Friday, 28 May 2021
Thursday, 29 April 2021
Technical Skills: Lighting, Camera and Sound
In order to get a feel for the single camera unit, we got into groups and experimented with the main three elements of media production: Lighting, camera and sound. For each task, we used the same extract from the same script to get us familiar with the material that we were working with.
Camera
The first task we did as a group, was the camera task. This involved experimenting with the difference between single camera and multi camera. Single camera is pretty self-explanatory and involves only using one camera for a whole production. This is typically used in films, and can be hard work as the scenes would need to be re-filmed from multiple different angles at a time. Continuity is essential when shooting with one camera as things have to be the exact same in each shot, which we later discovered with this task. Multi-camera on the other hand, is the use of more thamn one camera; this is easier and is usually used in television shows.
For the task at hand , we started with multi-camera which involved setting up three different cameras on tripods, but putting them all at different angles. (One behind the actors, one to the side of the actors and one at the door which pointed inside of the room. All cameras started recording at the same time so we had three different viewpoints of the same scene. This is handy because it means in editing, the cameras can keep cutting from the different angles to get multiple different perspectives. We did this a few times so we made sure we had plenty of footage to choose from.
We then tried single camera. This entailed setting up one camera in one position throughout the whole scene. This meant that we had to get loads of different shots, and continuity was important because if we wanted shots from different angles, since we were only using one camera, we would have to make sure everything was the scene. For example, making sure that props were held in the same hand or making sure that the actors were standing in the exact same place for continuity purposes so it didn't look wrong or different when the camera would cut to different angles.
Sound
The next aspect of production we tried, was sound. We used multiple types of equipment for this, which included: a TASCAM (hand held and non-handheld), a Boom Mic, shotgun mic, power pack and the actual DSLR camera for in-camera sound.
Friday, 5 February 2021
Research Portfolio
Primary Research
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LT9VDNL
Questionarre Responses (lockdown challenges)Tuesday, 12 January 2021
Research Dossier
Submission Of Work
An example of a screenwriting competition that young writers can submit their scripts to is the 'Academy Nicholl Fellowship'. This competition, held annually, up to five $35,000 fellowships to amateur screenwriters. Writers have to complete an entry form, and write an original screenplay which is no shorter than 70 pages and no longer than 160 pages. This competition is considered quite prestigious which makes it quite competitive. Another example of a screenwriting competition is called 'Bluecat Screenplay Competition'. This competition is also designed to discover the works of amateur screenwriters; it is exclusively judged by Gordy Hoffman and is now on its twenty third year. Every script submitted will receive its own complimentary written analysis. The grand competition winner will win $5000 and the Feature Screenplay Writer, Pilot and Short Script winner will win $2000. For writers outside of the US, the Fellini award will give the winner $1,000 and can be from any category.
https://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/
An example of a commissioning body based in the UK, is the BBC, writers can get their work comissioned by the BBC. This would involve pitching your idea to them and hoping they like it enough to take it further. The BBC themselves clain that the BBC 'commissions world class content with a distinctly British perspective and we want to work with the best producers and creatives to tell stories which excite, educate and entertain.'
Background Material
Sometimes, to get an idea for a script. a screenwriter will need inspiration or background information to influence their ideas. Writers take inspiration from all varieties of sources which helps their work greatly. Some examples of resources they can get their ideas from are actual events, for example the 1997 film Titanic was based around a real life event that changed the world; the producers and scriptwriters would have needed loads of resources and as much information as they could get as the whole movie is specifically about this event. This means they would have used news articles from the time of the event, books and recounts about the event etc. This would then make their film as historically accurate as possible.
Another resource of inspiration for a writer, is a general interest in a certain topic or subject. Using 'Titanic' as an example again, James Cameron had a general love and interest for shipwrecks and the actual inspiration for the film, came after he shot footage of the actual wreckage from the Titanic. So sometimes seeing things or having interest in a particular subject can be more than enough to inspire a writer.
Books can be a massive inspiration for screenplays. They can be written solely based off a book as a film adaptation but maybe with a few tweaks. An example of this is the 'Harry Potter' franchise. All of these movies, were based off of books written by J K Rowling and there are eight movies altogether, all inspired by the books.
Music can surprisingly have a big impact on inspiring people. Listening to music can give you a variety of ideas and help your ideas flow. A great example of this was Steven Spielberg's idea for a scene in 'Jurassic Park' coming from listening to an 'Earth, Wind and Fire' song whilst sitting in his car. This song inspired the famous scene where the entire car shakes, including a glass of water, before the T-Rex shows up. This is just one amazing example of how music can inspire your ideas.
Research
When it comes to research, there are two different kinds. These are called 'Primary' and 'Secondary' research from primary and secondary sources. Both sources of research are essential in getting the correct information and every screenplay needs at least a little bit of research. First, we will explore actually are these kind of research and examples of each. Primary research, first-hand research. This is usually conducted by the screenwriter themselves or their production team. This kind of research is usually used to find out information about the people around you or who you have contact with.
