After doing testruns with audiences, we decided we definitely needed to correct the banner and state explicitly that its Valentine's.
We compressed the rapid sequence of past killings, to make it more rapid and so we don't lose audience attention by repetition of the same thing over n over. To make its POINT, to pack a punch, we made this even more flashing and rapid.
We also removed the two Rebecca's from the rapid sequence as it seemed to confuse audiences.
The general however was successful the first time round and remains.
We are thrilled about how the song and video have fit perfectly and all our hard work turned out well in this artistically dark piece.
Personally I am thrilled at the result and how I have managed to cover the very sweet side of Valentine's (in Assignment 3) and the very dark side (in Assignment 5).
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Crimson Desire: Editing
Editing was by far the most difficult part.
It's not easy to do simultaneously so I worked endlessly alone to create the vision for the video. It's hard to share an artistic vision for a production during the creation process also so it made sense to do it myself first but because of timing it was quite impossible. Quite the marathon!
The girls took charge of cutting out the irrelevant scenes first from the hours of footage to just fit into 5minutes. It took a long while just to get it down to 21mins.
After this I took charge. We did a trial run and realised the most fitting way tod o the video is to have very sharp flashing shots that matches the hardness of the song. THe initial plan also involved the fast rapid sequence.
So cutting down, although tedious, was possible.
After this I had to cut out irrelevant shorts and shorten as much as possible.
Then I edited according to the soundtrack so it matched the changes in tempo. This was hard in the middle parts where we had to do leaps between scenes/years within the same verse. Unfortunately the song and video are independent processes so one has to conform to the other. It worked out okay but not perfect. Some parts however, especially the beginning and end, was a brilliant fit but took very meticulous effort.
Then I added some black and white flashes to match the harsher tones in the song when he is about to take on his first victim, this is to give the audience a hint of the darkness to come.
The saturation of red in the opening scenes also gives some foreshadowing to his bloody nature but the activities are actually innocent ones to create an interesting blend that only hints but doesn't ensure that is a killer movie.
I also played with the speed to slow down some parts (like the Calendar which is important because audiences need to recognise its Valentine's) and speed up others. Sometimes it simulated realtime and sometimes it was obvious as a quick flash.
I timed certain sequences with lyrics too. For instance 'obscure' goes with him covering up his knives and 'hold' goes with him holding the first victim's hands.
Overall I really like how it turned out. The only problem was that rendering removed the very important layer that signified that this was VALENTINES and SINGLES NIGHT at a bar and that's where he goes to prey.
We added whitish highlights to show flashback sequences, to contrast with realtime sequences. We also added more contrast to make it striking and scary at the same time, and to mark this video as an ARTISTIC presentation which was the main idea. It's meant to be very artsy and slightly abstract. The ideas are not always openly interpreted but that is intentional. Different layers are tapped on by different audiences depending on how insightful they are. Basically we do not simplify for audiences. We play with their senses, mix up the narrative sequence, and give some hints to guide them along, and a general plot but the layers (metaphorically) are more intense.
The changes in speed helped to create some variation and excitement, most apparent in the killing scene.
I would have loved having more time to work on this as it took alot of effort but not enough time to perfect. Art pieces are a pride for every artist so it isn't great to do something mediocre. Thus the effort. Still I think we weren't far off the mark. The only problem was the missing banner -- this lost more mainstream audiences from the joys of watching the video.
It's not easy to do simultaneously so I worked endlessly alone to create the vision for the video. It's hard to share an artistic vision for a production during the creation process also so it made sense to do it myself first but because of timing it was quite impossible. Quite the marathon!
The girls took charge of cutting out the irrelevant scenes first from the hours of footage to just fit into 5minutes. It took a long while just to get it down to 21mins.
After this I took charge. We did a trial run and realised the most fitting way tod o the video is to have very sharp flashing shots that matches the hardness of the song. THe initial plan also involved the fast rapid sequence.
So cutting down, although tedious, was possible.
After this I had to cut out irrelevant shorts and shorten as much as possible.
Then I edited according to the soundtrack so it matched the changes in tempo. This was hard in the middle parts where we had to do leaps between scenes/years within the same verse. Unfortunately the song and video are independent processes so one has to conform to the other. It worked out okay but not perfect. Some parts however, especially the beginning and end, was a brilliant fit but took very meticulous effort.
Then I added some black and white flashes to match the harsher tones in the song when he is about to take on his first victim, this is to give the audience a hint of the darkness to come.
The saturation of red in the opening scenes also gives some foreshadowing to his bloody nature but the activities are actually innocent ones to create an interesting blend that only hints but doesn't ensure that is a killer movie.
