Tuesday 28 January 2014
Thursday 23 January 2014
Tuesday 21 January 2014
Saturday 18 January 2014
Editing Process: our Thriller Intro Draft
To get to the stage at which we have a completed draft, we spent many weeks editing and putting together each section of footage into a sequence of around 2 minutes. Firstly, we uploaded all of the footage to Final Cut Pro X. We then went about cutting down each clip to ensure it started at the right point and ended exactly when we intended that shot to end. We first started to edit the flashback scene, of which Alex and I filmed. Alex demonstrated the 'blade tool' which allowed you to separate sections of clips, meaning we could change the order of some shots to maintain continuity. For example: when editing the sequence in which Hannah 'runs off' we had to change the order of clips as the 180 degree rule had been broken.
Because a heavy theme in our thriller is flashbacks, we explored the transitions option. We found a 'flash' transition, we think it does a good job of being symbolic of the flashback itself.
In the scene where the grandad is alone in the shack, we struggled to create a smooth and flowing sequence. We again used the blade tool in order to change the duration of certain clips to find a way of making sure each clip has a smooth and natural transition into the next. We didn't want the editing to be too fast so we went back and extended the extent of some clips, even applying slight slow motion effects to achieve this to a greater extent. We did find however, that this affected the sound of the clips; deepening and distorting the diegetic sounds.
We then worked out how to 'ditatch' the audio, meaning that we could remove it and apply other sound effects to take it's place. For example, when the grandad puts his foot onto the wooden floor, we inserted a thump sound. We found the sound too sudden and thought the clip ended too quickly, which meant the focus on this scene ended too quickly also. We therefore decided to try out the echo tool. This function allowed us to extend the feeling of this scene even into the next scene, through applying a 3 stage echo, lasting for 2.5 seconds. This also helped to develop the eerie feel that is created by the dim lighting we used.
We used sound and slow editing to create an unsettling and uneasy feel in the flashback scene in a playground. The footage is reasonably slow paced, some of which being in slow motion, slowed by up to 40%. This was heavily contrasted by our choice of music. Although the music is not fast, it has an intense, eerie and creepy feel which when partnered with slow paced footage, connotates danger and we feel makes the audience feel on edge.
We used Final Cut's sound layering options to attempt at a tense and suspenseful atmosphere. In the sequence where the grandad is alone in his dilapidated shack, we use multiple layers of non diegetic sound, which means sound that happens off screen. We found a piece of royalty free suspense music to play subtly in the background. We adjusted the volume of this by right clicking on the sound and adjusting the sound levels of that particular layer. We then added a thunder and rain sound file, which we increased in volume. We chose this particular sound due to it's contrasting high and low points; with quiet periods and then sudden transitions into crashing thunder, this leaves audiences on edge, adding to the thriller convention of suspense.
Finally, we added the sound effect of dripping with echo. This gave the idea that his shack is old, derelict and dilapidated. This use of setting can lead the audience to believe he can't be trusted or there is something about his persona that may not be quite 'right.'
In the scene where the grandad is alone in the shack, we struggled to create a smooth and flowing sequence. We again used the blade tool in order to change the duration of certain clips to find a way of making sure each clip has a smooth and natural transition into the next. We didn't want the editing to be too fast so we went back and extended the extent of some clips, even applying slight slow motion effects to achieve this to a greater extent. We did find however, that this affected the sound of the clips; deepening and distorting the diegetic sounds.
We then worked out how to 'ditatch' the audio, meaning that we could remove it and apply other sound effects to take it's place. For example, when the grandad puts his foot onto the wooden floor, we inserted a thump sound. We found the sound too sudden and thought the clip ended too quickly, which meant the focus on this scene ended too quickly also. We therefore decided to try out the echo tool. This function allowed us to extend the feeling of this scene even into the next scene, through applying a 3 stage echo, lasting for 2.5 seconds. This also helped to develop the eerie feel that is created by the dim lighting we used.
