One Man Church

So university is kinda fun, its stressful and scary and daunting and tiring but it's kinda fun.

Today in my Content Creation class we were given 4 words and had to come up with a programme idea. The words we were given: 

Chair Smelling Dancing Antidisestablishmentarianism  

The original idea we came up with:

One Man Church - a 3 part documentary on Channel 4 about a vicar who needs to reconnect the local village with the church. He plans a church fair to raise money to replace the old smelly chairs in the church and plans to have the dance group Diversity perform. 

We then were given a different channel, ours was a Netflix drama so we changed the idea. 

People start attacking, damaging and vandalising the church and it's up to the vicar to find out who's doing it and put a stop to it. 

This taught us how an idea can arise (from 4 random words) but also how it can be adapted and changed to suit a particular channel, genre or time. 

First Day at Uni

Find the smallest window with the biggest view  something my Vid Prod lecturer said a lot today 

Today I started my actual classes at uni, last week was induction classes and meeting people but today is when it actually starts. To be very honest it's the first day and I already feel behind. I was given an intro the Vid Prod module which includes the production of a 2-3 minute doc to fit the title 'My Working Life' and include an interview and a 3-5 minute drama. The doc is first and is due November 15th so I don't have much time, I currently have no ideas as to who to make a documentary on so I best get thinking but I'm in almost the same place as this time last year spending my time watching factual films only this time I have already watched a few. 

I then had a 3 hour editing class which showed me the basics of using Adobe Premiere Pro, which I already knew but it was nice for a refresher. 

University

So today I moved to university. It's pretty scary and adult and hasn't completely sunk in yet despite bringing a car load of things with but I'm sure it won't take long before I'm settled into the uni life of work, socialising and drinking (that's definitely the order of importance too). But my beds been made, my clothes are in the wardrobe and I've already got Grey's Anatomy playing so I'm sure it'll feel like home soon. 

I am continuing my filmmaking career by studying a BA in Television and Radio  at the University of Salford, Manchester, I mean it is still classed as a "filmmaking career" if i want to go into TV? I'm going to say yes. 

I chose this university from the 5 I had applied to and received offers from because, well frankly because a module I can take in second year is called 'Contemporary American TV Drama' and that's what I love. But also because the campus is at MediaCityUK which is where BBC and ITV and other film companies are based and film so it was a no brainer really. I'm not interested in a career in radio but I only have to do 1 semester in year 1 so I'm sure I'll enjoy learning about another form of media. 

i'm quite nervous about everything, living on my own but with other people, having to buy food and everyday items like toothpaste, meeting new people and socialising and the workload that university brings. 

CUT Films competition

Yesterday we traveled down to London to go to the final of the CUT Films competition, this was an amazing opportunity as before the screening and awards there was Q&A with 4 people from the industry - writers, directors and actors. This was an incredible opportunity to listen to and learn from people in the industry and also offered a networking opportunity. 

The screening and awards was very enjoyable, seeing our own and other films up on the big screen was amazing. We were nominated in the Popular Choice which was voted fro online but we were unsuccessful in winning, we were also nominated for the overall winner, young judges vote and our age category - 16 to 19. We did not win our age category but we did win the Young Judges vote which really cemented the Ufilms point - films made for young people by young people. 

After the awards we entered the sun and heat again and walked to convent gardens for something to eat and then a bit of shopping before walking back to Kings Cross to get the train home. The train was delayed but we eventually made it home. 

This was the last event of college and was a great way to end college, university will be an amazing experience but I will never forget anything these past 2 years at college has taught me. I will forever be grateful to my tutors and classmates. 

Check out all the winning and shortlisted films here

That's a Wrap!

My time at college is over, it's been great, it's been hard, it's been stressful but it's all been worth it. I have learnt so much about filmmaking, working with people and myself. We've all changed and evolved so much in our abilities and skills and confidence and personalities and I wouldn't want to change these past 2 years. Everything we've been through, every project we've worked on, every deadline we've been given have all taught me something whether it taught its something I don't want to do in the future or something I definitely want to do in the future, everything teaches you something. 

The premiere was amazing, getting to see everything on the big screen was incredible and I'm so pleased my documentary Footprints won best doc. And of course after the show it's the after party, this was incredible fun and the best way to celebrate the end and the start to the next step. 

