Individual Project - Conclusion

Upon finishing my project, there were things i was happy with, and also things that i could have done better. I learnt from the experience, which was a good thing. I learnt that sometimes its best to fully take into account, how a location can be a big variable to the film's outcome. Choosing the woods, made it hard to get equipment around safely, and the cover of the trees, along with the ever changing sunlight, dramatically effected the lighting within my film. In the future, i will scout the location and take notes on any possible dis-advantages of the area, and prepare ways in which to resolve them.

I think, that getting more people to help out with filming, due to our small group size, would have made the filming day a lot more efficient, and less problematic. however, due to the problems of lighting, equipment being in shot, and bad acting, this tested my editing skills. I found myself working with video filters, four point matte's, colour corrector and various other editing options. Through using these i was able to change the footage in positive way. I tested a lot of the video filters, through process of trial and error, to see what each one did. Now i have a better and more practical knowledge on these filters, and will benefit me, when editing in the future.

I thought that the music i chose to use in the film, worked very well, and spent some while editing the music into the film. The music was an important factor, because it can really add mood to the film. it wasn't just the music i edited however, i edited a lot of the sound caught directly to tape. In one scene, there was a deafening airplane in the background, but i really wanted to use the shot, so managed to use sound editing to almost erase the noise, but still have the speech clear and concise. Another point in the film, i used the sound of the rain on the videotape, and looped it over a music track to add even more emotion to the film, as it was a dramatic part. I am mostly, but not perfectly happy with the final result, but i can use the experience as a learning curve, and enjoyed it very much.

Individual Project - Editing

The editing process of my film had some difficult task to overcome. After i had captured the video to Final cut pro, on video playback i noticed alot of lighting problems. Many shots, and unfortunately some of the most important shots, were very dark. So this was going to prove a problem in the near future, but my first task was to create the film, in its narrative order.

some of the opening scenes, which involved the two characters having a conversation on the log, was quite difficult to edit. I took a list of different angles for these shots, but through bad acting, and the boom mic entering almost all the shots, it proved a problem. why didn't i notice the boom in the shot? well because we had such a small group, two of us were acting, and one was on the boom mic, leaving the camera un-manned. in the end i actually included shots that had the boom mic in, but using an editing feature, called the four-point matte; i was able to layer one shot over another, cutting out the boom mic in one of them, and filling in the gap with a shot that had no boom in shot.

Another example where i used the four-point matte technique, was a scene where i had two of me, on the same screen, at the same time. i took a static shot of the landscape, then keeping the camera in the same position, i took a shot of me with the mask on. Then i took a second shot of me, on the other side of the shot, looking in despair. when using the matte, to cut both shots in half, and layering them over each-other, it gave the desired effect.

now, for the shots that were too dark, i spent a long time using different filters. unfortunatley each shot that had come out dark, had to be edited with different filters individually. There were many 3 way colour corrections, gamma level and brightness alterations, along with a few over variables i had to tweak among the video filters. Also, i decided that i wanted the film to look grim, and pale, so i desaturated all the shots to my liking, which certainly added to the mood of the film.

i edited the music into my film to also enhance the mood, and flow of the visuals on screen. I edited the music in hope that the audience would connect more emotionally to the narrative. All in all i was quite happy with the outcome of the film, but thought that i should have collected more material on the filming day. Also i think having more people when filming, would have resulted in a much easier editing process.

Individual Project - Filming day

So finally the filming day has come. The locations i will be using are; the Weston woods, and also, for a very small scene, the outside of my own home. I made sure i was well prepared with DV tapes, and also made sure the battery was fully charged the night before. Dan, Monish and I were all going to be the characters in my film. Having only three of us to use the equipment, and also star in the film, meant that things could be a little tricky at times. We asked for a fourth member, Oliver Foulds, to help out, but couldn't make it at the last minute.

One of the big problems with the filming day, was actually the location. The woodland i chose had no paths, muddy and slippery terrain, and for the most part, involved steep, uphill treks. i brought my old army bergen bag, which was big enough to fit in all the equipment apart from the boom. climbing the slippery slopes we had to work as a team to progress, taking turns with the bag, and passing equipment to the highest man. little did we know that coming down would be a lot worse.

