Practical Skills
Throughout the ten weeks, we need to document physical evidence that our knowledge of the equipment and software has improved from previous projects we have completed. We should show this through files of filters or images we have created, or in depth pieces of writing that discuss how we gained certain effects. Similarly, we can create audio clips and place them on top of videos in style of tutorials. If possible, we need picture based proof to show we are actually experimenting and using the time effectively.
01/04
I tampered with the manual settings on my camera to switch focus between a foreground object and background. This is the result. In terms of how I film my scenes, I could use this method to emphasise or introduce hidden components towards the plot.
Foreground object in focus, then the lens begins to focus on the background component.
03/04
I found my tripod and attached the camera. This meant I could experiment with the camera placement and see where it is best suited for my opening scene. Thus, I figured out I want the camera to be placed here with the lens slightly pointing downward. This was made possible by the two toggles you can see on the image. They can be manoeuvred to alter the angle or direction of the frame.
Additionally, I changed the height of which the camera was placed. I want to make the frame seem disorientated, creating a feeling of fear or confusion from the viewer.
Toggles change horizontal and vertical view.
04/04
This is what colour grading can do. The image on the left is the original image which has no filters of adjustments. On the right, I have altered the colour balance to imitate that of the show I mentioned in "Fear The Walking dead": A golden, dusty shimmer. This is how I did it.
Image>Adjustments>Colour Balance
Highlights: The edges/corners of the object.
Shadows: The absence of light
Midtones: Surface area between Highlights/Shadows.
This is not quite the image or format I will need to edit in, however. The process on Premiere Pro is similar but follows different principles and I would be altering a moving image. On the other hand, this gives me an idea how I would need to be careful over the Balance and levels I use as if it is not correct then the picture may look too oversaturated or too bright of a certain colour.
This is some experimentation with Manual Focus that I did during the nighttime. I am using candles anyway in some of scenes so I attempted to switch the settings and try use the focal point to my own advantage. This didn't go to plan, but now I am more prepared for when I complete the filming. To use Manual Focus, I toggled the AF button (Autofocus) on the lens to the MF (Manual Focus). Manual focus allows me to select which object out of anything in frame, as long as the object is in good lighting and there is no obstruction.
Additionally, I used the M button on the preset settings circle. This gives me full control over Aperture
08/04
14/04
For the purpose of introducing context around the protagonist, I have worked on some of the clothing.To begin with, I found a plain white t-shirt and made some incisions with a sharp knife. By doing so, it appears to the viewer that the character has been involved in a tussle.
Then, I took this bottle which sprays a red liquid that resembles blood. This was applied all across the shirt, but in a very specific way. rather than keeping the spray facing the same place, I moved the bottle in a sideways motion as it released. The result showing a reallistic image of how someone's blood would project onto a person in combat.
The shirt will be shown in some parts of the opening scene and will encourage the viewer to question why the character is wearing a blood-soaked piece of clothing.
17/04
As well as exploring the costume of my protagonist, I created on the prop that will be featured in the opening scene: The body bag. This was one of the trickiest components of my pre-produciton stage. This creation took a whole day to fill up the bags and place them together to resemble the physique of a human being. Overall, I think that this was a success and it will work nicely for the film. Tocreate this prop, I needed the following items:
2 black bags
Strong Tape
Newspapers/Cans/Plastic containers
To start with, I filled two bin bags with recyclable material such as
newspaper and cans. Once both were fully filled,I grabbed the
open section of the bags and then bound them together. Though I
used selotape to put the bags together, I also used it to shape the
bag so that the different bpdy parts were recognizable, such as
the head.
20/04
These are some of the settings on my DSLR that I chose for filming of some of my scenes. They were based on the situation of the light I had at that Current time.
Though the light was switched on around the time of the picture being taken, I used 6400 ISO for the
low light as the sun began to set slightly earlier than expected. The tripod was placed here as I aimed
to get a nice over-the-shoulder shot for the scene in which he faces his partner in 'zombie' form.
26/04
Based on the whole idea of reverse chronology in my plot, I decided to go for a different aesthetic to contrast the circumstances between the 'then' and 'now'. For three-quarters of the film, there is a nice, warm orange hue radiating through each frame. For the last few scenes, there is a clear, neutral approach in colour that almost looks washed out. The differences can be seen here from these two clips.
