Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Comment
I haven't really got much to comment on except the planning which I keep hearing, which happens to be an extremely bad thing. Changing parts of the scenes is great, it always happens, it needs to happen, things need to be changed to fit the story or the background or any other random elements, but continuously changing the whole story, not just the scenes is a complete waste of time and resources. If the scenes you shot were bad focus on fixing them, don't go around and change the whole story because you think it looks bad on camera, that's pointless. I want to put all my effort into this task, but it keeps changes into things that I'm uncomfortable with, not only that, but I have no problem with most of the filming we've already done. I agree that we need some more shots because our film is currently genre-less, but the rest of the scenes are good and that should be the end it. We need to get the task the way it should be done, not talk about getting it done in the holidays and stuff because that is how things never end up getting done on time. If you have a schedule to keep plan your time around it, get it done, and don't change your mind afterward because some peoples timetables may not be flexible enough and then it will never turn out the way you want it.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Filming
On the weekend we got together to do our filming for Emily's story, which we chose. It was slow at first, Emily had typed up a whole new thing for every scene which was a bit different and definitely longer. So we sat down and looked over the new story and made comments and planned the places we were going to them and anything we would need so that we were prepared. The first few scenes we a bit awkward we didn't get anything done before lunch except for writing up a script for our first scene, it was important though because that scene contained the largest amount of words. Something we didn't prepare well for and which wasn't included in the new treatment was shots, angles and movements with the actual camera so we had a bit of a problem with bad shots and just took many different ones of the same scene to figure out later. We also had some trouble with another scene which was the only one away from the house in the park, we had to film the beating up scene including fake blood and everything. This one really was hard to contain our excitement because it was such a silly scene but we got it done really well in the end. The major problem for me was the scenes that I was in, it was very very uncomfortable because my scenes had changed a bit and the new things the others wanted me to do definitely did not fit in with the actions of a peacefully dead friend, for example running up and grabbing her, then standing behind her as she watched her family and walking away arm in arm. Not to mention that I didn't plan at all to watch any of the film when I saw a tiny bit of one of the shots I'm in and now whenever I think about it it really makes me feel sick. Hopefully I can just get the editing done and make it look really good and not ever watch the whole thing.
I hope it does turn out well though, because it was so hard for me to do even that.
I hope it does turn out well though, because it was so hard for me to do even that.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Reflection/Evaluation
One of the problems I had during this unit was the fact that my story was so long. I worked continuously and really hard just to get it finished in time, because I not only had to write up the treatment and character profiles and locations etc. I was left with very little time to do the actual story board which was the most important and time consuming part. Another problem was the fact that I didn't get my draft until the day before the task was due, it was because I kept running out of time to go and get it but it was still my responsibility, it caused such a problem because there was so much I needed to change, there was very little time to change it, I couldn't properly change it because my storyboards were done and I also had to finish drawing the images in my storyboard on the same night.
My research on the Hero's journey made the creation of my story impossibly simple, I just followed them like guidelines factoring in my own elements and characters.
The activities we did helped me write my storyboards because I had no idea what sort of context we were supposed to put them in, how to use the arrows and what to write in my explanations.
During the project I learned some drawing tricks while I was making the storyboards, because I had to make so many pictures I just learned to skim over the details and focus on the important points which were explained in my storyboards.
I'm satisfied with the fact that I ended up finishing it, but if I'd had more time then I would have gone over it and fixed up the words and added more things to the typed version of my storyboards. I also would have made the drawings a bit better and more detailed.
I managed my time pretty well considering the amount of time, though I was just finishing everything at the last minute I'd actually done a lot more then I'd thought and it turned out that I had about five minutes worth of work left by the time I got home to do it. It was a great feeling because I'd been so stressed which was because I'd thought I'd managed my time badly.
I guess that I would like to change the amount of time given for each separate part of the assignment, the storyboards turned out to take up a huge amount of time but it was very close to the due date, a couple of weeks, when we got the time to do them, they needed so much more time than the treatment yet they had a lot less.
If I could start again I would create a story that didn't follow the Hero's Journey so it would be mush shorter, I would also make a story that was so deeply based on emotions and relationships because the limit on the length of the story gave me no time to convey it.
My research on the Hero's journey made the creation of my story impossibly simple, I just followed them like guidelines factoring in my own elements and characters.
The activities we did helped me write my storyboards because I had no idea what sort of context we were supposed to put them in, how to use the arrows and what to write in my explanations.
During the project I learned some drawing tricks while I was making the storyboards, because I had to make so many pictures I just learned to skim over the details and focus on the important points which were explained in my storyboards.
I'm satisfied with the fact that I ended up finishing it, but if I'd had more time then I would have gone over it and fixed up the words and added more things to the typed version of my storyboards. I also would have made the drawings a bit better and more detailed.