The filming went very well, although on reflection, getting some drama students to take part may have been a better option - we cant act to save our lives. It was difficult in the fact that we were underneath the trees, with the sun coming in and out, it constantly changed the lighting. Due to this we had to take more takes than usual, to ensure continuity. i also had to remember i got some cut-away shots ready for the editing process, and certain other shots were needed, in order to be prepared for editing also.

We worked really well as a team and enjoyed the whole day, we all did well on the equipment, and despite being a group of bad actors, i think we brought the best out of us. Monish helped out as long as he possibly could, as he had work in the evening, i may have taken a few more shots of him if he stayed. Luckily the filming i needed to do after he left, did not involve him, and was completed to a good standard. I appreciate Dan and Monish's massive effort in making my individual film - cheers guys!

Individual Project - The idea

For my individual project, i was quite well prepared, as i knew a day would come where i was able to make one. I had been creating an idea for an individual film, in my own mind, for some time . But of course every idea has its inspiration, and this time i had two sources that inspired me.

A film which inspired me, is a British film called "Shrooms" This filmed is based on a few americans coming to Britain to meet their friend. Their British friend offered them the best "shrooms" that nature had to offer. obviously shrooms is a term used to describe the mushrooms that contain illegal substances. Anyway, when they are all "high" they all start being attacked by a strange masked figure. The only survivor, at the end of the film, realises she is the one responsible for killing all her friends. The delirious visions of the figure had all been an effect of taking the shrooms.



So i based my idea around the film, and knew that it would be difficult, and tricky to portray the narrative on-screen. after acquiring recent knowledge from an editor who came to our course, i learnt a way in which a character could appear; as two on-screen people. I knew this technique would visually benefit the audiences understanding of the characters self-realisation; where he learns he is responsible for killing his friends, not the drugged-up mirage, which he had been seeing.

Something else that inspired me was a piece of audio, and not even a whole song, a segment of a song, by a band called Bring me the horizon, typically a loud heavy metal band, but at the start of one track, called "The sadness will never end", starts with an instrumental, that i have to say is the most sad piece of music i have heard, and as it played i pictured images of my film visually.

I found the idea very difficult to explain and pitch to my class-mates, as i was reluctant to let them in on the twist at the end. I wanted it to be a surprise when the film was finally finished. Rather than just make some form of horror film, i tried to make it a horror/drama, with an anti-drug message with a clever twist, that hopefully the audiences can't see coming.

News Blog - Ferguson Crash

Fergie's family crash, as his team soar!

Sir Alex Ferguson's daughter-in-law and her 10-year-old son remain in a critical state in hospital after a car crash.

On Tuesday night Sir Alex Ferguson watched his team defeat Arsenal 3-1 in the second leg of the champions League. The 67 year old Manchester united manager however, was managing one of the biggest games of his career, having to bear the weight of bad news on his shoulders through the game, only receiving details that his family were caught in a car crash just a few hours before.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson's daughter in law: Nadine ferguson, and her two children, Charlie, ten, and daughter Grace, 6, had to be cut free after the collision in Maccesfield, Cheshire, the operation took around and hour and a half to get them safely out of the wrecked vehicle.

Nadine Ferguson.

Charlie has undergone surgery at Alder Hey Hospital, where his condition is "very serious, but stable" according to the staff nursing the Ferguson family. Mrs Ferguson, who is separated from Sir Alex's son Darren, is "serious, but comfortable" in Wythenshawe Hospital. Grace suffered minor injuries and is expected to be released from Leighton Hospital in Crewe.

Alder Hey Hospital

Wythenshawe Hospital

Leighton Hospital

Cheshire Police would not say what injuries were suffered by the family. A police spokeswoman said:

"A 30-year-old woman was airlifted to Wythenshawe Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition after suffering serious injuries.

"The two children were taken by road ambulance to Leighton Hospital. The girl had suffered minor injuries and was detained for observation.

"The boy suffered more serious injuries; his condition this morning is stable."

Mrs Ferguson's black Vauxhall Corsa was in collision with a Ford Fiesta in Trap Street, Lower Withington, on Tuesday morning. The Fiesta driver, who was a 17 year old boy, who was taken to hospital with leg injuries, is believed to be responsible for the crash.

