlock explains his job to John he says “When the police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me”. This automatically paints the police force as particularly useless compared to Sherlock. In later episodes, this theme is also shown when Sherlock refuses to call the police for backup even in the most dangerous of situations, continuing the degrading of the police force throughout the series.

Reflective Log Having completed the tasks for this week, I feel I have a much stronger understanding of how to use the 3 point lighting technique efficiently and how I can take inspiration from the way current films are lit to form my own creative work. I also feel I have furthered my understanding of context having analysed a TV show of my choice, and can identify the things that creators have taken from current society and politics, as well as past experiences and their own personal lives, to bring the film/show together.

PEER REVIEW: After reading through your 3 point lighting task it is evident from the work you have produced that you have furthered your knowledge in this particular field. I particularly liked how after taking your self-produced pictures you knew instantly what worked and didn’t. In addition to this, the photographs that have been taken are of a high standard. After assessing the work you have completed on the television show Sherlock I can see that a lot of research has been conducted, I particularly liked the amount of detailed added to the social aspect of the Sherlock report.

Figure 29 - Police comment 2 - Sherlock - BBC

Chapter 3 - Copy Transform Combine Scene 1 – Week 3The aim of this task was to, with our understanding of contextualisation in mind, take certain elements of a scene of our choice and produce our own scene. This allowed us to consider the shots and framing of a scene and use such techniques in our own work, a practice that will help us develop our own creative projects in the future. We were given a few instructions to abide by to give context to the production of the scene as well as get us used to working for a client.

My shooting Script –

My storyboard -

Figure 30 - My CTC Scene - Storyboard

Evaluation

Figure 31 – My CTC video // Captures

https://youtu.be/l7Sk-xMc0N4

Contextualisation of my scene.

The first contextual element of this video was the lack of time we had to create it. We were given 3 days to plan, film and edit our scene as well as help others with the production of their scene. This effected the result because I didn’t have a lot of time to play around with different lighting set ups, framing and other areas of production. I also didn’t have time to reshoot scenes that didn’t turn out as I wanted or scenes that I had missed. However, this did force me to get used to working under pressure and within a small timespan, and overall was a strong learning curve. I think this was the most important piece of contextual information as it was the reason behind a lot of the changes I would make to improve this scene and has strongly affected the end result.

Another element was the difficulty filming in a lab, like the original scene, so I decided to create more of a ‘living room’ set up.

Figure 32 - My CTC Video - Background distractions

However, I think I should have filmed it somewhere different as the TV studio had things in the background, such as the ladder shown in the shot above, and generally didn’t feel like a ‘living room’. Although, filming in the TV Studio did allow me to practice working with the lights and in trying to somewhat build a set which, again, resulted in a strong learning curve.

https://youtu.be/l7Sk-xMc0N4

Copy, Transform and Combine.

I transformed this scene by changing one character to a female, Changing the set from a lab / work environment to a living room / homely environment. The changing of one character to female was with the intention to diversify the cast a little more as well as make it slightly different to usual by having a female war veteran. This was the main reason I wanted to keep the dialogue the same, to highlight the background of this character. I think this was quite successful and portrayed the message I set out to portray.

The original scene from Sherlock was set in a lab, with very white quite clinical lighting. To change this into a homelier setting I used orange lights to give a warmer feel to the scene and didn’t many harsh shadows or pools of light. I also had the main character sitting down at a small table, as opposed to standing at a desk, reading a book. I think I was quite successful in the use of lighting as I do think it created a warmer atmosphere, but I think the set building could have been a lot stronger had I planned it more.

Figure 33 - My CTC Video - Establishing Shots

Another personal transformation of this scene was the addition of 2 establishing shots at the beginning of the scene. I did this as I felt it set the tone of the location more and highlighted the fact that this was taking place in a homely environment. I liked this addition to the scene and think I was successful in what I set out to do (Set the mood of the location).

Generally, I think the result of this video would have been a lot stronger if I had spent more time on the planning of it. Despite having a storyboard and shooting script complete, I didn’t dedicate enough time to working out the logistics of the filming and how I would attempt to make it more my own. I think I should have changed the script to have it make more sense, as I think I was quite closed minded when It came to changing the actions taking place in the scene.

Figure 34 - My CTC Scene – Use of Framing

I do like the fact I used a selection of shot types that I otherwise would have used in my own work, and I have certainly taken a lot from the framing used. I also think the match on action shots I used in this scene worked well and were visually very interesting, making me more inclined to use this in my future work.

Figure 35 - My CTC Scene - Lighting improvements

I think I could have improved the lighting by making sure “Joan Watson” wasn’t so dimly lit.

