Friday, 19 May 2017
Thursday, 18 May 2017
Recce
I have chosen the Royal Crescent because it is an open area that will be perfect fro my forced perspective shot and the ground is on a slight slope which is very useful to help create the illusion of forced perspective I think that there are some everyday hazards, but I have outlined these in my recce checklist, but nothing too serious it is in a walkable distance from the college I will need to film in a time of day and a weather that is not rainy or overcast therefore I need to film on a sunny day but I'm also going to try timing it so it's not in lunchtime so that the field is relatively empty.
I am going to film all of the internal scenes of the film in the Bath College Tempa Media building because this location can look quite a lot like an actual studio office and will only be filming in the corridors and the kitchen where you won't see any of the classrooms or see any signs that its a college risks are very minimal but one thing that I will need to take into consideration is the surface which the actor trips on which is a scene in my film.
I did consider filming in and around a corner shop but ended up having to scrap this idea to make the film more sense
Recce Checklist
Royal Crescent
Pavement, grass field with tree perimeter
Equipment Safety
Very popular with members of the public, dogs, lots of birds
Crew and Actor Safety
Uneven ground, cars
Traffic Control
Required
Site access control
Public access
Availability
Open all day
Sound considerations
Ambient chatter and cars noise
tripping hazards
Uneven ground, roots, rubbish
weather considerations
External area
Lighting environment
Variable, some shade from trees, but most part bright
Tuesday, 16 May 2017
reflecting on my research and experiments
- What did you hope to find out using the research sources you identified?
For my test footage I hoped to find out how to perfect forced perspective I would expect to have to experiment with the camera placement in relation to the two actors and I will have to experiment with the camera settings
- Did you produce both primary and secondary research?
The test footage was primary research which helped a lot with developing my idea and bringing it down to reality, the secondary research I produced was around the films that already exist such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings I analysed scenes from these films that used forced perspective in similar ways to what I intend to do I also did a bit of secondary research on runners and what they do in their job and how to incorporate the runner into the film for the audience who don't know who a runner is on a film set
- Which did you find more useful to your idea development?
Monday, 15 May 2017
- Introduce the project and theme in your own words
- List five strengths and five weaknesses in your final film
- What was the main idea from the theme? Can you describe it? Can you reference any influences here? (artists, directors, animators, brands etc.)
- What experiments and exploration did you do (what happens if). How did it affect your development?
- Find a similar type of film - place it next to your own - what comparisons/difference can you identify?
- What were the key areas of development in this film? - use your daily reflections to help you with this
- What was it like when you showed your product to friends and peers - how did that make you feel?
- What could you change about the work produced to improve and develop it?
- Review your statement of intent - what changed, what developments did you make, did you manage to complete everything you set out to?
- Reflect on your pitch to the client; how did you feel about it before? Did it go better or worse than you expected? what was the feedback from the client/lecturer? what do you think you could improve next time?
Friday, 12 May 2017
FMP storyboards
INT. GREEN SCREEN ROOM - DAY
DIRECTOR
Toby, we’re going to start shooting in the
next five minutes. Before we start the scene,
we need two cups of tea on the set please!
TOBY
OK, coming right up!
Toby walks out of the door. END SCENE.
INT. CORRIDOR JUST OUTSIDE KITCHEN - DAY
Toby walking down corridor towards camera, trips, falls into kitchen and lands off screen.
Toby on floor, sits up, rubbing head. Stands up and walks further into the kitchen.
Reaches up to cupboard, opens cupboard door, no boxes of tea there. Walks out door
.EXT. OUTSIDE OFFICE BUILDING - DAY
Toby walking, looks around puzzled, hears stomping, looks side to side then up, looks surprised.
Starts running, looking back.
EXT. ROYAL CRESCENT - DAY
Toby runs through the gate of the Royal Crescent, still running and looking behind him.
In the distance, Toby runs across screen, followed by a giant’s lower legs and shoes.
Toby continues running. See a giant’s hand coming through the sky, picks him up, fades to black screen.
INT. GIANT’S KITCHEN - DAY
Giant put Toby in teacup, drops teabag in and pours in hot water
Toby
Help me, help me! I'm down here...where have you taken me? Aaaaaaa!
Thursday, 11 May 2017
Evaluation for Final Major Project
My short film follows the story of a runner who falls over and starts to imagine giants, because he is working on the set of a giant film. The main theme behind the project is perspective, and the genre is comedic drama. I chose this project specifically because I have never used perspective in my films before, and I thought I could also research camera settings and further refine my After Effects abilities.
