29th April, Not viewing the films, Closer (!) and editing!

Today was a very special class. Originally we were supposed to be viewing everyone's 'twilight zone' films, however the year 12 theatre class were putting on a production of Closer so we watched that for the double period instead. Initially I was a bit upset, as I had been looking forward to seeing the films (and seeing what people thought about ours!) however by the end of the play, that feeling was totally gone! Although I have not actually seen the film version with Natalie portman (it's on my to-do list now), I thought it was amazing. Honestly it was the first play that I have enjoyed without forcing myself to stay focused. 

The plot line was what did it for me. Of course it was based around a pretty x-rated theme (sex mostly, and love) which I suppose kept the audience intrigued, but it was also the witty, snappy banter that was kept up through most of it. The pace was amazingly quick, but not too fast that it left the audience confused. While watching the play I tried to relate aspects of it to film, like the reflective learner that I am (see below), because I find that the best way I learn is to try to see what it is that I am learning outside of the classroom (as in real life examples). The snappiness of the play and the good reaction from the audience were aspects that I can relate to film making, as they play a part in the success of the film; holding the audience's attention/ suspense. Overall I thought it was a very enjoyable experience indeed.

Aside from having a great time in the play, the not-showing-of-the-films gave me time to edit the film some more, in particular the sound(!!) I think I used the extra time provided very well, and right now I am actually almost completely happy with how it all goes together. We also decided to change the film title to 'Blanche', which is the feminine word for 'white' in french, as we felt that 'Nettle' was too vague and sounded a bit weird. During editing I listened through the film and altered the sounds that didn't quite fit or were too quiet. I think my sound editing has gotten more comprehensive during this project. I did not really alter different sound waves (as in, getting rid of background noise) but I worked a lot more with making the whole thing mesh together and relating the background music and sound to the picture. Julien and I also worked on some editing of the actual film; we shortened up several of the clips and sped up some scenes to make the film more 'snappy'. I am actually quite happy with our final product now! Of course it could always be improved, but I think I have it my all. If people don't like it, well I can't do much about that.

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.

27th April, Exporting and self-assessments!

Today was only a single period. It was also 'supposed' to be the day that we were to watch all the twilight zone projects, however no one exported their films, most likely because everyone thought that it was during this class that we were actually going to be exporting. Still, it turned out to be a good thing, because it gave me a bit more time to alter the sound. I stayed after school last thursday and friday, but there was still lots more to be done, hence my reluctance to export! During class I was able to alter the background music a bit, but I had large issues with it as the song is not long enough to fit the footage, so I had to cut it and paste other parts of the song in to lengthen it. It doesn't sound bad, but there are a few parts that are obviously not meant to be together. Haiz. Because there was not much I could do with the sound, I thought of other ways to create interest through the audio track, like the thinker that I am (see below). I altered it by changing the volume from the start of the 'day dream' scene, and making the music get louder with every change in location to differentiate between places. Then when it goes back to 'real life' at Julien's house, the music is still playing but it is quieter, to symbolize that the ideal is still there, and still unreachable.

I know that the sound was solely my responsibility, which is why I'm so worried about it! I have chosen to be happy though, because I think that although our group was not particularly experienced (honestly, yes, we have done film before, but in terms of knowing about editing etc.) we worked together really well, despite all the problems that we encountered (of which there were many, particularly with shooting locations and with sound!). I think of course there are still aspects that we could improve upon, aspects which would be improved upon if we had more time. Still, never mind. The sound is not stellar at the moment, though I tried my very best in the short time that I had (which was honestly about 2 hours in total as I could not do much without the actual finished picture). Hopefully it will be okay though!

Today we also had to self-assess ourselves on our last few projects and on our blogs. I think that this year I have actually improved from last year, not to be full of myself or anything. I have grown a genuine interest in how films work and what makes them good. Although I myself may not have mastered that skill yet (though Lord knows that Jeff has!), I have applied and committed myself much more this year during projects. And this is all down to how much I enjoy it, which I really do. 

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

22nd April, Sound editing/ logging/ editing/ planning!

Today we had a double period, during which our group worked on various different things. First of all our whole group watched the film through and pointed out parts that we thought could use tweaking. This was to give Jing-Ting, our editor, a starting off point. I think that the general length is pretty much ready now. While watching I kept a sharp eye out for what could be altered sound-wise, like the thinker that I am (see below). I then exported the soundtrack and worked on it from another computer, adding the songs and voice-overs that had already been recorded.

The sound that I exported was not actually used at all itself, I just needed it to know how long the general piece was. I then downloaded music to go with it (two songs from freeplaymusic.com) and sorted out when it should start and end. To be honest it was really difficult to edit the sound without the picture in front of me, so I think that I'm going to have to do it properly when the editing is done completely. This worries me, as that will not leave me very much time...

