KJ

So for the shoot everything was a little chaotic.

(Both at the time, and retrospectively) Things hadn’t really been working out but I managed to secure a location (4042) and find us actors in time. I was on production design for the project however I kind of ended up stepping into producer for the shoots, creating a schedule, communicating with actors and the venue, doing the risk assessment and getting the location form signed. When actually there I focused on keeping everything as fast moving/ efficient as possible because of the time restrictions. We had to borrow kit from a few kind individuals on the course and we only had one day of shooting in the bar but we managed to get coverage.

In terms of production design I created some fake vodka martinis, non alcoholic beer, and worked with the actors to put together different costumes which was fun.

On set we had some unforeseen issues with the logistics of the space and windows which made everything majorly over-exposed, so we had to try and block them off.

For the second shoot which was at night in the meadows we had to wait until it was dark enough to shoot - and it was freezing. I am definitely someone who does not cope well with the cold and we were all numb. I’m sure this effected the quality of shooting I it likely would of been better to split the shoot up but we just didn’t have enough time available to do that.

We also had only the old black magic which also does not like the cold and kept threatening to stop working.

Managed to catch a cinema screening of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s newest film ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’

Fittingly this is an adaption of a chapter from the book ‘Mafia Queens of Mumbai.’ The film has faced some criticism but films that deal with subject matter like prostitution I feel like always will and was super immersed and enjoyed it thoroughly! They also managed to make a film cantered on sex work and a brothel with no sex scenes and nudity really so that was pretty commendable. Sometimes it felt like a glamorisation but also there were some pretty horrible points. The construction of the narrative from the book I think worked really well and the performances were also great.

And as expected the dance scenes were beautiful! The capturing of movement is really what sets films apart and seeing the flow of people on screen makes sense why this story was chosen to be adapted.

Documentary- Small communities and Scottish Folklore

For this project I am taking on the role of sound! I think there is a lot of potential on this film to experiment with layering of the natural environment, traditional music and more artificially sourced noises to create a link to mythology.

Group 5 has decided to adapt the story ‘Roads of Destiny’ and move it into a modern setting. James is working on the screenplay at the moment but we are still deciding on roles for this project. It is definitely an ambitious film with a lot to fit into the time limit.

In terms of visuals, building from James’s ideas, I thought we could use colour effectively here to really distinguish the dream sequences from reality and each other. I feel like reality should be kept pretty neutral and more ‘natural’ looking. Path 1 I felt like could be softer, almost pastel colouring and tones. Whereas path 2 could be much brighter and bolder. This will definitely require a good locations, styling and set to pull of these effects. Hopefully this brief explanation makes sense!

As someone who loves to read I have really been looking forward to this module, and although I felt a certain level of familiarity with some of the stories I have never actually read most of O Henry’s work. My group for this module includes James, Cal, Tom and Heather and I am really looking forward to creating this film, especially as it is longer than our previous work- both a challenge and helpful! At first none of the short stories really stood out to me, but once I moved onto his extended work I came across ‘Roads of Destiny’ and whilst a lot longer than the other I really felt that the themes and base structure of the story could be reworked through film effectively. As a group we have started condensing and adapting the story into a modern setting.

Here’s a rough synopsis James wrote of our idea:

'Following an argument with his girlfriend David sets out to get drunk and drown his sorrows. Later, while walking the streets he comes upon a fork in the road. While deciding on which path to take David fantasises about a scenario in which his life would be better if we were to choose the left or right however both of these fantasies turn sinister when he meets his death at the end of each one. Disturbed by this David decides to follow neither and instead to return home to his girlfriend after realising that life is already good with her. On his way back home David is attacked and ultimately dies as in both of his fantasies.'

What I’ve been watching- Arcane

Overdue but finally got round to watching arcane. The animation is so stunning and even if you aren’t into League of Legends, it’s perfect if you need some cinematic escapism. Would definitely recommend!

To tell the truth, I showed up to the crit incredibly nervous. Honestly, I wrote and directed Cherry but it didn’t really end up the way I imagined it. Most of the scripts I write end up being humorous, but originally planning on sticking with the noir genre I wanted to maybe try something more serious. I wrote the script fairly quickly and then adapted it as production started to fit restrictions and problems that appeared. My idea kind of came from our master shot. Based on feedback I tried to consider how to make the narrative easier to follow as it I realised the audience could potentially get lost.

As production started, I put out a casting call for actors, and a few different people reached out to me and sent in videos. I am happy with the casting choice I made, as I think Lara and Chloe played off each and everyone in the crit seemed to enjoy their performance. I know from my experience working with actors how important rehearsal is, so I arranged one with them to work through the script in terms of tone and blocking. I also just wanted them to meet each other and me so that they were comfortable on set. From the rehearsal I could tell the film would have a more comedic feel to it.  Me and Natalia also sat and created a shot list. I felt like since I had taken on two creative aspects of this project, I wanted to give the rest of the group freedom within their roles to enhance this project.  Mary came up with costume ideas, and sourced pieces as well as props which I brought along to the rehearsal for the actresses to try on and see what they felt comfortable. I think she did a great job here, as the styling really enhanced the feel.

The shoot itself did not go smoothly. Leading up to that point in the module group dynamic wasn’t great. The communication was poor, and there was a clash in working and organisational styles, which meant we didn’t function as a cohesive unit at the best of times. At least that is how I felt, I don’t bring this up for any reason other than I believe it shows in the work. The shoot was not as organised as it should be as well as issues out of our control. I think everyone should have been better prepared for their role that night and more engaged in the project. The biggest problem we faced was having no sound recording equipment that worked and the issues with sound was the biggest criticism we received. Having to try save the dialogue we got from the lavs, meant it sounded low quality, and due to our inexperience mixing the additional sound effects overpowered the dialogue. I hope to eventually go back and fix this. Although everyone was more involved, but still disorganised during post production, this really was not the best time to become interested.

