Sound Entry #13 - Final Projects

Here is the link to my Soundscape: Soundscape

Here is a link to my speech package: Speech Package

Overall, I am fairly happy with what I have achieved. I came into the sound module which a little experience working with live bands, recording instruments, a handful of podcasts and audacity and have left with what I believe a good understanding of Adobe Audition and a knowledge of the variety of microphones available. It was fun learning the types of microphone available. In the future, I would like to use some of these and experiment with how they can be used in a recording sense rather than just seeing what they can achieve. 

Things I would do different next time, is maybe get outside my comfort zone when it comes to editing and recording sounds. We could have done an abstract soundscape where we recorded sounds and then edited them to sound futuristic for example, as just a reference to Ben Burr. I chose to stick to something I knew I could do and something that I was comfortable with. Next time, I'd like to spend more time on something I think could be invoke more experimentation and interesting sound design. 

Video Entry #16 - Shooting and Editing CONCLUDE PETER SECTION

As stated previously, I had gone back home for the Easter break and unfortunately, could not be there for the filming on the Friday. I had arranged with Punktured to be there for 12 on the Friday. I had lend my fetching red Panasonic DMC-GH1, Rode microphone and Zoom H1 audio recorder.

I had told the group chat 12 twice, however I made a mistake once and forgot to put a 2 at the end and George assumed it was 1. When he rang to confirm, they thought they were going in for 12. George persuaded them though to let us record on the Tuesday and they put on their website that they would let someone get a free piercing for us to film. Photo below of the Facebook post.

I gave a draft of questions to George which he then mocked them up to be the final questions that he asked during the interview:

- What is your name and role at Punktured?

- How long have you been working at Punktured?

- Can you tell us a general overview of goes on at Punktured?

- How many other people work here besides yourself and what are their roles?

- Why did you choose to go into this profession?

- Do you need any certificates or qualifications to work here at Punktured?

- Tell us about some of the tools you work with at this facility?

- What’s the most common piercing you do?

- What’s the most difficult piercing and why?

- Can you tell/show us how a piercing is done?

- What do you think makes Punktured unique?

- Can you tell us any interesting or quirky stories you have surrounding your time here at Punktured?

- What is your average day like here?

- What do people need to know before considering a piercing?

- Would you say you are the most popular piercing place in Brighton? If so, why?

- What do you think the reasons people get piercing?

- Why do you think people should come to Punktured?

- Do you think the success of Punktured is to do with location?

- What do you think the future holds for Punktured?

We had rearranged and were ready to film Tuesday. George and Roshana were the ones to go film. I don't know where the other member was but I was travelling back that evening. I was told they had done well with the footage. Myself and George then that evening at around 2100 hours tried to import the footage into our group media drive. Unfortunately, the files were AVCHD and the codec doesn't compile on macs. We left it for then as we had tried to do as much as we could.

The next day, I pirated some video converting software and converted the files to the highest quality H.264 I could. Myself and George then began to edit our footage.

Our first thing to do was sync the video from the camera with the sound from the audio recorder. Once we had done this, we then proceeded to cut down the interviews to usable clips. From then on, George became hard on what was needed and what was not. We averaged 2 minutes of Julie (owner of Punktured) and Alex (staff member) footage. We then developed the cutaways into usable segments. George made notes on what we needed and an image is provided below:

After splicing it altogether into a very rough edit. We realised that we didn't have enough relevant cutaways, so myself and George went into Brighton and filmed some more. 

We then polished it off by adding in intro and outro credits, music and colour correcting and grading the footage. Myself and George did all of this. We had asked the other two members to search for music and do the outro credits as they didn't know Premiere Pro well and we didn't have enough time. They didn't search for the music when we asked and the outro credits were looking poor and didn't fit into the style of the documentary.

We then had to export it but not before our consultant, Peter, had viewed it. 

Overall, I am pretty much happy with how it went. I enjoyed making my first documentary and realised the successes you can have and pitfalls. I have learnt that communication is key and that you need a strong team who are just as skilled and determined as yourself. If I were to do anything differently, I wouldn't have media practice and media communication students in the same class as I don't think the media communications people are as passionate about video as the media practice people. And I'd maybe plan a bit more. Mainly on the cutaways afterwards rather than the interviews themselves. 

Video Entry #15 - Shooting Reading Notes

Continuity

- "To experience a film as one complete story, continuity is essential. Dis-continuity, when shots, actions, sound or acting do not match, disturb the created reality of the programme. The viewer will realise that he/she is watching and posits him/her self outside the story. The most important stage for continuity is the shooting script, in which the film is broken down into sequences of shots."

- "If a director uses the master scene technique, a complete scene will be shot in one go from one camera angle. The same scene will be repeated from different camera angles, which will be used as inserts. Generally speaking, one starts with a wide shot and a variety of medium and closer shots will be shot afterwards. This way of working has many advantages, because always having a lot of material available makes editing easier. But continuity in the acting, props, light, etc. are essential."

- "So to make a decoupage of your scene and shoot only what you need might be safer when you follow the next technique: Triple - Take Technique. The simplest way to guarantee continuity in an action is to repeat it again in the new shot. This implies that you always shoot three different actions: the last one,the new one, and the coming one. You can get very experienced in this technique and especially in long scenes it has significant advantages"

Getting the right shot

- "A shot is a simple word that describes everything about the way the filmmaker has set up their camera and what it will be recording."

- "The framing of your shot will depend on a lot of things, but the first thing you must ask is what part of the story the shot is trying to tell. Close ups are good to show emotions on people and things because you can see their faces. Long shots are best to set up where your characters are and how many of them there are. If you are filming somebody walking into a room and it is most important you show how they look or react then you would use a close-up. If it was most important to see who else was in the room or what kind of room it was then you would use a long shot."

- "Action is everything that happens in front of the camera and how the camera is moved best to film that action. Even if you are only filming a door being opened in close-up, somebody has to be shown how you want that door to be opened: fast or slow, with a squeak or without. In most films actors are used to provide most of the action."

- "If everyone knows what they are doing and you have the framing and movement of the camera just right and the action that is going to take place just right, then you need to be able to tell the cast and crew when you want it all to happen. You have probably seen or heard about the director shouting LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION, well it is a little bit similar in our case."

- "When the actors are ready, the director will say…SOUND READY. The person doing the sound and holding the microphone will say that they are. The director will then say…ROLL CAMERA. The camera-person will then press record on the camera and when they are happy and ready they say that they are. The director will then call ACTION. Whatever is happening in front of the camera, somebody shutting a door, or a person walking into a room happens then."

Shooting on location

- "LIGHTING

• Keep lighting to a minimum.
• Avoid shadows on faces or dramatic shadows at the back.
• Avoid very high contrast.
• Make sure that the main subject draws the audiences attention in the shot."

- "ORGANISATION
• Keep in touch with your crew, discuss what you are doing and do not forget the sound technician.
• Communication is central, not only in relation to the task but also to the interpersonal relations. People need food and drink, chats, jokes and appreciation. Without their co-operation you will not succeed."