I’ve done some chroma key on Dan’s footage giving it a black background. In my opinion if he only wants a black background, he should just film it against a black background. It would be less rough around the edges. Then for the shots where things start going wacky, that’s where the green screen should be introduced. Also, the box being stood on should be either black or green.
It works best in the close-ups. For the long shots there was too much green on Tom’s body and the edges of him disappear, making him a bit of an odd shape with no nose. If I don’t make the edges disappear then he has a green outline. There needs to be a much more crisp defined line for the actual recording.
It’s been a while since I’ve written in here. Things started getting quite hectic, and I just got out of the habit of writing everything down! Since I last wrote here there have been quite a lot of developments.
In my project, I have created a test piece using the latest version of my script. Really it was to see what the footage would look like if it really was pure home-video with no production values. I have written a separate analysis of it for the folder.
I have also tested the mediascape, which also has an analysis in the folder.
Dan has put me in contact with Yolanda Iseley, who is doing a great job in helping to cast a girl to play the part of the little girl in the film. She has contacted some schools and I have drafted a letter. I have had to rearrange my filming schedule a little to take into consideration that she will have school commitments, but the crew are all still available which is great.
I have continued to work on the script, which has evolved slightly and had a lot of subtle changes. Tom has shown it to Neil Grant so I am waiting to see what he thinks.
Also today I set up Facebook accounts for Shayne and Carli. This will create an almost ARG level of realism for the piece. There are references to putting photos on facebook made in the film, so if people actually search facebook they will be able to find the photos for themselves. I think this will help people who go on to experience the interactive side of things feel more involved with the added realism. To make them seem convincing, I have sent messages to a lot of people in order to give the characters more “friends” and some background posts etc. This gives the illusion of the characters having a past. I am going to kill off Carli at some point, as it happens in the film, and her facebook page will change on this date to reflect this.
In other projects:
The animation test in Tom’s project couldn’t have gone worse. We god told that we wouldn’t be able to use any of the animation studios because we weren’t doing the animation module. Tom has decided that we will animate in the TV studio at the same time as filming. This has a couple of problems:
1 week is not a long time to do 3 30 second animations.
The studio will be busy and the camera/tripod/models could easily be bumped
The lighting will keep changing as the main studio lights are adjusted for the main filming
We don’t really have much choice though.
In Dan Markland’s project I have created a test edit to see whether it would be a good idea to use a fake shop front made from a photograph instead of building one. I think it turned out as a success, since the shop can now be much more stylised and time can be saved in construction. His project is coming along very nicely!
I have also joined Dan Quinn’s crew as a technical supervisor, helping come up with ways to achieve certain effects. We did a test shoot which I am planning on attempting to edit later today. I’m not sure the green screen was set up well enough for it to work, but I’ll see what happens.
I am also now in Baz’s crew as a cameraman. I haven’t been required to do any work for this as of yet, other than familiarise myself with the script, because I came on board so late and he had already done the pre-productions thigns required such as shot lists etc.
Working Title: 10 Seconds Project Leader: Ben Roberts My Role: Producer/Directer & Multimedia
I’m in the process of writing a new draft of the script, and every time I start thinking about the actual story vs the story Shayne is telling, I get confused. I’m going to have to come up with a better way to link them with proper causes and effects. I have decided to draw up a timeline of events, with real events on the left, Shayne’s version on the right, and a description of why Shayne’s differs in the middle. This should help make it clearer in my mind, and also find out where holes still lay undiscovered.
Tom sent me a completed first draft of his script today. We have continually sent it back and forth with changes and comments, which meant it has constantly been evolving, but this was the first time it is been readable from beginning to end. It still needs some work on phrasing at some points, and needs to be cut down, and I have made suggestions about what I think works and what doesn’t. Overall it is progressing very nicely (a lot better than my script!) and it should soon be getting very polished.
As far as my script goes, I went to put the finishing touches to it but when I opened it it was a very initial draft! The newer version seems to have somehow disappeared into the metasphere! I am going to rewrite it using Final Draft rather than MS Word for easy of writing. I can almost call it a second draft, since I’m not going to try and replicate the first, but rewrite it from scratch with new ideas now that the overarching plot is more clear.
