Sound Task II

In order to understand how sound is used, and how it is added in within the post production stage, I used the Panasonic AVCCAM AG-HMC41E, which doesn't record sound. This meant that I needed to rely on the external microphone that I was going to use to add realism to my recordings. I used the Tascam DR-40 Voice Recorder, with a Sennheiser shotgun microphone attached to a boom pole. 

This activity was carried out as a part of a group exercise. My peers and I each took a turn playing the role of; camera operator, sound operator/director, boom operator, using the clapper board and being part of the action. The person carrying out the action also took the role of First Assistant Director, in which they called out signs and directions for the other team in the production.

The set task to improve the knowledge of my peers and I was as follows. We needed to record two sounds, using the sound and camera equipment, along with the clapper board so that it would make it easier to match the video and audio tracks in editing. Each person was to take on each role once, and we were to practice answering to the calls of the First Assistant Director.

Evaluation

To start with, it was quite challenging to match the audio with the video, although I now understand how useful the clapper board is in providing the editor with an aid to get sound and video running together.

I chose to use the sounds of a pencil scribbling on a  piece of paper, and that of a set of keys being shaken about. These were both quite continuous sounds, which I think would have been easier to have got away without synchronising the tracks perfectly, as opposed to an indivdula sound, such as a door slamming. However. I did find with the pencil, particularly at the end of take three when the actor makes an individual mark, that the sound reflects this, meaning that it was synced quite well. Meanwhile, it is difficult to see where exactly the keys are making sound, and so this was easier to match to the action as it is likely that the jingling would look and sound realistic, even with a difference of a few frames between the two tracks.

The sound is much clearer than if I would have used an internal microphone, as the external microphone can be pointed straight at the source of sound, without impacting the camerawork. Therefore, I will be using the external microphone where necessary in my short film.

Script Draft Five

After my fourth feedback session with my teacher, we both agreed that we were happy that my script was almost ready for a final draft. 

Following a few notes on spelling and grammar, which I have corrected in the fifth draft, we discussed a few slight changes to make to the latest version.

To continue with keeping the caretaker anonymous until the last scene, my teacher and I considered leaving the description out of the playground scene, and emphasising the sound in order for his identity to remain a secret. The rationale for this was to increase what is left to the audience's imagination, retaining their attention to the very end of the film. 

To give the caretaker reason for giving the girl his phone, my teacher and I also explored the idea her having her phone on her at the end, but signifying to the audience that it has run out of battery.

In conclusion, I am now happy that my script drives the narrative forward in each scene, providing a visual idea of what it will look like, whilst leaving directions and large amounts of dialogue out. After this feedback session, I am also confident that I can apply Marilyn Milgrom's Ten Point Plan to my script.

Script Draft Five from aimeelee12

Lighting Task

Prior to the lighting workshop, I needed to take some notes to better my understanding of lights, and their purpose, and what makes them effective:

After learning of all the different types of light, I began to set up the lights in a basic set up, and experimented with brightness of each light whilst the actor was rehearsing. This allowed me to consider lighting ratios and the shadows being cast.

After trialing different positions of the lights, and the brightness, I was happy, and began to shoot the medium close up. From here on I encountered a few issues:

• As I followed my actor round the room in a close up, she blocked the light and cast a harsh shadow on the wall behind her. This wasn't an effective lighting set up, and so I needed to change this around to make it more so. I decided to start the scene in the dark, with just the back light tilted towards the ceiling to bounce light onto the actor whilst still looking natural. The lights operator that I had followed the path of the actor with the back light, still keeping it pointed towards the ceiling. As I was filming in a closeup, and the actor was taller than the key light, I was able to film her walking past it without it being in the shot.
• I then faced the issue of turning the key and fill light on gradually so that the lighting still looks realistic, so I added a lamp to try and mask the increase in light. I first tried this without the source of the lamp, but this cast a shadow on the actor's face, and so we plugged it in to eradicate the shadow. This worked fairly well, although it was difficult to synchronise the turning on of the lamp, with the turning up of the lighting switch.
• Due to the low light in the beginning, the camera's performance was not as high as it would have been in brighter lighting conditions. Therefore, it lost focus as my actor walked towards the desk. To resolve this, I filmed an insert shot to cover this up. 

Lighting and Camera Evaluations

After I had set the lights and directed the action around it, I was happy to shoot. In the take shown above, the lights operators managed the mask the brightening of the lights behind the actor turning on the lamp. I was also content with the back light operator's use of movement to trace the actor and highlight elements in the background a little as well.

Through selecting the strength of both the key and the fill light, I established a lighting ratio that is clear and can be seen on the actor's face.

As my actor moves closer and further away from the camera whilst she is being covered in the frame, the shot sizes began to vary as she moves. There are points in which her head is almost completely cut off, and points where there is. However, at the beginning of the movement, and at the end, I am satisfied with the framing and amount of head room and nose room in the shot. I was also quite pleased with the use of anticipatory framing, as I don't think that I cut off the actor as a result of panning/tilting too slow or too fast.

Overall, this was quite a successful technical exercise in showing the amount of thought put into lighting, despite the aim being to look natural. I will be using lighting in my film as it creates meaning for the audience to decode, and this task was certainly helpful in furthering my knowledge on aspects behind the camera.

White Balance Task

White Balance Task from aimeelee12

Script Draft Four

After receiving feedback from my teacher about my third draft of my script, I was able to understand that my writing was able to show clearly to the reader what would be seen in the actual film, as well as raise tension through including symbols that carry negative and dangerous connotations, evoking a response from the audience.

I was advised that my slug lines needed to be clearer and that I needed to add more, such as when Hannah enters and exits the cupboard. 

The idea was raised to hold back introducing the caretaker. To increase the tension further, I want the audience to infer from less clear imagery until the end. I've edited the script so that the first instance of the audience being sure that they've seen the caretaker is when Hannah has to run and hide in the playground. I think that this will be more effective, as it creates aural and visual enigmas for the audience to keep decoding until the very end scene.

Finally, I was also pointed out on several grammar mistakes that I have now corrected in this draft.

Script Draft Four from aimeelee12

Script Draft Three

Upon receiving feedback from my teacher, I found out that my script had several moments that had the potential to create a cinematic experience, and created much more tension than the previous, initial draft.

However, within the areas in which the girl plays with dangerous objects, such as the jigs in the design tech room and the knives in the food tech room, I was told I could raise the tension by developing the description so that WYSIWYG is evident, and is successful in creating a more visual scene for the audience to understand and respond to.

I was also told that I could add to the ending in order to emphasise the role of carer, if temporary, for the girl, who I would be able to show as needing it. I decided to do this by introducing the representation of the girl as being middle class through the use of mise en scene. I will add the prop of a phone, that is broken or has run out of battery, to show that the girl cannot contact anyone. I added this in subtly as to not make a great deal out of it, so that I could get the caretaker to readdress her lack of contact at the end by offering her his phone.

Script Draft Three from aimeelee12