For the first video above, I decided to shoot some footage with a car that was heavily-clad in dust. This experimented with the emphasis on the foreground to then a shift to the background. Though this is quite a calm and attractive scene, it is not just created for this purpose. As mentioned earlier, there is a clear difference in colour scheme in the retrospective clips. The reason the first video goes for a light approach is because I really wanted to emphasise the change of mood and how the world has almost been 'cleansed' of the stress and set-hatred of the protagonist. Hence, the frames seem clear and natural.
As for the second video I have inserted, the shot is meant to be quite close and full of tension. With a close shot, I aimed to emphasise the importance of the necklace in the protagonist's hand. This necklace is in fact his dead partner's old jewellery. So this scene followed by a feature of the body bag, my audience should be able to notice what this symbolises to DEACON. For this scene, I used the camera freehand as I would not be able to have captured this position and angle with a tripod due to the placement of objects around the set.
A little bit of brilliance I want to mention is the slight shimmer on the crystals. This is very intentional and I did this by placing the position of the candle slightly below the hand and lit it. In return, a beautiful shimmer over the necklace which adds even more importance to the object.
28/04
The last few shots are being conducted here in this setting. The hallway in which I generated a floor plan. The person you can see in this photo will be portraying the partner of DEACON whom now at this point has come back to life through the reverse-chronology I have used.
The character was slightly camera-shy. As a solution, I stated that the actor was allowed to wear a hood to conceal their identity.
The tripod is placed in this position in order to capture the over-shoulder shot of the protagonist. Hopefully, the shot should also capture the second actor through the window, resembling a 'zombie'.
04/05
I wanted to experiment with some effects in Premiere Pro just before the official time for this action was scheduled. I explored the use of settings such as Cross Dissolve on one select scene.
In this first clip, there is a sudden cut from black to film in the opening frame. To me, this looked unrealistic and not very professional for the position in the film it was played out in. So, I had a brief view of the effect panel in Premiere Pro. When looking, I found the setting 'Dissolve'. The second clip is an example of this.
In this second clip, it is obviously an improved version that runs smooth with the flow of the frames. The result of using an effect like Cross Dissolve creates a nice gradual switch from black to film.
To do this, I grabbed the filter and placed it onto the timeline.
I feel that by doing this I have gained a better understanding of the effect panel and how it can be applied in a suitable manner. Therefore, the final product I create will hopefully reap the benefits of my learning and become quite a nice, smooth piece of video.
07/05
Some of my footage is very blurry/ appears to shake. In order to have a consistency in that the film has the same quality throughout, I experimented/ added some effects that help improve the footage.
There are two effects I have used so far that have an abundance of repairing qualities.
WARP STABILIZER
SHARPEN
WARP STABILIZER: An effect that when applied removes the wobble by selecting individual frames and stabilising them.
SHARPEN: This is an effect that selects the edges of every object in frame and makes it clear by sharpening them. This can make the blurry footage look clear and crisp.
10/05
For some of the scenes, I have applied extra audio clips that are relevant. For the scene in which the door is being banged on, I have applied the sound of a repetitive, angry knocking to really emphasise the danger of the person behind the door. To make the audio seem natural and part of the video, I added a bit of reverb and gain which help to add a sort of echo- the sound then seems like it is part of an enclosed space. To do reverb, we do this:
EFFECTS>AUDIO EFFECTS>OBSOLETE AUDIO EFFECTS>REVERB.
14/05
With the effects I have mentioned, this brings some stutter to the film. At this point, I have pieced together the final product. But in certain shots, it appears to slow down or break up into sections. To fix this, we need to render the selection. This way my film will have a professional, smooth flow and will entice the viewers fully. After all, film is distraction. To have this effect, we need to render the video. There are two types of rendering. Render effects in and out, and render selection. I need to do both.
Bear in mind that rendering can take up a big section of your time, especially if the video is a long duration. In this case, my rendering took about 20 minutes.
14/05
To finalise the film, I needed to add some credits in order to recognise the efforts of my actors and crew. To do so, I select the text too or the Graphics section at the top of Premiere Pro. From here, I can just add whatever text is needed.
This is the final credits. I have given each slide about a four-second gap between each other and discuss the directing and leading roles. Most importantly, it includes the title of the screenplay.
