leojameslesoco-blog

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ORGANISED

I would say that throughout my shooting process, I have been very organised with making sure all actors know exactly when to come and what to do. I also am able to get all my work done in time, and If there is work to be handed in but I do not know exactly what I am supposed to do in the assignment, I do what I think I am supposed to do then submit it to wait for a resubmission and some comments that I can improve my assignment with. I am also helping Light with his fmp and I have been coming up with ideas for shot sizes, composition and photography, and it is very easy for me to spot continuity. Yesterday, we shot a scene and as it was happening I did know that continuity errors were happening, this is why we are shooting again on a another day, and we are also re-shooting another scene as the composition on one shot was not good enough and I think it can be done better.

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This is the last ever shot I will filming for my final major project, I had some trouble getting exactly what I wanted, which was for the headphones to be sitting on top of a small wooden, circular stool, but i had to compromise, so I re-thought, and actually, this idea is better, the headphones are sat on a white table, and the white is to the film as what all the other white colours in the film are, a blank canvas of nothing. 

I also wanted this to be a static shot, but I did not have a tripod, so I experimented with objects that were at the hall that I was using for this shoot. 

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There will be two stock footage cutaway sequences in my final major project. They both consist of war footage, explosions, and ancient armies marching all overlaid on top of each other. This is to illustrate what the Noise Killer feels during his anxiety episodes. All of the footage would also be turned red, in colour balance, this is to add to the effect of negativity and chaos. This is the Noise Killer’s idea of reality and he feels this experience every time.

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VIDEO NOT WORKING....BUT

Yesterday’s shoot went well, but I think when we did it, I realized that my original vision couldn’t work, both on a technical level and also on an artistic and metaphorical level. In the script, at the beginning it days that the Noise KIller reaches down to pull up his trouser legs, but it doesn’t really serve much of a meaning to the story, so I have since cut it. Also, as you can see from this shot, there is no brick wall in frame, at least not in the first shot. This is because it defeats the purpose of the Noise Killer’s happy fantasy. I feel that a blank world surrounding him makes this shot seem massive and that there is nothing around but him. This is also brings a lot of contrast to the film as in the second shot in this edit, he is standing in front of a brick wall. Now we are in a completely different place and it’s uncomfortable, it’s restrictive and the Noise Killer can’t work his way out.

Also, in terms of editing, I have decided to make it so that the first shot is in slow motion, as I feel slow motion brings that ‘In the moment’ kind of positive feeling. Whereas a shot of the Noise Killer appearing to be stressed and is hyperventilating seems much more anxious and traumatic when it is sped up and it makes the whole shot seem chaotic, like more than what you see is happening.

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These are the highlights from my shoot yesterday, these shots are colour graded, this is exactly how I want it to look. In those last few seconds you may notice that there are some jerky cuts, I didn’t original visualise that but whilst lightly editing in iMovie at home, I thought I should try it out to see how it looks, because I want these scenes to look eerie, and I think that jerky cuts make it look very eerie as something just seems off the entire time. 

I thought shooting yesterday went well. These shots are only from one SD card as the first SD card we shot on was a 2GB card, and the other shots are on Marcus’ SD card, so I have yet to view those shots. But I’m pretty sure it all went very well. Not..EXACTLY, like my vision, but you can’t really ever create an EXACT replica of your mind, so i did think it went very well. 

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Target Audience - FMP

 For out pitches and it is probably also in the final major project proposal sheets, we are supposed to provide who out target audience is, but the thing is. I don’t think there is a specific target audience in terms of age and gender for my film, I am making quite a deep, ambiguous visual piece that I intentionally do not want the audience to understand. The meaning of my final major project is ambiguous and it is something the audience should interpret in their own way. But if I had to have a target audience, I would say that film analysers, film buffs and enthusiasts would probably be the most interested. Also, media students, or anyone interested in film, not necessarily interested in films in general, but interested in pioneer films, old films, independent films and films that cross lines and do exactly what average directors don’t do. 

