First Screening

Today we screened our Opening Sequence to an audience. This screening was a way ion which we could gain feedback and comments in relation to the film. When trying to screen our opening, we encountered many problems such as, when editing our footage and adding the titles and credits we came to noticed that we could not save our sequence. This proved to be a serious problem as we had made editing changes and if these were lost our footage as whole could be affected and the audience may not receive the same effect as we would have hoped. In the end we screened our opening sequence on a smaller screen that we was working on.

We produced a short Questionnaire based upon our footage. We asked general questions form which we could gain the audiences opinion and also their criticise. In our questionnaire there were 5 questions

Feedback: The Nervous bit

There were two types of feedback we received, Verbal Feedback and Written Feedback.

Verbal Feedback

When given the chance the audience were able to tell us verbally what things they liked about the film. We were given credit for the use of the blue filter in the fist ha;f of the opening scene. Also the use of our camera shots, like the train station shots were considered to be effective. The fact that our footage was flowing really well showed the audience that we had a solid continuity effect. The use of the loud music in the 2nd scene was very effective and seemed to correlate to the actual footage and what was happening in those scenes. The use of the natural sounds in the first half e.g the birds in the background gave the film a feel of realism. There were many improvements that were stated and these were that the window zoom in shot needed to be more longer as it seamed out of place and had no real relation to the footage before and after it. The contrast between the two scenes were very evident and too sharp.

Written feedback

The written feedback that we received was very positive overall. We were congratulated on the use off effects such as the White light flash to cut into different scenes. Also the use of our different camera shots such as over the shoulder shots when Will was walking through the tunnel. We were commented positively on how our camera shots worked really well in contrast with the music. The music was really a good factor as well because it was evident to see that it was non diagetic. Again we were credited for our use of the blue filter in the first scenes of the opening.

The comments made regarding things the audience did not like and did not find effective was again the cut between the zoom in the sky shot and then to the when Will is walking through the station; this scene also hand diagetic sounds of people talking and this could be considered as a filming error. Also the change in these scenes is also evident from how the colour of both scenes are in contrast their for making the two scenes seem not linked. We were also commented on the ending and how it was abrupt .

Naming Our Film

Our Film name is Mon Fere. Mon Fere means my brother in french and we felt that it really gripped the opening as well as relating to the french audio we have in the second scene. We had various discussions on whether the title Mon Fere conformed to what we were trying to portray which is British Social Realist Drama. Having a French Title may give viewers the information that it isn't that British at all. We came to conclusion that We would use the French Title but have the British one as Back up.

Title 1: French Title

Title 2: British Title

Editing- The Titles

What Titles are usually used for British Social Release Drama?

Channan and Paul researched Titles for British Social Realist Dramas. We looked at the film that we previously mentioned such as Kidulthood, Adulthood, East is East and Nark. When looking at these films we realised that the font used for most of these titles were bold and plain. Also the fonts stood out on a black background.

Using Live Type

Channan Learnt how to use Live Type and found that we could achieve various effects such as a shadow that ripples. However constructing the titles were easy in this program but previewing it was not at an advantage as we could not use the footage at the same time and so Paul and Channan Had to preview it on a white canvas. By using Live Type we got a vague idea on What we wanted our credits and titles to be. lt took the time to research different fonts and try apply it to our film.

We came to realise that in order to transfer the credits to the footage would take a long time and would be time consuming as well as cause technical difficulties. As the editing process continued the timings required for the credits kept changing. Another problem we encountered was Live Type's lack of basic effects their effects were always advanced and over the top. There was no facility to use fade on a text which was the look we initially wanted. We decided to simply input the text straight into Final Cut after the majority of the editing was finished. We laid the text on a black canvas and made the text stand out by making in white. When changing to live cut it was more easier to preview the effect and position it to where we wanted.

Written By Channan and Paul

Posted by Channan Toussaint

Editing- The Footage

During the production of 'Mon Fere' we used the software Final cut premiere. Initially our group had no idea on how to use the software but after some tutorial sessions we felt we had the basic skills needed to produce our opening film. The reason why we used final Cut premiere is that it is a very complex software and it enables us to use many functions and apply many professional looking techniques to our footage. It gave us the freedom when editing

and also gave us the opportunities to explore the different elements when editing. Some of these elements include:

• File rendering

• Transition Effects

• Imagery

• Audio

• Overall Control over the time line
  

One of the Main effects was the transition which included 4 White Flashes with a slow motion take in between. Although this was significantly technical but due to the freedom of final cut we were able to use this effectively.