I also played with the speed to slow down some parts (like the Calendar which is important because audiences need to recognise its Valentine's) and speed up others. Sometimes it simulated realtime and sometimes it was obvious as a quick flash.
I timed certain sequences with lyrics too. For instance 'obscure' goes with him covering up his knives and 'hold' goes with him holding the first victim's hands.
Overall I really like how it turned out. The only problem was that rendering removed the very important layer that signified that this was VALENTINES and SINGLES NIGHT at a bar and that's where he goes to prey.
We added whitish highlights to show flashback sequences, to contrast with realtime sequences. We also added more contrast to make it striking and scary at the same time, and to mark this video as an ARTISTIC presentation which was the main idea. It's meant to be very artsy and slightly abstract. The ideas are not always openly interpreted but that is intentional. Different layers are tapped on by different audiences depending on how insightful they are. Basically we do not simplify for audiences. We play with their senses, mix up the narrative sequence, and give some hints to guide them along, and a general plot but the layers (metaphorically) are more intense.
The changes in speed helped to create some variation and excitement, most apparent in the killing scene.
I would have loved having more time to work on this as it took alot of effort but not enough time to perfect. Art pieces are a pride for every artist so it isn't great to do something mediocre. Thus the effort. Still I think we weren't far off the mark. The only problem was the missing banner -- this lost more mainstream audiences from the joys of watching the video.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Crimson Desire Shooting
Shooting took longer than expected, usually because technology finds a way to mess up at the best times.
Setting up everyday took a while. We got better as the days progressed but of course there was hardly the luxury of time. The first few days we had to try out various things like :
camera positioning
how much to zoom
what props were not visible enough and had to be replaced
colours & contrast
sequence
We also had to prepare various props.
Calendar:
1) This was problematic because Rebecca had prepared them according to my script which said he tears off Feb 14 each time. She pointed out that it made more sense to tear out Feb 13 and show Feb 14. So she redid this.
2) During shootings we had no room for error because the calendar was done in sequence. No re-takes possible.
3) We realised it was not bold enough. Being on a tight deadline we shot a calendar scene then Devi coloured up the date for the next shot while we shot other sequences, then we got back to the next calendar shot.
Rope around fingers:
1) The cinematic vision for this didn't come out right because it didn't look sinister nor red enough.
Framing:
1) Some wide shots were difficult to frame because we wanted to keep consistent with the artistic partial body shots rather than reveal his whole face
2) Marijn moving in natural motion also disrupted framing of shots. Working with non-professional actors is of course a cause for issues like this.
The seal on the envelope:
1) We couldn't find a good seal so spent some time trying to rework some props for the same 'wham stamp!' effect.
2) Using a red kiddy chop I had, we tried out with poster paint if we could create the effect. It took some time before we found the right consistency but it worked.
3) We had to conceal the kiddy stamp so we adjusted the frame to be really tight and wound rope around the stamp
The killing scene:
1) We shot the knives layout and the bedscene on separate days. So from Day 2 onwards, in most aspects, the tiring part was making sure we were consistent
2) We switched from ropes to bands to ties to make a convincing tie-up
3) We tried to find the best lighting position to get the knife to glean in the light.
The Eating:
1) The red meat turned grey upon cooking instead of red. Problem! Again we used framing to focus on the reds on the inside.
2)Marijn also had to drink the horrific juice/syrup/dye combination in order for the juice scene to be consistent with the one before.
SHOOTING:
The Lead:
1) Without David to star in our movie, we finally cast Marijn into the role. The tough part? He was supposed to be behind the camera. He & I set up the shots before he got in front and did his part. Runnign back n forth was time consuming.
Getting Dressed:
1) ALready tired by this time, it was tough to do the dressing up 7 times over and make sure we got every single sequence down
2) Especially tedious because it would only be used in rapid sequence but real time shooting took ages
The Girls:
1) We did shooting with the girls on the 3rd day so the order was pretty much in order and was not too difficult
2) The difficult part was rushing to finish and trying to keep track of year-outfit-tie-girl to ensure consistency. As the overall producer, I had to ensure this was all in track when everyone was taking care of the more immediate tasks. It was very difficult to be director, camera woman, oversee what props needed to be in the scene, manage everyone to do their parts, motivate the tired actor and keep track of the outfits when everyone was eager to just get it over and done with. Details are important but ridiculously difficult to ensure when cramped for time!
Outdoor Shoot:
The shoot at the 2nd location went fairly quickly and was done very efficiently.