When I started this project I intended to include perspective shots, shadow puppets, noir and green screen effects to create a short film. This idea was going to be very diverse and very complicated to make, where when I presented my idea to the lecturers, they suggested I should minimise the scale of my project to get one of the three ideas polished and its potential maximised.
"Knowing you, I think you should go with one idea and just go for it." "I think the narrative works quite well, and I think with the perspective there is a lot of potential for experimentation" (Lecturers quotes from presentation)
Well I decided I would settle for the perspective theme and I also decided the best way of linking this together was involving a giant and incorporating a film runner frustrated with their job. I decided that the best way to portray this story was to tell the story in a simplistic way because in my past projects the story was very difficult to understand what was happening. I researched a number of films that used perspective. e.g. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and I went for a shot that was more practical and with less moving parts, more in line with what Harry Potter did with Hagrid rather than Lord of the Rings where they gave the perspective on a larger scale.
I tried a number of different techniques which I presented in test footage to experiment with how perspective should be used in my film. I did one experiment with two people sat at a table, one of whom was closer to the camera and one who was further away, with the front of the table slightly raised and this gave the illusion that the person closer to the camera was larger than the person in the background. I ended up not using a table and two characters in my final film because there is one character and if I bought in another character i would have to rewrite the story and it would confuse things - there was no real place for it. I think looking at my project proposals and statement of intent that I included the elements that I intended to.
I initially considered with the giants hand picking up the runner to do this as a perspective shot but quickly decided that it would be very difficult to line this up and get the proportion right and also it would be impossible to get the runner on the inside of the hand when the hand closes I decided to do this in green screen effects I experimented with several different edits with the size of the hand, the lighting on the hand and the way the hand closes all differing slightly between each edit. I asked several different lecturers on their opinion of the edit and what I could improve upon. the difficult thing was that when I had the feedback and they recommended I change something, I had to re-edit the whole sequence on Adobe After Effects because there were multiple layers of the same image which all had to be the same to work, where if I'd changed one of the layers I'd have had to change all of the layers, whereas it would be easier to start from scratch. For example I had to change the brightness of the hand and I separated the fingers of the hand so that when the hand closes the fingers overlap on the outside of the character.
The biggest problem I have with my film is that there is not enough perspective shots and obscure camera angles which in my original vision was going to be most of the film. I did plan to incorporate more perspective shots after I'd filmed the majority of my film but there was simply too many factors that prevented me from doing so such as time, continuity with costume, lighting and surroundings. It also didn't fit with the story because to film a scene of the film that he was a runner for, this wouldn't have involved the main character because he was not the actor on the set, the film within the film would have been difficult to film indoors because it would involve figures which need a wide area to get the perspective right and outside would have required more reshoots from Tobie walking out of the studio.
Five strengths:
1. The one perspective shot I have included: it lines up well and from the feedback of the people I've shown it to, they say, "how did you do that? Did you do that on After Effects." I didn't use any After Effects, so its a very effective in-camera technique that fits with the story and looks very effective.
2. The scene when the giant picks up the runner: works quite well because Toby is in the inside of the hand and it closes. When the hand closes and lifts him away, he is no longer in shot. I also like that I have included a shadow of the hand.
3. I believe that one of the strengths is the story line, as it makes sense without further explanation from me. It is very simplistic but it is easier for the viewer to follow and is very visual, unlike previous films I have made. The hint to what the story could be sounds like a good idea but it is very hard to follow if you're watching it without any background information.
4. The music shifts to what is happening on screen. This is effective because it sets the scene and adds to the lighthearted comedy. For example, when Toby the runner, was walking down the corridor, I had some jolly piano music and then when he's falling, I've added a record screech. This helps with the sudden stop of music and also makes it more funny.
5. I think a big strength to my film was the casting of the runner (Toby). He was a runner and he is the right age and because the story was that he had been a runner for five years, if I had cast a student it wouldn't have worked. Toby was very helpful to work with because there were certain things in the film that needed a lot of over-exaggeration of body language: because when there's little speech, this helps the audience know what he is thinking and what he is feeling, for example when he falls over and then gets back up, and when he gets chased by the giant.