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Music/Sound Design

Orchestral Pieces:

Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture | Gustav Holst - The Planets, Op. 32 | Beethoven - Symphony No.4

The film starts and we hear street noises, these noises will be recorded by iPhone, but when we get to the second scene, all noises will be from the original audio of the camera. The music will be small parts of symphonies from Beethoven and other composers, edits will be done by stopping one track by cutting at a rest in the music.

    Most of the sounds that aren’t music are slightly muffled, because the Noise Killer is wearing headphones, there are times when he is not wearing headphones and the audio is very clear.

    Another sound that is accompanied by visuals is the sounds of explosions and crashes and fireworks, etc.

Structure of Music/Visuals:

Every second of the music being played in this film will co-ordinate with the visuals being presented on the screen. The film begins with no music, just street noise. In terms of narrative structure, this is a simple analogy for the status quo. We hear nothing but natural noises of London, the Noise Killer is in a state which has been more or less the same for a long time.

  You may also notice that he is sitting on a brick wall, which is a metaphor for having an uncomfortable life, he is sitting on a hard surface, it’s dull and not relaxing at all, this may also suggest that the Noise Killer is homeless or that he does not like his life at home. Another thing to point out is his untied shoelaces which I chose to put in to add to the uneasy effect and this whole twisted atmosphere, it’s as if he is starting out by living loosely, whilst slightly tense on the inside. But again, the music hasn’t even started yet.

    The Noise Killer begins to tie his shoelaces (this shoelace idea may be taken out and replaced with the Noise Killer rolling up his trouser legs) one at a time, and around the 3 minute and 15 second mark of Beethoven’s 4th Symphony begins to play. Play from 3:15.  This is because at that part of the symphony, a long yell of all of the instruments play for around 3 seconds and then stops abruptly at a second strum. The Noise Killer rolls up his left trouser leg/ties his left shoe as that plays, a second yell is heard, he rolls up his right trouser leg/ties his right shoe. The music that is heard at this moment is to represent a large change in his life, we don’t necessarily know what this means, but any audience member can create their own conclusion, as long as they understand that in contrast with the distant street noises which we would all normally hear, this new development is an inciting incident.

   A mellow, steady tune starts to play (same song) as we follow the Noise Killer on his journey, this section, being what I would call the second status quo. He is starting a new kind of lifestyle where he walks into the distant depths of the dangerous world filled with noise pollution. This could possibly be because his headphones are new, or he has just now decided to change up his life, we really don’t know, but again, everyone is allowed to come up with their own conclusions, plus, this element of ambiguity really helps with what I am trying to put across, a confusing experience.          The Noise Killer wears his headphones whilst he walks to block out the loud noises which trigger his stress levels, if it wasn’t apparent already. But as the Noise Killer walks, the noises seem to get louder, whilst the music ironically gets quieter. The Noise Killer slows his pace and looks around him in fear, he slowly returns back to his walk as now he is feeling slightly better, because the music has now become more triumphant and most importantly, he is now joined by the Two Darkly Dressed Men.

I would say this was almost like a reverse obstacle, but it could also be thought of as an immediate rejection to a challenge that he hasn’t been given yet (The idea of the Noise Killer having to accept things may seem like something good, but it eerily is not, his real life is uncomfortable and accepting just makes it all worse, which makes for an incredibly intense ending).

    For the Painting Girl sequence which comes shortly after, I will use different music, still orchestral, but a bit more calm yet eerie and confusing, I still haven’t finished my e-digging for all of this music, but I think this is something to be more concerned about during post-production, however in the meantime, I am using the 4th symphony and possibly Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture which is an orchestral piece that Marcus recommended to me. But there are still others.

    Most of the music in this film will be in major as again, it adds to the effect of falsely living a happy life, this music is very triumphant and acts as a fake self-confidence drug. I was given this idea from ‘A Clockwork Orange’, most of the music is very epic and uplifting whilst what we see is quite negative and violent.

