25th February, Editing!

Today we actually started editing the footage that we have so far! We filmed on monday and on tuesday, so we had two and a half scenes to edit. Jeff mostly worked on it today, while I watched and gave my advice (on whether transitions were clean, etc.). I feel like I was a reflective learner today (see below), as I think that although I was more watching Jeff edit than actually editing myself, it was a good experience nonetheless, as he is very talented. I understand that I am not quite up to the standards that he expects, which means that I need to put in my own work by researching Final Cut Pro editing techniques, so as to get better myself.

We focused on linear continuity editing today. As we were editing the first couple of scenes, we had to decide how the film would start and what rhythm the film will follow, which is an important part of continuity editing. We decided to start the film with a quote (one that is yet to be decided) followed by a series of still shots that last for five seconds, with a backing track of voice-over by Julien (a very noir concept) and some chilling music. Although Raphael is in charge of sound, it was Jeff that found the appropriate music. In relation to the still shots, we chose shots that give the viewers a taste of what the film will be about/ incorporate.

We also planned for our next filming session, which will be next monday. One of my strengths I feel is definitely in planning. I really enjoy deciding early on what is going to be done. Next time we have a film project, I think I will definitely be a part that has to plans things (i.e. cinematographer - story boarding) because I am much better at doing work earlier than later. I don't do that well under pressure.  

Reflective Learners: Give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development. 

 

23rd February, prepping for filming!

Today we only had a single period to work on our films. We have decided to start filming tonight as our cinematographer/ actor - Julien - is going to be away next weekend, so this class was spent preparing for the scenes that we are going to shoot. As editor/ coordinator I planned what the order of events would be and I also wrote down the shot list for tonight. Today I think I was a risk-taking students (see below). Ms.Wong saw the screenplay for our film today, which included a lot of swearing, and she advised us that swearing was unnecessary. However, we defended our right to swear - after all, we should be allowed to take some artistic license! - and she agreed to let us use some swear words. We have however privately decided to include all the swear words, as that type of harsh world is exactly the atmosphere we want in our film. 

Today we also reviewed the rubric to see what exactly we need to put into our films. It puts a particular emphasis on the importance of linear continuity editing, and Jeff was a bit weary about the fact that I'm editor. I told him that I can do it though, because although I am not as experienced as he is, I have actually done it before. Also he can oversee the work anyway, so it's not like I would just be left to my own devices. I think with where we are in the production process now, we are very much on-time and well managed time-wise. 

We also spent today thinking about the best ways to incorporate Film Noir characteristics, which is another large chunk of the rubric. 

Risk-takers: Approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

18th February, Film Noir

During class today we spent time familiarizing ourselves with our group and what we are looking to produce during our film noir dialogue project. I think I was a 'thinker' (see below) as I took into consideration what putting the script into action would actually entail, and I tried to think up the best ways to go about it. 

We read through the script that our director/ screenplay writer - Jeff- produced so as to get a better idea of what equipment we will need. While reading through the script we discussed who would play the parts, what lighting we will use and what we are going to do about sound. We also made some changes to it to make it more appropriate to the equipment that was available - for example we changed the time the script is set so that lighting would not be a problem, as filming at night is rather difficult.  

We are planning to go scout out the proposed area for filming on monday - the waterfront in cyberport and Julien's house. We have decided that those are the most (theoretically) appropriate areas as the film is set in the distopian future, and the water front could give off the right kind of abandoned/ bleak look if the right effects are added and Julien's house is relatively futuristic (it is all white).  My side job was to research how to make fake blood and wounds, for the shooting in the scene, and here is what I found from 

http://www.halloween-website.com/fake_blood.htm:

Ingredients:

Gravy Granules

Red food colouring

Hot water

Make up the gravy normally, thicken if wished, then add the red food coloring. Texture is very realistic.

The wound steps are quite complicated, so I wont post them up here, but lets just say look forward to a very real shooting scene!

Thinkers: They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

16th of February, Continuity editing continued and film noir!

Today we acually did not review the pieces of work that we worked on last class, which I'm quite glad about as we weren't really done. I'm glad we got the practice nonetheless- that's what the exercise was about anyway. Today we worked more on understanding concepts of continuity editing and we actually got to watch clips from certain movies! We focused on:

-Observing the 180 degree rule

-The eye line match

-Point of view cutting

-The match on action cut

-Directional continuity

-The establishing shot

-Parallel/ cross cutting

-Transitions

-Rhythm 

I feel that today I was definitely an inquirer (see below), as I was really interested in how some of the editing skills are put into action, and what it appropriate when.

We also looked into film noir, which is a cinematic style that really took off in hollywood in the 1940's - 50's. This is the style of film that our first assessed piece of work will be based around, and I'm really excited! I am in Jeff, Julien, Chris and Raph's group, and we are going to have to work hard together to pull this off, as film noir does not seem to be such an easy topic. I think that one of the reasons they worked so well back in the 40's and 50's was that the filming back then was generally in black and white, so that effect added immensely to the atmosphere of the movie. However if we were to film in black and white, it would just be over the top. 

We watched some samples of film noir in recent films, such as Infernal affairs and Heat. I have to say I much preferred heat, as it was really intense, the dialogue was amazing and the editing was superb - you could never see both actors' faces at the same time. Although I did not realize this while I was watching it, it definitely gave me the subconscious feeling that they were opposed/ separate. That type of subtle filming is definitely I will try to encourage we encompass in our own film. Infernal affairs however, though I'm sure is a great film, did not strike me as particularly film noir. The lighting is what did it for me - it was in broad daylight, which just did not register in my head as a brooding crime drama.