1) Problem: Our main problem was that some of the actresses we used had changed their outfits or decided not to show up for part 2. We had to work around this immediately. We employed the help of passers-by and improvised to rework the script. We were after all using rapid sequence that was meant to get shorter with each year (so as not to bore the audience). This turned out to be very quick and effective. Thanks to some helpful Singaporean ladies.
2)We had 2 options for our bar shoot. We were lucky enough to have Crazy Elephant agree to host us for a while. We did get shooed out but shooting outside the bar turned out to be more productive in the end. Thanks to them for helping us out.
Overall the process was quite taxing and very rushy but worked out.
Setting up everyday took a while. We got better as the days progressed but of course there was hardly the luxury of time. The first few days we had to try out various things like :
camera positioning
how much to zoom
what props were not visible enough and had to be replaced
colours & contrast
sequence
We also had to prepare various props.
Calendar:
1) This was problematic because Rebecca had prepared them according to my script which said he tears off Feb 14 each time. She pointed out that it made more sense to tear out Feb 13 and show Feb 14. So she redid this.
2) During shootings we had no room for error because the calendar was done in sequence. No re-takes possible.
3) We realised it was not bold enough. Being on a tight deadline we shot a calendar scene then Devi coloured up the date for the next shot while we shot other sequences, then we got back to the next calendar shot.
Rope around fingers:
1) The cinematic vision for this didn't come out right because it didn't look sinister nor red enough.
Framing:
1) Some wide shots were difficult to frame because we wanted to keep consistent with the artistic partial body shots rather than reveal his whole face
2) Marijn moving in natural motion also disrupted framing of shots. Working with non-professional actors is of course a cause for issues like this.
The seal on the envelope:
1) We couldn't find a good seal so spent some time trying to rework some props for the same 'wham stamp!' effect.
2) Using a red kiddy chop I had, we tried out with poster paint if we could create the effect. It took some time before we found the right consistency but it worked.
3) We had to conceal the kiddy stamp so we adjusted the frame to be really tight and wound rope around the stamp
The killing scene:
1) We shot the knives layout and the bedscene on separate days. So from Day 2 onwards, in most aspects, the tiring part was making sure we were consistent
2) We switched from ropes to bands to ties to make a convincing tie-up
3) We tried to find the best lighting position to get the knife to glean in the light.
The Eating:
1) The red meat turned grey upon cooking instead of red. Problem! Again we used framing to focus on the reds on the inside.
2)Marijn also had to drink the horrific juice/syrup/dye combination in order for the juice scene to be consistent with the one before.
SHOOTING:
The Lead:
1) Without David to star in our movie, we finally cast Marijn into the role. The tough part? He was supposed to be behind the camera. He & I set up the shots before he got in front and did his part. Runnign back n forth was time consuming.
Getting Dressed:
1) ALready tired by this time, it was tough to do the dressing up 7 times over and make sure we got every single sequence down
2) Especially tedious because it would only be used in rapid sequence but real time shooting took ages
The Girls:
1) We did shooting with the girls on the 3rd day so the order was pretty much in order and was not too difficult
2) The difficult part was rushing to finish and trying to keep track of year-outfit-tie-girl to ensure consistency. As the overall producer, I had to ensure this was all in track when everyone was taking care of the more immediate tasks. It was very difficult to be director, camera woman, oversee what props needed to be in the scene, manage everyone to do their parts, motivate the tired actor and keep track of the outfits when everyone was eager to just get it over and done with. Details are important but ridiculously difficult to ensure when cramped for time!
Outdoor Shoot:
The shoot at the 2nd location went fairly quickly and was done very efficiently.
1) Problem: Our main problem was that some of the actresses we used had changed their outfits or decided not to show up for part 2. We had to work around this immediately. We employed the help of passers-by and improvised to rework the script. We were after all using rapid sequence that was meant to get shorter with each year (so as not to bore the audience). This turned out to be very quick and effective. Thanks to some helpful Singaporean ladies.
2)We had 2 options for our bar shoot. We were lucky enough to have Crazy Elephant agree to host us for a while. We did get shooed out but shooting outside the bar turned out to be more productive in the end. Thanks to them for helping us out.
Overall the process was quite taxing and very rushy but worked out.
A Bloody Valentine
The final project was a big challenge.
What we needed that was hard to get:
- Four-post bed
- 7 formal outfits
- Actresses for several locations
- A house that was manly or neutral enough to be manly
- A spacious location for our camera to be positioned properly
- A calendar and mirror positioned naturally near a door
Scheduling was also terribly difficult
Creative applications that Adobe produces, require a lot of practice and getting used to. No one wants to do the bare minimum. Unlike an essay, a creative piece reflects a lot about a person and you can’t tap on uncreative sources to come up with something mildly creative. (Where in an essay you can skip the research and go with what you know). I found myself lost and grappling to make sense of these programmes.