The next significant moment takes place in the grassy field. This is the Noise Killer’s brain’s idea of a perfect world, which still isn’t completely perfect, as I intend to have the weather be very drowsy and dull. But still, in his mind, it seems fine, so the music in this sequence is quite steady with some melancholy undertones. This acts as an element of rising tension as it raises the viewer’s confusion and starts to make people think that something might happen abruptly as several abrupt things have already happened.

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Planning Shoot Days (March 2nd)

So far I have been planning for the shoot at the grassy field, Cannon Hill Common, Morden, For those shots, I need a very cloudy sky, so cloudy that the entire sky is white, like a blank canvas, this means if there is always blue in my shot, I shall re-book the entire day and call that day a test shoot, this is why I am starting early. I am also starting early as it is nearing spring so it will start to get very sunny and blue towards that time. I have been checking the advanced forecast every now and then. So far, on 10th March, it says it will be cloudy so that is when we will start to shoot.

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Process of Painting Girl

This character represents a brutal conscience telling the Noise Killer to accept his life and to stop hiding from what he is afraid of, throughout the film, her voice is muffled and slightly reverbed to illustrate that she is being blocked out by the Noise Killer, but suddenly, when her voice is heard clearly, the Noise Killer begins to try to accept his situation. The reason I call her ‘Painting Girl’ is because (literally) she stands in front of a painting, a Jackson Pollock painting. I chose for the Painting Girl to be a girl as the Noise Killer’s brain is very weird and uneasy, and this all ties in with the fact that he constantly tries to think he is happy and coping just fine. She speaks with a typically higher voice than a man’s to represent the false, calm atmosphere; as if the Noise Killer is trying to imagine that even the parts of his brain that tell him things he doesn’t want to hear are still somewhat comforting.

*Update* - My vision has changed as this new idea seems much more fitting. The Painting Girl shots will instead be shot in black and white, a Film Noir style would bring a dull, logical and normal effect onto the character, whilst also providing a nice contrast between black and white. I shall still use the green screen as a background as it is darker than white so I would get a light grey kind of colour which is different to what people might expect with a blank wall.

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This is a shot reverse shot example made from stills, this is at Cannon Common Hill, the first location I will be shooting at.

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SOMEONE ELSES DRAMA

I still do not know whose drama I am directing, but I hope its one where the locations are colourful as I want to practise my cinematography skills. For this project, I will make a shot list, but it probably won’t be complex and normal looking, I don’t necessarily have a particular vision, but I would like to use an out-of-the-box technique, by using pure instinct, I probably won’t provide many camera angles in the shot list as I feel like I may come up with better ideas on the day of shooting but this is just an experiment I want to try out. At least if I would be allowed to do this.

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DRAMA

I have written three drafts for my drama, I am deciding to no longer further develop this script as I am focusing more on my FMP. Also, I have filled in what I could on the drama proposal. But I am not going to write about camera angels and styles because this all falls under the category of directing which I will not be doing. Its quite confusing because this would mean the new director would have to write the camera styles in my drama proposal. I do not understand why this drama proposal was made because it completely contradicts this whole drama thing.

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font

I did a font quiz to see which font I am and I did not like the result, especially for my logo.

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Deadlines.

For me, I think I have been fine when it comes to meeting deadlines. Throughout the christmas holidays, I have been writing scripts and have been trying to sort out a location for my drama. I don’t know most of the deadlines because it’s not clear. But I have done everything on the work plan so I think there is nothing left. 

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For my fmp, this will most likely be the first location. Lollard street, I want to film at night.

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Scripts

I have made drafts for my drama and also my final major project. I will still be working on them but I need to focus less on the script for my drama for now as on the off chance that I cannot use the location that I originally wanted to use, I will have to change around the script again so I’d rather not develop my script now until I am certain about the location.

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On Your Doorstep