It was really fun learning about all the different aspects that affect film, and I really enjoyed watching the sample of Memento and finding the different shots that were used...I'm really excited for our group work, too! We are going to be filming a two-person dialogue scene based on the films we watched today in class. We have decided on roles in our group, and I am going to be the editor, which means I'm going to have to work closely with the director and the cinematographer. Our roles are:

Director/Screenplay writer: Jeff

Cinematographer: Julien

Sound: Raph

Lighting: Chris

Editor: Me

Inquirer: They develop their natural curiosity. they acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

11th of February, Continuity Editing

Today we reviewed the different elements of continuity editing. This was mainly looking at different transitions between scenes, how to incorporate flashbacks, filming techniques (like eye-level filming and the 180 degree rule) and establishing shots. I was definitely an inquiring learner today (see below for IB learner profile) as I was really interested in why different techniques were used. I also got into a discussion as to what can be disregarded in the name of art, as I have witnessed many movies that do not follow the continuity rules that were presented today. I was interested because when the times comes when I get to shoot and edit a film, I want to know what I can and can't do.

We were then allowed to go in groups to film a scene (from a given choice) and I went with Ella, Adrian, Catherine and Sarah. We altered our scene a bit to give it more meaning, and so that we could play with the continuity in the ways that we know how. We decided to incorporate a flashback, so that while editing we could use a transition (such as fade in/ fade out etc.) and get comfortable with including different transitions. As I was one of the actors in the scene, it was hard for me to give any sort of input as to how they were filming us, but I was interested nonetheless, and I asked questions and gave tips where I thought appropriate. Our scene is actually quite simple, and we didn't get around to editing it properly in the end as we ran out of time. 

Inquirers: Develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

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I went back to edit the footage out of class on friday, alone, so that I could use the software without other people there to argue with my artisitic choices. I tried to include lots of different shots of the scene to 'establish' it, as we didn't really have an establishing shot in itself. I was not sure how to transition between the current scene and the flashback, so at the moment it is just a straight cut, which I know does not adhere to the continuity rules, so we will have to edit that. I also played with the sound, and I cut the sound from the flashback so that the current scene soundtrack plays over the flashback scene to create more of an 'in the mind' feel.

9th of February, watching everyone's scavenger hunt creations!

Today we had a single period film lesson, which we spent watching everyones final 'scavenger-hunt' footage. I feel that the 'scavenger-hunt' filming concept was a really good way to start the film program this semester. This is because not only did it get us working behind a camera and editing software the way we are (or at least I partially am) used to, but it also gave us examples of the other ways in which certain effects can be achieved. 

This class I think I was definitely a reflective learner (see below), as I really considered what we did well and what we could have improved on. Our group assessed the ways that we used to create effects, such as playing with the white balance for the different types of surprise (sad and melancholy vs. angry and shocked). We really took into consideration the other ways in which these effects were achieved (such as tinting the color while editing) and compared them. I think overall our chosen effects for the specific themes were very appropriate. However, we definitely could have made our documentary piece have a more 'gritty' feel, which I will have to learn how to do from Adrian Wan, as his group's piece was excellently done. I also think that we should have spent more time on the sound portion of the project, as ours was, although quite funny, not very clear and should have been thought about a little more.

It was really interesting to see how everyone else's work turned out, and to see how everyone coped with such a small time-frame - some not so well! I was glad to see that not everyone knew how to do certain things on the camera (such as alter the 'grittiness'), so I am not alone! This lesson was very useful though, as not only was it fun, but it also reminded me that I have a lot of camera skills and editing skills that I need to catch up on!

Reflective Learners: Give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development. 

Film Review: Brokeback Mountain

Directed by: Ang Lee

Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger

Genre: Drama/ Romance/ Western

Run time: 134 minutes

Brokeback Mountain, an - almost - infamous movie about gay cowboys turned out to be really good.  Although it was quite long and rather slow to start off with, the acting was phenomenal and the pace at which time passes is just right to keep you interested. 

4th February, Editing!

Today was our second film class, and the first thing we did was split up into two groups. Julien and Jeff went to film different sounds and to experiment with foley (during which they only really ended up using their own voices). Camille and I log and captured our footage from last class and began to edit.

I think that during this class, the IB learner profile that best fit the way I worked is as a communicator as well as as an inquirer (see below). After Jeff and Julien came back from filming, we had to agree on how we would edit the footage. This took cooperation, which did not come naturally at first, but we worked through it, and by the end of the class almost finished our work ! (A rarity for me). This was our first class working with final cut pro, and it took some getting used to. However Jeff helpfully gave us a brief tutorial on the basics of the program, and that really helped. Overall, a very informative class!

Communicators: They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Inquirers: They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

2nd of February, First film class!

Today was our first film class, and we have Ms.Wong as our teacher!

Today we mostly just reviewed certain aspects of film, such as sound (foley etc.) and using functions on the camera to create moods/ effects as well as using lighting. We did this by filming set scenes, and showing the same scenes in different moods, i.e. using harsh lighting to show an angry scene and soft lighting to show a happy one.

The AOI that we will be focusing on is Human Ingenuity, and How and Why we create.

The IB learner profile that I think best describes my work today is as a knowledgable learner (see below). We really delved into some of the aspects of literally filming that affect the outcome of the film, and helped us to understand how effects and moods are created.

Knowledgeable Learners: They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

My aim in film this year is to refine the (limited) skills I already have. We are going to be focusing on skills and editing (things like continuity) and I really want to improve. Hopefully by the end of the year I will have the ability to create film pieces that I am actually happy with.

I'm so excited to be starting film!