Five weaknesses:
1. One weakness was the shadow in the green screen After Effects shot: if I had another chance to tweak it further, I would increase the opacity of the shadow to make it more in line with the opacity of the shadows that were really there.
2.
I think the film is quite short and could have benefitted from including my planned third act, which I had to scrap due to filming issues. I had planned on filming the third act when the runner is on a giant's bookshelf. I filmed the green screen shot but he had a different t-shirt on and so the continuity would have been out. It would also have been very difficult to match up the speeds of him pushing the giant box of tea, because the original idea was that he woke up next to the giant box of tea bags. The he pushed the box off the shelf and then he fell off the shelf himself, which would have triggered him to wake up.
3. The story was a strength, but in my view it is also a weakness, because it limited the perspective shots and effects I could use. For example, to include more perspective shots within the film, I also considered filming a scene with the giant on a ladder, with a camera on his shoulder looking down. But this wouldn't make sense with the story because he was being chased, and also because it wouldn't be in proportion with the giant's hand and giant's feet scene. The only perspective shot from my research that I would be able to replicate in my film was the giant's shoes stomping in the foreground, with Toby running in the background and this is the only shot type within perspective that is moving, not static. For example, I did some test shots of a giant and a human sat at a table, and this doesn't fit with the storyline.
4. The first shot with Toby walking towards the camera and then falling down: this was very difficult to get in focus because I had a tripod on wheels and was pulling it. The speed of the camera on tripod getting pulled and of Toby walking was very difficult to match up. I focused it when he was close to the camera, so when he starts off in the distance, the focus was quite soft; he walks into focus. If I had gone the same speed that Toby was walking, it would have been shaky because if I pulled it along too fast, the carpet was uneven. I wanted to re-film this, but, because it was difficult to have Toby fall over realistically, I ended up keeping this take as I was happy with the acting, but had to compromise on the focus. I tried it with autofocus, but it was when Toby fell over, towards the camera, it would throw the focus out.
5. One of the main issues I have with the film is the pacing because the first act is roughly half of the total duration of the short film. I tried to amend this by inserting a narration to help the audience gain an insight into the main characters thoughts and attitude to his job. This lessens the boring task of going to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and keeps the audience engaged. However, if I had paced the film better the tipping point would come sooner. The conclusion could have been extended slightly for when he stands up and heads to the kitchen, in a Groundhog Day(1993) style. I did try to include this idea, when I was reviewing my editing but unfortunately the continuity would have been compromised and time constraints restricted this.
When I started this project I intended to include perspective shots, shadow puppets, noir and green screen effects to create a short film. This idea was going to be very diverse and very complicated to make, where when I presented my idea to the lecturers, they suggested I should minimise the scale of my project to get one of the three ideas polished and its potential maximised.
"Knowing you, I think you should go with one idea and just go for it." "I think the narrative works quite well, and I think with the perspective there is a lot of potential for experimentation" (Lecturers quotes from presentation)
Well I decided I would settle for the perspective theme and I also decided the best way of linking this together was involving a giant and incorporating a film runner frustrated with their job. I decided that the best way to portray this story was to tell the story in a simplistic way because in my past projects the story was very difficult to understand what was happening. I researched a number of films that used perspective. e.g. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and I went for a shot that was more practical and with less moving parts, more in line with what Harry Potter did with Hagrid rather than Lord of the Rings where they gave the perspective on a larger scale.
Below is my focus group
"Forced perspective was certainly the best part and it would benefit if it had more of it"
"I think the green screen effect was very impressive but would work on matching the hand to the background"
Quotes above are from the focus group.
Following my test footage of the giant stomping across the screen chasing the runner, I decided to be behind the camera for the finished shot because it was to difficult to line everything up, get all the camera setting right and to check focus and to see if my stomping was in line with the runner in the background, I also decided to film it on a slight slope with the camera slightly tilted up, looking up the slope and decided to shoot in a location with longer grass where this would hide the misalignment problems.Quotes above are from the focus group.
If I had the opportunity I would ask more open questions to expand the range of answers, which would enable me to obtain more useful feedback. I ensured that I included a variety of different demographics to receive the most diverse feedback. However, to improve upon this I would ask a wider number of people to participate.
