Week 10

Last week we didn't have a class because of ANZAC day, but the week before that we learned how to use Final Cut Pro to capture the clips that we wanted to use in our two films. This week, we will start editing the footage and looking at how we can add opening/closing credits.We want to look at the original ideas we had of how to show the credits and see if we can make them work, e.g. the black screen with writing on it, our truck logo making its way across the screen. We also finished up our documentation, which involved going through our notes and organising them, and expanding on things where we needed to.

Week 10

This week things are getting pretty tough with all the assignments and final projects coming up. It becomes even worse for my group, as there is basically only one class left to edit because of the Anzac day. I find it impossible for finalise 2 different videos in 4 hours. I have spoken to Rommel about it because he is going to be a filmmaker too, but he wasnt bothered about it as his script is really basic and easy to edit. Moreover, it is really hard to edit the videos in free time because of the classes there (most of the time students need the computer with final cut pro for their own work) and because of our lack of time due to other projects. i wanted to edit it on another computer with final cut pro which I have access to but the version there is newer so if I will use it there I wont be able to work in class anymore. All these is pretty frustrating and confusing to an extend.

Anyway, we will try our best to finalise the project before the due date. on the last group meeting we have decided on the final titles for the video. The club documentary title would be "Trash Bags" as was suggested before and the name of interactive video would be "Wasted", creating correlations with money waste and being wasted on alcohol.

Next week whole group will help me with editing, Anita and Ying working on "Wasted" video and me and Nicole on "Trash Bags".

Week 9

This week I will write about second video. This semester break was shorter then always because half of it were public holidays and members of our group needed to spend some time with their families. Therefore, for second video shoot we had only one day to film. Therefore, we didnt have an opportunity to shoot all scenes according to the draft script. For example, scenes with the way to restaurant, taxi, giving the present and the crowded party. I have changed the script to fix this problem and also hope that shooting more photographs and editing will save the video.

Unlike the first video which was a documentary, for this one we needed a male actor. I tried to contact the same one we used in 3rd semester to shoot "Awkward conversation", but Arabella didnt answer so I asked my boyfriend to participate in the project as "hands of main hero". Another problem with the crew was that on the shooting day my friends couldnt come up for a party so the group members had to act in the final scene themselves. It was really hard because it was only 3 of us so the party looked quiet empty. So I asked Nicole to join us in this scene and my boyfriend was holding the camera this one time.

Luckily, whole kit was working and we could shoot almost everything we wanted and the way we wanted.

Week 8

Its week 8, a first week after our break. We didnt really had a chance to relax much on the break because we were filming during it. We were filming on two days: Friday 2d April for first video and Monday 5th April for second.

First, about the documentary. This time everything was working in technical aspect. But unfortunately, we couldnt get any more permissions but Nicole's workplace. So, we decided to use shots from previous time and new ones together to create intensive 3-minute video.

The hardest part was interviewing people. There were two extremely different behaviours of people we wanted to interview and it affected the process and the results. While guys either were jumping into the shot wanting to be filmed or didnt mind us asking questions about their outfits, girls were trying to hide their faces and themselves or were laughing and couldnt say anything in the camera. I assume that the behaviour patterns were so different because we were interviewing asian people near the asian club.

Anita was an interviewer as she basically wrote the script for the first video. So at some point, another problem appeared as she was that quiet that people couldnt here her at all though it was loud on the tape.

Anyway, we did it and we have some great and funny shots for first video!

Week 6

We developed a detailed script (as detailed as we can go with a documentary) for the first video and decided on the day when we going to film.

The test shoot will be held on Friday night near club Brooklyn hotel, as we already have a permission to film there. The next shoot we having on saturday night, filming different clubs depending on which permissions we gonna have: Club 77, The World Bar,  The Ivy, Hot Damn, Brooklyn Hotel, Trash.

Our documentary script consists of the introduction (including the quotation, the campaign logo, the production title), stylistic ideas, interview questions and the credits (plus funny photographs at the end).