This assignment was particularly difficult for me. Aside from being torn about graduating, my other modules have been particularly heavy during the end period.
I did not contact the group with updates. What bothered me is that I didn’t hear from them either. A week before submission, I gave out instructions because by that time I couldn’t afford to be diplomatic. At every point, Marijn was very active in doing what needed to be done.
We had several discussions and brainstormed to solve our problems with getting a proper cast for instance. He was cooperative enough to star in the lead.
No one appropriate for the role had gotten back to me and 2 girls who were willing backed out. It was nerve-wrecking.
Saving grace, my aunt gave me permission to shoot at her house and it was perfect.
I went through the script to note all props that were needed. Devi was in charge of props but I couldn’t afford to have any missing items so I sourced out the more difficult items like syringes and a rose. I scrounged around the house for gloves, cloth, outfits. On the 2nd day I brought a whole myriad of outfits for actresses who might not be dressed appropriately.
What we needed that was hard to get:
- Four-post bed
- 7 formal outfits
- Actresses for several locations
- A house that was manly or neutral enough to be manly
- A spacious location for our camera to be positioned properly
- A calendar and mirror positioned naturally near a door
Scheduling was also terribly difficult
Creative applications that Adobe produces, require a lot of practice and getting used to. No one wants to do the bare minimum. Unlike an essay, a creative piece reflects a lot about a person and you can’t tap on uncreative sources to come up with something mildly creative. (Where in an essay you can skip the research and go with what you know). I found myself lost and grappling to make sense of these programmes.
This assignment was particularly difficult for me. Aside from being torn about graduating, my other modules have been particularly heavy during the end period.
I did not contact the group with updates. What bothered me is that I didn’t hear from them either. A week before submission, I gave out instructions because by that time I couldn’t afford to be diplomatic. At every point, Marijn was very active in doing what needed to be done.
We had several discussions and brainstormed to solve our problems with getting a proper cast for instance. He was cooperative enough to star in the lead.
No one appropriate for the role had gotten back to me and 2 girls who were willing backed out. It was nerve-wrecking.
Saving grace, my aunt gave me permission to shoot at her house and it was perfect.
I went through the script to note all props that were needed. Devi was in charge of props but I couldn’t afford to have any missing items so I sourced out the more difficult items like syringes and a rose. I scrounged around the house for gloves, cloth, outfits. On the 2nd day I brought a whole myriad of outfits for actresses who might not be dressed appropriately.
A Love to Die For
Our video was initially named this but later changed to Crimson Desire as we wanted it to be cryptic at the start. Just a hint of darkness but not a clear sign of death.
We had a very difficult time getting actors/actresses for our movie.
I casted a few people but the guys were all not fit for the role. He needed to be someone suave, upright and attractive but also able to have a very sinister, cunning expression for the last shot. My friend, David, was perfect for it but not available. We kept this option open to the last minute where we agreed that Marijn would have to do it. Marijn was not a far off option. He had the right look. Only problem was that he's not a suit-and-tie type guy, and also not an actor, so it was difficult for him to completely embody what was envisioned for a character who was very upright and revealed little on his face that was not INTENDED. Marijn is very relaxed and follows the complete opposite philosophy. In the end, he did a great job except for the scenes with the sinister smile. Those didn't work too well!
As for the girls, we had a few girls on board but pulled out at the last minute for shooting. This was very disappointing and put us in a bit of a frenzy. But I'd told everyone to bring appropriate clothes ahead of time, foreseeing that this might happen. So all the crew girls became the cast girls.
My Aunty allowed us to use her house for shooting. The location turned out to be perfect especially for shots where we needed a mirror and calendar near the door.
The difficulty was shooting a murder scene with 3 little ones running around plus a dog!
We had a very difficult time getting actors/actresses for our movie.
I casted a few people but the guys were all not fit for the role. He needed to be someone suave, upright and attractive but also able to have a very sinister, cunning expression for the last shot. My friend, David, was perfect for it but not available. We kept this option open to the last minute where we agreed that Marijn would have to do it. Marijn was not a far off option. He had the right look. Only problem was that he's not a suit-and-tie type guy, and also not an actor, so it was difficult for him to completely embody what was envisioned for a character who was very upright and revealed little on his face that was not INTENDED. Marijn is very relaxed and follows the complete opposite philosophy. In the end, he did a great job except for the scenes with the sinister smile. Those didn't work too well!
As for the girls, we had a few girls on board but pulled out at the last minute for shooting. This was very disappointing and put us in a bit of a frenzy. But I'd told everyone to bring appropriate clothes ahead of time, foreseeing that this might happen. So all the crew girls became the cast girls.
