Spilt Screen Research

Final cut hadn't worked for a long time on the macs at school and so I had to settle with using 'imovie', it was only recently that I believe it's working again. But this means I have to learn a whole new software. I'm going to look for tutorials to help me use it, however i've also decided to look for videos of spilt screens to look for other possible softwares I could use. If the computers at school can't handle this new software maybe I could bring my laptop into school.

Conveniently today I was watching a Eat Your Kimchi video 'EYK' called 'Video Game Showdown at  a Pulsa Bang!' where they use they use multiple split screens.

Currently (Editing and Audience Review)

It becomes increasingly more apparent to me how ambitious this project is the more I attempt to edit it, I'm finding that even though the idea behind this short film is serious that everything i've filmed seems humorous. I find that when showing the clips I have to my classmates they find it funny, whether this is because some parts are still hideously unedited or my lack of preparation and spontaneous thinking hasn't worked out. Either way at this current time I am unhappy with how my project is turning out, however I feel my project seems more humorous because the clips are long and they're silent making them possibly awkward for people to watch not knowing what to think. Adding audio will more then likely help the feel I was going for, unedited films are intrinsically going to be less impressive.

I have more scenes to film, and so I might approach these in a different way in attempting more technical shots and making them less humorous.

Editing

The London Experience

On Tuesday the 27th of November me my brother and dad all went to London to film for my short film, other than some funny looks and bad weather it turned out pretty well.
I filmed at the train station, the streets of London the underground fairly easily. I needed the London scenes of him travelling to work and getting stuck there with no way of getting back, and as in the shots I included big ben and the London eye it's easy to tell where it's set.  I'm so happy that I got to film there, and feel it gives my short film an original and authentic feel.



(enjoy the pigeon I filmed on the underground)

Further Music Ideas

I was trying to think of any other song I knew that had whistling similar to whistle by Flo Rida, and this song came to mind..



[MV] Trouble Maker → HyunSeung ft.Hyuna from TVXQKTFansub on Vimeo.

It's a kpop song called Trouble Maker by  Hyunseung and Hyuna, the whistling is very similar to that of Flo Rida.   

London ~~

It's official this tuesday I'm getting a train down to Liverpool street in London to the underground with my brother and dad, we got the tickets on thursday, we'll be down there from 8:30 to 7:30 a whole day of filming. I just have to make sure I know EXACTLY what I'm filming.

Music Ideas

On the music channels the song Whistle by Flo Rida came on, this is an example of one of those songs that you wouldn't normally listen to but you can't help but like. This is the song, although I warn you the video is explicit.




Flo Rida - Whistle (Official Video) from kerim on Vimeo.
What really caught my attention the most is the whistling, when listening to it I thought how great it could be just on it's on for the ending credits. As I have a sad ending I thought that would fit perfectly,  my initial thought thoughts is to record my dad (as he is the best whistler I know) and so that's not copyright. HOWEVER, during the short film I have my brother walking down the street with headphones in his ears..........

And so to make the whistling relevant at the end I thought I could have him listening to it in the beginning, but then there's the case of copyrighting. I am going to attempt to email the company who owns the song (though not saying they'll get back to me) or somehow compose my own. But I don't see how using a few seconds of it will matter if I make no money from it.

I also looked at the soundtrack for kill bill, I remembered that it also had eery whistling, I also might look around for songs..maybe ones on special copyright websites that I could use. Or try and find a korean/kpop song.

Music

I've been thinking about my short film a lot recently and what I should do about the sound, my initial idea was the have no dialogue and to just play music over of the top. I take inspiration from our AS film noir piece of just having a piano to musicaly help progress the story. But because I can't use any music that is out there due to copyright, and I don't play an instrument I'm kind of stuck. 
I'm unsure what to do about this for the moment in time, but I'm sure that I just want running music through out, as I feel dialogue might give it an amateur feel which is what I want to prevent.

