EVALUATION QUESTION 4 integrating technologies

How did you integrate technologies - software, hardware and online - in this project?
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What I cover in this post:

• Different software/online resources used (blogger, FCPX, Instagram, youtube, slideshare etc)
• How we engaged with audiences online
• Different hardware used (cameras, tripods, etc)
• Disruption, digitisation and convergence
• Web 2.0 (UGC, applied examples we took influence from)

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Creative use of technologies:




  I chose to make 2 vodcast covering hardware and software to answer this evaluation question creatively. They cover all the different software and hardware we used, throughout filming an pre-production.
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Digitisation, Disruption and Convergence:

• As technology is constantly advancing, production, distribution and exhibition are becoming increasingly cheaper and more accessible to more people - expensive reels no longer have to be bought to make films, and even our production has been made digitally.

This allows films with micro-budgets to have a greater chance at distribution - Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee is an example of this, with a micro budget it still managed to have a theatrical trailer and then a straight to DVD release. Professional equipment used was extremely limited.

An example which took it even further is Hinterland, which had a budget of only £10k, filmed using a 15 year old camera and then released in indie cinemas with director Q+A sessions. The film was never released on DVD, but given a simultaneous release on iTunes. The film definitely achieved some successful distribution, as it made it onto a top indie films of the year list.  

As it is so easy now for anyone to make their own films relatively inexpensively and self-distribute them, the term convergence is used to reference this: the line between producer and consumer is blurring as cheaper technology becomes available.

The importance of Netflix and Amazon Prime in this disruption cannot be overlooked, as they offer films directly to audiences, without theatrical releases, and are still massively successful. This threatens theatres, as if people are able to watch Oscar winning films such as Roma at home on Netflix, there will become increasingly less need/want for people to go to cinemas.


Although this disrupts conglomerates, it can be beneficial for indies, who are able to market and sell their films completely online, like the example of Hinterland, which did have a mall theatre run, but the majority of its marketing was one online through twitter.

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Web 2.0
Web 2.0 describes how the internet has become driven by users, converging the line between producer and consumer. An example of this is user-generated content, like the fan-art that was made for the Cornetto Trilogy, or the poster for Hinterland which was also fan-made. This web 2.0 theoretically allow indies more of a chance at achieving successful distribution online, by setting up twitters, instagrams and being able to engage with audiences directly.

Screenshot form my PowerPoint on distribution (from eval q2)

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Screenshot form my PowerPoint on distribution (from eval q2)

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Screenshot form my PowerPoint on distribution (from eval q2)

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FCPX
I made a youtube FCPX tutorial series called TechTips, a friendly guide on how to use different elements of one of the most critical pieces of software we used. I integrated this software with online resources (youtube and the blog). Here is the links list:

• TECH TIPS episode 1 - FCPX basics
• TECH TIPS episode 2 - FCPX sound effects, transitions
• TECH TIPS episode 3 - FCPX green screen
• TECH TIPS episode 4 - FCPX titles and transitions

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Communication
using social media (facebook messenger) we got more involved in sharing ideas through calls and messages, and a group chat was made with the whole cast in it so that we could make sure everyone had all the information they needed (including costume, time/place, scripts etc.)
This is one of the earlier versions os the screenplay which we shared with the cast (also making print-offs), and as it was updated we could email them the new versions to read over before shoots:

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(SAM'S WORK)
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This is Sam's vodcast on the same topic
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ROUGH CUT 2

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This is the second rough cut put together

Changes made:

• Sound
• the music has been changed to give it more variation, the last recording was a bit repetitive (the update post is here)
• ambient sound of cars going past, dogs barking, and hospital background noise has been added for verisimilitude  
• the nurse's voice has been recorded over for better sound quality
• the music playing in the car has now been fixed so it doesn't overlap with the jogging scene and make the continuity confusing
• audio-bridges are also being used now
• Editing
• Now the training scene is cross-cut with the packing scene, this speeds up the pace, which was too slow before
• Titles
• the titles have been completely changed, both in wording, order, position, transition effect, size, capitalisation, names, and wen they appear on screen
• this is to make it more resemble the genre conventions we noted in other examples, particularly Withnail and I and Journeyman
• The film title card is now also included

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TECH TIPS episode 3 - FCPX green screen

When I filmed my evaluation question 2 creative 'who wants to be a millionaire' I used a green screen and needed to se even more technical effects in FCPX

• green screen
• screen recording
• keyer
• position of clips
• layering

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ROUGH CUT 1

This is the first full rough cut of our film opening The Journey, with credits and idents.