My Aunty allowed us to use her house for shooting. The location turned out to be perfect especially for shots where we needed a mirror and calendar near the door.
The difficulty was shooting a murder scene with 3 little ones running around plus a dog!
Pre-Production Document
It was quite difficult for our group because of the different tutorials.
Somehow our group was a little late in realising this pre-production document was due so early. Having heard nothing from our group, I suggested and the group agreed, to use the alternate script I came up with when brainstorming for Assignment 3. I sent out an outline and a basic scene scripting I'd planned out before.
I faced some problems with team management in the last 2 days as we tried to collate the preproduction document. It was also quite a feat to write the script myself and make sure everyone was able to see the idea that was in my head. It was tough to keep breaking the flow of writing to give out instructions so everyone could do their part. The other members took care of final collation and some other parts. It was quite a feat having to explain the entire creative vision of the song/video in a short span and to put it into words for each person to complete their task. Having someone else do the storyboard was also quite difficult as I had the visual but was definititely couldn't manage any more work in that span of time.
Eventually it was done and it looked pretty good.
Somehow our group was a little late in realising this pre-production document was due so early. Having heard nothing from our group, I suggested and the group agreed, to use the alternate script I came up with when brainstorming for Assignment 3. I sent out an outline and a basic scene scripting I'd planned out before.
I faced some problems with team management in the last 2 days as we tried to collate the preproduction document. It was also quite a feat to write the script myself and make sure everyone was able to see the idea that was in my head. It was tough to keep breaking the flow of writing to give out instructions so everyone could do their part. The other members took care of final collation and some other parts. It was quite a feat having to explain the entire creative vision of the song/video in a short span and to put it into words for each person to complete their task. Having someone else do the storyboard was also quite difficult as I had the visual but was definititely couldn't manage any more work in that span of time.
Eventually it was done and it looked pretty good.
Smokin' Joe Reception
We presented the video to the class finally & were quite disappointed with the reaction.
Yes the quality was not great but we went according to what was allowed so it was quite troubling to have that reception. We did do a good job of the effects though so I'm satisfied with that part at least. We knew a reshoot was very unlikely since we'd spent so much time on this as it was and there was still the main project to complete. Our next objective was just to cut the lengthy stalking scenes, which were obviously too long -- even we knew it was a glaring oddity but needed more time to fix that.
We decided we might have to take out the stalker-smoking scene which we loved because of how it announced his presence in teh dark with the glowing amber of the cigarette. Unfortunately that pathway was the darkest part so we might have to make that sacrifice. The staircase scene was enough to introduce the stalker, albeit less excitingly.
We also heard that the audio was too soft but that was more of a problem with not knowing where the volume control was in the tutorial lab. So not much problem there.
It was quite disappointing! But I guess it was mostly the length -- which we can fix -- and the darkness -- which we can work with. We did try brightening it but it was very faded. So we might do a videocam effect.
Yes the quality was not great but we went according to what was allowed so it was quite troubling to have that reception. We did do a good job of the effects though so I'm satisfied with that part at least. We knew a reshoot was very unlikely since we'd spent so much time on this as it was and there was still the main project to complete. Our next objective was just to cut the lengthy stalking scenes, which were obviously too long -- even we knew it was a glaring oddity but needed more time to fix that.
We decided we might have to take out the stalker-smoking scene which we loved because of how it announced his presence in teh dark with the glowing amber of the cigarette. Unfortunately that pathway was the darkest part so we might have to make that sacrifice. The staircase scene was enough to introduce the stalker, albeit less excitingly.
We also heard that the audio was too soft but that was more of a problem with not knowing where the volume control was in the tutorial lab. So not much problem there.
It was quite disappointing! But I guess it was mostly the length -- which we can fix -- and the darkness -- which we can work with. We did try brightening it but it was very faded. So we might do a videocam effect.
Editing Smokin' Joe
First came the painful process of learning Adobe Premiere Pro. I had a very difficult time getting used to the interface. Adobe's programmes, being very capable, are typically complex with infinite combinations to achieve particular effects. Since I'd used Movie Maker for the previous assignment, I was entirely new to this one and spent a few days practicing. Marijn was busy so I did the initial part. The problem came when we tried to send the files over so he could work over the weekend to finish it.
After hours of trying, Marijn spent a whole load of money coming over to work on it while I was completing my essay for another class. This helped, but not by that much since I ended up having to type out documents to explain what each file contained, what had been done and what else he needed to do. I ended up having to stop my work to explain several times and he tried hard to piece everything together. It was difficult to manage and I ended up only adding one paragraph to my essay. Yet another sleepless night to perfect my essay which I'd already worked hard on and didn't want to hand in a crappy piece. It was still kinda scrappy in the end.