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Today we worked in editing program Final Cut Pro Studio v.6.0.1

1. Logging sheet

2. Capture

3. Assembly

4. Rough cut

5. Final cut

Week 5

Its week 5 now and for today, we prepared our outline of the project and the presentation.

Outline

Essential idea and style

1. Documentary on club people

The documentary will be made in the form of interview. The interviewer will be asking people near nightclubs what they are wearing, where them got their clothes from and how much it costs (approximately). The purpose of this documentary is to show different ways how people find their outfits and might contain some interesting and unexpected results. Humorous, glamorous and colourful.

2. Interactive fiction

Second video is an interactive fiction, which is telling story of an average student’s day in the style of a game. The video is teaching how to manage money spending. A viewer has his/her own choice what to do and how to spend the amount of money, which they received in the beginning of the game. The task is to spend less money and have more “fun”.

Audience

We have targeted a wide range of people in some of our previous campaigns, but for our ‘Old School’ campaign we have chosen to focus on tertiary students, who are faced with both the financial difficulties of university life as well as the societal pressure to spend increasingly large amounts of money on whatever items are deemed ‘fashionable’ by the media and their peer group.

The target audience can shortly be described as generation Y (17-25) international and local university students, male and female. The target demographic has short attention spans, want everything now, love “stuff” and are addicted to internet (Huntley, 2006). The hypothesis needs to be proven by academic and independent research among Insearch and UTS students.

Distribution platform

The videos will be distributed through the internet on such websites as vimeo.com, youtube.com and our campaign website. Second video might be further distributed as an iPhone application.

Documentary

Duration

3 to 5 min

Logistics (location, crew, actors, technical)

Location: near clubs on George st, Kings Cross, Oxford st, New Town.

Crew: camera operator and cinematographer – Nicole, light and sound – Ying, director and editor – Val, writer and producer – Anita.

Actors: no actors, real people.

Technical: the kit + light.

Interactive

Duration

5 to 10 min

Example (if it has been made already)

‘Journey to the End of Coal’

Logistics (location, crew, actors, technical)

Location: several places including “home place”, “café”, “clothing shop”, etc.

Crew: camera operator and cinematographer – Nicole, light and sound – Ying, director, writer and editor – Val, producer – Anita and a photographer.

Technical: the kit + photo camera.

Draft script

1. Black screen

2. The title of the game (campaign) appears.

3. Text "Select a gender before you start".

4. Video. First point of view though character's eyes: opening the eyes, the lying on the bed. Sits, looks around the room. Its messy, clothes on the floor, etc.

5. Still photograph of the same room.

6. Instructional text appears on the top.

7. Control button appear in the right bottom corner.

Week 4

The first assignment is due today. It is a web documentary review. This interactive documentary impressed me so much and I came up with an idea that we can do something similar to that in terms of interactivity. We have lot of different ideas for the video and we are going to discuss it on our group meeting this week.

Our group also defined the roles in preproduction, production and postproduction.

Nicole - Camera operator, Cinematographer

1. Find location

2. Storyboard

3. Camera operating

4. Communicating with director, sound, light

5. Checking equipment, charge batteries

6. Tapes check, reflections

7. Focus, frames, setting of the camera, exposure shadow speed dial, white balance.

Ying - Sound, Light, Outfits

1. Check id sound is clear, test location if its suitable

2. Sound recording with camera operator

3. Sound effects and editing sound

4. Microphones and tech

5. Styling of the set and actors outfits if applicable

Anita - Producer, Project manager

1. Buy tapes

2. Copyright and locations' permissions

3. Budgeting, safety of crew and equipment

4. Manage meetings

5. Food, props, travel costs

6. Production scheduling

me - Director, Writer, Editor

1. Script writing/editing

2. Directing cinematographer

3. Working with actors and other crew members

4. Editing the video, edit script

5. Video logging sheet (the one Rommel did in previous semester)

At the end, we will need a DVD + cover and individual evaluations.

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We decided to film two videos, first one is an interactive mockumentary and second would be  documentary on club people (how much they clothes cost, where they got it from).