Conclusion

Overall I think this task has broadened my creative outlook on how a simple dialogue scene can be produced in a visually interesting way. I have also gained a greater understanding for how context can affect a scene and how much of an impact the changing of framing and shot types on the cinematics of a scene. I also had a chance to advance skills in set design, lighting and directing, all of which I believe will greatly help me improve my future practical projects.

Peer Feedback (practical video):

I like the way you’ve planned each shot, changing angles but keeping continuity is a strong point that you achieved.

How you had one character on focus and another in the background was an interesting choice of framing that adds detail to the screen.

In the shot where the other friend goes to sit down on the chair the shot cuts so quickly that you don’t see the person sit down on that chair, so maybe you could’ve extended the shot more so that it doesn’t immediately cut to the next person.

I like how the room in the scene looks mysterious, with the shadows especially as it creates a different tone than just a lit-up room with three people.

As well using the over the shoulder shots is a great use of framing.

Reflective LogAlthough I found the time restraints quite stressful during this task, I think it was a good way to get used to the restraints of working in the industry and working to strict deadlines. I think I have gained a lot of creative inspiration from this task and it has not only made me more confident in creating a more interesting cinematic image, but has also made me more enthusiastic and excited to use what I have learnt in my own projects. I also developed my directing skills and think I coped better, under the pressure of directing a scene, than I thought I would. Overall, I have a very positive outlook on the things I have learnt this week and look forward to using them in my future work.

Chapter 4 – Characteristics Analytical Study– Week 4

Green Screening / Chroma Keying:

This week our aim was to experiment and become familiar with the use of green screening or Chroma Keying. This involved us working in groups to collect both background and green screen footage and then individually editing together the footage and Chroma-Keying the green screen out. This task involved using our knowledge in lighting, framing and sound as well as developing skills in Green screening and further working with Avid.

Stages of Green Screening:

We then recorded the green screen footage. This is what would be layered over the pre-recorded background footage and keyed out, in editing. We had to make sure the green screen was evenly lit and was not shadowy in patches, so that the screen was all one colour.

Figure 38 - Green Screen Footage

We didn’t want the edge of the subject to be cut straight as it would look less natural, so we wrapped a green sheet over his shoulders to soften the edges around him. However, this meant trying to get rid of as many creases in the sheet as possible to minimise shadows, which did come as a slight difficulty.

Figure 37 - Green Screen Set Up Figure 36 - Green Screen Set Up 2

Figure 39 - Alpha Mode

Once loaded into avid, I began to edit out the green background. This was done using the spectra Matte effect under ‘key’ in the effects pallet. The background colour could be selected and removed using the colour dropper, found after clicking on the small green square shown in the box above. Then, selecting the Show Alpha tick box highlighted in greater detail the areas that had been cut out but changing the image to black and white, black being the removed areas and white being the areas still shown. This then allowed me to adjust the areas, which were being cut out, more effectively.

Figure 40 - Green Screen Final Product

This figure shows the result after layering the green screen footage on top of the background footage and Chroma-keying out the green screen. I also lowered the green screen layer slightly so that it blended with the background a bit more.

I have used green screening in Avid for my previous end of year project so am somewhat familiar with how the Chroma key tool is used, however I have strongly benefitted from the lecturer input on how to use green screens more effectively and the general practice. I feel I have become more confident using the green screen and the experimentation done this week has expanded my skills.

Characteristics

Many genres of film and television have key features and characteristics that make them recognisable and allow media products to be categorised. Sitcoms, derived from the term ‘Situational Comedies’, have many recognisable characteristics such as;

30 minutes long 6 episodes per series Laughter track (Canned Laughter) – Initially used to encourage the audience to laugh. Relatable experiences – Creating storylines around situations that are somewhat relatable to the audience Comedy normality – Creating comedy from every day, otherwise normal, situations.

As sitcoms have evolved some of these features have either changed or been left behind entirely. For example, Modern Family doesn’t use canned laughter at all in the show and each episode is only 21-22 minutes long but is still considered a Sit-Com due to the comedy used and the general flow of the series.

Sit-Com Humour:

Running Jokes – Jokes that are carried on throughout the series make each episode feel more connected to the next and can help develop ongoing themes. For example, the fact that Cameron (Mitchell Pritchett’s husband and the main family’s uncle) is always trying to get involved in things, often going over the top and causing more problems.

