Unit 2 part E: Review outcomes in relation to stated aims

This section includes:

• My report on the project 

I think both of these reviews are fair, not much detail but I can relate to every answer that is given and where they have got their answer from. i think that the comment about not being able to see how the actor got infected is brilliant because in the shooting of the film that is a comment that I made, "how does the audience know that he has been infected?" and no one really gave me an answer and just left it down to the audience interpretation of the film. but in the screening of the films Stephan the film producer also brought up that question what i thought was brilliant because if he noticed that aswell as I did then I feel that i must have a skill or a quality involving visual effect that some people in the crew didn't or don't have. If I had more power in the making of the film there would be alot of things that I would of changed. The parts I would of changed would probably be to do more the imagination of the audeince, instead of leaving it down to them to decide on what happened or what is going on I would of made it more clearer and probably changed a couple things around. The same in editing aswell, some of the shot order I would of changed like when the two character first meet and their confrontation, I would of changed a couple shots around just because I felt like it gave it more of an effect.

As a whole I feel that the filming went brilliantly and everyone roles was perfect. We all go on as a team and all worked together  to produce this lovely masterpiece. 

Unit 2 part D: Work effectively with others *

This is a picture taken by me during the a shoot on our first day. in this shot you can see that I am holding a boom as my roll was the boom operator. the boom operator records the sound in the scene, you could record it straight to the camera mic but the sound quality would not be as clear and good.  

Being the boom oporator was an important roll as if you do not have the boom pointing in the right direction during the time that you want to record than the sound will not come out as clear and could not be in synchronized with the footage, so you have to be watching the actors or the thing you are recording at all times because if the actor suddenly turned its head facing the other way you will no be able to capture the sound as well as if they were facing towards you. so you would  have to put the boom up higher in the air to try and capture the sound over their heads. These are the general problem that you face when recording sound. if the sound does not get recorded well and correctly then you might have to do a reshoot or dub the voices over but it's  hard to make it look perfect, the same with a boom so the best thing to do is make sure you record the right sound in the first place.  You also have to look for and

Unit 2 part C: Effective arts leadership

This section includes:

• Evidence from the project

This is a picture of our Director, Grace Mia taking charge of the set to talk to the actors and get them to see her 'vision'. Which helps with the filming as if the actors are ready and happy with their line or character then the shot will be better when if the actor/s are not happy at the time of filming due to either them not being told all the information they need or them not being confortable with what they would have to do. 

This is a picture of us reviewing the footage and of various crew like our behind the scenes cinematographer, Neal (grey jumper) our leader Trish, seeing how its all going and if everyone is happy with whats going on (Pink jumper). Jack our supervisor who was there to lend a helping hand if we got any problems with the equipment and was there to generally help us out. In the back ground is out screen writer, Gemma she wrote the script that we was filming and bringing her "dream" to life. That is our first AD on the right, Jake. He did a very good job with setting up the shots ready for filming.  Then our Directors standing next to Cole, the cinematographer and collaborated editor and done a very good job in filming the shots as they we all usable and in focus when we came to edit them together.

This is a picture of us about to do a take.
The Actor (Sophia) The screenwriter and clapper board loader and out 2nd cinematographer and editor, Matt.

As it was my first time being a boom operator, I needed some back up, some guidance if you will to help make sure I was doing it right, to make sure I was holding it the best accessible, correctly way and that'd why Jack was there, jack helped an guided me to learn how to use the boom, i didn't need his help the whole time but him being there defiantly helped me as if i had any questions then I could just ask him. 

Unit 2 part B: Plan the practical issues

• The project plan - extended 

We shot our film at an art directors house in Royston, Amanda Steckley. Some of the group traveled by taxi from Ely to Royston and rest of the group traveled by train meeting the taxi at Royston train station then travelling over to Amanda's house, I travelled there by car.

We shot our film on her plot of land and some surrounding small dirt roads at the back of her house. This location was perfect as we need a location that looked like it has been affected by an Apocalypse and this was it! this was the perfect place to do it, when we all turned up we saw potential in the location straight away and we took a walk around the field to decide where we was going to set up our props and equipment. We come across a bundle of trees and bushes that we thought would be perfect to set the 'fire' scene. The main location that we used was her field, the field was a good size as we could use it in different angles to make it look like it was shot in different places and so that the characters look like hey have been walking or travelling for a long distance. 

We  had to take a few precautions when filming as we had a fire scene so we had a fire extinguisher, fire blanket and a first aid kit at arms reach just incase any thing went wrong we could put the fire out and aid anyone that get injured.

We had quite a few props such as a 'rat' which was used as food for 'Sophia' it was only a toy rat that we got muddy so it looked more real. We had specific costumes that we wanted the actors to wear so that i looked like they had been out in the wild for a long time, we had a weapon that was made by our producer and art director, it was made out of a trowel and a wooden stick tied with some rope to make it look like it was a survival weapon made in the wild. We used a map of Cambridgeshire, for their map of where the "pick up point" was, we ripped it up and got it muddy to give it the proper outdoors experience. the reason I drove to Royston instead of getting the taxi with them was so that i had my car there as we used it as a prop in the film which had the "corpse" laying in and ended up leading the the infection and death of one of the main characters. When the main character got infected he spat out red slim out of his mouth in which was food coloring's and other foods mixed together to make a slushy mix, not harmful at all but the main actor had in his mouth during the shoot and spat it when when he became infected and this was a prop that was made my the art director as a last minute idea to make that he is effected more obvious to the audience.