We used sound and slow editing to create an unsettling and uneasy feel in the flashback scene in a playground. The footage is reasonably slow paced, some of which being in slow motion, slowed by up to 40%. This was heavily contrasted by our choice of music. Although the music is not fast, it has an intense, eerie and creepy feel which when partnered with slow paced footage, connotates danger and we feel makes the audience feel on edge.
One final thing we considered before handing in our draft was the stability of our clips. Some shots were not taken with a tripod because of the awkward angles at which we shot for effect. This turned out to be much less of a problem as we thought due to us finding the 'clip stabilization' option. We applied clip zoom stabilization to the shot where the camera zooms very slowly into the articles, and pan stabilization to the shot in which we see a pan from the grandad to the girl. Luckily the majority of our footage was captured with the use of a tripod because stabilizing clips took hours, even before the rendering process. However we managed our time by ensuring that all necessary changes were made before we started the rendering process.
We used Final Cut's sound layering options to attempt at a tense and suspenseful atmosphere. In the sequence where the grandad is alone in his dilapidated shack, we use multiple layers of non diegetic sound, which means sound that happens off screen. We found a piece of royalty free suspense music to play subtly in the background. We adjusted the volume of this by right clicking on the sound and adjusting the sound levels of that particular layer. We then added a thunder and rain sound file, which we increased in volume. We chose this particular sound due to it's contrasting high and low points; with quiet periods and then sudden transitions into crashing thunder, this leaves audiences on edge, adding to the thriller convention of suspense.
Finally, we added the sound effect of dripping with echo. This gave the idea that his shack is old, derelict and dilapidated. This use of setting can lead the audience to believe he can't be trusted or there is something about his persona that may not be quite 'right.'
Saturday 11 January 2014
Research: Previous Evaluations
To prepare for my own evaluation I have looked into previous examples work. Then I shall comment on what I liked, disliked, what worked well, what could have improved, and how this is going to influence my own evaluation.
Student Evaluation 1:
I found this an excellent evaluation, each question was answered comprehensively and creatively. I liked the fact they used a different piece of technology for each question making it more interesting and interactive than just reading off a screen.
However one thing that could have improved was the font size on the Prezi as at times it was quite difficult to read, also it could have done with a bit more colour as with large chunks of text sometimes I found it a little boring to keep reading on.
I feel the use of Glogster was excellent as it is a difficult piece of technology to use yet they have used it to its full potential by making it really creative yet simple in following the questions.
Looking at this evaluation I really like the way it is set out in a Prezi therefore I will put the idea forward to the group to present it as such.
Student Evaluation 2:
http://team7media.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Evaluation
This evaluation is much different to the previous one I looked into as the questions weren't all together they were on 7 different blog posts. I feel that it took a bit of effort going from one to the other instead of it just being one click and then it being right in front of you.
I liked how they used stop animation for one of their questions, however I found it quite hard to understand what they were saying and the voices had been made really high pitch and were speaking at rocket speed. The idea of it though was excellent.
Something that could have been better was their question 5. For this they created a sequel to their preliminary task whilst answering the question. Which for me (someone who hadn't watched the preliminary task) found it exceptionally confusing as I did not really know what was going on.
I liked how they answered the first question as it included screen shots and videos of what they were actually talking about. However I found the post a bit text heavy.
Student Evaluation 3:
http://studio101hna.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Evaluation
For this evaluation my first impression was that it was quite messily arranged on their blog, I had to go searching for their questions unlike the other two. Also I found the questions were not in order.
I liked the use of Padlet in question two, as it included photos to back up what the text was saying, also the photos were bright which attracted your attention to them.
I also liked how they used Prezi in question 3 as it is more interactive and colourful and you can navigate round the page yourself. However I feel it could have done with a few more images.
Overall I found this the weakest evaluation as the questions were not a group effort they were handed out to a single person, and for some of the questions, some people did not make the same effort as others.
Student Evaluation 1:
I found this an excellent evaluation, each question was answered comprehensively and creatively. I liked the fact they used a different piece of technology for each question making it more interesting and interactive than just reading off a screen.
However one thing that could have improved was the font size on the Prezi as at times it was quite difficult to read, also it could have done with a bit more colour as with large chunks of text sometimes I found it a little boring to keep reading on.