Darren Ferguson

Mrs Ferguson was separated from Peterborough United boss Darren, Sir Alex Ferguson's son, in 2007 after four years of marriage. Charlie is her son from a previous relationship. However, Sir Alex seemed un-phased by the family trouble he was informed of on the day, despite rumours he would not attend the game to visit his grandchildren, taking away a 3-1 win over Arsenal. According to Sky Sports news; "The defending champions had a comfortable evening". Manchester united now return to the champions league final to face Barcelona.

Group Project - Conclusion

I have learnt a lot throughout the Documentary group project, I think having to go out into the world, and deal with people and situations you wouldn’t normally put yourself in, is a real eye opener. Learning to contact people (contributors) and having to go to location, and to talk through the interviewing process to people, and make them feel comfortable, is a new thing to me.



Through interviewing people I haven’t met before, has improved my confidence and my social ability to work with people I am not used to. I am usually a very shy person, but the project has brought a side of me out which I wasn’t aware that I possessed.

While I managed to interview a lot of people, one thing I could have done better; was to ask the questions again; If I thought the answer they were giving, wasn’t what we we’re looking for.



There is a lot to learn about being prepared, as I learnt through this project. The first instance was the pitch; the interactive board in the classroom wasn’t working for the pitch. It is very un-professional to have equipment malfunction for an important pitched, we should have taken precautions, and checked all equipment in good time before we delivered out pitch.



The next incident where we were not prepared, was during the hour before our first big film day at the Somerset legion house. Although the camera broke that morning, we should always have a back up camera ready to be used. We relied on Dan’s dad to be in the house to give us the other camera. In reality, we should have informed him, that if any problems were to arise, would he be available to give us the equipment we needed. As for the tapes, we did have enough to last the interview, but purchased more tapes to make sure – this was a good decision, but the tapes should have been purchased the day before.



I think we gained some good interview for our project, and some very good answers. The answers we got were all different, as each contributor had a different background and experience. However, we asked them same questions to each interviewee, I think if we asked some different questions, or had 3 sets of different questions, we would have more material that was unique and useful to the project.



When working on this project it also made me realise just how important everyone’s roles were during the shoot. Even if a person is the boom operator, without that person, it leaves the job to be done by another individual. In this case it was very difficult, with a small group of three; some of us had to fill two roles during the interviews.



Equipment is also an issue, having the correct equipment and amount is an important factor. Due to the camera braking, all shots had to be done with one camera, making the editing process harder than it needed to be. With two cameras, we could film one interview at two different angles or distances. We also know that some areas of the buildings, it would have been helpful to have a floodlight. Unfortunately one wasn’t available to us. The reflectors weren’t effective where there was no light for it to bounce off.



Having a structure for the way you want your documentary to look, before you film, is always important. As a group we decided on a specific structure, and were able to get the correct footage for this. Without doing this, we knew it would make the editing process even harder. Although; our structure planning wasn’t completely flawless, we had to wait till we had decided on the interviews we were going to use, for the final product, before we could decide how to use the voiceover.

I enjoyed doing the group project and picked up a lot of things about the business on the way. Gaining a few “what to do, what not to do” guidelines along the way was helpful, learning from hands-on experience is always better than reading from a book. I also found out things about myself which I wasn’t aware, and put myself in situations that I would usually be afraid of.

Group Project - Editing

So the planning of the editing process begins. We have been looking through the clips and deciding which interviewees off the best answers for the contributors, which was a harder process than we though it would be in the first place. We had to overcome many problems and issues throughout the editing process, which lead to productive group debates and ideas.



One particular case was involving a man who was almost deaf, and seemed to slur his words when answering our questions; however, he gave very good answers. We also thought that this made him stand out more on tape, compared to the average interviewee, but the main concern was the way her slurred his words. So we though one option would be to subtitle his words during the interview.



One thing we all noticed during the editing process, was that only having one camera available, meant that all different shots had to be taken during the interview. We included long shots, mid shots and close up’s – depending on what the contributor was talking about e.g. a close up if they are speaking about something emotional. This meant that there are a lot of zoom in and out during the interviews. This meant we had to insert cut-away shots for each time this happened.



We had to make sure the structure was correct, and we were going to use a voiceover to introduce the film in general at the start, along with introducing each interviewee, and the conclusion at the end of the film. So we had to plan how we were going to use the voice over, and what cut-away shots would work well to accompany the voiceover. Bearing in mind the voice over had to be short and sweet to allow the most interviews included in the final product, at there is a time band of 4-8 minutes. All the editing will be done using Final Cut Pro.