Originally we wanted to have the jogging cross-cut throughout, but when we tried it made it extremely hard to follow what was happening, as it looked like Tanay was out jogging, and then was also playing tennis at the same time, so we removed the jogging we had cross-cut throughout the opening.


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Feedback
Upload the version with the cross-cutting that made it difficult to follow
Get audience feedback

Idents:

• Maw Productions - too short, add toyCo ident
• Red Films - sound needs fixing (hiss) add music
• Journey Films - cannot read the paper, looks too much like it's part of the film, the paper doesn't work. better lighting, things going into suitcase, when bag is dropped and spilt open, picked up, on ground says Journey Films
• fade to black, fade up from black - more conventional for social realist

Titles:

use this post for help

• Font - too simple, make company name in upper case, make names bigger than the rest
• could use sans serif for non-names
• add film title
• more cast names (with, introducing, featuring)
• Harriet B. - stands out, no reason why it is written like that

make post with all titles, font, case, size, reasoning

Sound:

• There is no sound in the first scene, no diegetic, Foley or ambient - unnatural. Sound of footsteps and packing - get sound of cars going past, a dog barking. Add to verisimilitude
• sound of Cathy sighing needs to be louder
• jogging - exaggerate breathing and footsteps 
• don't include music unless you have a shot of switching it on - music when he is jogging must be lower
• camera wind sound - have to rebuild audio
• all sound has to be louder
• music does not work at all
• audio is not synced up

Editing:

• need to trim wiping face shot of tear, because otherwise it looks like she's just wiping her face
• packing scene drags on
• training scene does not need to be linear chronologically - put in shots of him hitting the ball. Acting is not super convincing so this will help with maintaining verisimilitude
• use shot of convo from other side
• transition to jogging is very episodic, not smooth - fade needs to be quicker (maybe try a cross-fade, audio-bridge (start next scene audio before end of scene)
• Start jogging scene with extreme long shot
• PACING - needs to be quicker, shorter takes or cut some out
• keep bits of guy in car shorter - threat of danger, foreshadowing - even hybridity style (verging on horror e.g. Dead Man's Shoes), make film more widely appealing
• speed up car (maybe add gear clunk sound) - add engine sound
• shot is very bright, keep shots of driver short
• shaking camera - cut off end of ELS jogging
• can see jogger from inside the car
• speed up car
• could make 2 stopping events - show determination. taking breath is too long
• can cross cut between accident and hospital (flashing back to trauma)
• ENDING - too abrupt, maybe hands bring gripped, or his eyes shutting again

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SAMPLE SCENE 2 Packing scene - 1st attempt

This is the scene where the Tennis player's partner is leaving him

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Feedback

• Mise-en-scene
• include tennis equipment in the background (racket, bag, water bottle)
• passport (shot of it being put in the bag)
• photos of the couple together and the team (have partner pick them up then put them down again, angrily)
• panning shots of props
• in wardrobe have clear split of his/her side
• have a larger suitcase, get a shot of Cathy grabbing everything from one side of the wardrobe and putting it in the suitcase
• Acting
• include clearer demonstrations for the actor/actress
• make it angrier and sadder
• aggressively throwing clothes into the bag
• slamming down the photos
• get a closeup of her face (expression)
• do a 'final look' around the house (living/kitchen) - more realistic and chance to include more mise-en-scene for exposition
  
• Editing
• bit at the start has very fast-paced editing, but you can't really see the shots because its so fast
• get some more ELSs to use for establish shots (closer and closer to the house, similar to in Psycho) 
• Get shots of the wife entering the car and slamming the door

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TECH TIPS episode 1 - FCPX basics

This is the first episode of a series of tech tips on how we are using software like FCPX, in this episodes we look at some basics of FCPX:

• importing footage from a portable hard drive
• creating libraries, events and projects
• inserting clips to the timeline
• cutting, detaching audio, other basics
• saving 
• publishing to the web

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