During class today we also realized (while watching the film through altogether) that there were some shots missing. We realized that this was due to errors in recording the time codes, and therefore we did actually have the footage, it had just not been logged. To remedy this, like thinkers, we got the tapes (which I handily had with me) and logged the shots that we needed. While watching the film we noticed more shots that we had to re-film. So we further planned for our last filming session, which happens to be today. We have 3 locations that we need to shoot at:

• Causeway Bay - we need to completely re-shoot the traffic scene, as in our original it is pretty obviously night time, which it is not supposed to be in the film
• My house - for the bedroom scene, which has been such a pain to film as we have had trouble finding suitable locations AND for the extra bathroom scene, so that it makes the transition between the food court and the bathroom more like a portal
• Juliens house - to re-film some roof scenes, in which there were papers in the shot (don't ask me why)

Over all, so far I'm not entirely happy with our film. It's not that I don't think we have put enough time into it, on the contrary we have put lots and lots of time into it, our issue is that none of us are exactly sure what we can actually do to make it better. Of course smooth transitions and cutting are essential, but we have pretty much done our best there. The issue now is 'production value', and I fear ours is not particularly high. The sound is really worrying me too, as that is all down to me. And it is so difficult! I still have tomorrow and friday to work on it, but it's more the issue of what to do! Hopefully the tutorial will help me.

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

20th of April, Soundtrack Pro/ Recording/ Planning/ Editing!

Today we had a double period, during which I actually got to work on some sound, doing my own actual job for once! First off I recorded some sounds with Julien, mostly just panting and re-recording the voice-over. These I felt were important as we did already have some recordings, but they were not particularly good, and I want to maintain a decent level of 'production value'. I also know, as the reflective learner that I am (see below), that comprehensive editing is not my strong point, therefore I need good material to work with in order to produce something of a moderate standard. Today I also managed to choose music! I sat down with the director and went through some possibles, and we have decided on two tracks; one for the scenes at home - 'real' life - and one for the 'dream' like sequence. They are a bit out there, but I have decided to be more risk-taking (see below) - although this is definitely something I am not accustomed to doing, I will try to make it work. I put all the sounds that we accumulated today and put them onto Soundtrack Pro. In all honesty I have never actually used Soundtrack Pro, so today was definitely a new experience! I'm getting the hang of it though. My only issue now is that it is quite difficult to edit sound without the picture in front of me. I think I might export and import the sound into the actual film, so I can just get the timing right (I think the length of the film is almost done now). 

Wednesday will be our last possible filming day, so we planned for that today. We just need to record some shots that went wrong (i.e. out of focus, with props in the frame) as well as to film the morning/ bedroom scene that never seems to be film-able (IKEA, wing-on etc.)! We have decided to film at my house, as there are three bedrooms next to each other, so hopefully it will look adequately strange. We shall also film the bathroom at my house, so that the portal between the food court and the bathroom is 'stranger' and therefore more obviously a portal. I'm a bit annoyed at some of the shots we have to re-film, as really they should have been shot properly the first time. Still, I'm not the cinematographer/ cameraman so I suppose it's not my place to say anything, nor is there anything to say to turn back time so...Anyway, wednesday is the last day we can film, so we have to get it all done then. I am also going to record some ambient noise at Julien's house, as well as footsteps and other noises as in some scenes no sound was recorded (!!) which I guess was my fault for not noticing. Hopefully these sounds will be sufficient replacements. 

During class we also got a lot more edited. The transitions and cuts were made cleaner and altered to have more 'flow'. Something that I was particularly interested in maintaining this project was 'snappiness', as I know that was a definite flaw in our last project. As the reflective learner that I am (see below), I tried to keep this in mind while watching over/ editing our film (I deigned to help Jing Ting a bunch so as to speed up the process as well as to add a second opinion) as I don't want to repeat mistakes and essentially I want to eradicate this flaw in the projects that I work on from now on. To increase the snappiness I tried (and am trying) to encourage shorter cuts and shots, so as to keep the viewers interest. Also in terms of 'slugs', although I know that Ms.Wong is not a fan, I personally think they enhance certain situations, so while I did want them to be included, I insisted they be quite short. I hope it all turns out okay, because there is only a limited amount of power I have over how the editing is done...

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.

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.

8th of April, logging/ editing/ planning and film title!

Today we did not get a lot of work done. There was an issue with logging the footage, which was very annoying. After that Jing Ting got to work on editing, but there was not a lot that I could do as the sound editor. I did, unfortunately, realize that there are several scenes where there is no sound at all - as in nothing was recorded. This is a huge pain, as although there will be a backing track, there was also going to be ambient noise. Aiyah. To deal with this, I have decided, as the Thinker that I am (see below) to leave all the 'dream' scenes silent, save for panting and the background music, so as to give them a more dream-like quality and so that the viewer feels like he or she is inside the protagonists mind.