I will be so thankful to college and the people who were part of it, I've changed so much and been through a lot. Starting with shaved and blue green hair to natural coloured hair. Haven't really grown in height but maturity and skills and confidence and belief and happiness I've grown lots. This year I have been the happiest I've been in a long time and I thank everyone for that. 

That's a wrap on college! Only 2 seasons but I think there's spinoffs in the works which could feature crossover episodes.  

The Finished Thing!

So Premiere week is upon us and theres lots of planning and doing, but my videos are completed and well yeah. I'm proud that I planned 3 separate shoots but am I proud of the videos? Not really. I don't have this huge feeling of pride and accomplishment of those 3 videos but the pride and accomplishment is felt when I think about every project I was a part of, the 11 things we've produced, 'Jack' that I co-directed, Conscience and Roads that I assistant directed, Acting Up that I acted in and an amazing music video that I script supervised (yeah I'm still unsure as to how I supervised the script of a music video but hey ho it was probably something to do with the lyrics). But no matter what role I had I am so happy and proud of all the finished pieces I worked on. 

PMP - Feedback

Today I showed my 3 finished videos, I had been showing them to members of the class and my family throughout post-production but this was the first time Mark and Kelly watched them.

The James Bond feedback was to use the original the theme not the piano cover.

Dirty Harry and Hunger Games should have a title on them to explain what the videos are/the films they're from.

All 3 videos should feature a tag line.

I came up with a few tag line ideas but ultimately chose the tag line Kane suggested - Nerf your favourite film. This supports the viral campaign I was going for as it would allow other filmmakers and people online with cameras to create their own scenes using Nerf guns.

I will make these changes asap.

PMP - Dirty Harry Thumbnail

I decided to make a thumbnail for the Dirty Harry video, this can act as a poster but will used when the video is uploaded to YouTube. Using a poster that was released to promote the film for reference I used a still from the finished video that matched the poster as much as possible. Since I was making a thumbnail I made the image landscape rather than portrait. 

Firstly, I opened the image in Adobe Photoshop then removed the background of the image using the magic wand and eraser tool. I zoomed in lots to ensure the edges were smooth. Then I selected Josh to change it to black and white; I increased the contrast and saturation. I decided to leave the gun in colour and matching the text so that it was the same orange colour. I tried to pick a font that matched the poster as much as possible. In stead of including a name I wrote Nerf as the video is not about the person but the brand. Lastly I included the Ufilms logo in the top corner so that our branding was included too.



PMP - Promotion

Since my films are short videos parodying scenes from films there is little promotion needed. I tweeted about them during filming so that followers of Ufilms could see what projects were being filmed - as my role in Ufilms includes running the twitter page I tried to tweet every time a shoot was taking place but if I was not given nay information or photos from the shoot I could tweet about it.

The videos will either be showed on the Ufilms Facebook page and Twitter to help promote the Oscars event or be shown at the Oscars event between films as adverts, which was what I originally pitched. However when it changed to a viral campaign I will have to post the videos online to see their reach.

I am not creating posters for the videos as I feel they do not need them but I will create thumbnails for the videos.

James Bond Post-Prod

I added the sound and there was still a problem getting the different sections of the gun barrel video to match up, I changed the opacity of some of the clips so that they gradually got lighter to match the video as much as possible. It jumps at one bit but there is little I can about that. I added a transition to hope that it looks better, this changes the video slightly but I think that's better than an obvious jump.

I had recorded the sound yesterday at the weekend, playing the James Bond on keyboard so that I was not downloading a song from YT which could possibly affect my video, if added to YT as it might be flagged up as copyright - this could still happen using a piano version I played myself but I took these actions to avoid it as much as possible.


I added the Nerf and Ufilms logo to the end of the video and exported it.


Whilst editing I have been showing the video to other members of the class to receive continuous feedback.

Dirty Harry Post-Prod

Amy sent me the last audio clip which I imported into the sequence, finishing the video.

Critical Approaches - Critical Analysis of Downton Abbey

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of class and status

The clip, from ITV's Downton Abbey, is a period drama set in the early 1900s, this episode starts in 1912 after the tragic incident of the Titanic sinking. The storyline of the show is linear, it progresses with history highlighting how major events affected the family and running of the house. The  start of episode focuses and follows a telegram being received and then delivered to the Grantham Estate, it also shows a new valet coming to the house and his journey by train, this shows that the upper class get everything brought to them. 