I managed my time pretty well considering the amount of time, though I was just finishing everything at the last minute I'd actually done a lot more then I'd thought and it turned out that I had about five minutes worth of work left by the time I got home to do it. It was a great feeling because I'd been so stressed which was because I'd thought I'd managed my time badly.
I guess that I would like to change the amount of time given for each separate part of the assignment, the storyboards turned out to take up a huge amount of time but it was very close to the due date, a couple of weeks, when we got the time to do them, they needed so much more time than the treatment yet they had a lot less.
If I could start again I would create a story that didn't follow the Hero's Journey so it would be mush shorter, I would also make a story that was so deeply based on emotions and relationships because the limit on the length of the story gave me no time to convey it.
Draft Treatment
This is not the draft of my treatment because I didn't make one, I just edited my original, a lot.
A panorama of a dark green forest appears, the sun rising over a silhouetted mountain, dark clouds hover at the edge of the shot. The scene changes, a young boy is walking along a busy dirt road, the sounds of loud voices and horse hooves rise in the background An old man suddenly runs into the boy, his hand opens and something drops into the boys palm. The old man runs into the crowd without a word or backward glance.
The sky is dark, the boy walks through the door of a house calling “I’m home!” Out of the shadows lurches the old man, “Listen and make your choice.”
The old man is sitting down after explaining his quest, “This is wrong,” the boy says, he runs into a different room. A different man, his simular features only that of a father comes into the dark room. A chink of light makes his face visible in the dim room, he tells his son to trust the old man.
The world outside is now so dark that the two figures hurrying from the house are only vaguely lit shadows.
One morning around a burnt out fire, the old man tells the boy that he must first learn to use a sword, he trains him with wooden stick, a montage of a range of shots illustrate various fighting scenes with walking in between. Finally the old man’s sword is shown lying on the ground, he says to the boy, “you have become a skilled swordsman, I can teach you no more.”
A large wall rises high over the boys head, he walks slowly into the city. Walking along the busy road a young girl suddenly runs into the boy, a sword slung across her back over ragged clothes. The girl notices their travelling packs and asks to join them.
Inside a high ceilinged library three men meet up with the small group. They talk about a book which will help the quest. Browsing the overflowing shelves the young boy yells out, “I found it!” They read the book over his shoulder.
The three friends wave at the companions as they leave the city, the old man watches the girl with a suspicious look. “I want you to do something,” the old man states to the girl, and he sends her away to find a Lily of Truth. As the girl goes off on her mission the young buy rounds on the old man and says that his judgement was too harsh, he runs after the girl. The boy finds the girl as she is putting her pack back on, the flower in her hand, but the screen goes black as a dull thump rings out and muffled yells.
The boy sits up, the girls pack and the flower are lying where she last stood, the shot dollies out to reveal that he is completely alone.
The old man argues with the boy when he is accused of being the reason she was kidnapped. The old man finally admits that he was wrong to doubt her. They continue walking through a shadowy forest.
The shadows become much darker as the old man and his companion enter a clearing, overshadowed with ancient trees. The girl appears before them with an evil grin on her face, sword in hand. She leaps forward and the boy fights her, his strength seems stronger, clanging metal echoes through the clearing. The battle halts, the boy holds his sword over the girl for the finishing blow but he hesitates. The girl is on the ground, she raises her sword and jerks her arm forward.
The girl scowls as the old man jumps in front of the boy and is run through instead. The old man grips her hand, coughing violently, “Run!” he tells the boy.
The boy runs into the dense forest and stumbles into a rock wall, a message stands out on it which says, ‘To find the light of a pure heart put the key to the lock.’
Branches snap as the girl rushes into the cleared space. She reaches out with a snarl on her face but the boy has his hands over his heart and is smiling at her. Bright light erupts from the boys hands covering both of them, the girl covers her eyes with her arms and screeches.
The girls arms fly to her sides and she sighs, opening her eyes. The boy has disappeared and the forest is quiet.
The girl sits in the empty clearing silently.
The boy’s father, the friends from the city who helped and people everywhere look up and cheer at the brightness.
It’s dark but the boys face appears clearly. The old man’s voice echoes as he says that it is not time for the boy to move on yet. The boy says that he has nothing to go back too. A bowl of water materializes in front of the boy, glowing slightly, an image of the girl in the clearing emerges on it. The boy reaches towards the bowl.
The girl jumps up as the boy appears next to her. She spins around and tries to touch him but her goes through his arm. The boy tells her to go and live her life, his voice rings through the clearing. The girl tells him that her family was killed and she has nothing left to live for. The boy smiles slightly, he puts his arms around her, whispers something, and disappears again.