I feel the use of Glogster was excellent as it is a difficult piece of technology to use yet they have used it to its full potential by making it really creative yet simple in following the questions.
Looking at this evaluation I really like the way it is set out in a Prezi therefore I will put the idea forward to the group to present it as such.
Student Evaluation 2:
http://team7media.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Evaluation
This evaluation is much different to the previous one I looked into as the questions weren't all together they were on 7 different blog posts. I feel that it took a bit of effort going from one to the other instead of it just being one click and then it being right in front of you.
I liked how they used stop animation for one of their questions, however I found it quite hard to understand what they were saying and the voices had been made really high pitch and were speaking at rocket speed. The idea of it though was excellent.
Something that could have been better was their question 5. For this they created a sequel to their preliminary task whilst answering the question. Which for me (someone who hadn't watched the preliminary task) found it exceptionally confusing as I did not really know what was going on.
I liked how they answered the first question as it included screen shots and videos of what they were actually talking about. However I found the post a bit text heavy.
Student Evaluation 3:
http://studio101hna.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Evaluation
For this evaluation my first impression was that it was quite messily arranged on their blog, I had to go searching for their questions unlike the other two. Also I found the questions were not in order.
I liked the use of Padlet in question two, as it included photos to back up what the text was saying, also the photos were bright which attracted your attention to them.
I also liked how they used Prezi in question 3 as it is more interactive and colourful and you can navigate round the page yourself. However I feel it could have done with a few more images.
Overall I found this the weakest evaluation as the questions were not a group effort they were handed out to a single person, and for some of the questions, some people did not make the same effort as others.
Tuesday 7 January 2014
Evaluating Past Evaluations
To develop my evaluating skills I decided to do some research into pasts students evaluations. From this I will learn what makes an evaluation good and bad by stating their strengths and weaknesses. I will also suggest a few improvements for each of them to stretch my capability and allow me to deeply understand the traits of a good evaluation.
- They used a number of technologies to present their work including Prezi, Padlet, Slideshare, Glogster, Autherstream, Youtube and Spiceynodes, there is a different technology for each question. This is a strength of their evaluation as they have shown they are capable of producing work through a high number of technologies.
- I strength of this groups evaluation is that all the questions are in one Prezi. This makes it easy to find as you don't need to search for each individual question separately but doesn't limit the technologies used as they can be incorporated as a link.
- They have answered each question in great detail which is good because they need the examiner to understand their reasons for particular choices, but it's sometimes noticeable that they have rambled a little making it a little boring to read. This is a small weakness of their evaluation.
- Glogster can be difficult to use effectively as it doesn't really have templates so you have to build your own wall from scratch. A weaknesses of this groups evaluation is there use of Glogster, their wall is overcrowded which makes it difficult to find the information you want to read. This doesn't mean that the information presented isn't of a high quality, but I would suggest they would have spent a little more time arranging the information.
- They have used Youtube clips well to display information in a interesting way. This is a great strength of their evaluation because talking alongside pictures can be a lot less taxing to interpret than reading paragraph after paragraph.
- To improve I would suggest taking a more time when presenting their information, just to make it a little bit more pleasurable to read. Other than that I can't really fault this evaluation. They did a great job and I will be very please if our evaluation turns out like this one.
- This method of answering the evaluation questions is very creative, it allows the group to get their opinions and views across along with giving it an interesting and funny edge. This evaluation question was very enjoyable to watch and had a lot of detail about how they attracted their audience, this is a strength of their work.
- This group has used a range of different technologies to present their evaluation including Youtube, Glogster, Prezi, Slideshare and a normal blog post with links and embedded clips.
- A weakness of their evaluation on the whole is the number of technologies used to present their work. They've used four different methods and a normal blog post, they could have used more technologies to show a range of skills that I'm sure they have. However they've constructed a lot of Youtube clips in many different ways. This is a strength of there evaluations as they have clearly show they are very capably at editing and creating short clips.
- This stop motion is an amusing and engaging evaluation technique. It clearly answers question 4 (who would be the audience for their media product) in detail.
