Evaluation

This is the website I have created for my evaluation:

http://sheepdawg08.wix.com/smax-evaluation

Final Construction (Opening Title Sequence)

This is the edit according to feedback we received about titles. The title of the film is now much more significant. We tried making the word 'In' in italics but in the end, we just cut up the title and extended it slightly.

Fatal Motive Final cut Feedback from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

Preliminary set task (Continuity Task)

Continuity Task from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

Job Allocation (Links to other posts)

We have had an idea as to the roles required on the day of filming as well as on other days. We have decided to write a list of roles (some discussed in previous posts) so we know exactly what we are responsible for. The list is as follows:

Note that musicians will not be required as I can play all the parts myself. and PhotoShop artist is also not needed

I have since made several posts expanding on how I carried out or experimented with these tasks. These posts act as a journal entry and evaluation of how each task was carried out:

• Composer (1) (2) (3)
• Casting (1) (2)
• Props (1) (2) (3)
• Storyboarding (1) (2)
• Camera Operator (1) (2) (3) (4)
• Lighting Operator (1)
• Foley Artist (1)
• Editor (1) (2) (3) (4)
• Audio Editor (1) (2)

Max has made posts on his jobs as well or his roles are detailed in mine (such as editing)

• Writer (1)
• Director (1)
• Locations Manager  (1) (2)
• Scripting (1) (2)
• Executive editor (1)
• Set Arrangement (1)
• Title Production (1) (2)

I have also made posts detailing the 'Other' Category:

• Animator (1)
• Cinematographer (1)
• Actors (under casting)

Actors feedback

The actors are really pleased with the final piece and are really happy to work with us again if we wanted to. They said they were extremely happy with the way it looked and how they were portrayed.

Group edit

Fatal Motive group showing from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

This is the video that I exported for after I edited the audio and we are showing several focus groups soon.

Audience Feedback

We plan on getting audience feedback With this final clip we have compiled:

Fatal Motive, Final from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

As mentioned in the Editing post, We had to go back and re-edit the titles as we didn't quality check the spelling, This has been a quick fix and we are now ready to present.

EDIT: We showed the film to our media class and we filmed it:

SMAX Feedback Group from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

We decided to put Max in charge of audience feedback and he gathered questions. We received feedback on our film being a neo noir based on reverse tracking and the music, which we understood. We also recieved feedback on audio levels being loud in places, but that was due to the volume of the piece when shown and in the context of the situation. The pen dropping is actually in the same soundclip and at the same volume as the voice so we decided to keep it.

We also had to answer questions based on thoughts that people believed were unintentional (such as the crackling voice clip), but when they were told why we made that decision, they agreed that it made sense.

We received positive feedback about the direction Max had given Jon (the antihero) regarding his movement, which was conventional, which we didn't really think of at the time but we are glad it came out the way it did.

A comment was made that it felt like a TV film, which is what we went for and we are glad it stood out as that sort of film. We also received feedback that the voice over helped to understand the story and characters, and since this was a late addition, we were pleased that it was a necessary addition.

We asked about tension and we found that they liked the build up of music and the slow motion, as they added to the suspense of the piece. They also said that we didn't give too much away, which was our intention from the beginning and we are happy that they want to know more than they do from watching the film.

When we asked about the titles, we were told that the font wasn't conventional and some of the titles could be shortened down. We agreed with this to an extent but typical noir films had more of the roles and credits at the start, and they understood the placement. We also received feedback that the main film title was unclear and it was really quick. We will remedy this immediately

We received an interesting comment about the fact that it felt like a trailer at the start, but then you understood that it was an opening title sequence once the other scene started playing.

We hope to play this to other groups and hand out questionnaires, to gain extra feedback and to see if the target audiences needs were met.

Music Problems

The music for the end sequence does not work in it's current state, this is due to the change of pace since our storyboarding changes. Before the change, we had a montage of pictures as the last scene, now we have an extended scene of the police role as we thought the montage was unnecessary and this is a better way of introducing the character.

This means that the fast paced, heavy music no longer works and I will have to revert to the earlier stage of the music to make it work but this means the conventions are kept truer to original film noir.