There was certain aspects od dialogue I would potentially change now, but overall I’m happy enough with my writing and my directing work with the actors in this project. In other aspects I think there was good ideas but poor execution. I think John did a great job at the edit and he definitely put so much work into post-production. The three of us worked on sound together a lot and although we did not do the best, at least it was a learning experience and I have certainly learnt most about sound over this module in general. For grading, we originally had the idea to just bring through the red but the lack of lighting stopped this from working properly and my main concern was that it just looked ugly.  I did worry too late, that calling it Cherry when there was no colour was stupid but I’m glad it had the intended effect of mentally enhancing the colour for the audience.

Main points of feedback from class:

·       It was funny!!! Yay best feeling ever is seeing people genuinely laugh in reaction to something you’ve written. The class seemed to like the dialogue and

·       Sound was overpowering and made dialogue hard to follow. Footsteps were noticed as off.

·       The last shot of the street was well received as well as the flashback

·       Visuals, costume, and setting was well received and set the mood and tone.

·       The selfie part worked well in conjunction with the low angle shot as it made it seem like they were mocking him and played up to the ditsy aspect of their characters.

·       The older style was nice combined with modern technology.

·       Too much headroom in the shots which was annoying/felt off.

·       Edit worked well, especially the gun aspect. Actually not showing the gun and utilising offscreen space was a lot more comedic than showing it would have been.

·       Character came across well.

Main points of feedback from Lecturers:

·       A bit of an odd choice doing it in black and white when it called Cherry, but it actually kind of worked

·       Additional headroom was pointed out again- Will know to avoid in the future.

·       In the shot in front of the wall one of the girls casts a shadow on the other, this can be avoided through additional lighting and positioning actors in a particular way.

·       We did try and make marking for the actors to keep to but they did at times move to the edge of frame or in front of each other.

·       Title card was nice – with simple red on black.

·       Opening shot was jarring, suddenly moving. Could have been better to hold in one spot for a moment.

·       More voiceover could have worked better, as this worked well.

·       Potential voice of Calvin could have helped.

·       Sound really effected product. Increased voiceover, even primarily voiceover could of worked to save the sound. Create an artificial, narrative world and then bring in bits of small dialogue and street.  The dialogue was very pushed back and sound effects present, the sounds also needed pushed back.

·       There needs to be credits on all films!! Especially in noir style.

·       Worldbuilding good- dogs and jewellery for example, but just the mixing ruined it.

·       Score could have enhanced it, especially with such stylised visuals. For example, jazz music. Overall, should of taken a different approach to sound.

·       The cherry bookending worked nicely.

·       Created a set of expectations and dismantled them.

·       Sirens were not quite right. Confusing about if they were part of the city or part of the story.

·       Lighting was not good enough- too dark and blends in with her dark coat.

Wow! What a great job! I thought this group created a really immersive sound edit which worked well with their clip. The (music?) ambient noise was a strong choice which definitely created a lot of mood and atmosphere.  I felt as though I was watching of action thriller, with the suspense being built up. 

The sounds in the car I think fitted really well, i especially liked the slight clink of keys in his pocket at the start. There was quite a few moments like that where I appreciated the attention to detail. The rattling of the dream catcher also worked well. 

When he started bashing the cages I’m assuming this was done in foley! perfect noise :) The animal noises were horrible, in a good way, so I think you achieved the desired effect here. 

Group 2’s sound project was an interesting experience. Together we decided on clip 5- The one with the woman and man in a costume in a park. None of us knew the film that it was from and felt like it would be a fun one to choose just because of the absurdity of the scene. We felt like this was an opportunity to something slightly comedic through contrast. We discussed keeping the majority of sounds realistic and then adding humour through the ‘monster’ noises. I personally had a certain kind of noise in my mind for the monster and I wasn’t sure why, but I think it was because the costume reminded me of ‘Where the Wild Things are.’ I managed to find a folder of sounds that I think worked well. Or made me smile at least.

In terms of working process, I would say this is where many issues within this project stemmed from. Natalia layered some basic atmosphere tracks in protools, which I took into Screen Academy and built upon. I had collected a range of sounds I liked, trying to consider offscreen noises as well as what we could see. I was quite intimidated by protools because of my lack of experience on the software but I enjoyed working on it for the day, even though I didn’t do a great job.

Based on the advice I was given I tried to break the clip down into layers the night before. Beginning with noises of bird song, altering fountain tracks, traffic, people talking and white noise. In the lead up to the first monster noise I wanted the clip to feel especially serious, so I added in crows and sirens. Not particularly original, but I think it had the intended effect. I also tried to add more off-screen depth by adding high heels and bike noises to fill out the space.

Finding the right noises for the costume was challenge, because of the furry texture. I ended up using a brush and rustle noises and for the hug an inflatable sounding noise. It wasn’t necessarily what would have been expected but I think because it was supposed to be funny, we could get away with using it. A big struggle for me was the footsteps. Leo showed me how to create markers and I tried to match up the noises, but it was still off. I had kind of run out of time at this point but I think foley would have been much more effective. I was also aware that you could tell it was the same few footstep sounds looped over.

One bit I did think fitted well was the woman’s laugh, and in the crit, people seemed to like the heels and bike which is good. I wish I had gathered breathing noises or maybe just even a wider range of sounds for this project. I also wish I had spent more time revaluating the levels and considering how close things were to each other so for volumes to make sense.