I initially considered with the giants hand picking up the runner to do this as a perspective shot but quickly decided that it would be very difficult to line this up and get the proportion right and also it would be impossible to get the runner on the inside of the hand when the hand closes I decided to do this in green screen effects I experimented with several different edits with the size of the hand, the lighting on the hand and the way the hand closes all differing slightly between each edit. I asked several different lecturers on their opinion of the edit and what I could improve upon. the difficult thing was that when I had the feedback and they recommended I change something, I had to re-edit the whole sequence on Adobe After Effects because there were multiple layers of the same image which all had to be the same to work, where if I'd changed one of the layers I'd have had to change all of the layers, whereas it would be easier to start from scratch. For example I had to change the brightness of the hand and I separated the fingers of the hand so that when the hand closes the fingers overlap on the outside of the character.
The biggest problem I have with my film is that there is not enough perspective shots and obscure camera angles which in my original vision was going to be most of the film. I did plan to incorporate more perspective shots after I'd filmed the majority of my film but there was simply too many factors that prevented me from doing so such as time, continuity with costume, lighting and surroundings. It also didn't fit with the story because to film a scene of the film that he was a runner for, this wouldn't have involved the main character because he was not the actor on the set, the film within the film would have been difficult to film indoors because it would involve figures which need a wide area to get the perspective right and outside would have required more reshoots from Tobie walking out of the studio.
Five strengths:
1. The one perspective shot I have included: it lines up well and from the feedback of the people I've shown it to, they say, "how did you do that? Did you do that on After Effects." I didn't use any After Effects, so its a very effective in-camera technique that fits with the story and looks very effective.
2. The scene when the giant picks up the runner: works quite well because Toby is in the inside of the hand and it closes. When the hand closes and lifts him away, he is no longer in shot. I also like that I have included a shadow of the hand.3. I believe that one of the strengths is the story line, as it makes sense without further explanation from me. It is very simplistic but it is easier for the viewer to follow and is very visual, unlike previous films I have made. The hint to what the story could be sounds like a good idea but it is very hard to follow if you're watching it without any background information.
4. The music shifts to what is happening on screen. This is effective because it sets the scene and adds to the lighthearted comedy. For example, when Toby the runner, was walking down the corridor, I had some jolly piano music and then when he's falling, I've added a record screech. This helps with the sudden stop of music and also makes it more funny.
5. I think a big strength to my film was the casting of the runner (Toby). He was a runner and he is the right age and because the story was that he had been a runner for five years, if I had cast a student it wouldn't have worked. Toby was very helpful to work with because there were certain things in the film that needed a lot of over-exaggeration of body language: because when there's little speech, this helps the audience know what he is thinking and what he is feeling, for example when he falls over and then gets back up, and when he gets chased by the giant.
Five weaknesses:1. One weakness was the shadow in the green screen After Effects shot: if I had another chance to tweak it further, I would increase the opacity of the shadow to make it more in line with the opacity of the shadows that were really there.
2.
I think the film is quite short and could have benefitted from including my planned third act, which I had to scrap due to filming issues. I had planned on filming the third act when the runner is on a giant's bookshelf. I filmed the green screen shot but he had a different t-shirt on and so the continuity would have been out. It would also have been very difficult to match up the speeds of him pushing the giant box of tea, because the original idea was that he woke up next to the giant box of tea bags. The he pushed the box off the shelf and then he fell off the shelf himself, which would have triggered him to wake up.
3. The story was a strength, but in my view it is also a weakness, because it limited the perspective shots and effects I could use. For example, to include more perspective shots within the film, I also considered filming a scene with the giant on a ladder, with a camera on his shoulder looking down. But this wouldn't make sense with the story because he was being chased, and also because it wouldn't be in proportion with the giant's hand and giant's feet scene. The only perspective shot from my research that I would be able to replicate in my film was the giant's shoes stomping in the foreground, with Toby running in the background and this is the only shot type within perspective that is moving, not static. For example, I did some test shots of a giant and a human sat at a table, and this doesn't fit with the storyline.
4. The first shot with Toby walking towards the camera and then falling down: this was very difficult to get in focus because I had a tripod on wheels and was pulling it. The speed of the camera on tripod getting pulled and of Toby walking was very difficult to match up. I focused it when he was close to the camera, so when he starts off in the distance, the focus was quite soft; he walks into focus. If I had gone the same speed that Toby was walking, it would have been shaky because if I pulled it along too fast, the carpet was uneven. I wanted to re-film this, but, because it was difficult to have Toby fall over realistically, I ended up keeping this take as I was happy with the acting, but had to compromise on the focus. I tried it with autofocus, but it was when Toby fell over, towards the camera, it would throw the focus out.5. One of the main issues I have with the film is the pacing because the first act is roughly half of the total duration of the short film. I tried to amend this by inserting a narration to help the audience gain an insight into the main characters thoughts and attitude to his job. This lessens the boring task of going to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and keeps the audience engaged. However, if I had paced the film better the tipping point would come sooner. The conclusion could have been extended slightly for when he stands up and heads to the kitchen, in a Groundhog Day(1993) style. I did try to include this idea, when I was reviewing my editing but unfortunately the continuity would have been compromised and time constraints restricted this.