Filming Plans

For my short film one of the main parts is Lee Jones taking the subway to work and getting stuck there, as my brother is busy a lot and I wanted to go to London to film these shots we were deciding days in which we could do this, my dad suggested that we go to Epping which is the last stop on the London underground. My dad suggested that we drive up there early in the morning and then film what I have to so I can also have a  full day of filming, we decide to do this next tuesday that is if my brother can get the day off work. I have a day off sixth form on tuesdays anyway and my dad said he could get the day off, it's just depending on him.

                                                 (Epping underground from google images)

Tomorrow I will film the scenes of my brother walking towards the train station, however I can't film him getting through the barriers or on the train as it will be late and after work and we don't have a ticket as of yet. However I plan to take the train to great yarmouth as the ticket price will be much cheaper then a train to London, and I can film these parts simply.

Plot Discourse

The main character Lee get woken up by his alarm he unwillingly looks at it by using the camera as his point of view and starts to sit up and put his glasses on, then slowly but surely makes his way to the bathroom. Using a mid shot the character places toothpaste on his toothbrush and proceeds to brush his teeth, the camera quickly changes to filming the back of Lee's head where we can see his reflection in the mirror. The shower head is quickly shown coming on to indicate that's what he's doing, followed by the door closed and hearing the faint sounds of the shower. In a close up we see brown cat biscuits being poured into a bowl, using a mid shot similar brown cereal is eaten. A wide angle lense is used to show both the main character Lee and his cat both eating at the same time, food which near enough looks the same. Suddenly the whole screen will turn black, the screen will slowly get lighter as a fridge door will open half way on the screen and stop. As the main character is placing the item (milk) in the fridge he opens the door all the way to show a split screen.

With the split screen carrying on, having to wake up early it's still dark outside as he takes the long walk to the train station  with a wide angle used to show him walking up a long road. Mid shot skipping to nearly entering the train station. Using wide screen/point of view from the camera/close ups the main character will walk through the train station, and through the ticket barriors it will be the same video on either side by this point.

Currently..

I'm currently working on my plot discourse, even though this has to be detailed (which it will be) I want to try and make it basic at the same time. Meaning I want to make what I have already written down and detailed, but I work better with just a basic idea so that when it comes to filming I can take this basic idea and add on whatever I feel looks good when actually filming. For me this works best as I might find some things I was planning to do initially doesn't work as they weren't realistic enough or I find something I spontaneously think of works better. After filming I may then need to edit it with any new things I add.

Filming

The scenes that I posted I made of sticky notes are set in my brothers home, and because he works everyday there are only certain times I can use him for my project. So on Saturday (the 10th of November) I went round and filmed these parts, when I filmed him it was late and so it being winter it was dark already outside. Although I pictured outside being dark, I didn't want it being pitch black, so I've had to change the initial time I was going to make him wake up so it makes sense for him to be up with it being dark outside. However this change has worked well for me, due to him being so fed up with his work life in one half of the spilt screen, waking up so early for something he doesn't want to do gives him more reason to be fed up. Also he needs to get the train the London every morning, and so he would need to be up this early anyway. 

I think I'm happy with how they turned out, I've been so desperate to start filming because I want to do well on this project that I might have made a few continuity errors, but they can be easily fixed. I have yet to edit what I have filmed, but I will do as soon as I can. The next step is filming the train station which I hope to do after he finishes work so it can be lighter like it would be in the morning, however I'm not sure how busy it will be at half 4/5? As it will be leaving off time, and if it will match the realistic number of people that would be there at the early hours of the morning. Having to work around the times my brother can do and a realistic setting has been challenging but I'm making it work.

Sticky Note Storyboard

Rough Story Board

I very roughly drew up my storyboard, my discourse will tell my story in my more detail.

Short Trip To The Train Station Ideas - Simple Digital Camera

When walking down the street to the train station I started thinking that it would be a good idea to have some of my film from the perspective of my main character, I thought having this view from the street would be nice as it also has the river beside it.

