Production Log SEVEN

This week had contained quite a lot of production as well as pre-production. My partner and I had edited our opening sequence on various days as well as re-recorded plenty of different shots. Although this week had its moments where it left a strenuous mark, it ended up teaching us a few lessons as well as being yet another step forward within this project.

A big part for this week was changing the name of our production from the five syllable name of "Derogatory" to the syllable title "Hit List". We believe that our new title is much more catchy and representative of the narrative due to it mentioning a list of attacks, also known as a "hit list".

One thing that was quite an issue was the fact that our shots still had yet to turn out how we wanted them to. In particular, the hand held shots were the hardest to overcome. To solve this issue, my partner and I decided that we should turn our hand held shots into a much clearer and less jumpy one by using a monopod. This tool was very useful as it was much easier to control the shots and turn them into much more static versions of the previous ones. This allowed our film to run more smoothly when it came to us editing. The video below dictates how to use a monopod, with the pros and cons of it as well as what it looks like:

Another issue that we were faced with was the fact that our lead (and only) character in the sequence did not look particularly "angry" enough to portray his current emotions. This resulted in a re-shooting of these shots so that the correct image was given to the audience. Although this did take a while to complete (mainly due to the facts that we had never used a monopod before plus we had to double check each time so that it was perfect) we ended up being quite happy with the final result.

Overall, the issues that we had faced throughout this week were dealt with with ease and a quick pace. From this past week, we have both learnt to double check our shots to make sure that the connotations that we want to be presented are actually apparent, as well as there not being a bad shot involved. This includes taking extra shots just in case, making the most out of what we have and not rushing our production at all.

Call Sheet 3

Date & Time: Wednesday 20th March, 5:00pm
Location: South Park + Morrab Gardens
Storyboard Scenes Numbers: 10, 12, 14, 16-22
Cast: Muhamad Rahman
Props: Camera, Tripod, Monopod, Hoodie, Jeans, Trainers
Reminders: None

Call Sheet 2

Date & Time: Monday 18th March, 4:00pm
Location: Goodmayes Library + South Park
Storyboard Scenes Numbers: 16-22, 25-28, 30-33 + 35
Cast: Muhamad Rahman
Props: Camera, Tripod, T-Shirt, Jeans, Laptop
Reminders: Get the seat in the top right hand corner of the library

Production Log SIX

This week I had begun my actual production. It has been quite an interesting week as I have been working quite well with my partner. The two of us have come up with great ideas as a pair and are excited to carry on with the rest of the project.

The main issues that we have experienced during this part of our work are things like putting our ideas to work. As we have had to deal with going out on similar days as opposed to recording on days with different weather, we can safely say that weather has been a particularly key issue for us this week. When we begun our production, the first day consisted of 2/3 locations being completely shot. We assumed that the shots were really good and exactly what we had wanted, but once we went on to post production, we realised how truly shaky and non-continuous our shots really were on screen. This lead to us changing our schedules around so we had to record after school instead of working on graphics. Nonetheless, this was eventually done particularly well and we did not face too many issues after we had redone our shots again and again. Although this was quite time consuming, the end production was exactly what we had planned for it to be like.

Something my partner and I have learnt this past week is how to use the editing software programme 'LiveType'. I personally was not aware of this programme but am now extremely glad that I know of it. This programme allows users to create text for their work and add special effects to them whilst positioning them in specific positions. For what we have planned, this will come in use as the typical iMovie and Movie Maker attributes do not enable us to do so. We begun by playing around with the effects so that we were aware how to work the programme. This was a great idea as we were then able to become more familiar with what the software has to offer, and realised that we can do much more than we thought. As we had wanted to have a 'typing' effect for our text, we had found out that this software enables us to do this, which meant that we could create exactly what we had wanted.

Overall this week was quite successful as both my partner and I found a new professional relationship where we both take each other's ideas into greater account and can work creatively as a team in a great manner. We have learnt new skills on the LiveType programme as well as becoming more analytical in terms of choosing dates to film. These newly developed skills can enable us to do many more things in the near future to do with Media Studies as well as many other subjects.

Production Log FIVE

This week I have focused planning my opening sequence with the help of my partner. We have created a range of different things in order to complete our planning such as:

• Narrative Structure: This had enabled my partner and I to gain a much greater understanding of what we are going to include in our film. As we had planned the entire film before our opening sequence, this enabled us to form a stronger end product that would both make sense and be intriguing if someone were to carry on watching the entire film.
• Treatment: So that we could denote and have a compilation of every aspect that will be included within our opening sequence, we had created a treatment. This enabled us the chances to have greater organisation as we could flip back to this when looking for our initial wants.
• Shooting Script: This was a great way of denoting what our opening sequence would consist of. We had created a spreadsheet with all of the information on each and every shot that explained what is happening, the duration of it, relevant graphics and more. This is something that both Hollywood and British film companies include within their pre-production as it enables a greater sense of organisation and communication within the working environment.
• Location Reccies: To help enhance the realism of our film, deciding on locations is a very important factor. My partner and I had compared a wide range of settings with each other in order to find out which one was the most relevant for our genre of film. We had taken into account aspects such as noise levels, accessibility and relevance to the film.
• Production Schedule: In order to increase the organisation within our working relationship, having a schedule that denotes every time we will be recording, editing etc. will be quite beneficial as this can enable us to create a sufficient end product. This schedule helps us to stick to a plan that both of us can look at, so timing and confusion issues will be reduced.
• Call Sheet: This sheet is something that my partner and I will create before every single time we shoot. So that we are equipped before we begin production each day, a call sheet will be made, denoting everything we need, even the little things, so that everything goes according to plan. The first one has been created and many more will also soon become apparent as the time comes nearer.

Our key issues for pre-production have been to make a sufficient enough plan that we can stick to (both script and schedule). With a working plan, problems can be reduced as our initial aims would have been made already, as oppose to us having to make it up on the spot. This reduces both time and confusion issues due to the fact that everything has been pre-organised.

Call Sheet 1

Date & Time: Wednesday 13th March, 5:30pm
Location: Morrab Gardens + South Park
Storyboard Scenes Numbers: 8-22
Cast: Muhamad Rahman
Props: Camera, Tripod, Hoodie, Jeans, Trainers
Reminders: None

Production Schedule for "Derogatory"

This is the timetable that my partner and I will follow when recording and editing the scenes for our BSR film's opening sequence. This has enabled us to have a great sense of organisation and so that we can get things done to the quality and suffiency that we aim for it to be. This schedule can be seen below: