Storyboarding

Typically I dislike storyboarding as I find it repetitive and unnecessary to do at length, however I wanted to push myself in FMP into storyboarding more. I researched into how to storyboard properly as on set I have found it hard to follow my own drawings.

Caught storyboard 1 from Synflame

After looking at those videos and developing my own way that I would feel comfortable with drawing. I found that drawing all the frames gave me more awareness of the set and what is in the frame and if it's necessary or could be framed another way. It also helped me to create a detailed shot list and number on my copy of the script what line should be spoken at which camera angle and saved time in the shooting process.

small arrow - direction of action/character
big arrow - movement of camera
cropped in/out of frame - zoom in/out

Caught storyboard 2 from Synflame

3 artists thing

Studio Ghibli films are one of my favourite films, they are always beautifully drawn and composed; they always feel nostalgic and have a sense of time passing and appreciation of life in them. I specifically like the way Miyazaki uses binary oppositions in colouring in the frames of his films.

David Fincher's style can be described as an auteur, his centrally alligned frames in his films are aesthetically pleasing and the yellow/blue colouring shows a sickly, gloom setting.

Misrach, the inspiration for the True Detective title sequences uses symmetry in his photography which is aesthetically pleasing and also uses soft colour palettes to add to this. 

I attempted to replicate shot types by these photographers/film makers / animators, some of which were more successful than others. For example, I like the photo of a dark figure standing by the water edge and think that it is very similar to Misrach's own. I think by 'copying' the artists work it makes me think about how the artist created those shots and think more about lighting and composition of the frame; this has made me think more about my own shots that I will use in my film and heavily consider lighting and composition of the frame in the storyboarding process and while on set.

Poster Analysis

From this I learnt about how the frames should be composed and where the lighting would be in frames in relation to what is the main object in the frame. This has also given me different ideas of perspective and to perhaps use different colouring. I could also develop film stills or the court room drawings we plan to have as posters to advertise our film.

Dawn and Lila research

From our previous project, we used Buffy and Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In episodes 'The Body' and 'Blood Ties' which I analysed their relationship. In 'The Body' Buffy becomes more maternal and like a mother - Dawn is a bratty teenager and unsympathetic as the group is sad 'I still know how to pee', and gets herself into danger with her naivety.

'Blood ties', I like the argument in her Dawn's room 'Get out! get out! GET OUT!' and the subtextual argument heavily influenced the argument in the bedroom. 

I started to think of other sisterly relationships that I was influenced by, in Daria, Daria and Quinn are two sisters that are binary opposites and therefore conflict is born and they argue with each other. 'Daria Please' in Quinn the Brain. 

I also picked out specific traits from Gossip Girl younger sister Jenny Humphrey as she can come across as a 'bratty bitch' as well as Lizzie McGuire. 

I also looked at the Powerpuff Girls as they have arguments and gang up on each other as they are opposites of each other, especially shown through the colours that they are, they are advancing colours not complimentary. 

The Parent Trap twins show that they are binary opposites that creates conflict especially at the beginning of the film where they don't get along and have subtextual arguments. 

Frozen sisters Anna and Elsa are similar to the characters of Dawn and Lila as Lila assumes the parental role when their parents pass away. 

From this I learned that we had a specific type of character and it was also helpful as I was able to tell the actresses what characters from popular films and TV shows to channel in their performance. 

I thought it was peculiar that these tv shoes and films of sister relationships were mainly from the 90s and I thought about new tv shows such as Adventure Time, Amazing World of Gumball and Regular Show that show brother relationships. It provoked the thought of what happened for it to change? Feminism was strong in the 90s with popular media  such as Spice Girls, Tatu, Destiny's Child, TLC and Bewitched. This might be down to the fact that fighting for gender equality isn't just the problem anymore, there's islamaphobia, transphobia, black lives matter.  

Editing Drafts

I think this edit should be tighter and the pacing should be faster. I dislike the fact that we don't have the other shot showing Lila's face over the shoulder of Dawn as it looks like we have broken the 180 degree rule, but we technically haven't. I think it's a bit slow with the frame. I am unsure about the part towards the end of the argument as it cuts from Lila at the door, to at the end of the bed and I'm unsure if it works. I think the audio is too quiet in some places and needs to be enhanced.



This edit doesn't have the music during the keyboard sequence. There needs to be a few touch ups on the pace of the film. I think that there should be a fade out to black from the film and then show the credits.



I am happier with this edit, apart from that one of the names is spelt name in the credits. I think we should colour grade this to make it less harsh and adhere to typical British conventions of film.




Georgie attempted to colour grade this, however I think it's too yellow and overly contrasted, which makes the actresses look paler than they actually are and makes the lighting look too white.