When walking I decided to take a video (bare in mind it's just a basic digital camera) of what I was thinking it could look it, I want to try and get it to look realistic of someone looking around and to get the level of shaking of the camera right.

 Walking further up the road you come across the two crossings before the station, I thought I'd take pictures of them anyway. But I feel like if I added these in my film they would just waste time and be unnecessary and wouldn't develop the story in anyway.

Here is just a wide angle view of one of the crossings and the train station.

  I crossed over the crossing and got to the front of the train station, I feel this would be a scene I include in my final peice so I decided to take a short video of myself walking down the path. Note that I looked at my wrist during filming, I just all of a sudden got the idea that he could check his watch while he was walking. Just so everyone knows the camera is from his perspective.

When I walked up to the train station I decided to take a picture of the outside, it's a very distinctive building. I also like the fact it has written on it 'Norwich Station' so without having to be told the audience knows where it's set if they didn't guess already.

I just took a short quick video of my perspective of walking into the train station, also something I would use in my final piece.

Just a view of the train station from where I left off in the video, looking in from the entrance.

 

I took on the other side too, to help me work out what would make a good shot and how much choice there is in the building for me to be creative with.

From looking at the scene from the death note, I really liked the part where the actor walked through the ticket barrier in the subway. At the train station they have the same ones, however I couldn't go past them because I didn't have a ticket so I could only film from this side. However when I was taking a picture a man walked through them and using my creeper instincts I decided to film him walking through..

Man walking to the train from Rachel Savage on Vimeo.

This is just from the angle I was standing, on real day of filming I'd like to try different ones to show the rest of the train station as the background to make the most of the setting.

 Here is an archway between the trains, as I couldn't actually walk up here due to not having a ticket I had to take it from a distance, whether I could use this shot i'm not sure I just got interested by the detail and thought it was interesting looking. But while I was taking this picture a train pulled up..




Train arriving from Rachel Savage on Vimeo.

I carried on film so I could see people actully getting off the train, I thought as i'm using this for my short film in the film it would show my lead role getting on and off the train.

In the next week..

After talking to our teacher he decided that the next things I need to do are;
. To start my discourse
. Start my storyboard

I plan to complete these by the end of the week.

How Should My Audience Respond?

. Shocked
. Tension
. Sad
. Sympathetic

Summery Of My Plot Narrative -  

Lee Jones a working class mid 30's male goes about his routine like he does everyday, set in a busy industrial city it's easy to find yourself getting caught up in the rat race and losing track of time. In missing the subway he'll soon find that one small change can be the result of a day of alternative endings.

  



Possibly Going To London

On the way home from sixth form in the car I was talking to my Dad about my media ideas, I had also told him about how in the next 3 weeks I need to start filming my short film so that if I'm not happy with it I'll have time to film more.
I started talking about how I was thinking of having my lead role miss the train, I said I'd probably have to film that scene in Norwich train station. I then jokingly said, "But it would be so good to film in London and film a subway." He actually surprised me (though not too much as my dad is amazing) when he said filming a London subway would actually be a good idea.
SO.....I've decided that when I start filming in the next few weeks I will film in Norwich and in the Norwich train station so I know what I want and the scenes I would need to re-film in London so when i got there I'd know EXACTLY what to do and not flail around like a fish out of water (I do like my metaphors).

Hopefully I WILL get to film in London ^v^/ fingers crossed.  

Death Note Camera Angles

Death Note Subway Scene

 

 

In the screen shots above as well as the actor walking towards the camera, the camera also moves closer.

Thinking about the idea I have for my short story, one of the main events would be the lead character missing the train/ subway. The first thing that came to my head when I thought about that was this scene from 'The Death Note', unlike my idea Raye Penber (the character in the film) doesn't miss the subway I just really love the way they show him getting on and off the subway with all the angles. With each of the screen shots (and knowing the story) you can tell roughly what is happening, this is the kind of thing I want to do and want my final piece to look like.