Thirty second film!

So, for our introduction and warm up with the cameras, the exam board set us a thirty second exercise which we must do. We don't get marked for the piece itself but if we don't complete it, we get marked down! It had to consist of a person opening a door and coming through it, having a small bit of dialogue with a person already in the room.
To get us started, Mr V showed us a small clip of our task, which the exam board did and explained the concept of crossing the line. This is where, when filming, you must draw an imaginary (straight) line where you have place your camera down where you want your shot, then you must not put your camera anywhere on the other side of the line. Like in bench ball, where you can't cross over to the other persons side.
Then we had to do a story board...



Following the story board, we chose our groups. I went with Jerome and James. We set off filming... and hit the editing on the mac's........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHlpxlO3vi4

I found this exercise really useful because I thought directors just read the play, then literally ordered whatever came into their heads to be set up for the filming (sounds really daft now) So the story boards were really useful in seeing how it is really done. Also the filming was really fun. The counting to ten before action I found was really absurd but made complete sense! Using the Macs to edit was really weird because I always thought things were taken in one shot, and never knew you could join two shots together in the middle of a scene! Also I’ve never edited so it made it quite fun to learn all the controls!

Command j = fast forward
Command k =?
Command l = rewind
Command 8 = put video from the camera to the computer
Space bar = play!


Jeromes film clip ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYmdxRhVpbw&feature=related

James's film clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9EnIPC2xgQ&feature=related

On one of our first leasons with Mrs Fransis, we learn't about camera angel. We went throught then all, and drew them out for later reference and to help us remember them!

The next leason, she gave us an official sheet with them all on!

Outnumbered...

I don't know if anyone has ever seen outnumbered, but it's in to the second series now. It's basically about an ordinary family, with three children, the 'fibber and anarchist', 'the vegetable hater and awkward questioner' and lastly the 'boy about to leave his childhood behind'. It's about what actually happens in life. Those embarrassing questions small kids ask, and the 'competition' with the 'perfect' family next door! I was reading an article on it in the Times culture section and found it really interesting! It was all about the filming and the script and i thought it relevant as we are learning about British films with Mrs Francis.

How did they end up with such a brilliant script? Well, seven years ago, Andy Hamilton was making a film and casted his daughter. Only to find many problems, such as the seven year old not being able to deliver her lines convincingly due to the fact she tended to stand still, when in fact children never stand still and are always playing with something! This mixed with the fact that when delivering the lines she would stand with her eyes fixed on the adult when in fact the adult is the last thing she would actually be looking at made Hamilton discuss the problem with actor Guy Jenkins. The conclusion was to deny the children the script, and thus produced Outnumbered!

Jake, 12, is the only child who gets to see the script because he is treated more or less as an adult. But the two younger ones, Karen and Ben are 'denied access to the script' Guy Jenkins whispers in Karen's ear and Hamilton whispers in Ben's' a 'mission statement' which the adults are denied from hearing, and have only their script! Therefore, everything is constructed for the unexpected - the children's striking and bizarre views. Two or three takes are recorded in the allotted time of the same scene, as no one knows in advance of the outcome of the scene.

The whole production is shot with two handheld cameras to make it as flexible as possible and the lighting is uniformly so the children can move as freely as desired without plunging into shadows. Also it allows for the children to come out with a 'brilliant line or funny diversion'. The parents are off screen here, and while the children are on their break, the adults have to shoot material to put the children in context.

Outnumbered portrays a real image of British humour, and doesn't need a 'series of disconnected gags or smart lines' to make it funny! The perfect thing for a Saturday night in!


For the whole article, click on the link bellow!!!


http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5247325.ece

Mr Van Straten leason...

On Monday, before chapel, Jerome kindly told me that we were getting our media coursework next lesson, so after chapel i wandered off to media, thinking it was next. Mr V and Mrs S were talking in the classroom so i didn't go it. Then three year 13's came wondering up the stairs and were waiting too. After about ten minuets and no one in the class turning up, i decided to consult my timetable in my homework diary, only to find it was geography! Embarrassing!!!

So here's the work...

This is our ideas. After lots of research of horror films on u-tube, we are going to base our film on 'A stranger calls'...

Long awaited diary

sooooo, i haven't updated this in ages! i have never been good with a diary to be honest.

soo two weeks ago... was... half term. i spent three days in my room painting it! and listening to the radio and ipod on speakers! then in the evenings i watched some tv for about two or three hours.

Then the next couple days i have been watching tv, reading and listening to the radio in media terms.

The next week was my gold dofe training! on the five hour coach journey there AND back i listen to my ipod (which needs seriously updating) and reading some magazines ... love it!, closer, vogue, cosmo, new heat and reveal! which were shared around the coach!

during the trip... at the youth hostel (three nights), lots of ipod on speakers,
... in the tent, night one, cosmo in the tent!!! lots of laughs
... last night at youth hostel watched about 20minuets of 'wedding crashers'


back home... have watched a total of about 3hours of telly (yesterday and today)
... listened to Duffy's cd on way to nans (mums obsessed)
... read mums 'easy living' magazine and a few cloths catalogue's

now...Internet. i don't know for how long though!

Media Diary

OK, so this week;

On saturday I meet up with CHAZ (an old friend who left the school last year) and we went up to london shopping, so I would have heard some music in the shops, and we had a crazy sing along on the tube (with i-pod) and saw lost of posters etc
then that evening went to Katherine's sleepover (FUN! FUN! FUN!) where the i-pod was on low and we watched 'Sex and the city!'

7.00-8.30/7.30-8.30 usual radio in the morning this week.

5.30-7.00 - TV tonight and many other nights unless i am doing something else!

5.00-6.45 last night was on the internet reseaching Sony for Mr VS's homework(IN FOR TOMORROW) and facebook
6.45- now - tonight did a little! same thing as last night

ermm in media studies last week we watched Yasmin with Mrs Francis and were analysisng Mis en scene! and this week we watched some of the Bill and analysed camera angles! Which was interesting! I think it seems like the editor is minipulating us through camera angles and cutting!!! (but im crazy)

Anyways, will post when i have more Media related things to say!!!

Media

We were set some homework by Mr VS about sony, and i was on google researching when I stumbles across this article and thought it was quite true and it tied in with the whole media and being influenced by the media subject! I thought it was interesting to hear someone else say it..

''We mobile users are never satisfied. We're always looking forward to the next big handset, even when ours is still fairly new. It's partly down to the mobile industry itself, which makes its money from persuading us to upgrade to a new phone every 12-18 months with swankier features.Sometimes, our lust for new handsets is just wishful thinking. Such is the case, presently, with the rumours surrounding Sony Ericsson making a PlayStation Phone (or PSP for short. Er... hang on...).''

The rest of the article is about sony trying to make a play station mobile if you want to read it!!!

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Various/feature.asp?c=2740