Inside Jokes – Jokes that are kept between the characters, which helps develop the relationships between them as the series progresses and, similar to running jokes, help connect each episode to the next. For example, the ongoing joke between Claire Dunphy and Mitchell Pritchett (The older siblings of the show) are often making jokes about their dads second wife, Gloria Pritchett is a ‘gold-digger’ for marrying their dad.

One-Liners – This is often used in sitcoms as it is a way of making the audience laugh, through speech, that is more situational. For example, Phil Dunphy is known for his one-liners throughout the show as he says the strangest and most amusing things during the interview scenes.

Catch Phrases – Catch phrases, as demonstrated by the 3 above, is a comedy technique that can link the episodes and develop a character. Many sitcoms have become recognisable by a characters catch phrase and can make a good sitcom/sitcom character more iconic.

Character Archetypes:

Sit-Coms characters often follow a list of personality types as illustrated below:

Character Type ‘Modern Family’ example Key characteristics The rebel

Haley Figure 41 - Modern Family Haley

Thinks they can do whatever they want and get away with it.Believes they are above those around them – Haley often talks down to her siblings.

The Innocent

Luke Figure 42 - Modern Family Luke

“sweet and loveable”Naïve but still trustworthy and caring.Luke is often left out of jokes and would make silly mistakes simply down to his innocent nature.

The Buffoon

Phil Figure 43 - Modern Family Phil

Not unintelligent but have an amusingly inaccurate view of life.Does silly things in a serious nature.Phil often expresses ideas that are completely absurd but wants to be taken seriously.

The Cynic

Claire Figure 44 - Modern Family Claire

Can often be quite pessimistic but very strong and invested in their lives.Claire is a strong headed business woman and realist who takes life in general quite seriously.

The Smart One

Alex Figure 45 - Modern Family Alex

Highly intelligent but often lack social skills.Alex is very smart and is often left frustrated by her family’s lack of understanding for things she perceives as simple, but is simultaneously very socially awkward.

The Player

Manny Figure 46 - Modern Family Manny

Life revolves around girls/boys. Generally, quite bold characters.A running theme through this series is Manny’s constant but bold attempts at getting girls.

Reflective Log This week I believe I have become more confident in the use of green screening and Chroma keying techniques. In my last project, I wasn’t very confident in my use of green screening so u was happy to be advancing my skills in this area with the task this week. Learning about how characteristics can help categorise a media product as well as make certain features of a show recognisable has advanced my understanding of the copy, transform and combine concept.

Chapter 5 - Copy Transform Combine Scene 2 – Week 5

My video: https://youtu.be/Q5ViTzOXoYs

Context:

We had a deadline set to have all of the filming and editing done in 5 days. I didn’t struggle as much with this task, in comparison to the first copy, transform and combine task, as we had more time and were planning and filming in small groups rather than trying to create our own individual scene.

For this task we were told we could not use dialogue or large amounts of sound and had to try and tell a story visually rather than with speech. This came as a slight challenge as we had to think about how to show the emotions and story through visual elements such as; Facial Expressions, Shot Types, Body Language and Framing. However, I think being forced to think about the visual elements helped us to experiment with different ways of telling the story as well as creating something more visually interesting. I think this was the most significant piece of context as it completely shaped the way in which we could tell the story.

Inspiration (Copy, Transform and Combine):

The starting point of our project was the ‘Strudel Scene’ from ‘Inglourious Basterds’ (Tarantino, 2009).

The extreme close ups of the food and how the portray the discomfort felt by the female character inspired us in our own work and sparked the idea of using eating to make someone uncomfortable, plus trying to portray this visually.

The difference in energy in this scene inspired the difference between our two characters, having one eating quite confidently and the other very visibly uncomfortable.

https://youtu.be/Q5ViTzOXoYs

Experimentation:

Position and Shot Types

We wanted to know which positioning of the characters would be more awkward and portray the most discomfort. We tried shots of the characters sitting next to each other and opposite each other to see which one was more awkward. We decided to go for placing the characters next to each other as the personal space invasion of the character on the left made for a more uncomfortable shot.

Location

We wanted to experiment with the areas outside that we should sit at. We ended up choosing the bench under the tree (In figure 51) because we preferred the the shot background and colours in this area. There were also more benches in a closer proxemity which would help with the establishing shots, which were quite important to the story.

Framing

We also experimented with framing. We found that if the shot had more space around the characters it felt a lot less uncomfortably claustrophobic and generally less awkward, so we made sure to frame this shot at a closer range.

Review of the final cut:

I think the range of shots we used made the video more visually interesting and told the story quite effectively, however the broad range of shot types caused a few continuity issues due to the fact we were changing the camera placement often and didn’t do a proper shooting script. Despite the colourings of the shots and the location being quite nice, some of the shots were a little over-exposed and the lighting / exposure wasn’t always consistent from shot to shot. Generally I am quite happy with the way our video turned out and I think we worked well as a team to bring together our ideas.

