For the directions unit, we were asked to compose two videos - the first being a 2 minute film taking the form of a self portrait. We were encouraged to be as creative as possible, exploring new techniques and coming up with an original idea that would demonstrate who we are and what we like. During prep, I came up with many ideas and decided rather than choosing a certain concept I would do a compilation of things, all relating to things I like or people that are important to me. I wanted it to seem like a montage of unrelated aspects all merging to create one video, almost a summary. I looked at including locations such as the beach and London. I also thought of ways I could include friends and family, maybe giving the camera to them and allowing them to choose something to film. As we were not allowed to include music or dialogue, I thought about including natural sounds from nature or a busy city atmosphere to make the film more dynamic and not just something visual. I filmed several aspects including a segment of my eye where I started with a natural eye and filmed me putting my makeup on. I wanted to include this element as we had to be in our video in one way or another. I also filmed myself doing a quick sketch of a natural landscape from a woodland walk I regularly take. After filming, I started to edit my footage on Adobe Premiere. However, I soon realised that the idea of not having a certain theme didn't work very well when edited together. New locations like the beach seemed like a huge jump and it felt too random. In order to greatly simplify this, I decided to take the element of me walking through the woods and observing the natural environment. Pairing this with my speed drawing, I decided to come up with a new concept called 'Natural Observation'. The theme is what I do to relax. When I want to get some space and clear my head, I will go on a certain walking route across some fields where I live and into a woodland area. It is a very scenic route and helps me to feel calm and peaceful. A hobby of mine is to sketch, particularly locations that I like visiting or new locations. Therefore to tie in this element, I decided to choose a frame from my filming that I particularly liked and film myself sketching this quickly to get an idea of the environment and space. In terms of sound design, I decided to use natural sounds - birds singing, crunching of leaves under my feet and the sound of the wind. These are all quite calming sounds which go with the stunning natural imagery. In terms of the edit, it was relatively successful. I began editing this after the drama so had already got back into the habit of using Adobe Premiere and felt confident that I knew what I was doing. I am pleased with the final video and think it is a good reflection of what I enjoy as it makes me feel quite relaxed and peaceful when I watch it.
For the drama scene, I chose to look at the series Broadchurch. Broadchurch is a British drama starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman. It has been very popular with audiences and has had two successful and well received series. The scene I decided to choose was an interrogation which takes place between four different characters so two interrogations overall. I really liked the way it was filmed in the original series. It was split up so that the camera crosses between the two interviews therefore linking them together. To put my own spin on the scene, I decided to add a split screen element towards the second half. I thought this would be interesting because in the original drama the camera flicks between both conversations as the characters say their lines one after the other. Having them both on screen at the same time, I thought would link them together more and make what they are saying more powerful and prominent. In terms of the the filming itself, I was going to film over two days but was limited to one due to actors not being available on the second day. However, this was plenty of time to complete the entire scene. My crew entailed Imogen as my camera operator and Laura as my sound operator. I chose them because I get on with them well and felt like we would make a good team which was a good decision as we worked very well together. The day was very successful and I managed to cover all of the shots I had planned. The only shot I seemed to miss out was a medium shot of Nigel to match the medium I had of Alec. To tackle this in the edit, I cropped the frame slightly so that Nigel was more in view. In terms of the edit, I found the drama much more complicated than the self portrait. This is because I had a lot more elements to put in place and had to think carefully about where to have my cuts. The split screen was also a huge challenge for me but I felt very pleased when I knew how to do it. The final film works quite successfully and fulfils what I imagined. I really enjoyed this project as I felt like it really pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to think creatively as a director. Although, I found some aspects very stressful, I feel like I have taken a lot from the experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment