Teen film update (rough cut feedback)

This is an update on the progres of our film opening. In it our director, Hadi, discusses some of the difficulties that we have experienced whilst in the production stage and states how we overcame them.

ROUGH CUT

Editing (pictures+Evaluation of progress so far)

When editing 'Revival', we firstly had to make a rough cut of the film. This basically means placing each clip in the correct sequence with different shot angles. This gave us an idea of what we were dealing with in terms of the footage we filmed and where different shot angles would be placed. Our progress so far is beyond the rough cut and have now put camera shots in the correct place and edited part of the music. So overall it has been a good steady progress.

In this image Tyler is  using Motion 4 to create the distribution and production idents. 

Filming session 2 - photo evidence and comments

Filming session 2

On the second day of our filming, we filmed the scene where Hadi gets mugged by too thugs. We filmed this on a road near Leyton station in the evening. We began by filming long shots and mid shots of Hadi exiting his house, this set the scene for the drama that was about to occur. We then filmed close ups of Hadi's face in response to seeing the two thugs, this conveys his feelings of anxiety to the audience and gives the scene a tense atmosphere. Next, we moved to the other side of the road and filmed from the two criminal's perspectives. We used the tripod to make a tracking shot when they approach Hadi to give the scene a sense of action and to add to our variation of shots. Finally, we put the camera in the fig rig and Hadi lied down on the floor with it to film the low shot for the last part of the scene, which emphasised his lack of power and inability to defend himself from the two criminals.

Hadi filming the scene where he gets attacked. He used the fig rig to hold the camera at a low angle; showing that the attackers are at a more power in the circumstances. 

Raekwon hiding his face from the camera.

Tyler demonstrating how not to hold a camera.

What Went Well: We finished our filming and used a variety of shots. We got to film in an appropriate location for our idea. The acting was good and convincing.


Even Better If: We filmed in an area with more light. The weather wasn't so bad. We chose a more secluded location. We met up on time.

Filming session 1 - photo evidence and comments

Filming day 1

On our first day of filming, we filmed the scenes where Hadi is young and when he is a teenager playing football. We filmed at Score in Leyton and used four actors. We began by filming the scout (Tyron) observing Hadi playing football. We used a variety of shots to show him doing this such as long shots, low angle shots and close ups in order to ensure that the scene isn't boring. After that, we filmed Hadi dribbling past another player (Morshed) and doing skills. We used the fig rig to do this as it allowed us to film Hadi running and also enabled us to film low shots while he was traveling at speed. This array of shots ensures that the scene is entertaining to watch. We also took advantage of the match that was taking place while we were there by filming them play for extra footage, which we went on to use in our final project. Next, we found a young boy (young Hadi) and filmed him dribbling with the ball by using the fig rig and stepping backwards whilst filming him running toward the camera. We then recreated this shot using Hadi in order to show his growth and progression as a player. We then filmed Hadi doing kick ups and then scoring to showcase his footballing prowess. Finally we filmed the conversation between Hadi and the scout by using the tripod and an abundance of shot/reverse shots.

This is Hadi recording the scout(Tyron), when he is observing Hadi playing football, at a low angle which shows that he has a higher status. 

This image shows one of our actors, Hadi, putting the camera on the fig rig in preparation for the scenes in which someone plays football. The fig rig also provided with the ability to film a variety of shots. For example, the low shots that show Hadi playing football. 

Hadi, Morshed and Tyron in the scene where Hadi dribbles past another player.

What Went Well: We finished filming the football scene. We managed to film a young boy to represent Hadi when he was younger. We used an array of different shots.


Even Better If: There wasn't a football match taking place so we could have more space to film. We didn't waste time playing football instead of filming.

Response to feedback

PITCH

Planning final project: Planned Locations

Locations

When deciding on where the locations would be to film our teen opening it wasn't hard because we had a clear idea on what our film will  be about. 

• Football pitch/courts
• Estates 

Football courts/pitch

 Large amounts of shots will be of the characters playing football, so a football pitch will be the main location in the opening of the film.

Estate/street

Another location will be the estate where they encounter the rival boys.Estates are normally associated with trouble and that is why we will use it.

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Planning final project: PDE

After considering our film aspects, we have decided that the production company for our film would be Revolver Entertainment.

The reason we chose this company is because we've realised our film will be low budget.

Production- As we wont have enough money (or no money at all), we wont be able to spent on any film aspects which would improve the quality of our film.

Distribution- With our very low budget (0p), we are only able to advertise our film using social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter and youtube.

Exhibition-  As not many people will have heard about this film, we expect our film to be showed in a lesser know cinema.

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Planning for final project: costumes, actors and props

This is a collection of some of the costumes and props that we decided to use in our film opening. 

This is the football kit that Hadi is going to be wearing when he is playing football. We chose to use this because it shows his desire to play for the team of his dreams; Tottenham Hotspurs.

These are the boots that he is going to wear, which matches his top.

An example of a hoodie that the boys that assault Hadi are going to be wearing. They are going to be wearing all black attire to reflect their dark deeds. It is also representative of real life situations, as many criminals also decide to wear this type of clothing.