- Choosing to present question 4 through a stop motion is a time consuming but effective method, it is captivating and creative,
- A weakness of their evaluation is that all their individual questions were uploaded separately making it a little difficult to find the question. To improve i would suggest they brought all the questions together at the end using links on one technology.
- To improve I would suggest they would have used a few more technologies to present their work, instead of maybe one of the Youtube clips. I really enjoyed the Youtube posts but using a few more different technologies would show the examiner that they have a wider range of skills.
- This group has used a lot of different technologies to present their work including Pixton, Empressr, Prezi, Voki, GoAnimate, Glogster and Word. This is a strength of their evaluation as they have used a different technology for each question showing that they have a wide range of skills.
- The Word document has a lot of detail in telling the readers in what way their product uses, develops and challenges forms and conventions of real media products. This is a strength of the evaluation as they have shown that they fully understand forms and conventions of real media products.
- Pixton is an interesting and creative technology to present evaluation questions on. However in my opinion the content of the writing in the storyboard would have been a little better, it felt as though that question had been a little rushed as there are some errors and not enough detail.
- This prezi is well presented and has a great deal of detail about what kind of media institutions that would produce their product and why. The layout is clear and easy to understand which leads to a conclusion to sum up all the ideas.
- This group has the same weakness as the last as they have all their questions separate but tagged in the same label (evaluation) so it isn't too difficult to find.
- To improve I would suggest they linked all the question together at the end in one technology to make them easier to find for the examiner. Apart form that little suggestion I though this evaluation was very good.
I have learn a lot from researching past students evaluations. In my opinion we need to use as many different technologies as possible (one per question) to show the examiner our range of skills. I also learnt that putting all the evaluative question on one technology at the end makes that questions much easier to find. Finally I think that as a group we need to be careful to find the line between rambling and including useful detail.
Past Evaluation 1:
Lewis, Declan and Chris
- They used a number of technologies to present their work including Prezi, Padlet, Slideshare, Glogster, Autherstream, Youtube and Spiceynodes, there is a different technology for each question. This is a strength of their evaluation as they have shown they are capable of producing work through a high number of technologies.
- I strength of this groups evaluation is that all the questions are in one Prezi. This makes it easy to find as you don't need to search for each individual question separately but doesn't limit the technologies used as they can be incorporated as a link.
- They have answered each question in great detail which is good because they need the examiner to understand their reasons for particular choices, but it's sometimes noticeable that they have rambled a little making it a little boring to read. This is a small weakness of their evaluation.
- Glogster can be difficult to use effectively as it doesn't really have templates so you have to build your own wall from scratch. A weaknesses of this groups evaluation is there use of Glogster, their wall is overcrowded which makes it difficult to find the information you want to read. This doesn't mean that the information presented isn't of a high quality, but I would suggest they would have spent a little more time arranging the information.
- They have used Youtube clips well to display information in a interesting way. This is a great strength of their evaluation because talking alongside pictures can be a lot less taxing to interpret than reading paragraph after paragraph.
- To improve I would suggest taking a more time when presenting their information, just to make it a little bit more pleasurable to read. Other than that I can't really fault this evaluation. They did a great job and I will be very please if our evaluation turns out like this one.
Past Evaluation 2:
Shannon and Christina
- This method of answering the evaluation questions is very creative, it allows the group to get their opinions and views across along with giving it an interesting and funny edge. This evaluation question was very enjoyable to watch and had a lot of detail about how they attracted their audience, this is a strength of their work.
- This group has used a range of different technologies to present their evaluation including Youtube, Glogster, Prezi, Slideshare and a normal blog post with links and embedded clips.
- A weakness of their evaluation on the whole is the number of technologies used to present their work. They've used four different methods and a normal blog post, they could have used more technologies to show a range of skills that I'm sure they have. However they've constructed a lot of Youtube clips in many different ways. This is a strength of there evaluations as they have clearly show they are very capably at editing and creating short clips.
- This stop motion is an amusing and engaging evaluation technique. It clearly answers question 4 (who would be the audience for their media product) in detail.