Feedback:

• storyline is strong and captivating 
• acting is great
• great use of different camera angles 
• good use of lighting 
• breaks 180 degree 
• shot where Lila leaves is missing something 
• dialogue feels real 

Feedback from Seb: 

• slow down - pace
• really well cut
• more like an action film
• well recorded (audio) 
• 180 degree rule break (with eye contact not cinematography) 
• actually pulled it off - actresses were reading from their scripts the entire time 
• dialogue heavy - need to use actions 
• very static 
• should've moved argument into different rooms
• Like that Dawn doesn't look at Lila 
• keyboard is too comic - continuity
• too fascinated with different camera angles - would never have 2 shots for one action
• energy to it is wrong 

I agree that the dialogue feels real, and I think that the storyline and relationship between these two sisters is very strong and makes the audience feel for the characters. But I also agree that the shot where Lila goes towards the door and then cuts back feels like there is something missing. I think in order to improve this film, we need to re - edit the film to slow it down and pace it out and take out extra shots recorded of the same thing which will change the energy of the piece. If we were to rewrite the script I would move the argument throughout the house, to make it feel more realistic as an argument and to use actions rather than lots of dialogue. 

Contextual research

From this I learned to make stereotypes out of the characters and also character development, the way the teenagers change from beginning to the end.

From this I learned to make sure that every scene/action/dialogue develops the character as I don't think this film done that very well and more concentrated on the animation style and comedy which hindered the story.

From this I learned to think about characters and story and make sure it makes sense to my audience. I also learned to make sure there is a moral premise and moral decision as that is what will speak to my audience. I learned to always use subtext to make the characters more interesting as the audience will find them boring and will not care how they turn out at the end of the film/

From this I learned that character development is highly important - the characters need to have changed from the start. About a Girl is a strong influence for characters and what I would aim to achieve. 

From this I learned the crime aspect of crimes from a law perspective.

From this I learned the crime aspect of crimes from the criminal's perspective and his adolescence.

From this I learned about the rule of 3rds and to always cut on the action.

From this I learned about narrative and different perspectives of narrative. 

From this I learned about the secrets of editing, particularly to use the parts where actors have forgotten their lines to show the raw emotions. 

From this I learned how sisters act towards each other in a fight and also at the age group of my characters and their subtextual arguments.

From this I learned how sisters act towards each other in a fight and also at the age group of my characters and their subtextual arguments.

From this I learned about how sisters react to each other in different situations. I also learned to make the sisters binary opposites (Levi Strauss) as it will create conflict and tension throughout the characters, I can do this through their dialogue, costume/make up/props, and also their body language and actions.

From this I learned about how sisters react to each other in different situations. I also learned to make the sisters binary opposites (Levi Strauss) as it will create conflict and tension throughout the characters, I can do this through their dialogue, costume/make up/props, and also their body language and actions.

From this I learned about how sisters react to each other in different situations. I also learned to make the sisters binary opposites (Levi Strauss) as it will create conflict and tension throughout the characters, I can do this through their dialogue, costume/make up/props, and also their body language and actions.

From this I learned more about the crime and law aspect of how different crimes work, also that it would be difficult to film a crime so I should therefore stick to domesticated scenes. 

From this I learned more about the crime aspect of how different crimes work, also that it would be difficult to film a crime so I should therefore stick to domesticated scenes. 

From this I learned the subconscious subtext and how teenagers act around adults, specifically in the scene with the first meeting of the therapist. 

From this I learned how family members act around each other as I come from a small family, and how to create a domestic argument without it feeling awkward or too on the nose with the dialogue. 

From this I learned that the 'crime' route would be very difficult to create, but also to create heavy stereotypes in characters.

On set

I wrote out a production plan which I had not previously done on previous work - but I found this to be really helpful - everyone knew what they were doing and when and it was easy to stick to a time schedule - I had been very in depth with the planning and given 10 minutes for people to say hi, and 10 other minutes to reset up lights and cameras for different shots and scenes.

As the location was my house, specifically my room, I found it easier to set the scene before others arrived and set the lights and my own camera up, as when Georgie and one of the actresses arrived, we would only have to set up Georgie's camera and put the actress in position to read the script or actually start filming her. With the first few takes we found that the tascam wasn't working properly, it was useful to have had this problem and recognise it in the first takes rather than at the end - we eventually realised that you had to press the record button twice to record the audio. Another problem we had was that the room was very narrow to film in, which we couldn't have helped. It wasn't until everyone had left and hours after the shoot I realised we forgot an important angle for the conversation we had planned on the bed, however I suggested to Georgie (who was editing) that if we cut the bit out where we see Lila sit down, we might get away with the audience thinking that she was still standing and, by some chance, the actresses read through the entire script while the camera was on Lila as a close up of her face, so we could use that footage to fill.

I think that forgetting that specific shot type may have been due to the fact it was only myself and Georgie as the crew to operate 2 cameras, sound and lighting as well as direct and follow the script. We tried to get two others to assist on shoot taking the pressure off of my and Georgie, however both were unable for the date and time we would be filming. I learned from this that in future to have a number of crew members to have a specific job to make it easier on myself.

From Caught in the Act our editor Natasha had to import the audio and visuals separately, so for this shoot I bought a clapperboard and named the shots and takes as well as reading them aloud at the start of every clip, which made it easier to match up the audio to the visuals, however when Georgie began matching the clips up that night she found that we hadn't done it for every shot or hadn't filled it in properly for every shot. Again, I think that had we had more crew this wouldn't have been an issue.