The genre is period drama and the clip seems to fit the genre very appropriately; the costumes are very accurate with the lower class staff wearing black and white, these colours were used because they were cheap fabrics and not fancy, the black hid any dirt and white aprons could be replaced easily when dirty to be washed. The colours helped them blend in and not stand out or draw attention to themselves. The upper class wore elegant clothing of colours to show their status, Lord Grantham wore a suit which commands respect and shows he is the highest in the house. 

An obvious difference that shows the representation of classes is the word choice and dialect of the characters, the lower class working characters have a common accent that is not received pronunciation which is what the upper class family have, this suggests that the staff are less educated; from my own knowledge I know that in this time period lower class will have gone to school until age 11 therefore are limited in the opportunities and educated they have. Daisy, the youngest staff member, proved her lack of education by saying "I dare'n't". 

Not only is there the difference of upper and lower class but there is also a hierarchy amongst the lower class; Daisy is the youngest and therefore at the bottom, she is expected to respect everyone higher - this is clear as when she is accepting her orders from the chef she responds "yes Mrs Pattmore" very time, she knows her place is below everyone and accepts the duties given to her. Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson are at the top of the hierarchy both being in charge of the staff, Mrs Hughes in charge of the housemaids and Mr Carson in charge of the footmen and valet, they are treated with respect from the staff with camera angles supporting this as a shot was looking up at Carson as another staff member ironed newspapers, thereby proving that Carson is of a higher status whilst still being of the same class. 

The camera movement is very obvious in showing the representation of class and status; the clip features long tracking shots starting with Daisy, the scullery maid, as she conducts her work in the kitchen and then into the main house; the camera tracks her as she scurries around the house completely her duties. She moves very quickly as she knows her role and position is to not be seen or heard and to work as quickly as possible. The camera movement continues to be tracking and fast as it focusses on different staff conducting their duties however when it cuts to Lady Mary looking out the window, everything slows down and becomes more peaceful and tranquil, this is the same for when Lord Grantham is walking down the stairs. The quick paced camera movement and tracking shots represent the fast paced working lives of the staff, knowing they  have lots to do and always on the go whereas the upper class have a much more relaxed life with fewer responsibilities. 

The tracking shots also allowed for a tour of the house showing the heavily decorated rooms which suggests that the family take pride in the appearance of their house hence the many lower class staff they have working for them. It shows they are a wealthy upperclass family who have had money for generations, as the huge paintings in the rooms suggests to be those from an older time period than 1912, it is also set in a time where a family member would inherit the estate and the contents of the house therefore paintings and decorations would be kept and passed on through years. 

The camera angles are used very cleverly in the house, when the scenes are downstairs they are narrow showing how cramped the area is, this is the opposite when upstairs in the house where angles are wide and show the large rooms and space. 

The lighting in the start of the clip is grey and dark as it focusses on the working class waking up and starting their day preparing the house for the upper class. The clip starts off in the working class quarters and downstairs, the lighting choice reflects their life and that they are living a less than happy, fulfilling and bright life and that they do not have a future ahead of them that consists of moving on to something better and brighter. As the clip progresses the lighting and colours get brighter as the staff enter the main house and start preparing it for the day but lighting fires and opening curtains, by the time Lord Grantham is coming down for breakfast it is very light and bright reflecting on how his life has more prosperity, optimism and opportunity. 

The use of sound in this text is very important in showing the difference in class, the use of non diegetic classical music supports the upper class as it is seen as pretentious. When the camera is focussed on the lower class the classical music is louder and competes with the diegetic sound of clattering and people working whereas the juxtaposition of when it is focussed on the upper class the music reduces in volume to support the peace and tranquility. 

Business Task 3

Moving on from my role in Ufilms I would produce my own small business taking on the production office roles and assistant directing/directing role creating and producing promotional videos. At the age I am now I would create promo videos targeted towards my age of young adults and teens as I feel like is a gap in the market for products such as these especially for colleges and schools, I believe I would be able to target the audience better as I am of the same age therefore know what will appeal and interest the audience. I have experience creating short promotional videos for colleges as I project managed a promo video for Stockton Riverside College as part of Ufilms therefore giving me an advantage and knowledge.  