Anyway, after I handed in my essay we met again to sort everything out, including some trouble with the CATI computers and having different versions of Premiere & After Effects. Marijn was more comfortable with Premiere, & I with After Effects even though it was a brand new programme to me also. Plus Mac vs Windows issues. Trouble trouble!
Finally we got it together but had little time to work out which shots to snip so the video would fit better. We tried to add in some extra audio in anticipation of audience being lost. We only used a 3second clip because it was actually more crisp than the rest of the video. Tired and nervous, we saved the file and were glad it was over.
After hours of trying, Marijn spent a whole load of money coming over to work on it while I was completing my essay for another class. This helped, but not by that much since I ended up having to type out documents to explain what each file contained, what had been done and what else he needed to do. I ended up having to stop my work to explain several times and he tried hard to piece everything together. It was difficult to manage and I ended up only adding one paragraph to my essay. Yet another sleepless night to perfect my essay which I'd already worked hard on and didn't want to hand in a crappy piece. It was still kinda scrappy in the end.
Anyway, after I handed in my essay we met again to sort everything out, including some trouble with the CATI computers and having different versions of Premiere & After Effects. Marijn was more comfortable with Premiere, & I with After Effects even though it was a brand new programme to me also. Plus Mac vs Windows issues. Trouble trouble!
Finally we got it together but had little time to work out which shots to snip so the video would fit better. We tried to add in some extra audio in anticipation of audience being lost. We only used a 3second clip because it was actually more crisp than the rest of the video. Tired and nervous, we saved the file and were glad it was over.
Smokin' Joe Shoots
We shot from 930 to 230am around PGP.
We took several shots on the NUH staircase after waiting for some time to make sure it was clear of people. We tried to take long shots to show height and add suspense, and some side shots to vary it a little and show direction. We were very careful not to cross the line.
Then we shot at the carpark. Framing was key here to block out unnecessaries and to ensure we created the perfect atmosphere. We found a bunker of sorts and decided to put our tripod up there for a fuller shot. This turned out excellent. In actual fact I was walking to a dead end.
By this time we were pespiring like crazy! The NUH staircase shot was a real workout. Its meant to be! THere are even signs to encourage people as they exercise. We retook several shots and had to try to breathe evenly so we wouldn't look like hours had passed between.
Then we took the shots at the dark PGP pathway. This was really difficult because the space was much tighter than we expected. Then we retook this shot over and over because it took some time for me to set up the cam then run off in the opposite direction, walk back, n then we'd have people just entering the shot. Sometimes I'd put my hand up to stop people, but right before I got offscreen so that video was compromised.
Next we went to the basketball court and unexpectedly there were many people still playing. So we took some other shots first. Again we had problems with people traffic and decided to fit it into the video for a more natural residential look.
Next was the shot in the corridor which required several retakes because of some neighbours who took a while to stop singing aloud & problems with aligning. I also kept forgetting my lines! It was tough to be natural without something to look at.
We were frazzled and glad to get to bed (a long taxiride) after.
We took several shots on the NUH staircase after waiting for some time to make sure it was clear of people. We tried to take long shots to show height and add suspense, and some side shots to vary it a little and show direction. We were very careful not to cross the line.
Then we shot at the carpark. Framing was key here to block out unnecessaries and to ensure we created the perfect atmosphere. We found a bunker of sorts and decided to put our tripod up there for a fuller shot. This turned out excellent. In actual fact I was walking to a dead end.
By this time we were pespiring like crazy! The NUH staircase shot was a real workout. Its meant to be! THere are even signs to encourage people as they exercise. We retook several shots and had to try to breathe evenly so we wouldn't look like hours had passed between.
Then we took the shots at the dark PGP pathway. This was really difficult because the space was much tighter than we expected. Then we retook this shot over and over because it took some time for me to set up the cam then run off in the opposite direction, walk back, n then we'd have people just entering the shot. Sometimes I'd put my hand up to stop people, but right before I got offscreen so that video was compromised.
Next we went to the basketball court and unexpectedly there were many people still playing. So we took some other shots first. Again we had problems with people traffic and decided to fit it into the video for a more natural residential look.
Next was the shot in the corridor which required several retakes because of some neighbours who took a while to stop singing aloud & problems with aligning. I also kept forgetting my lines! It was tough to be natural without something to look at.
We were frazzled and glad to get to bed (a long taxiride) after.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Smokin' Joe Locations
On Day 1, we checked out the locations and took some trial shots so we could review it on the computer and work efficiently the next day.