Summary
Having now completed the project I would change a number of things in relation to how I managed my time constraints, as I initially planned a more ambitious project, which therefore resulted in me focusing on one of the three ideas. With future projects I would primarily focus on the one theme I have chosen, allowing me to maintain focus, without having to rewrite the majority of my first assignment, avoiding conflicting direction.
However, I very much like the perspective shot I have incorporated into my finished film, as it has helped me to gain new techniques which I will use in future films. The research has helped provide me with additional knowledge, which I didn't have before.
However, I very much like the perspective shot I have incorporated into my finished film, as it has helped me to gain new techniques which I will use in future films. The research has helped provide me with additional knowledge, which I didn't have before.
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
Technical and aesthetic qualities
However, I decided to cut this scene because there were people in shot which would break the illusion of Tobie being chased by a giant, but also that they are not reacting to the giant.
Having reviewed my film put together and editing, there may be a need to include a scene. My plan would be to shoot a scene using over the shoulder shot from the giant's perspective looking down on Toby. This would be an exterior scene to bridge the scene of Toby coming out of the college and the running scene. My original film idea was to use a lot of perspective and yet I only really have 1 or 2 scenes that use camera perspective, therefore if I have time I would like to implement one more that fits the storyline.
Ideas and reflection about Audio
I recorded Toby's voice, who is the main actor in my film, to act as a voiceover in the kitchen scene. I felt it needed this because without audio it appeared empty and without pace and to give back valuable information about his character and his thoughts behind the job. it seemed just like an average, everyday thought process - a typical day in this life, except as soon as he goes outside it turns strange and surreal. I used it as a contrast to the later scene.
I captured 2 audio files of dramatic music: Carl Orff - O Fortuna ~ Carmina Burana and a creative commons track on free sound. Carl Orff wrote his score in 1935 so it does not have copyright, however I may need to check whether the recording itself is copyright free; this should not be an issue as my film is termed 'Educational'. This music would be perfect but the other is a back-up.
Monday, 8 May 2017
FMPtest
These I created by having the camera very close to the model and foreground, and also on the ground, slightly tilted up, to give the illusion of scale.
Questionnaire
Questionnaire
- How long were you a runner?
- What did your days consist of when you were running?
- Did you enjoy being a runner?
- Who gives you directions to make a cup of tea?
- Whilst being runner are you always motivated and if not what do you do to challenge yourself?
- What distractions do you come across whilst be a runner?
Thursday, 4 May 2017
FMP copyright links
https://www.freesound.org/people/jamesrodavidson/sounds/192365/
https://www.freesound.org/people/Ev-Dawg/sounds/336178/
https://www.freesound.org/people/ZeSoundResearchInc./sounds/117512/
https://www.freesound.org/people/Hoerspielwerkstatt_HEF/sounds/336461/
https://www.freesound.org/people/vollkornbrot/sounds/371976/
https://www.freesound.org/people/jswonger/sounds/47924/
https://www.freesound.org/people/RTB45/sounds/203424/
https://www.freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250856
https://ia801709.us.archive.org/18/items/Carl.Orff.O.FortunaTM/Carl.Orff.O.Fortuna[TM].mp3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXFSK0ogeg4
https://www.freesound.org/people/EFlexTheSoundDesigner/sounds/381532/
https://www.freesound.org/people/skradz/sounds/268166/
https://www.freesound.org/people/jimsim/sounds/147774/
https://www.freesound.org/people/rafael45/sounds/241880/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vja87ZXejyk
https://www.freesound.org/people/Ev-Dawg/sounds/336178/
https://www.freesound.org/people/ZeSoundResearchInc./sounds/117512/
https://www.freesound.org/people/Hoerspielwerkstatt_HEF/sounds/336461/
https://www.freesound.org/people/vollkornbrot/sounds/371976/
https://www.freesound.org/people/jswonger/sounds/47924/
https://www.freesound.org/people/RTB45/sounds/203424/
https://www.freesound.org/people/joshuaempyre/sounds/250856
https://ia801709.us.archive.org/18/items/Carl.Orff.O.FortunaTM/Carl.Orff.O.Fortuna[TM].mp3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXFSK0ogeg4
https://www.freesound.org/people/EFlexTheSoundDesigner/sounds/381532/
https://www.freesound.org/people/skradz/sounds/268166/
https://www.freesound.org/people/jimsim/sounds/147774/
https://www.freesound.org/people/rafael45/sounds/241880/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vja87ZXejyk
Monday, 24 April 2017
Weekly reflection 24/04
This week I intend to start production and film my first edits of my film (I will obviously allow time to do reshoots. So far I will book the green room for tomorrow to film some of the giant scenes with Tobie: film two layers separately - the hand, with Tobie running separately, and combine these later using effects. I am anticipating this to take around two hours.