Reflective Log

This week I developed my skills in visual storytelling and using a broader range of shot types and framing. I also was inspired by the way we formed a story independently from as little as an a few shots in a well-known feature film. I feel I have greater developed my understanding for the copy, transform and combine ideas and why it is so important to be inspired by existing media products in order to create our own work.

Chapter 6 - Target Audience Study – Week 7Reflective Log

Chapter 7 – Students Choice for Target Audience Study – Week 8 Reflective Log

Chapter 8 - Copy Transform Combine Scene 3 - Week 9Reflective Log

Chapter 9 – Final Scene Production – week 10-13Presentation of Initial IdeaResearch PlanningPresentation of Research and PlanningProduction Post-ProductionEvaluationReflective Logs – one for each week

Advanced Production Skills Reflective Logs – one for each week

BibliographyAnon., 2015. Chris Chibnall - Before and After Broadchurch. [Online] Available at: http://www.marshwoodvale.com/arts/2015/12/chris-chibnall-before-and-after-broadchurch/[Accessed 18 September 2018].

Anon., n.d. [Online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1475582/[Accessed 25 Sept 2018].

Anon., n.d. IMDb/Sherlock. [Online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1475582/[Accessed 25 Sept 2018].

Baby Driver. 2017. [Film] Directed by Edgar Wright. US: s.n.

B, J., 1990. Cats and Dogs. First ed. London: Fred.

Blackman, J., 2016. Cats Rule. First ed. New York: Routledge.

Broadchurch. 2013. [Film] UK: Kudos film.

Deacon, M., 2010. Mark Gatiss - The Journey Of A Geek Made Good. [Online] Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8067325/Mark-Gatiss-the-journey-of-a-geek-made-good.html[Accessed 25 Sept 2018].

Greenslade, R., 2008. Shannon Mathews Kidnap. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2008/mar/05/whyismissingshannonnotget[Accessed 18 September 2018].

IMDb, n.d. IMDb/BenedictCumberbatch. [Online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1212722/?ref_=nv_sr_1[Accessed 25 Sept 2018].

Sherlock. 2010-2018. [Film] UK: BBC.

Table of FiguresFigure 1 - The game replicate 1 – BBC // Own work........................................................................................................4

Figure 2 - The Game Replicate 2 – BBC // Own Work......................................................................................................4

Figure 3 - The Game Replicate 3 – BBC // Own work......................................................................................................4







Figure 10 - The Game Replicate 10 – BBC // Own work..................................................................................................7



Figure 13 - Broadchurch beach shot - BBC......................................................................................................................8

Figure 14 - Broadchurch Car shot - BBC...........................................................................................................................8

Figure 15 - Broadchurch Twitter Shot - BBC....................................................................................................................8

Figure 16 - 3-point lighting set up - Self Produced........................................................................................................10

Figure 17 - 3-point lighting - self produced...................................................................................................................10

Figure 18 - Fill light only - Self produced.......................................................................................................................11

Figure 19 - Back light only - Self produced....................................................................................................................11

Figure 20 - Back and key light - Self produced...............................................................................................................11

Figure 21 - Key and fill light - Self Produced..................................................................................................................12

Figure 22 - key light only - Self produced......................................................................................................................12

Figure 23 - Baby Driver shot (Baby Driver, 2017)..........................................................................................................13

Figure 24 - Baby driver recreation - Self produced Figure 25 - Baby Driver comparison - TriStar Pictures......................................................................................................................................................................................13

Figure 26 - Police comment 1 - Sherlock - BBC..............................................................................................................14

Figure 27 - Media in Sherlock ep. 1 - BBC......................................................................................................................14

Figure 28 - John Watson ep. 1 - Sherlock - BBC.............................................................................................................14

Figure 29 - Police comment 2 - Sherlock - BBC..............................................................................................................15

Figure 30 - My CTC Scene - Storyboard.........................................................................................................................17

Figure 31 – My CTC video // Captures...........................................................................................................................18

Figure 32 - My CTC Video - Background distractions.....................................................................................................18

Figure 33 - My CTC Video - Establishing Shots...............................................................................................................19

Figure 34 - My CTC Scene – Use of Framing..................................................................................................................19

Figure 35 - My CTC Scene - Lighting improvements......................................................................................................20

meganwyrillfilmtv17.files.wordpress.com · web viewunit 10 – engaging with and audience in ....

Documents