I am going back to the original idea as it is less intense feel and I believe it will fit a lot better. Here is the metal track:



And this is the original which I will be looking to re record:



EDIT: I have re-recorded a better version of the Jazz music as well as an extended version of the first piece which was changed to fit the length of the film better. This has been edited into the film.

Video editing

Over the past week or so, I have been up in the mac suite with Max and we have been editing the clips that we filmed last week together.I started by inputting all the clips we needed into the timeline, adding occasional effects such as transitions to test if they work. We then focused on making sure each clip lasted the correct amount of time and that the pace kept up with what we wanted. Here, Max overlooked my editing and ensured each clip lasted the right amount of time.

We then went about getting the right look from the clips. I went and changed the exposure and brightness of the clips, once again with Max looking over and making sure that the clip looked right. Once we had done this for one clip, we applied it to entire scenes. We monitored this for each individual scenes.

I then edited all the transitions together, which took a while to make sure that they lasted the correct amount of time. We played around with certain transitions to different sequences but the white flash fitted the best. Once we did this, it was up to Max to edit the titles together and then I exported it and edited it soundwise at home.

Audio Editing

 The audio editing was done partially on the Mac mini software iMovie 2013, but this was due to the footage containing dialogue and foleying that I wanted to sort out. The telephone ringing was a built in effect to the iMovie file defaults and this is why I edited it on there.

 I also tried the music editing there but this was a far too complicated mechanism for me to use. I am used to a separate channel under the timeline but this system was messing around with orders of footage and I had to reverse to a previous save before I started the audio editing. This meant I had to export the footage with some sound effects and dialogue and add everything else at home.

I was rather surprised with how quickly I finished the video once I took it home. I recorded reactions from the telephone and added distortion and echo, which made it sound like it was coming out the other end of the receiver. I added the gunshots that I had made using techniques from the video on foleying, edited the voice over and sorted out the music levels and added fades according to how I wanted to them to come in. 

An example of the interface I am used to.

Voiceover

Since our first rough edit, we have really thought hard about changes we could make to the scenes. We have considered a voiceover for a while now and after seeing the first scene, we feel that this is completely necessary for the piece to flow properly. We have decided to have a voiceover from the detective's perspective as this is a typical convention of noir films and can give some context to the scene.

Max has started the script and we hope to get this done as soon as we have finished the script.

EDIT: Max has got his dad to record the voiceover five times, each of which are slightly different, I will listen to all of them we will decide which is most suitable. We then have to place this properly, which Max will decide once he has seen the film.

EDIT: I have chosen Max's favourite, the third voiceover as it the most well spoken and the pauses are long enough for me to play around with.

Rough Cut

After playing around with the exposure and brightness of the clips, we have compiled a rough cut of the film:

Final production rough cut from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

The cut has no sound consideration and I think that this means it drags on a bit and once the music and sound effects are put in, the piece will flow better.

There are several things that people have pointed out to us that we haven't considered throughout the process. The first being the detective's accent, which does not fit with the rest of the voices or the mise-en-scene of the video at all. He's putting on a strong american accent whereas the others are using British accents. This means we will have to dub over this track if we want to resolve it. The issue is a setback but isn't too much of a hassle to fix or to keep (as people move countries).

The second thing we missed was the Femme Fatale's costume. Her dress is too short for the time period and she is wearing a bit too much makeup. We aren't interested in the fashion industry in any way so we weren't able to notice this at the time. Her costume is more of a modern take on the Femme Fatale and her costume would be good for a Neo-Noir setting instead of the classic 19050's setting.

Filming day 3

We switched the schedule around and are filming the office scene today so we can piece the rough cut tomorrow. We are focusing on continuity just as much as we have done with the second day of filming and we hope that we can get the perfect take that we will use for the final production.

Filming day 2

Today, we filmed the majority of the film and it was fast and effective. We arrived at the House Cafe around 4:00 to set up the place for the appropriate Mise-en-scene (we found that the place had several items, such as the radio, that fit really nicely) and the actors arrived at 4:30. We then went through the storyboard and carried out the filming. Max made sure furniture and the set was arranged well and directed the scenes, Matthew (the cinematographer) made sure it was all framed well and I set up the lights and camera equipment.