We changed my outfit from white with a skirt to pink with a skirt. The skirt was meant to make me look innocent and girly, so the audience would be nervous that an innocent girl was about to attacked. I wore white to add to this. However, during our trial shots we noticed a passer-by in pink and how much she stood out. So we changed my shirt to a pink one.
Marijn was set to wear something with a hood to look dodgy but not like a criminal with flair either. This was to ensure his look made sense at the dialogue scene where the victim would address the audience directly (a new addition as well) so as to engage them and make them see how stupid and idiotic this killer is, in fact. So the grey hood and silly sunshades at night, makes him look clearly creepy at first and ridiculously silly later. He had to look like a wannabe/ cannot-make-it killer. The audience should get a sense that there was no way he would have been able to kill her, he's just too clumsy.
On Day 1 we also discovered some better locations. We decided to scrap the PGP dimly lit path after we found some better places. The PGP basketball court provided some good lighting but still showed it was night. It was broad to give a good landscape view and sense of distance. This was our best shot of this night.
We also utilized the carpark, a surefire way to be creepy in a horror movie. It took a while to get the right angle so the buildings and lights in the back would be obscure -- to ensure an eerie feel.
We decided not to use the main PGP stairs. Firstly, this is the most popular hangout so we would have a very difficult time clearing the location for our shoot. Having people around was fine but only 1 or 2 strays (it is a RESIDENTIAL place after all, so even in the film it would be natural to have people strolling) but too many people would change the nighttime effect.
We found a better area that highlighted apartment buildings and allowed us to show the victim entering what is presumably her home. It was also prettier.
We went upstairs and decided the kitchen posed abit of difficulty because she would be shown walking to the windows and then snapping her fingers to freeze him. Why is she walking to a window? It made no sense so we shifted to the corridor. The door also provided an opportune action (ie. opening) for him to feel safe enough to stab her (she is concentrating on something) and great for her to show a stop motion.
Next step was to start shooting.
We changed my outfit from white with a skirt to pink with a skirt. The skirt was meant to make me look innocent and girly, so the audience would be nervous that an innocent girl was about to attacked. I wore white to add to this. However, during our trial shots we noticed a passer-by in pink and how much she stood out. So we changed my shirt to a pink one.
Marijn was set to wear something with a hood to look dodgy but not like a criminal with flair either. This was to ensure his look made sense at the dialogue scene where the victim would address the audience directly (a new addition as well) so as to engage them and make them see how stupid and idiotic this killer is, in fact. So the grey hood and silly sunshades at night, makes him look clearly creepy at first and ridiculously silly later. He had to look like a wannabe/ cannot-make-it killer. The audience should get a sense that there was no way he would have been able to kill her, he's just too clumsy.
On Day 1 we also discovered some better locations. We decided to scrap the PGP dimly lit path after we found some better places. The PGP basketball court provided some good lighting but still showed it was night. It was broad to give a good landscape view and sense of distance. This was our best shot of this night.
We also utilized the carpark, a surefire way to be creepy in a horror movie. It took a while to get the right angle so the buildings and lights in the back would be obscure -- to ensure an eerie feel.
We decided not to use the main PGP stairs. Firstly, this is the most popular hangout so we would have a very difficult time clearing the location for our shoot. Having people around was fine but only 1 or 2 strays (it is a RESIDENTIAL place after all, so even in the film it would be natural to have people strolling) but too many people would change the nighttime effect.
We found a better area that highlighted apartment buildings and allowed us to show the victim entering what is presumably her home. It was also prettier.
We went upstairs and decided the kitchen posed abit of difficulty because she would be shown walking to the windows and then snapping her fingers to freeze him. Why is she walking to a window? It made no sense so we shifted to the corridor. The door also provided an opportune action (ie. opening) for him to feel safe enough to stab her (she is concentrating on something) and great for her to show a stop motion.
Next step was to start shooting.
Smokin' Joe
Having been pressed for time and not much in contact before because we were so busy, we couldn't plan when to book the camera. Our great idea hit us at about 9pm so we went immediately to get started. We used my digital camera as that was approved for the assignment that focused more on making an effect with the application.
We had already brainstormed on scary locations we could use. We decided on:
1)NUH's long, dark staircase.
2) PGP's dimly lit walkway and PGP in general because it was a good way to transition from scary long paths to a residence. Visually it was clear.
3) PGP's back entrance. Dark, narrow with just a hint of light. Also great opportunity to make an appearance as there's a stairs below ground level so as the victim walks, she will slowly come into sight, inch by inch (head first then body and so on).
4)PGP's main stairs. This will give the visual of entering the apartment.