The girl walks away from the clearing, the old man’s grave behind her on the ground, a bunch of flowers on top of it.
The girl walks into the city, people everywhere are cheering and rejoicing. The tall friend who helped find the book comes up to her and tells her that everyone is waiting. The man drags the girl into a big hall full of people dancing. He leaves her in the middle of the hall. The girls eyes widen as the boys voice sounds behind her, “I’ve been waiting.”
A panorama of a dark green forest appears, the sun rising over a silhouetted mountain, dark clouds hover at the edge of the shot. The scene changes, a young boy is walking along a busy dirt road, the sounds of loud voices and horse hooves rise in the background An old man suddenly runs into the boy, his hand opens and something drops into the boys palm. The old man runs into the crowd without a word or backward glance.
The sky is dark, the boy walks through the door of a house calling “I’m home!” Out of the shadows lurches the old man, “Listen and make your choice.”
The old man is sitting down after explaining his quest, “This is wrong,” the boy says, he runs into a different room. A different man, his simular features only that of a father comes into the dark room. A chink of light makes his face visible in the dim room, he tells his son to trust the old man.
The world outside is now so dark that the two figures hurrying from the house are only vaguely lit shadows.
One morning around a burnt out fire, the old man tells the boy that he must first learn to use a sword, he trains him with wooden stick, a montage of a range of shots illustrate various fighting scenes with walking in between. Finally the old man’s sword is shown lying on the ground, he says to the boy, “you have become a skilled swordsman, I can teach you no more.”
A large wall rises high over the boys head, he walks slowly into the city. Walking along the busy road a young girl suddenly runs into the boy, a sword slung across her back over ragged clothes. The girl notices their travelling packs and asks to join them.
Inside a high ceilinged library three men meet up with the small group. They talk about a book which will help the quest. Browsing the overflowing shelves the young boy yells out, “I found it!” They read the book over his shoulder.
The three friends wave at the companions as they leave the city, the old man watches the girl with a suspicious look. “I want you to do something,” the old man states to the girl, and he sends her away to find a Lily of Truth. As the girl goes off on her mission the young buy rounds on the old man and says that his judgement was too harsh, he runs after the girl. The boy finds the girl as she is putting her pack back on, the flower in her hand, but the screen goes black as a dull thump rings out and muffled yells.
The boy sits up, the girls pack and the flower are lying where she last stood, the shot dollies out to reveal that he is completely alone.
The old man argues with the boy when he is accused of being the reason she was kidnapped. The old man finally admits that he was wrong to doubt her. They continue walking through a shadowy forest.
The shadows become much darker as the old man and his companion enter a clearing, overshadowed with ancient trees. The girl appears before them with an evil grin on her face, sword in hand. She leaps forward and the boy fights her, his strength seems stronger, clanging metal echoes through the clearing. The battle halts, the boy holds his sword over the girl for the finishing blow but he hesitates. The girl is on the ground, she raises her sword and jerks her arm forward.
The girl scowls as the old man jumps in front of the boy and is run through instead. The old man grips her hand, coughing violently, “Run!” he tells the boy.
The boy runs into the dense forest and stumbles into a rock wall, a message stands out on it which says, ‘To find the light of a pure heart put the key to the lock.’
Branches snap as the girl rushes into the cleared space. She reaches out with a snarl on her face but the boy has his hands over his heart and is smiling at her. Bright light erupts from the boys hands covering both of them, the girl covers her eyes with her arms and screeches.
The girls arms fly to her sides and she sighs, opening her eyes. The boy has disappeared and the forest is quiet.
The girl sits in the empty clearing silently.
The boy’s father, the friends from the city who helped and people everywhere look up and cheer at the brightness.
It’s dark but the boys face appears clearly. The old man’s voice echoes as he says that it is not time for the boy to move on yet. The boy says that he has nothing to go back too. A bowl of water materializes in front of the boy, glowing slightly, an image of the girl in the clearing emerges on it. The boy reaches towards the bowl.
The girl jumps up as the boy appears next to her. She spins around and tries to touch him but her goes through his arm. The boy tells her to go and live her life, his voice rings through the clearing. The girl tells him that her family was killed and she has nothing left to live for. The boy smiles slightly, he puts his arms around her, whispers something, and disappears again.
The girl walks away from the clearing, the old man’s grave behind her on the ground, a bunch of flowers on top of it.
The girl walks into the city, people everywhere are cheering and rejoicing. The tall friend who helped find the book comes up to her and tells her that everyone is waiting. The man drags the girl into a big hall full of people dancing. He leaves her in the middle of the hall. The girls eyes widen as the boys voice sounds behind her, “I’ve been waiting.”
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