The actors were really easy to work with and enthusiastic about the piece and it was really relieving that this was the case. We filmed at the House Cafe for about half an hour, then we went with Jon to Elm hill, where we found that the location we had picked was too dark to film in so we chose another location, just across from the place we wanted to film initially. We then filmed for around 20 minutes and then we went home.

Apart from the location issue, we didn't face any problems and everything went as planned. The footage all looks good and we won't have to refilm anything from those scenes.

We are refilming the office scene tomorrow and we will be editing Friday for a rough idea of how the whole thing looks and what we will have left to do.

First day of filming

Yesterday, we filmed the office scene at Max's house with his dad. We thought the shots went well and the looked perfect but we didn't consider the actors facial expressions and body language s there are slight continuity errors. We think that unless we can find a way of editing it cleverly, we will have to refilm, which isn't a problem as we won't have any hassle rebooking actors or location. This has taught us just how much we need to consider this hen filming the rest of it today. The scene we edited is shown here:

office scene 1 from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

This has been a valuable lesson and I'm glad we made the mistake with this scene rather than the majority of the film. It does however show that we are good at getting the mise-en-scene and overall noir look right and that is very reassuring. The lighting looks perfect when edited in post and I think this scene will look amazing when refilmed.

Cinematographer

We are filming the majority of our film on two days, that means we need to get all roles completed for then. As we are a duo company, we need to get other people in to do jobs we are not competent in. I have therefore 'hired' my friend and A level Photography and Media student, Matthew Evans. I have worked with him in the past and I know he is more than competent and because we are good friends, he isn't afraid to tell me what to do. This makes him ideal for the role.

Today was the day I briefed him with exactly what I wanted from him. We went through the storyboard and I told him what I wanted things to look like and explored how he was going to carry out his role. He now knows exactly what we want from him and I am absolutely sure that he will add a level of quality to the footage we wouldn't usually get.

This is accepted practice in industry as camera operators may not have as trained an eye for detail that a cinematographer would have and the cinematographer may not have the technical skills to operate the camera.

EDIT 31st January: I am extremely happy with the decision to use Matthew as the Cinematographer, the shots look fantastic and he carried out the perfect job.

Music Final

These pieces are the final music pieces I have recorded for this piece.

The first piece is an adaptation upon the first jazz draft to make it more dark and heavy. This works as it sounds like a typical detective film song. I think this piece will work really well with the piece. I have had several people review and they all say that it works for what we wanted. 

The second piece is more of a sad piece, this will be where the murder takes place and the voiceover will be played over this. I think this piece breaks a lot of conventions but I think that the piece fits and we are creating a neo-noir so breaking typical noir films is not a problem.

Lighting Overview

As I have all the equipment necessary, I have been allocated the role of lighting operator. I have had previous experience with this as I have operated lights for short films before as well as setting lights up for school plays. I think this gives me a relative understanding of how things should be lit and I hope I can use my previous experience to my advantage here.

I have access to studio quality lights and I know that one of them is all we need. The scenes will be filmed in a relatively bright setting (for more control), which will then be darkened down and maybe I will mess around with other settings in case a change in brightness isn't enough.

EDIT: this is a shot from the blinds that the studio light shined through to the detective scene. This gave me a level of control of the light's reach as well as intensity. 

EDIT: The effect generated from this was commented on and they thought it was a really nice effect that made the piece look more professional.

Planning for Sunday (Updated)

We are filming all scenes with the detective on sunday. We have gone through our animatic to see exactly what we need to film so we don't waste time. We are filming at elm's hill at 1pm and the phone scene at 5pm. This means we have the light exactly how we want it and we will be able to get the exact shot we wanted.

UPDATE 27th January: We were not able to film on this day, but we have arranged to do the phone scene on tuesday. This means we will still have the scene done in time for me to edit when the other scenes are completed. 