I have developed the script to near completion (see below) however I will amend it by centering the speech as in a true film script, having researched an example from the internet. The reason the speech is centred is to make it easier for the actors to know their lines.
I have developed the script to near completion (see below) however I will amend it by centering the speech as in a true film script, having researched an example from the internet. The reason the speech is centred is to make it easier for the actors to know their lines.
FMP SCRIPT FOR FILM (Revised):
INT. GREEN SCREEN ROOM - DAY
DIRECTOR
Toby, we’re going to start shooting in the
next five minutes. Before we start the scene,
we need two cups of tea on the set please!
TOBY
OK, coming right up!
Toby walks out of the door. END SCENE.
INT. CORRIDOR JUST OUTSIDE KITCHEN - DAY
Toby walking down corridor towards camera, trips, falls into kitchen and lands off screen.
Toby on floor, sits up, rubbing head. Stands up and walks further into the kitchen. Reaches up to cupboard, opens cupboard door, no boxes of tea there. Walks out door.
EXT. OUTSIDE OFFICE BUILDING - DAY
Toby walking, looks around puzzled, hears stomping, looks side to side then up, looks surprised.
Starts running, looking back.
EXT. ROYAL CRESCENT - DAY
Toby runs through the gate of the Royal Crescent, still running and looking behind him.
In the distance, Toby runs across screen, followed by a giant’s lower legs and shoes. Toby continues running. See a giant’s hand coming through the sky, picks him up, fades to black screen.
INT. GIANT’S BOOKSHELF - DAY
Toby wakes up on a giant bookshelf and stands up and sees a giant box of tea bags. Toby walks to the giant box of tea bags, then pushes box off shelf. Toby loses balance and falls off shelf.
INT. CORRIDOR JUST OUTSIDE KITCHEN - DAY
Box of normal size tea bags falls on floor next to Toby’s head (his eyes are closed). Toby wakes up in same position he was in when he tripped. Stands up, rubs head, looks at tea bags and looks confused. Takes box further into the kitchen, looks in box, cuts to black screen.
THE END
----------------------------------
My plan for tomorrow is to aim to complete my film from start to finish. The first scene will be filmed in the green screen room with the director and actor. The camera will be filming the hand up close from one angle as it moves to pick up the yet to be filmed actor. I will take into account the scale of the actor and the giant by measuring the distance of camera to subject and adjust when later filming in the Royal Crescent.
I will develop more to my storyboard as it is useful to see if each shot fits together well and I will be doing this on Monday.
In my research over the last fortnight I found the information on scale models an interesting aspect because it showed me how you can create an illusion in filming. I also discovered with scale how camera angles impact the illusion of perspective - in my case of a giant walking across a screen, filmed low down at ground level. However, once I filmed the scene I realise I may need to do some more recce's to find a place where the pavement is lower than the grass so that the camera is more level with the feet of the giant. I intend to use camera angles that are at ground level but slightly tilted up that will help show a perspective to show the giant appearing bigger than what they are.
Saturday, 22 April 2017
FMP Research on using forced perspective in film
Research: Film scenes that use forced perspective
1. Hagrid from Harry Potter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9GwIeh5FIY
- Low camera angles, looking up
- Harry is filmed looking up, Hagrid is filmed looking down
- Big shoe shot: filmed very close to the camera to create the illusion that Hagrid is very tall.
How can I use this research to produce my film?
