Story-telling Unit: Research on daydreams and arguments

I wanted to research daydreaming sequences and arguments as my opening 2 minutes is a mix of both. The reason behind the whole blur effect is because the character of Sophie has 'zoned out' of the conversation and is in a world of her own. This is also the reason the voice of the character Leah is muffled. So because it's a big part of the scene I wanted to see how other films and TV shows have gone about portraying the sound and visuals.

A clip that I knew used this sort of effect was a domestic abuse advert where a young girl is being pressured by her boyfriend into having sex. The camera then pans out and we see one of the characters from the scene watching themselves and shouting for themselves to do something to stop it. The audio is portrayed as being through a glass wall so it's slightly muffled and distorted - a similar effect to what I was hoping to use. Below is the clip:

Another show that uses a lot of daydreaming is Glee. The character of Finn is often seen 'checking out ' of conversations with his girlfriend Rachel as she does tend to talk a lot. Usually during these scenes the character of Finn does a voice over of what he is thinking in his head whilst Rachel is talking to him. Therefore her voice is still faintly audible but toned down so as to show he isn't paying full attention to what is happening. 

I also re-watched the short film 'Love is all you need?' as their is a scene in the film where the parents are arguing while the child is in her bedroom. The audio is distorted to sound like it is coming from another room although it was probably filmed infront of the actors and then layed over the visuals for the film. I want my audio to similar to this but as Sophie is in such a daydream I would probably have it sound more muffled than this. The scene for this starts at 13.11 if anyone is interested enough to check it out.

I have an app on my phone called Traktor DJ where you can lay effects over songs which is mainly for people interested in djing. The effect I found on the app which seems perfect for what I would like is called low pass filter and essentially what it does is stop the high frequency sounds from being let through. It's a pretty cool effect so I'm hoping to use something similar.

I did some reading on the sort of effects that Final Cut Pro x has and their is an muffled audio one so I'm hoping I can get it just right after having a mess about with the audio. 

I'm excited to get my filming done now and get editing!

Stay safe,

Helen

Story-telling Unit: New Location set up

So after getting the camera today I checked out the lighting at my location. I realized having the window behind the actors on the sofa would make it difficult to get the ideal lighting. After moving around the chairs in the living room myself and my friend found a much better layout and also kept the same feel for the scene. Below is an update location layout:

I'm excited to start my filming on Sunday.

Stay safe,

Helen

Story-telling Unit: Filming Prop and Wardrobe list

I went through the first 2-3 pages of my script to see what I needed before I begin filming and came up with a list of things.

• Picture of a male couple in a frame
• 2 glasses of juice
• Fake Newspaper/magazine from page
• iPhone 
• Leah - dress, looking fashionable/ girly, heels, full make up, hair curled or straightened
• Sophie - hoody, trackie bottoms, trainers, no make up, hair tied back

After making the list I knew I needed to start searching for 2 older male actors to photograph to play Sophie's parents. However as 2 of my friends parents are gay I may just ask them if they wouldn't mind me using a picture of the 2 of them together instead as they are of the age Sophie's parents would be.

I also needed to get to work on creating the front page for my newspaper or magazine article. If I can't make a newspaper front page I may just have a newsletter and have Sophie turn that over instead. Obviously this will involve changing the script slightly but if it will mean I can create a better finished article I'll be happy to do this. It will probably be easier to do the latter than anything else but I'm going to explore both options as I would really like to have a newspaper for authenticity purposes. 

Best get creating,

Stay safe,

Helen

Story-telling Unit: Storyboard

I made a storyboard after I decided I would be filming the first 2 minutes of the script. I thought this would help me to visually picture each shot. When I am filming I think this will help me to keep my ideas on track and be a good reference for everyone on set. This is only my first storyboard and I am sure as the script changes I will be making more but I thought I would post the first one as it was my original vision for the film. Excuse the drawings. Art isn't my strongest point.

Back to more rewriting I think.

Stay safe,

Helen

Story-telling unit: Location layout

I managed to get a floor plan for the location I will be filming at. I also created a layout of an idea I have for the layout for the living room using the app 'shot designer' on the ipad. It was useful as I am able to see where to have the sofa and where to have the camera and what space I will be working in.

Below are the plans.

 

I was even able to include lighting, the actors and even where the mic would be. It's a useful app to have as I can use it to see where my props need to be and what lighting is available on location. 

Stay safe,

Helen

Story-telling Unit: Location Search

I have been searching for a location to film 'The Meeting'. I wanted to have a lot of space in the living room to film and also be able to move around furniture and be able to remove things to make it more a place that Sophie and her family would live in.

Here are the pictures I took of location 1:

 

And here is location 2:

 

 

 

In the end I have decided that due to space and scheduling issues with location 1, I will film at location 2. 

Now just to pick a date for filming and get casting.

Stay safe,

Helen

Story-telling Unit: Draft 2 of Script

So i've just handed in my 2nd Draft of the script deadline. I'm really pleased with the changes i've made since the 1st draft. Obviously there is still some work to be done on it but I'm looking forward to the feedback I get and can use this to point me in the right direction when I go on to do a 3rd draft.
Here is the 2nd Draft:

The Meeting 2nd Draft



Stay safe,

Helen