This is the top that the scout will wear while he is observing Hadi. We used it because it emphasises his authority and affiliation with the football club.

Planning final project: Skills Audit To Date

What Have We Learned About Equipment, Software And Blogging Skills...

Equipment:

In preperation to our opening of a teen movie, we have have learned a number of equipment related skills that will help us produce some great shots. We learned this through our film remake (Breakfast Club).

Tripod-  In order to shoot great looking video, you need to control your camera, and one of the best ways to wrangle your recorder is to pop it onto a tripod.

Video Camera- 

EWS (Extreme Wide Shot)
The view is so far from the subject that he isn't even visible. Often used as an establishing shot. 

WS (Wide Shot)
The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible.

MS (Mid Shot)
Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.

MCU (Medium Close Up)
Half way between a MS and a CU.

CU (Close Up)
A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

ECU (Extreme Close Up)
The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.

Cut-In
Shows some (other) part of the subject in detail.

CA (Cutaway)
A shot of something other than the subject.

Two-Shot
A shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.

(OSS) Over-the-Shoulder Shot
Looking from behind a person at the subject.

Point-of-View Shot (POV)
Shows a view from the subject's perspective. 

Software:

We also a fair deal of practice in editing our films through the 'Breakfast Club' and 'Higher Learning'.

Final Cut Pro 
  In class, we had plenty of practise using final cut pro. We learned a variety of editing skills as the 'in' and 'out', sound imput, imbedding titles, e.t.c.

Blogging: 

Our blogging has improved consideribally from the start. Organistation is the main skill required for a fantastic blog. Also, using a variety of technologies to represent the different tasks we have done. 

Planning final project: Sound for our film opening

In our opening, we plan to use a variation of music in order to convey key themes and ideas. At the beginning of our opening, the protagonist is young and enthusiastically playing football. Due to this, we plan to play samba music in the background whilst he is doing do. This goes hand in hand with the fast-paced action that will occur in the scene, thus giving it a sense of fluidity. In addition to this, we will sound bridge the music into the following scene when the protagonist is older and still playing football. This will show that his love for football is still there, regardless of his growth. (skip to 7.23 for our song)

Later in the opening, when the protagonist has a confrontation with another group of boys, we plan on using an instrumental featuring Wiley; a well known grime artist based in London. This will bring a sense of tension to the scene as well as highlight the theme of crime in our opening.

Planning final project: risk assessment

      Hazard                                                                 Risk rating                                   

Cars and other vehicles                                                  High                                  

Injuries whilst filming the football scenes                       Medium

People being injured in the fight scene                          Medium

The football damaging people or equipment                   Low




Controls
When filming in the street, ensure that we are not in the road. Also beware of cyclists when we are on the pavement.

Have the footballers practice their skills prior to the shoot. Also ensure that the actors have stretched before they take part to avoid cramp or pulled muscles.

Make sure that the actors rehearse their maneuvers prior to the shoot to prevent any unprecedented injuries.

Ensure that the footballers don't blast the ball when they are around others or near the equipment.

Planning for final project: stroryboard

Framing Task

In this task we had to frame shots from a script to practice how well we can do our frames. It was generally easy however there were a few bad shots but overall they were good and it was a good progress task.

Inspiration for our opening

When deciding on the theme our film we watched a number of teen films such as mean girls, breakfast club etc. But we wanted to be original in our ideas so we all picked a subject we all find interesting and love. We found that we love football so we thought of a way we can integrate this into a 'teen film'. We got ideas from a football movie called 'Goal' in which it shows a boy growing into a professional footballer for Real Madrid. We took the boy growing into a young professional footballer idea from this film.

We then developed this idea by changing certain features from the movie. We added a crime theme to it inspired from the movies kidulthood, shank and bullet boy. The film will now involve a boy from the streets of London who lives around 'gang culture'.

Alternate opening idea

An alternate idea for our opening

As an alternative idea for our film's opening, I would have suggested to do a teen horror. I chose the sub genre because I find it easy to portray through various means of mise en scene and cinematography. Aspects such as a spooky font for the opening titles would add a scary atmosphere to our production and therefore make the theme of the film obvious. We could also utilise the lighting in the opening to convey the horror features of the film. This could be achieved by having a lack of light in the scenes thus giving them a gloomy feeling. In addition to this, sound would also have a significant effect on the opening. Methods like using eery music in certain scenes would create tension and spook the audience. Teen films such as: Scream, Scary Movie and Final Destination show that our film could be successful if we used horror as our sub genre.

framing tips

The Rule of Thirds

A basic rule of composition is the rule of thirds. This guideline gives you ideas on where to place your subject within the frame. Though your tendency may be to position your subject dead center on the screen, the rule of thirds will give you a more compelling picture.

Headroom 

These terms refer to the amount of room in the frame which is strategically left empty. The shot of the baby crawling has some leading room for him to crawl into, and the shot of his mother has some looking room for her to look into. Without this empty space, the framing will look uncomfortable.
Headroom is the amount of space between the top of the subject's head and the top of the frame. A common mistake in amateur video is to have far too much headroom, which doesn't look good and wastes frame space. In any "person shot" tighter than a MS, there should be very little headroom.