Working Title: 10 Seconds Project Leader: Ben Roberts My Role: Producer/Directer & Multimedia
Today, my co-producer Dan and I visited the park where my film is to be set. The main aim was to give Dan a better idea of the location as it was the first time he had seen it. He says it helped him greatly to understand the mediascape side of things, so now we both have the same vision of the location we can work together to plan everything with more detail. We still haven’t come up with a definitive narrative for the mediascape, just a series of loosely connected ideas, but we’re brainstorming to link them all together in a cohesive way.
Some of the key events in the film have also changed location within the park from the idea I had before. We checked where the sun would set, and where things such as the accident (caused by filming the sunset) could feasible happen. We found there were a lot of safety railings by the majority of the park’s entrances, and trees obscured the sunset from being visible from others, but one we found was perfect. The entrance, which is very wide, leads straight onto the road on a blind corner and a junction, so it is very possible that an accident could happen there if someone were to step out and a car was speeding. There is also a lovely view of the whole park and the sun set, since it is at the top of the slope. Dan took some photos which I will get a hold of.
We also walked around in a kind of circuit, planning what things could happen in what order to reduce the amount of walking involved and avoid long spaces of silence.
Earlier, Sion introduced me to Google Calendar. It is fantastic for using in the third year. Apart from the fact that it’s so easy to add events, it also has a whole host of great collaborative features. You can view all your friends’ calendars on your own in a different colour, so you can arrange meetings in slots where everyone is free, and check out where any clashes may occur. You can also add people to events so you can keep check on who is attending. There is also the ability to add comments on events, say if someone had a question about it. I’m going to get everyone working on my project to sign up and put all their tutorials on it, along with their meetings for other projects, time dedicated to their own work, etc. That way I can better establish who is available for what, and when.
Working Title: 10 Seconds Project Leader: Ben Roberts My Role: Producer/Directer & Multimedia
Today in my tutorial with Judith we worked together to create a short and concise overview of what my project actually is. Judith is going to send it to the guys at HP so they know what kind of projects are going to be worked on. I am also going to join the mscaper forums and post it there to see what kind of interest it gets from the target audience – people who actively participate in mediascapes! Here is what we came up with:
The Film – This sets up the initial story at film festivals and on TV. Can work as a standalone piece, but can also be progressed by visiting the website advertised at the end.
The Website – This bridges the gap between the film and the mediascape. It sets up the user as a character in the narrative, which begins where the film left off.
The Mediascape – This actively involves the user in the evolving progressive narrative of the piece, playing with their perceptions and understanding of what they already know from the film and website.
While it doesn’t explain the narrative, it gives a good overall impression of how the whole thing will play out.
Working Title: Sightings on Horsell Project Leader: Tom Kiely My Role: Script Supervisor & Effects Director
Tom called some more meetings today and I attended the special effects one with Simon. Simon has some great sketches done of monsters, and we’re all having an input on what from each creature works and what doesn’t. I’m slightly worried about the feasibility of some of the designs, as they look very complicated, but if Simon thinks he can animate them then I have faith in him! What is a problem is size. I think Tom was thinking of having pretty big models, but as Director of Effects I think that could be a problem. The bigger the model, the bigger the green screen background needs to be. This not only brings up the issue of cost, but also that a large green screen is much harder to light evenly for chroma-keying in the edit.
Tom has also brought on another animator to help Simon, like he requested. Stu is now on board but wants to be in charge of something such as perhaps lighting. I would personally like to be in charge of the lighting of the animation since it is quite a big part of the creative look of the idea, and Stu has only just come on board and may not be familiar with the style of the piece. At the end of the day it is up to Tom the producer what tasks he gives everyone, but I think an extra animator should be a help to the director, not a hinderence.
Over the past few days we have also been working on the script. Tom’s been sending me versions with new parts and I’ve gone through it all commenting on sections with (in my opinion) quite big problems, and making more minor adjustments to sentences and phrasing myself.
Working Title: 10 Seconds Project Leader: Ben Roberts My Role: Producer/Directer & Multimedia
I’ve just registered a domain name for my website. At the moment it doesn’t work because I haven’t built a page yet, but I will get a temporary page up within the next few days. I chose in10seconds.com because:
A possible hook phrase for my project is “A lot can happen in 10 seconds”
A play on words since with the interactive part of the project, the user is “in” the film “10 Seconds”
10seconds.com was already taken
I used a website called namecheap.com which does exactly what it says on the tin. I got the name for 2 years for £9, bargain! I’ve used them before for my personal website and they’re great.