Unit 2 Part A: Establish the project creative purpose

This section includes:

• My project plan- aims/objectives

In the filming of the film 'The Virus' I played the part of a boom operator. This roll was perfect for me as it broadened my knowledge of sound in films. Being the boom operator gave me the roll of recording sound along side the sound recordist. This was an important roll as if you had no sound in film then it would be a silent film or you'd have to add folly sounds or dubbed sounds, so recording the sound correctly was vital as it mad a big impact when coming to the editing process as it would make it harder to edit shots together if the sound does not sound the same. 

A boom operators job is simple but can not be done by just anyone, it may be simple but is a huge part in the making of the film. During the shoots I found that you have to be watching a be observing at all times, ready for the voice to project in a different direction and know how to move and aim the boom to capture that sound clearly and correctly. Jessica was the sound recordist and she helped and guided me to record the best sounds and when to stop recording, for example if there was an aeroplane goin gover we would have to stop that because the boom would pick that sound up much moree and better than the actors speaking, which is weird when you think about it as the plane is miles away compared to the actors. You also need to have some relative upper body strength to be able to hold the boom up for a long period of time if needed, if you can't hold the boom up right properly then you'll have to cut the shot and either re shoot or carry on when you left off, but more work and concentration to the shot transition will be needed when coming to the editing part. 

I was also the VFX co-ordinator so during the shooting I was also looking out for continuity errors and other visual effect that could be visible during the screening of the film. The two rolls that I got given fitted me perfectly as I was managed the boom operating with easy and larnt about a different aspect of filming that I have never done before and learn about sound. being the VFX coordinator made me feel I had more of a part when coming to the editing of the film, which is the part that I enjoyed a lot, wouldn't say more than the actual filming of it as I loved being on set seeing the actors and the cast a crew working together. 

Unit 1 part D: Learn about film industry and organisation through participation

THis section includes:

• Brochures/information about workshops/ events that I have attended
• Evidence of my research into future opportunities and career pathways.

The NFTS is defiantly in my career pathway and will open up more opportunities for me. 

http://www.filmworkshop.com/residential

I applied and got a place into the VFX and animation course that runs through the easter half term, I hope this course will help and teach me more about the film industry and learn more about Visual effects in the film industry and general broadens my mind of the media world and how I can fit into a career in the industry.

Also I have looked for editing jobs in general around Cambridgeshire to see if there is any jobs that I would fit and enjoy doing. There has been a couple full time and part time jobs going that I have sent an application in for but haven't yet heard back from them.

http://www.indeed.co.uk/Editor-jobs-in-Cambridge

I have recently joined an independent film making ground called 'Film Makers Collective' that are based at Long Road with student that are studying the same subject as me and some I have no met before. We have created and script and are looking to begin filming in January, we are trying to get funding at the moment to pay for the actors, props etc. This will be a good opportunity to meet me that I could later collaborate with and to create future opportunities with. It will be brilliant to all work together and to see what a bunch of film making student can independently make!

Here is the university that I intend to go to at the end of 2015. Below shows the university and the courses that I hope to do next year.

I hope to go to Anglia Ruskin university Cambridge. I am hoping to study Film and television production, with this coursed I hope to learn a great deal about the media industry and get more of an idea on the roll that I would like to have as their are a few department that I would like to go into. 

Unit 1 part C: Review a live cinema / film event

This section will include:

For our live cinema event we watch the 1919 black and white silent film "Sons of Ingma" with "" Playing the piano, at time the the film was hard to keep concentration but it run for 90minutes so wasn't that bad, the film was an unusual but very attention grabbing as the story was about a male farming who visits his ancestors up in heaven and tell his Father about his story of his troubles trying to find a female companion to love.

The story it bassed on flash back  then when you catch up with real time he goes back down the earth to fix the problem that he has made and ends up finding the woman who resented him to love him. The reason I have brought this point up about the flash backs because the film is a silent film and does not have the sound affects of flash so its will be hard for the audience to realise that the film is in a flash back.





The only sounds that you had was the piano but for the first time hearing a silent film played over by a piano I kept forgetting that we was listening and just get indulged with the film.

The other film that we done was the keeper of lost causes this film is more of a mainstream film and a collection of many other keeper of lost causes. This was about an FBI/CSI investigator that has had some trauma in his life and is recovering when he returns to work but his boss assigns him to sort out all the un-cracked "cases" hence the name "Keeper of lost causes".

The investigator gets an assistant and they both pursue and missing person case who had been missing for two years and was kidnapped by an old associate in which she met through a traumatic young life experience and he kidnaps her in his eyes revenge for his parents death, the film is very graphical and has a very good attention grabbing story to it and focuses on themes of suicide, tortue and relationships. I think the film was very well directed and edited as is very good at building up emotion and points that work best. In conclude the the film was very enjoyable to watch and kept you, the audience interested right the way through.