My final opening sequence

 

CCR Task 1: How does your product use or challenge conventions and how does it represent social groups or issures?

 Here is a presentation for my CCR Task 1 question.

CCR Task2: How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

 How does your product engage with audiences and how would it be distributed as a real media text?

 

CCR Task3: How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

 How did your production skills develop throughout this project?

I have done a Prezi presentation to show how my skills developed through out the whole process.

https://prezi.com/view/3OZc0IjlSHLfjWQ6PAAF/

CCR Task4: How did you integrate technologies- software, hardware and online- in this project?

 How did you integrate technologies- software, hardware and online- in this project?

For my CCR Task4, I have done a WIX website for presenting my process.

Here is the link to my WIX website:

https://wendyli5.wixsite.com/my-site

Editing

 Editing

When we were editing our final sequence,  we decided to start with the scene of operation and all the actions. The reason we started with that is because that there are no effects or music we need to edit with, so the action scene is just easier to edit. All the footages we filmed were focused and the continuity was good. There was one scene, the clones face was shown on the screen when the doctor bend down to get the bucket. We zoomed in the frame so the audiences won't be able to see the clone's face. 

Then we started with the montage and editing the montage took us a lot of time because we tried out many different effects while we edit the montage scene. At first, our concept idea for the montage scene is slow duration, so we put in many slow motion effect. There are flushes in between the montage scene, which for making the sequence more intense. After finished the first version of the montage, I have found a soundtrack that I think link to our sequence very well because there are flushes sounds in the soundtrack. After added in the audio, we think the whole sequence is too slow and chill. This is because that the action scene is very slow because we are suggesting many messages in the action scene. The slow duration help to increase the intense atmosphere because the audiences don't know what the operation is about and also slow duration can help to increase the impact at the end where the clone reveals his face. We decided that the action scene has to stay slow duration so we can only change the montage scene also the montage scene needs to match with the music. We looked at the opening montage scene for American Horror Story, in their montage scene, most of the shots flushes very quickly. We decided to make the montage more messy and it was easier to edit with the audio. We removed some footages such as jars and the pan shot of the clone, this is because most of the shots we did are very still but the pan shots and jars were shot as hand held so we decided not to use those shots. My favourite shot is definitely the beginning of the opening scene, because the blood dissolve in water matches with the music. For flushes, we added some colour filters on top of shots so visually the shots are stronger.  

Our concept idea was the montage scene before the action scene. We are having a black out with film title in between two scenes, but after a discussion and watching the sequence, we think the title sequence (montage) would be better if it is after the action scene. After the montage cut into the action scene just seems very sudden and not make sense, but if we put the action scene first, the audiences will understand that that is the beginning of the story and the reveal should has a shocking impact on the audiences and make them want to keep watching.

Shot Day Reflection

 Shoot Day Reflection

In the morning 8:30, the whole crew gathered in the studio. When Amanda and Millie were preparing the props, I was talking to our two actors about the storyline and the schedule. I asked them to change costumes before we start to do make up. We spent about 15 minutes to do the make up, because we needed to let the fake blood dry. 

Before we started shooting we came up with an idea about using the small monitor for revealing the face of the clone. The reason we thought about using the monitor is because we think using the monitor is more closer to Sci-fi genre and cooler than using mirror. Using the monitor also helped us on timing, because if we have the clone's face on the monitor all the time, then those two actors don't need to change their costumes again and again. Lighting wise, we want to keep the studio as dark as possible but still be able to see the setting. We had three different lightings, on the sides we had purple and blue neon lights. At the back we have an orange strobe light but we covered it up with the small door so it didn't shine straight on the table where the clone lies. We changed the schedule, we started with a high angle shot nearly bird eye's shot of the clone (Freddie) lying on the table for 10 minutes. We set up the camera and placed on the table, then we asked Freddie to lie under the tripod. We did close up to his face, so the audiences will be able to see his face.

Matt helped us exported the footage in to the monitor, so we have the monitor on all the time playing the video. Then we asked the actors to swapped their costumes, so Fred can be the replace body on the back. Freddie who just act the clone changed into doctor's costumes. By the time they went to change, me and my team members went through the schedule, and we decided to went back to the original schedule and follow the schedule so we won't miss any shots. We did the exactly same make up on Fred so they have the same cuts on their body. The first shot we did with doctor is him walking down the stairs and walks up to the clone. We did wide and mid shots with his scene. When we were filming the mid shots we asked Freddie who act the doctor to stand in front of the table so we can focus the camera. We used a prop to be the floor mark so we can make sure the actor walks to the same point. We then filmed the scene where he does the operation, we moved the camera to the side so we can film what he is doing. I asked the doctor to bend down so he can hide his hands, because he was not actually cutting or doing the operation. 

When we were shooting the close up of operation tools, I was in charge of the camera and this was my first time trying focus pull and changing depth of field. I learnt about finding the focus point and how to control the camera stay on focus on one object. 

The hardest shot I think was the extreme close up on the chip. That scene was hard for the crew and the actor, Millie was in charge of the camera and I was standing behind Millie to direct the actor. Freddie needed to hold the chip until we focused the camera and because the chip was too small so it the camera was really hard to be focused. I was directing Freddie when to put down and when to stop because he couldn't see the screen so he doesn't know where he should stop moving the chip.

I think we were doing very well on time because we finished all the scenes with Fred who plays the replace body before lunch, just like how we planned. In the afternoon we were mainly filming Freddie and some montage scenes.

When we were filming the montage scenes, I was helping to film the posters and I realized that it is very hard todo zoom in and zoom out. The camera was really hard to do a frequent zoom in and also when I was panning the camera I had to make sure my hands were not shaking.

In the end we tried out a hand held movement, which is we filmed the clone from his feet to his head. I was holding the camera and Amanda was helping me because the camera was pretty heavy. It is hard to do it without any tools helping because we want the shot looks stable but because it was hand held so it was very difficult.

We finished the filming around 2pm which finished earlier than we planned.

Overall the shooting was great because we finished on time and the footages were looking great. I think there are thing we could have done better, such as more planning or research because there were many changes when we were on set. Also, there were many props we didn't even use, we could have been more organized and bought less props. The skills we learnt in the workshop really helped us through out this production, for example how to set up camera and call outs. The call outs helped the crew became more organized. I think we had a great team work because we all know what we want and we helped each other out on setting up cameras, doing make up and set up props. The actors were really helping us getting all the scenes and action we want. My favourite part of the day was when we were filming the montage scenes. There were two scene I really like which are where we filmed the blood dripping down and where we pour blood into water.  The footages look very cool. 

If I can do it again, I would get more special camera movements, such as tilt and pan. Also, I would add few more extreme close up of face and props. The main thing I learnt is that the time passes quicker than I thought, so for the next shoot I will definitely be more prepared.