- Choosing to present question 4 through a stop motion is a time consuming but effective method, it is captivating and creative,
- A weakness of their evaluation is that all their individual questions were uploaded separately making it a little difficult to find the question. To improve i would suggest they brought all the questions together at the end using links on one technology.
- To improve I would suggest they would have used a few more technologies to present their work, instead of maybe one of the Youtube clips. I really enjoyed the Youtube posts but using a few more different technologies would show the examiner that they have a wider range of skills.
Past evaluation 3:
Jake, Daisy and Mark
- This group has used a lot of different technologies to present their work including Pixton, Empressr, Prezi, Voki, GoAnimate, Glogster and Word. This is a strength of their evaluation as they have used a different technology for each question showing that they have a wide range of skills.
- The Word document has a lot of detail in telling the readers in what way their product uses, develops and challenges forms and conventions of real media products. This is a strength of the evaluation as they have shown that they fully understand forms and conventions of real media products.
- Pixton is an interesting and creative technology to present evaluation questions on. However in my opinion the content of the writing in the storyboard would have been a little better, it felt as though that question had been a little rushed as there are some errors and not enough detail.
- This prezi is well presented and has a great deal of detail about what kind of media institutions that would produce their product and why. The layout is clear and easy to understand which leads to a conclusion to sum up all the ideas.
- This group has the same weakness as the last as they have all their questions separate but tagged in the same label (evaluation) so it isn't too difficult to find.
- To improve I would suggest they linked all the question together at the end in one technology to make them easier to find for the examiner. Apart form that little suggestion I though this evaluation was very good.
I have learn a lot from researching past students evaluations. In my opinion we need to use as many different technologies as possible (one per question) to show the examiner our range of skills. I also learnt that putting all the evaluative question on one technology at the end makes that questions much easier to find. Finally I think that as a group we need to be careful to find the line between rambling and including useful detail.
Wednesday 1 January 2014
Use of Sound: Research and Incorporation into our Thriller
TYPES OF SOUND
Diegetic Sound: Sound that occurs within the fictional world, in which the film explores. For example, if someone screams in the film, their scream is diegetic sound, because it is sound in consequence of an action or happening within the story. This sound does not have to be recorded on set, it can be added in the editing stages.
Non Diegetic Sound: Sound that doesn't happen within the fictional story, often music is used to add feeling or create a certain atmosphere, this is an example of non diegetic sound because the characters are not hearing what we hear and it doesn't affect them, only the audience.
On Screen: Sound that can be traced back to it's source, which is on the screen. For example if an alarm went off and we could see the alarm in the shot, this is on screen (diegetic) sound.
Off Screen: Sound that is happening outside of the shot. This sound remains diegetic however, due to it happening inside the fictional story. For example, if a scene faded to black or switched angle and you hear the gunshot but cannot see the murderer, this is Off Screen (diegetic) sound.
Parallel: Sound that enhances, emphasizes or compliments what is happening on screen. For example, in 'Jaws' the tense build up music signifies the incoming of danger and heightens tension/suspense, in relation to the image of a shark.
Diegetic Sound: Sound that occurs within the fictional world, in which the film explores. For example, if someone screams in the film, their scream is diegetic sound, because it is sound in consequence of an action or happening within the story. This sound does not have to be recorded on set, it can be added in the editing stages.
Non Diegetic Sound: Sound that doesn't happen within the fictional story, often music is used to add feeling or create a certain atmosphere, this is an example of non diegetic sound because the characters are not hearing what we hear and it doesn't affect them, only the audience.
On Screen: Sound that can be traced back to it's source, which is on the screen. For example if an alarm went off and we could see the alarm in the shot, this is on screen (diegetic) sound.
Off Screen: Sound that is happening outside of the shot. This sound remains diegetic however, due to it happening inside the fictional story. For example, if a scene faded to black or switched angle and you hear the gunshot but cannot see the murderer, this is Off Screen (diegetic) sound.
Parallel: Sound that enhances, emphasizes or compliments what is happening on screen. For example, in 'Jaws' the tense build up music signifies the incoming of danger and heightens tension/suspense, in relation to the image of a shark.
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