- I can film the shoes from very close to the camera, the camera will be tilted slightly, looking up.
- The character in the background in my scene will be filmed looking up into the sky, from where the giant's hand will come.
2. Dinner scene, The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey
- CGI was used to create the illusion of perspective.
- I believe they used this technique because they were filming the film in 3D. I think forced perspective works a lot better than CGI because you can tell that it is CGI and doesn't give it the same effect.
How can I use this research to produce my film?
Within my film I will use a bit of both: green screen and forced perspective. I will use the green screen for when Toby is on the giant's bookshelf and when the giant picks Toby up with his hand. I will use forced perspective when the giant is chasing Toby and you see the giant's shoes.
Research: information sources that have shown me how to create forced perspective
1.
- The video above was helpful to see how make forced perspective believable and it gives technical aspects and easy tips on how to do it with a low budget.
- In this film, they had the model car on a table painted with the same surface as the road. The model used was a scaled model of a real car. The used the same scale to measure how far away the model car and table should be from the actual road.
How can I use this research to produce my film?
- To film my film, it's not so important the size of the giant in relation to Toby, so I will not go into the technical details of measuring.
- Another thing I learned from this video is I can incorporate some after effects in my film, too, maybe dust when the giant stomps.
2.
I watched this video to determine if forced perspective was a practical technique to use in my film. I think that forced perspective requires a lot of planning and thought. I will experiment with different forced perspective techniques. This will help me decide if this is an appropriate technique to use within my film
Techniques used to create forced perspective in this film: rotating table, big props and small props. It was a very complex scene with many techniques and lots of things fall in place to make it work.
How can I use this research to produce my film?
I can't use these techniques in my film because we don't have the resources available to do this. But I like the final effect of the forced perspective so will try to replicate on a level that is achievable with the resources available at college.
Conclusion from this research.
For the giant scene of my FMP i intend to film using two different techniques , such as forced prospective and green screen .
Green screen ... I will film the giant separately using the green screen and then super impose the footage on top of the character running in the background which will be filmed in the Royal Crescent. The advantages of using green screen are that making the actions match up more accurately and gives prospective more realism. A problem with green screen is that because you film each layer separately the lighting will become inconsistent . this is because natural light will look different to artificial light .
Forced prospective is more difficult to film and requires more setting up . it requires the actions between the actor and the foreground to be in perfect unison . Focus is the difficult thing with forced prospective , keeping the area between the actors in the foreground and the actor in the back ground clear and in focus .
1. Hagrid from Harry Potter
- Low camera angles, looking up
- Harry is filmed looking up, Hagrid is filmed looking down
- Big shoe shot: filmed very close to the camera to create the illusion that Hagrid is very tall.
How can I use this research to produce my film?
- I can film the shoes from very close to the camera, the camera will be tilted slightly, looking up.
- The character in the background in my scene will be filmed looking up into the sky, from where the giant's hand will come.
2. Dinner scene, The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey
- CGI was used to create the illusion of perspective.
- I believe they used this technique because they were filming the film in 3D. I think forced perspective works a lot better than CGI because you can tell that it is CGI and doesn't give it the same effect.
How can I use this research to produce my film?
Within my film I will use a bit of both: green screen and forced perspective. I will use the green screen for when Toby is on the giant's bookshelf and when the giant picks Toby up with his hand. I will use forced perspective when the giant is chasing Toby and you see the giant's shoes.
Research: information sources that have shown me how to create forced perspective
1.
- In this film, they had the model car on a table painted with the same surface as the road. The model used was a scaled model of a real car. The used the same scale to measure how far away the model car and table should be from the actual road.
How can I use this research to produce my film?
- To film my film, it's not so important the size of the giant in relation to Toby, so I will not go into the technical details of measuring.
- Another thing I learned from this video is I can incorporate some after effects in my film, too, maybe dust when the giant stomps.
2.
I watched this video to determine if forced perspective was a practical technique to use in my film. I think that forced perspective requires a lot of planning and thought. I will experiment with different forced perspective techniques. This will help me decide if this is an appropriate technique to use within my film
Techniques used to create forced perspective in this film: rotating table, big props and small props. It was a very complex scene with many techniques and lots of things fall in place to make it work.
How can I use this research to produce my film?
I can't use these techniques in my film because we don't have the resources available to do this. But I like the final effect of the forced perspective so will try to replicate on a level that is achievable with the resources available at college.