Actors Scheduling Problems

Our female actress Marie has pulled out of the process, this is because she didn't realise we would need to film in the evening, which is when she works. We have therefore chosen another Actress, Natalie. She has a good showreel and looks the part. This is a setback and now we have to wait until next wednesday. This means that we have to have everything else decided before we film the clips so then I can just put the clips in and the film will be finished. We are filming the parts with Max's dad on sunday.

I think that this may be a potentially more appropriate role and that Natalie looks more like a Femme Fatale and Marie looks like a girl next door than the character we want.

Natalie, Our new Femme Fatale

Marie, our old Femme Fatale

Props: Final Items (Draft)

I have discussed in previous posts Props we will use and alternatives. I have now obtained all the props neccesary for the film. Here is a list of them.

We are using a realistic revolver toy

Honeyrose Herbal Cigarettes.

Gold, Plain Zippo Lighter

Kershaw penguin eight 20 camera


Spray painted Rotary phone base and mobile phone reciever

Composing Music for the Other Scenes

It has been a while since I have considered the music and It has come to my attention that I have only produced one piece of music for the film. As there is three scenes, I have to compose for at least two of them (I think the second scene will be silent). I have been struggling to see how Jazzy music from that era will fit with a murder scene (other than Juxtaposition, which I do not want to do). I will be experimenting with music as soon as I get home and I shall be recording the process to show evidence.

UPDATE: I had no such luck with music composition so I shall not be uploading the video. Since then, I brought my guitar and recording system into the school and pitched some earlier ideas at Max, We decided on one that will be put below. This took a while to make sinister and appropriate for the piece but I feel that I have done so effectively. This adds a layer of depth to the scene and compliments the scene in a way that shows the antihero's feelings of the murder.. 



As this scene is to appear once again in the middle of the film, The music has a second meaning. It has a sad, romantic feel to it before it gets sinister and the distorted guitar kicks in. This is because (as the rest of the Opening title Sequence implies) he is doing something he never thought he could for love. This means that the scene fits really well as the final piece for the music. I also think a voiceover will work over this piece really well.

Reverse Tracking (link)

Here shows me experimenting with one of the more difficult shots in the film:

SMAX Reverse tracking from Sam SheepDawg-OEight on Vimeo.

I believe the results were respectable and I will be happy to achieve this on the day of filming.

The limitation we have is we are not in possession of a dolly track. This is the most common way to produce this effect (shown below).



Since this post, I have received a camera mount for shoulders to keep moving shots steady. This will help the shot look more professional and is easier on me for filming.

Casting

The listing I put up onto StarNow.co.uk

Casting was a problem we had pretty much from the start. As the film requires adults, we didn't know many people in the acting business. We always said that the role of policeman was to be played by Max's dad but apart from that, we were a bit stuck for ideas. I asked around on Facebook if anyone knew people that would be up for acting but didn't get any serious replies. After chat about using teachers, I found a website called Starnow.co.uk in which people advertise for actors and actresses. I put up a listing for a Femme Fatale and Antihero roles on this website with little hope and left it on just in case anyone wanted to act. I was sure to explain that these roles were unpaid and described exactly what was needed in the role.

I was surprised with the swiftness of everything and within a day I got two replies for the antihero role. One of which was Jon Bennett,  An actor an model that seemed keen for the opportunity and reassured me he had the costume. Upon inspection, he seemed perfect and I contacted him and gave him the script. He was happy and was looking forward to filming. I chose him compared to other applicants because he seemed to look most believable for the role.

The actors we are using for the final film.

We also got two applicants for the role of the Femme Fatale. The first not being located in Norwich and we couldn't arrange transport. We then received a Message from Marie Blake and she also seemed keen. We sent her the script and she was also excited to film.

We have informed them on days we can film and we have reached a decision to film next Wednesday (15th January) to film all the scenes involving them. We will film all other scenes next Saturday (18th January) for the other scenes.

Costume

We have recently started to consider the costume for Max, who will be acting as the body for the daytime scene. He owns an appropriate, black jacket and trouser set but we needed a hat. We looked in the media department and found two that were suitable. We are using the one on the left as it is in better condition and overall looks better with the rest of the costume.