Some examples of primary research include: surveys, questionnaires, interviews, polls, focus groups etc. These ways of research are good for getting information quickly and more remotely. They also give you a more personalized response . More specifically, interviews are good because you can get information from a specific person; this person may be someone you are basing your screenplay around (to find out information about them and their life) or someone who is in the group you wish to target with your screenplay( to find out interests of the target audience). Surveys and polls are good for getting responses in a certain quantity and number. Focus Groups are good because they answer questions posed by the researcher. These groups normally consist of demographically similar people who discuss and give feedback on a product or television show.
The next type of research, is 'Secondary Research'. This research is research that you gain from an already-existing source. Somebody has already written this information and conducted this research, therefore, you are getting second-hand access to the information. This kind of research is best when trying to get information about a historic event or a celebrity that you cannot access, or even just to find out more information about your subject for confidence. Some examples of secondary research include: newspaper articles, documentaries, films, books, websites etc. These are all resources created by another person for research purposes.
For my own screenplay, I researched articles based on lockdown and the figures around zoom meetings to see how popular they were during lockdown. I also watched some horror movies to gain inspiration for my own.
Prepare Material
Like everything, primary and secondary research have their own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of primary research, is that it is conducted by you, so you know that all information gained is accurate and you know where all of it is coming from. It also allows you to get more personalized responses in a higher quantity. You also know that all of this research is up-to-date.
Secondary research's advantages are that you can gain loads of information about events in or people in history which would be much harder to gain on a primary basis. It is also much quicker to access as it is already existing and online or in books whereas with primary, you actually have to go through the process of gathering the research. It can all be done from home since all information is accessible as long as you have an internet connection and a device and it can be done at a relatively low cost.
However, as said before, some disadvantages come with both resources. For primary research, these include being more expensive than secondary research and also more time consuming. The time required to effectively plan primary research, carry it out and analyze the data is much greater than the time taken to conduct secondary research. Some questions from surveys may also be biased or the respondents may not understand the question posed, therefore leading to inaccurate or misleading responses.
One of the main disadvantages of secondary research, is that since other people have written and conducted it, information could be wrong or inaccurate as they could have got their primary research wrong. When it comes to secondary research, its just a matter of trusting the resource is right; sometimes the best way to go is fact-checking information with another secondary resource to make sure they match up. Research, especially when it comes to statistics, may also be outdated therefore making your research inaccurate. There is also a risk of not being able to find the exact information that you are aiming to maintain as the specific thing you want to know may not be online.
For my screenplay, I have relied on other shows and films to help shape my ideas. This includes articles surrounding covid-19 and lockdown. This was good for background information about lifestyle and how many people used websites like 'Zoom'. Also, other statistics like the amount of cases overtime. I have also been watching horror films like: 'Unfriended' and 'One Missed Call'. These were great to inspire me for creating a horror movie, as I could look at the conventions and structure so I had a breif outline of how I could eventually go on to structure my own screenplay. I managed to get plenty of inspiration from the screenings I watched which will help benefit my screenplay in the long run. For example, in 'Unfriended', the whole film was set up as if it was on a computer screen to give it a cyber kind of feel. The sound effects of messages and emails were incorporated along with the dialogue from characters. I liked this because it was as though you were the main character on her laptop, you are seeing things from her point of view and exactly what she is seeing. This gave me huge inspiration for my screenplay and it gave me ideas of doing some of my scenes in this format.
Also as part of my research process, I watched an episode of 'Diagnosis Murder', which was entitled 'Rear Windows 98'. This episode was all about somebody who was murdered whilst being on webcam. This is very similar to the storyline of mu screenplay, so I was able to get good ideas from this episode.
Personally, I am managing the data and information I collected by writing down on paper. This is the most effective way for me, because I have it in front of me for when I write my screenplay. As for the best ways to store research for both primary and secondary, there are plenty of different ways; however, for primary research, it is better to store your data on a computer. This is because primary research tends to be surveys and polls. Therefore, if you store it digitally, the information is easier to access and get to quicker. Also, if stored online/in your computer files, it would be presented neatly and the results from the surveys/polls would be statistically calculated and changed when new people take the survey/poll.
Secondary research however, is easier to write down and have physically in terms of storage, so you can write down any information you find and you have it in front of you. In terms of gaining the information, it is better to collect from the internet as their is a limitless amount of information that you can find.
When it actually comes to writing a script, the best font to use is courier 12.pt font. This is because it allows for executives to be able to tell the length of the film just by the amount of script there is. There is also a high chance that if handed in in any other font, executives will not even read the script as they don't accept anything otherwise so it is important that the script is laid out in this font.
(https://blcklst.com/help/script_standards.pdf)