Conclusion from this research.
For the giant scene of my FMP i intend to film using two different techniques , such as forced prospective and green screen .
Green screen ... I will film the giant separately using the green screen and then super impose the footage on top of the character running in the background which will be filmed in the Royal Crescent. The advantages of using green screen are that making the actions match up more accurately and gives prospective more realism. A problem with green screen is that because you film each layer separately the lighting will become inconsistent . this is because natural light will look different to artificial light .
Forced prospective is more difficult to film and requires more setting up . it requires the actions between the actor and the foreground to be in perfect unison . Focus is the difficult thing with forced prospective , keeping the area between the actors in the foreground and the actor in the back ground clear and in focus .
FMP SCRIPT FOR FILM
INT. GREEN SCREEN ROOM - DAY
DIRECTOR
Toby, we’re going to start shooting in the
next five minutes. Before we start the scene,
we need two cups of tea on the set please!
TOBY
OK, coming right up!
Toby walks out of the door. END SCENE.
INT. CORRIDOR JUST OUTSIDE KITCHEN - DAY
Toby walking down corridor towards camera, trips, falls into kitchen and lands off screen.
Toby on floor, sits up, rubbing head. Stands up and walks further into the kitchen. Reaches up to cupboard, opens cupboard door, no boxes of tea there. Walks out door.
EXT. OUTSIDE OFFICE BUILDING - DAY
Toby walking, looks around puzzled, hears stomping, looks side to side then up, looks surprised.
Starts running, looking back.
EXT. ROYAL CRESCENT - DAY
Toby runs through the gate of the Royal Crescent, still running and looking behind him.
In the distance, Toby runs across screen, followed by a giant’s lower legs and shoes. Toby continues running. See a giant’s hand coming through the sky, picks him up, fades to black screen.
INT. GIANT’S BOOKSHELF - DAY
Toby wakes up on a giant bookshelf and stands up and sees a giant box of tea bags. Toby walks to the giant box of tea bags, then pushes box off shelf. Toby loses balance and falls off shelf.
INT. CORRIDOR JUST OUTSIDE KITCHEN - DAY
Box of normal size tea bags falls on floor next to Toby’s head (his eyes are closed). Toby wakes up in same position he was in when he tripped. Stands up, rubs head, looks at tea bags and looks confused. Takes box further into the kitchen, looks in box, cuts to black screen.
THE END
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Giant put Toby in teacup, drops teabag in and pours in hot water
--------------------------------------------------------------------
INT. WITHIN GREEN SCREEN ROOM - DAY
DIRECTOR (narrated)
Toby, we’re going to start shooting in the
next five minutes. Before we start the scene,
we need two cups of tea on the set please!
TOBY
OK, coming right up!
Toby walks out of the door. END SCENE.
INT. CORRIDOR JUST OUTSIDE KITCHEN - DAY
Toby walking down corridor towards camera, trips, falls into kitchen and lands off screen.
Toby on floor, sits up, rubbing head. Stands up and walks further into the kitchen. Reaches up to cupboard, opens cupboard door, no boxes of tea there.
Walks out door.
(VOICEOVER, Toby thinking out loud)
I dunno, here I am stuck in this job for 5 years....all they basically ask me to do ...to make teas and coffees all day...pay me next to nothing. And they never buy any teabags!
Walks out door.
EXT. OUTSIDE OFFICE BUILDING - DAY
Toby walking, looks around puzzled, hears stomping, looks side to side then up, looks surprised.
Toby
Oh S&£@$!
Starts running, looking back.
EXT. ROYAL CRESCENT - DAY
Toby runs through the gate of the Royal Crescent, still running and looking behind him.
In the distance, Toby runs across screen, followed by a giant’s lower legs and shoes. Toby continues running. See a giant’s hand coming through the sky, picks him up, fades to black screen.
INT. GIANT’S KITCHEN - DAY
Giant put Toby in teacup, drops teabag in and pours in hot water
Toby
Help me, help me! I'm down here...where have you taken me? Aaaaaaa!
INT. CORRIDOR JUST OUTSIDE KITCHEN - DAY
Box of normal size tea bags falls on floor next to Toby’s head (his eyes are closed). Toby wakes up in same position he was in when he tripped. Stands up, rubs head, looks at tea bags and looks confused. Takes box further into the kitchen, looks in box, cuts to black screen.
THE END
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