Deciding on a title was one of the things that we did. Okay, it is not finalized yet, but an idea for the title of our twilight zone film project is Netle. This is supposed to be an allusion to stinging nettles, a plant that looks relatively harmless, but that stings you when you touch it. It is also spelt wrong, with one 'n' instead of two, so that it is more like 'net' - as in trapped. This alludes to the happiness that the protagonist in our film is trying to reach. A happiness that looks harmless, great even, but that ends up hurting him.

There is still an awful lot to do with this project, both in editing and in filming. Yes, that is correct, we have yet to finish filming all the footage. On the tuesday after the holidays we will finish everything. We have to. Then Jing Ting will hopefully finish the frame of the film (correct transitions and cut lengths) so that I can get to work on the sound! I need to record some panting and re-record the voice-over, as although I recorded it in Julien's house, so there is the natural ambient noise, his house has strange acoustics that make everything sound echo-ey, which sounds weird when played over the footage. 

Luckily for us, it was announced that there is an extension on this project! This is great, as now there is an actual possibility that we will be able to finish on time, and to our satisfaction! It will take a great deal of work, but I think that we can do it. I'm very happy with our cooperation as a group so far, though. We have all contributed ideas and I feel this is very much a joint effort. 

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

6th April, Logging/ filming and planning!

Since last class, we have actually done a load of filming. We had originally planned to be completely finished with filming by the end of the weekend that has just passed, however we encountered some large problems. There were many locations that we had planned to use that do not allow you to film - company policy. This proved to be a huge problem for us as there is no way that we can change the plot of our film or anything now. To solve this, I thought that it would be a good idea to just do it anyway, so we ended up filming ninja-style out of my bag. Hopefully the shots will not be too bad and at least we have the locations and most of the shots that we need. We couldn't film the final scene at Julien's house either (the one where he dies on the roof) as it was too dark! This was very frustrating, as if only we had gone half an hour earlier, we would have been able to get the shots done. Instead we filmed the rest of the scenes that take place at his house. Now all that needs to be filmed is:

• Redo of Julien getting into taxi
• Park'n'shop
• Wing on
• Roof

These will hopefully get done on tuesday - if we stick to the time plan! - as we have the whole day after school. I'm actually really worried about having enough time to edit both the visuals and the sound. I have already taught Jing-Ting some simple steps to make things easier while editing, but I fear that we simply do not have enough time to get the whole thing to the standard that I envision this project being. As sound editor, I am very worried about  the visuals, as I cannot edit sound without having the exact sequence that the visuals will be in. It is really annoying too that both Jing-Ting and I are going on the history trip to Eastern Europe, so we will both be missing two possible days to edit. Along with this, we are both in the 25th anniversary gala dinner dance troupe, which has rehearsals on mondays for two hours, which we cannot miss, so we are missing about 4 hours to edit. I think what I will do is set a date that we shall have the cutting ready by, and then after that (basically so all transitions are visually good and match-on-actions shots work etc.) Jing-Ting will be able to alter color contrast/ other without changing where the audio will go. This was I can put the audio clip onto Soundtrack Pro and work with it from there - hopefully on another computer. Jeff suggested a handy tutorial to help me, which mainly focuses on getting rid of other sounds. I have had a look at it, but I don't think I can really take any of it in until I actually have the audio tracks to work with.

During class today we mainly logged and captured the footage that we have so far. The timecode recording has proved to come in very useful, however sometimes from the notes it is unclear as to which take was successful (it was not always the last one!) which meant that we ended up logging a lot of useless footage. I think that our film might end up being quite long, which I am a bit worried about as that will reduce that 'snappiness' of it as well as provide more material to edit.

During class today I think I was a thinker. While logging the different shots, we noticed that there were several problems with angles (to do with the portals) so instead of panicking, we thought it would be a good idea to just film them again. Although this sounds quite harsh, as filming takes ages and can be very tedious, it is a more desirable option over constantly worrying that something is wrong with it etc.

I think that along with a backing track, which may be quite simple, I will also include a tune or a haunting melody that represents the 'dream' (represented by the white figure) he is following, which will be the 'hook' that makes him follow it every time. I really hope we can pull this off!

By the way, I have realized that in terms of the IB learner profiles, I am always a 'thinker', a 'communicator' or an 'inquirer'. I think in future I have to try and expand my horizons by being more adventurous, and making the cut for a 'risk-taker', as in film I think that is where original, intriguing work comes from. 

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