< Interactive Narrative >

< The Set Up >

This is another single shot film i have produced. This video was part of my independent study.

< 2.11 In Progress >

As part of my independent study i have produced this single shot film. This video was done with Karl and Anthony.

< Evaluation - The Debt >

The black and white effect worked well in the video because it makes it look like film noir. The black and white effect works well with the three point lighting we set up for the video. Without the black and white effect the video wouldn’t look as good because from our research we conducted we found that film noir uses harsh lighting and shadows a lot and we have tried this in our video and without the effect the lighting wouldn’t suite the video.

The music that is used also works well with the film because it sets the mood of the narrative and people can get a sense of what the film will be about because we have used dramatic intense music. The music also sets the tone of the film.

Another thing i tought worked well in the film was the use of props and costume becuase it made the film look and feel more realistic and makes it more believable to the audience.

The speech in the film didn’t work well in the film. It could have been more fluent. Its seems like I am wondering about what to say by stopping and starting. To improve this I think the script should have been rehearsed more.

Another thing that didn’t work well in the film was you can sometimes see the backlight when I moves to take a drink, this can be avoided by either setting the camera somewhere else, moving the back light to a different location or by moving the props.

The film could be improved with more fluid speech. This will help with the pace and flow of the film which is important as it can help keep the audiences attention. I would change the location of the film to a bar or restaurant so they was more going on in the frame than just the character. The focus would be taken off the character and would allow interaction with the environment e.g. with people around him.

< Cleaning My Room >

To help me understand and learn more about stop motion animation i have done this video. It has been part of my independent study. I took just over 400 pictures to make this video and i am really pleased with the way it turned out.

< The Debt >

This is the edited version of my single shot film. I have added music to make the scene more atmospheric and make the video more intense. I have also made the video black and white effect to make the film look likes its film noir.

< Uncut Footage >

Here is the uncut footage of our single shot film.

< Production of One Shot Film >

These images are of the studio where we filmed and pictures of how we set up the studio for our single shot film.

Here is an image of the studio when we first arrived, this was the space we had to film our one shot film.



We used the black gel because the light was too bright on Abduls face and too much exposure reflecting on the camera.

Here they are discussing the script and position on the camera.

Here abdul is in costume and the lights are all set out ready for filming.


Here Gemma is filming.



Pictures from From Katie Owens Blog.

< Single Shot Film Planning >

Story:

The story is going to be about a gangster who is in a spot of bother when he is involved in illegal drug dealing. He owes money to one of the biggest mafia bosses in the city and his life is at stake. The gangster tells the story from his point of view.

Scene style:

This film is going to be in black and white with a smoky atmosphere. In the scene its going to have a small coffee table with a whiskey bottle and ashtray, the gangster is going to be sat down next to the coffee table. There is going to be horizontal blinds placed in front of one of the lights, this style is taken from ‘Film Noir’. This style is used in a lot of gangster type films and it will also set the mood. The character is going to telling the story and drowning his sorrows in whiskey.

Roles:

Abdul – Camera man
Gemma – Sound and scripting
Katie – Lighting
Otis – Character ’Gangsta’
We have all researched in to different films and brought different ideas together to create the final image of our film.

Communication:

I will communicate with my group by email, phone and meetings. I have all my groups’ phone numbers so we can arrange meeting times to complete this task set.
The work is organised by the group researching into gangster style films and bring ideas together to create our own film. We have also separate roles and contributions to this film so we have all had an input to the story.

Script:

“Frank owned a lot of people money”

“Now he’s dead I’m next in line to pay his debt, I know there not gonna foget”

(Pause, drinks some whisky)

“Four guys in long black leather jackets strode up like they owned the city. It was impossible to tell if they where cops or gangsters.”

“The coppers are as bent as us these days you know.”

I t was fancies biggest job yet, this would be the job of all jobs. The cash would pay his debts off, all off!”

(short pause)

“He snapped open the suitcase, revealing five half, kilo bags of uncut heroine in clear plastic bags”

“Frankie asked the to see the cash”

“They just sniggered, what cash? Their faces said it all.”

“The tallest of them all pulled out a gun, pointing it right at Frankie’s head.”

“I knew straight away, he was a dead man”

“Frankie had always been wheeling and dealing. Ever since we was kids”

“The empty bar was silent, a middle aged msn mopping up glanced up at Frankie and exited at the back door, even he know”

“I’ll never know why they didn’t kill me”

(Smokes on cig)

“Here I am, he may be dead. But is debts are left with me.”

“I’ve got a week to get the cash, just a week”

“I think they knew if they killed me too, his debt would be unpaid, down to me”

< Health & Safety of Lighting >

In the lighting seminar we learnt about 3 point lighting technique and using the proper health and safety procedures. Learning how to use the lighting correctly and safety is will reduce the risk of something going wrong and learning the 3 point technique will help enhance your video.

We were put into little groups to practice what we had just been taught. There are different names for each of the three lights and they all have their own jobs they do:

The Key light:

The key light is the main light to the setup, usually being the most strongest. This is the main light, this light casts the shadows on the wall.

The Fill Light:

This light sits on the opposite side to the key light, filling in all of the shadows created by the key light. This light removes the shadows that are cause by the key light.

Backlight:

This light is set behind the subject, lighting it up from the back This separates the person from the background, it creates a halo glow effect around the person to give a 3d effect.

When using Lighting the points you need to consider:

1. Always wear gloves when handling lights to avoid burns.

2. Always check the gloves for holes. If there are any then throw the gloves away.

3. Check for holes.

4. Don't leave wires wound up.

5. Wires should be stuck down or covered with rubber mats.

6. Don't touch lights is on without wearing gloves.

7. All lights should have a circuit breaker.

8. The light wire should hang from the rear of the light .

9. Wire should hang to the floor, rather than being stretched to plug socket.

10. Let lights cool down after use.

Picture from http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/3point.gif

< Feedback on Pixilation >

After watching my pixilation video with members of my tutorial group I have gained feedback about my work and any changes that can be made to make the video better. Generally the feedback was positive and people liked it. The structure of the video was good and many people liked that about the video as well as the choose of music used which they taught really matched the pace and flow of the video.

The use of camera movement in the video was considered excellent and “showed that we taught ahead of time of how we should take each picture”.

The negative feedback I got from Jules was the narrative of the video which wasn’t clear and he told me to make the following changes to the video so it will appear a little more clear to the audience:

· Change the title of the video to match what is going on in the video.

· Put sound effects were they are needed.

· Slow the video down a bit so the audience can see what movements are taking place in the video.

Other general points for future reference was , “try using different locations” as well.

So enough talking he it is with the changes made to it: