Continuity Task

We were given the task to produce the video below. The specification is detailed here:
http://asmediastudiessamshepherd2013.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/the-brief-continuity-task.html
The planning post can be found here:

This is the final production that we are presenting. I am quite pleased with it so far despite the lack of sound effects. I think they may not need to be added and the piece definitely works without it.
Continuity Task from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

Neo Noir Analysis (Improved Draft)

We watched several neo noir and noted how they both follow and break conventions. We looked at three films, Blade Runner, Red Riding 1974 and Mulholland Drive.

I have created a HTML table for this blog using http://truben.no/latex/table/ and I found this a good way of creating blog friendly lists for comparison. One problem is that there is little way for me to elaborate on the points I am making in further detail. Another is that it is not very visual or aesthetically pleasing and this bothers me.

Conventional Of Film Noir	Unconventional Of Film Noir
Swing music	Tension building music
Shadows	Bright and Vibrant
Femme Fatales	Happy Mood
Starts at the end	Superimposition
Urban Setting	Two Femme Fatales
Typical 1940's Costume	Car Crash (High budget SFX)
Red Lipstick	Modern Handgun
Cigarette Smoke	Set in LA (Not Chicago or New York)

I have made a mind map for Red Riding 1974 and I found Mind42 an effective way of doing so. I may use this for the future. It does however have the same problem as the HTML table as it does not let me elaborate on detail where needed.

All in all, I found that Neo-Noir is very experimental with different conventions whilst keeping certain aspects(such as narrative and Chiaroscuro). The Iconography is something that seems to remain constantly faithful. 

In my final production, I intend to set it in the 40's, which means I need to focus on iconography. I will also use chiaroscuro and try to use 40's style music. I will also use typical Film Noir characters such as the Femme Fatale and Antihero. I will however be breaking convention by using colour

Makeup Considerations

As I have already done this unit already, I know where my strengths and weaknesses are in terms of planning aspects of the film.One of the areas I lacked was costume and makeup, mainly with fake blood. In our last production, we had to cut a scene from the cut because the fake blood looked too pink. We had put no consideration into testing the blood beforehand and it looked unconvincing. This time around, I shall be considering this as and wen the scene is needed. This video depicts a masterclass on how to represent horror makeup.

BBFC and Guidelines

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is a company responsible for certifying all films screened in the Britain according to how certain age groups will view it. The BBFC give certificates according to the content of the film. This content can include:

-Discrimination
-Drugs
-Horror
-Imitable Behaviour
-Language
-Nudity
-Sex
-Theme
-Violence
-Titles

They may also give warnings if it is obvious it could induce seisures or cause harm and distress to any viewers if they have trouble with Photo or pattern sensitivity, motion sickness and reactions to low frequency sound.
All of the guidelines as well as the research to which the guidelines are based on can be downloaded on the BBFC Website

Lucy Brett from the BBFC joins us for FILMCLUB Live from FILMCLUB on Vimeo.

Planning the Continuity Task

So initially, we had a few concepts and then we spent a lesson playing around with narratives and scenes that most of us agreed on (Georgia wasn't present but she did like the narrative). Whilst we were all giving Ideas, half the group spent time doing a very rough storyboard for scenes we liked or wanted to see if they would work. After this lesson, I decided to redraw the storyboard for a more concise shot list with better consideration for framing. I also created a rough draft of the script to establish lines of dialogue and discourage improvisation. 

The Brief: Continuity Task

We were told to get into groups and produce a video. This video had to be created to certain specifications. We were told that someone has to walk through the door and exchange a few lines of dialogue whilst showing our understanding of the 180 degree rule. We also had to be aware of continuity within the film.

I worked with Chris, Sam, Max and Georgia as we have a wide range of skills and I believe the film should come out well. I will be acting as well as Sam, Georgia will be directing and Chris and Max have chosen to operate the cameras. This is to highlight our strengths and to experiment with weaknesses we have to see if we can overcome them.

Storyboard Vs Animatic

As I am now planning out my continuity task, I thought I should compare planning methods. As I also did this last year I believe I have a good understanding of what is asked of me. Last year, we produced a storyboard and an animatic to plan our preliminary task so I thought these examples would be the perfect way to show the advantages and disadvantages.

The animatic is good for later planning once you know what you are producing and have already produced a storyboard and script. This allows you to show the length of shots and see if any parts last too long and need slight edition. Producing this does mean you already need a detailed plan of the film to produce and as I am in a small group, we all have similar ideas as to how it will come out. This means a visual representation may be unnecessary.

The storyboard for me is the bare minimum when planning a film's camera and composition. This means you can choose which shots to use where early on in the planning of the piece and discourages improvising. This does not however show any indication of editing etc and only detailed ones will have sound plans to accompany them.

So in my experience, I have found the storyboard most useful and the most convenient as you have to produce a storyboard, sound plan and script for an animatic. By then, I feel that you have a fair understanding of how everything is going to be edited and the time you spend divising that, you could be filming. I also feel that you rarely find a shot lasts too long or not long enough when you get this far in the planning stages.