Although Editing was an effective process, there were many major inconveniences that occurred. First of all it was not until our second editing session that our footage was uploaded. This was because our camera was not compatible with final cut due to dropped frames. To overcome this problem we had to import our footage into I-Movie and then upload it into Final Cut. We also encountered problems such as audio, where the natural audio were not as effective as we hoped and so we had to make alterations to this. We also had frame rate problems due to the camera.

The use of the blue filter helped us as it made the opening conform to the Social Realist Genre. We added transitions and recognized using these were also useful for breaks and to show our opening credits. Overall by using Final Cut we were able to enhance our opening and add effects that made it a portrayal of a Social Realist Drama.

Filming Days

Day 1:

We decided to film at our first Location Paul's house. At first we wasn't sure on how to make our film opening come to live in front of us and so this day was really about testing out different shots we could use as well as seeing how we can manipulate our location in order to make it portray the film genre as well as our storyline. In the scenes that we shot we only needed our first character which was Conrad. As already stated he played the youth worker. Our storyline for Conrad was that he would be a youth Worker with clear problems that could be picked up on by the audience and so we deliberately made him look messy and unattractive. To do this we requested that this cast member shave their head and we smudged toothpaste on the side of his mouth to make it look real dirty. Overall many shots were taken of this cast member displaying the character in many ways. Overall this first day of filming was really productive based upon the group as a whole knowing what we would do next in terms of the next scene.

Day 2:

Our second Location was the train station scene, for this scene we would need Will. For this scene we had already thought of many good ideas and so we made them effective by carrying them out and seeing what went wrong and what went right. We managed to carry out effective filming and carry out a range of shots to use in our opening. We did have one minor issue and that was the change in light but this we could not change and so we made the use of hat we had. We had shots such as tracking shots , close ups and medium shots to display this character to the audience. The reason why we carried out so many shots was to see if the shots could affect the audience and how they would perceive it.

The Crew

We as a group had specific roles for which we each had some input into how the filming session were carried out. Individually we all brought our own personal skills and qualities and this enhanced our group as a team.

Meet The Crew:

Adeel Ikram

Co-Director, Footage Editor , Producer, Casting, Researcher

Adeel will be behind the research process in trying to ensure that we stick to catering for our target audience. He will also be a key person when editing the footage takes place as he has experience in this field. Regarding casting Adeel will also ensure that the cast chosen represent our stereotypes and ensure that they are dressed appropriately when filming. Adeel will also have an input in relation to the camera shots used and filming process.

Channan Toussaint

Blogger, Text Editor, Photographer. Producer, Researcher

Channan Will recording all our days in relation to the film openings e.g. all the changes we had to make. Channan will also be producing the titles using live Type as well as with Final Cut express. In relation to the film Channan will be taking on shot photos of our filming process. Also all the necessary research that needs to be carried out will be done by Channan and she will also have an input into the shooting of the film opening.

Hector Dockrill

Director, Footage Editor, Casting, Music, Producer

Hector will be in charge of filming the film opening and also using can carrying out the various camera shots. Hector will also be responsible for the casting of the characters that we will be using. Hector will also look into the music and ensuring that it conforms to t he opening and the film Genre. Along side Adeel he will edit the footage ensuring that it is up to scratch and audience effective. He will work alongside everyone in the production of the film.

Paul Douglas Feddon

Text Editor, Casting, Music, Producer

Paul will editing the titles and text on the footage alongside Channan. he will also help out with casting of the characters and ensuring that their availability will be effective for us. Working alongside hector he will be responsible for the music choice as well and ensuring that it is not copy righted material.

Blogged By: Channan Toussaint

Filming Changes

There were many changes that we made before we started initial planning. The changes that we had to make was:

• The filming locations
• Audio Suggestions
• The Cast

Changes to the Filming Location:

Initially we decided to film at Streatham Hill Train Station. We could not film here due to the station being revamped and it was not safe. We still wanted to film at a train station and did not wish to change this factor. As a group we had to find another train station where we could film as well as not encounter the public rush. By the public rush we mean trying to avoid the busy times at which the station may be over flowed with commuters. After searching and discussing the possible train stations we decided to film at Tulse Hill Station.

We decided on this station because it is in an area where there is not many people, and also it is convenient for the group to travel there freely. The Station also is not that busy during the week and so this would be an ideal change in train stations. We also liked the areas within the station such as the walk through alley way and the actual platform area.

Audio Suggestions:

We found out that we could not use any copy righted music within our opening. This really affected how we would try and stick to the conventions that we are trying to portray. Hector and Paul have tried to find current music that has not been copy-righted. This could be a risk as there may be copy right restrictions that may prevent us from using it. The audio is what we consider an important component because it is what defines one of the characters.