I am skilled in all aspects of production from generating an idea through to post production and distribution but I prefer to not work as the DOP; depending on the scale of the production and the content required I would be happy directing or assistant directing if the shoot is bigger, i was lots of past experience in Ufilms projects and college projects.  I am confident in all pre-production and on-set paperwork paperwork and with my role in Ufilms have gained experience in accounting and managing money, before starting my own business I would consult a qualified accountant to ensure that the business was being set up properly and that money would be distributed correctly. I would also consider completing a short basic introduction course on finance and accounting to ensure that I was fulfilling my role properly.

Since the films would be targeted at teens and young adults the possible sources of work would be local schools and colleges, as well as organisations who want to expand their audience age reach or connect with a younger audience. I believe there is a gap in the market in the local area with marketing not appropriately or efficiently reaching and appealing to the ages. 

Ufilms has taught me that social media has the potential to reach clients, the most successful for Ufilms is Facebook as this allows complete control over posting videos, photos, text and links whereas Twitter has a 140 character limit which restricts the information given. I would use Facebook to have an online presence, updating videos and photos frequently.

I believe the staff I would be required to hire would be an experienced director of photography but of a similar age, I would want to keep the business young so that we can efficiently create videos targeted at young people. The DOP should be experienced in different aspects of film making so that there is a range of genres available to the client. I would also hire an editor, this person would be familiar and confident with industry standard editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or AVID. Another hire I would make would be a sound technician, this person would be responsible for ensuring dialogue was recorded correctly and clearly, by operating the boom or setting up microphones, they would also edit the sound during the post production stage of a project incising choosing appropriate background music. Another hire I would make would be a director and a production assistant, I would look for someone who was able to do both to keep the business small, they should be a creative person who can lead a small shoot and direct actors whilst working with the DOP. 

The business will require resources in the form of filming equipment - camera, microphone, boom pole, tripod, SD cards, any speciality equipment such as track and dolly or stabiliser equipment. Office space, with at least 1 computer with editing and Celtx software, for pre-production, post-production, somewhere to meet clients to discuss ideas and show drafts of videos and for business meetings and discussions. The business would also require insurance, broadband and rented office and studio space. 

I would hope that in the first year of business the business would gain 8 clients, 2 of which are repeating clients. I would also hope for the business to break even in the first year and start making a profit in the second year. 

Using a guide from Barclays I wrote a Business Plan

Business Proposal

Business Task 2 - Legal and Financial

I wrote an article about the legal and financial aspects of setting up a small business 

Legal and Financial Aspects Article

Day 3 of Roads

Today we finished filming the main scenes of Roads that took place at the house, we filmed the pickups of the scenes we hadn't finished, these were the scenes with Kane, the crane shot of Conner in the grave and Conner's great escape the upstairs part. We re shot a scene as we had only filmed from one angle and the lighting had changed so we couldn't just film the other angles. Matty had to leave early so Kane took over on camera.

The shoot went very well, Conner was on time and we made it to location and set up in a good amount of time, we finished at 2:30pm.

There is a party scene and an interior car scene left which will be filmed Friday.

Business Task 1 - Ufilms Report

I wrote a report about Ufilms: Ufilms Report

Roads Day 2

Today we filmed he majority of the script, the aim was to film from scene 4 onwards but that didn't happen.

The day was delayed as Conner slept in and Beth had to go and get ingredients for fake blood, crew call was for 9 am and we waited until 10am before leaving without Conner. We got to location and started makeup whilst Taylor went and picked up Conner up from his house. We then started filming with Sol and Sophie, this included a section of a scene where they are stood in the hallway upstairs whilst the other sections took place in the room where Conner's character is held hostage. We then filmed a night scene, for this we used bin bags to blackout the windows and a light for a bedside light, we used the crane to get a shot over them as they lie in bed. 

The MUAs did a great job of creating an open leg break, it looked amazing.

We started scene 7 but did not have enough time to finish therefore we reshoot it on the pickups day so that lighting is consistent throughout the whole scene and every shot. We filmed one section of scene 5 in the kitchen between Sol and Sophie but did not have enough time to film the part of the scene with Kane. Also, we filmed part of Conner's great escape including coming down the stairs and through the kitchen as well as him falling in the grave from down the garden but the upstairs escape was not filmed and nor was the end crane shot.

If the day wasn't delayed more scenes would've been completed but with the length of scenes amount of dialogue and shots it would've been difficult if not impossible to film all in one day.

I had lots of fun on this shoot.