5) PGP kitchen. With big windows that look out to big & scary green trees, but a clear setting of an apartment kitchen, and bright lighting, we thought this was a good space for the main dialogue sequence.
At this point Marijn & I decided to be efficient by starring ourselves!
We had already brainstormed on scary locations we could use. We decided on:
1)NUH's long, dark staircase.
2) PGP's dimly lit walkway and PGP in general because it was a good way to transition from scary long paths to a residence. Visually it was clear.
3) PGP's back entrance. Dark, narrow with just a hint of light. Also great opportunity to make an appearance as there's a stairs below ground level so as the victim walks, she will slowly come into sight, inch by inch (head first then body and so on).
4)PGP's main stairs. This will give the visual of entering the apartment.
5) PGP kitchen. With big windows that look out to big & scary green trees, but a clear setting of an apartment kitchen, and bright lighting, we thought this was a good space for the main dialogue sequence.
At this point Marijn & I decided to be efficient by starring ourselves!
Hero Shmeero
From this point on managing time was realllllyy difficult.
Marijn & I brainstormed right after the assignment was given but had a sudden flurry of essays and so couldn't get started. Then I got that nasty fever and could barely think!
We begun with the idea of something comedic. A guy lurking in the dark, lots of suspense, and finally, as he is about to stab someone, the person freezes time. The victim, who basically knew all along that he was there, is almost brazen but still annoyed. He/she snaps her fingers and makes the killer's mother appear. Then victim puts killer's mother in his place. Victim disappears. Time resumes and killer is shocked to see his mother in front of him. He is in a posture ready to stab. His mother is appalled and blows up at him. He is confused and embarassed and well... pretty much wants to die himself.
Because of all the time difficulties, we decided getting someone to look like someone else's mother would be difficult. So we switched the idea to an ex-bf stalking a girlfriend. At the end she unfreezes him and just gives him a stupid smack -- with an umbrella, with her slipper -- the equivalent of a guy being SLAPPED in a fight. Its just such a small action but very demeaning.
Marijn wanted somethign with a bit more oomph. We took quite a few hours to come up with this but over a very frantic dinner with me in absolute panic, he suggested we use a fish. Instead of a smack, the gf would transform the ex-bf into a fish. And then... she eats him!
It was hilarious and a great way to demean the guy. It makes him so small. A great victory for her because she gets to shrink him, change his form, FRY him and EAT him. Great cinematographic idea.
But then we had the problem of time -- finding the right fish, fish alive or fish dead? both? who cooks and how? how do we do these shots in 2 days if i don't have access to same location twice?
More brainstorming led to the idea of a cigarette. It's the same idea of making him small, menial and she gets this great satisfaction out of the victory. Plus cigarette smoke is a great element. After some fits of laughter, we decided this was a magnificent idea.
Marijn & I brainstormed right after the assignment was given but had a sudden flurry of essays and so couldn't get started. Then I got that nasty fever and could barely think!
We begun with the idea of something comedic. A guy lurking in the dark, lots of suspense, and finally, as he is about to stab someone, the person freezes time. The victim, who basically knew all along that he was there, is almost brazen but still annoyed. He/she snaps her fingers and makes the killer's mother appear. Then victim puts killer's mother in his place. Victim disappears. Time resumes and killer is shocked to see his mother in front of him. He is in a posture ready to stab. His mother is appalled and blows up at him. He is confused and embarassed and well... pretty much wants to die himself.
Because of all the time difficulties, we decided getting someone to look like someone else's mother would be difficult. So we switched the idea to an ex-bf stalking a girlfriend. At the end she unfreezes him and just gives him a stupid smack -- with an umbrella, with her slipper -- the equivalent of a guy being SLAPPED in a fight. Its just such a small action but very demeaning.
Marijn wanted somethign with a bit more oomph. We took quite a few hours to come up with this but over a very frantic dinner with me in absolute panic, he suggested we use a fish. Instead of a smack, the gf would transform the ex-bf into a fish. And then... she eats him!
It was hilarious and a great way to demean the guy. It makes him so small. A great victory for her because she gets to shrink him, change his form, FRY him and EAT him. Great cinematographic idea.
But then we had the problem of time -- finding the right fish, fish alive or fish dead? both? who cooks and how? how do we do these shots in 2 days if i don't have access to same location twice?
More brainstorming led to the idea of a cigarette. It's the same idea of making him small, menial and she gets this great satisfaction out of the victory. Plus cigarette smoke is a great element. After some fits of laughter, we decided this was a magnificent idea.
Valentine's Project -- TCC Complete
I fixed a few errors and switched the songs about to get this final version of The Cocoa Connection.
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