Problems With Certain Footage

So far, we have more or less been able to gather just about all the footage we will need. Further shoots are still a possibility, but we have still a good amount of footage to play with. However, we unfortunately hadn't noticed until post-production that there were a few issues with some of the shots that we had taken; issues that weren't particularly noticeable on the camera's small screen and that only became visible when viewed on a larger computer screen.

 

The most significant of these was several of our shots being plagued by a small level of graininess, such as those seen above and below. Though it is not entirely visible on these screen-shots, it is indeed quite noticeable on a larger screen, especially when the image is moving. A majority of said grainy shots originate from our shoot at Solo's accommodation, which we now know that we had under-lit. Though the graininess is not severe enough to deny us from using the shots, they are a frustrating detriment to the film's overall quality. It is indeed more than likely that this noise was as a result of the relative low-light conditions. Given my inexperience in using DSLR cameras (as was the case for each of the group members), It seems likely that I may have had the camera set to less than optimum settings for the shooting environment (it may have been a good idea to change the exposure, increase the shutter speed, or simply light the room more effectively). Although, as I mentioned previously, we had not noticed the graininess until post-production, at which point there was very little we could do. Our aim was to make this scene seem darker in comparison to the therapy session, in order not only distingiush the two, but to also suggest a seperate plane of reality. In hindsight however, I realise that it may have been more sensible to light the scene normally, and then use colour-correction in post-production in order to achieve the darkness effect. In the future, I will make more of an effort to ensure that the camera's settings are optimally set up for shooting in dark environments such as these in order to prevent any more issues with noise. I will also ensure that I play-back the shots that I take so that any immediate issues can be identified and corrected on the day of shooting.

Legion - Split-Screen Effect

In our project, we had originally planned for our patient to be delusional; hallucinating an alternate level of reality as he speaks with his therapist. However, after considering how it would be difficult to apply a sense of narrative direction to this idea, we instead decided that perhaps the therapy session itself is in fact a simply another illusion created by the patient's distorted mind, and that the therapist is in fact simply one of the patient's personalities; a symptom of his schizophrenia. This would be achievable with relative ease by utilising a split-screen effect; allowing an actor to appear within a single shot more than once. This idea was inspired by a scene from the TV series "Legion"; a series connected to the X-Men films. The series follows David Haller: a man diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, who begins to suspect that what he has may not be mearly a mental illness, but may actually be a form of psychic ability.

In the scene shown in the video above, David engages in a lengthy interaction with another of his personalities within what appears to be some kind of dream-like reality. This scene provided the primary source of inspiration for our film's therapy scene. Both consist of a character engaging in a lengthy interaction with their own alter-ego within a dream-like reality, as well as the persona largely being an off-screen voice; the 'real' person being the most frequent speaker. Although, in order to better suit the concepts brought up in this clip to our intentions for the project, we have adapted some of its ideas. For example, the relationship between the 'real' person and their alternate personality varies between the clip and our project. The two seemingly work together in the Legion clip, since David is attempting to work towards a moment of realisation. In our film however, the relationship betweent the patient and his alter-ego is rather antagonistic, since the therapist is a symptom of the patient's descent into insanity; much unlike David's ascent into a moment of realisation. Furthermore, although David's alter-ego is seen throughout the scene (and looks exactly the same), our patient's alter-ego is not seen until near the film's climax as his identity provides the film's twist. David's schizophrenia has been firmly established prior to the above scene; something that is not the case in our film. We felt as though the film would not be able to provide a satisfying payoff if the therapist's identity was known from early on, and so his identity is preserved until the end where it provides the twist.

Despite these differences however, this scene was a very good source of inspiration for our ideas. The scenes both take place within a dream-like reality, that is in fact merely a few seconds in the 'true' reality. In Legion, this scene takes place in David's mind, its events playing out is merely a few seconds in real time. In our film, we have had a similar idea through the use of a clock ticking in the backround throughout the film. The clock will be cut to several times throughout the film and will always be showing the same few seconds of time; creating the impression of a fragmented reality for the therapy session, foreshadowing the twist. Regardless of the technical differences the concepts presented in this scene allowed us to expand upon the ideas we had already established; allowing us to strenghten our project narratively.

More Shooting

During the early stages of post-production, we realised that we didn't have enough footage to constitute the 5-minute target length for the film. Given the already rather uncomfortable tone of the therapy session, as well as the patient's clearly unreliable perspective on reality, we decided that it might be a good idea to film some scenes that would act as brief cutaways during the therapy session. The cutaways would consist of a series of uncomfortable close-ups of the patient at what is presumably his house; his actions contradicting his statements during the therapy session. The intention was to present the patient in a variety of vulnerable and isolated positions; evoking sympathy while still trying to stay true to his mental condition.

The filming location was Solo's accommodation. While there, we had another idea for split-screen effect involving a mirror hanging on the wall. This one was a little more complicated than the split-screen in the therapy session, meaning that multiple takes were necessary. Our idea was that the patient could be seen washing his face in front of the mirror. He ducks down below the camera towards the sink, and then after he lifts his head up gain, his reflection has been replaced with the therapist. As mentioned, the split-screen effect this time will be more complicated to implement as it will required more precise cutting rather than just a line through the centre of the shot. If we are successful however, it should be a pretty interesting and experimental shot that should benefit the reveal of the therapist's identity.

More Location Troubles

In the therapy session, as the patient speaks, we intended for the film to make brief cutaways to his life at home (which incidentally takes place in a seemingly derelict house), where the visuals will contradict what the patient says during the session. In order to film this scene, we needed to find some kind of run-down building; the famous abandoned Hallam Towers quickly springing to mind. We headed down there on the day of shooting, only to discover that the police were in the area. Upon further inspection, we discovered that the area was the scene of a crime and had been taped off, meaning that filming here was definitely out of the question.

Later the same day, we discovered that the reason the police were at Hallam Towers is because a body had been found. This article was uploaded shortly after we had finished shooting for the day. The full article can be seen here.

Unsurprisingly, we were therefore forced to relocate our shooting location. Our backup location was an abandoned house behind Liberty Works Accommodation, which we were unable to enter, but could still film from the outside. This location unfortunately, was a frustrating drop in quality from Hallam Towers. In order to maintain the illusion of the location being a run-down area, we could only film the house from certain angles, thereby limiting our creative possibilites. Another annoying issue was the construction work going on around the area (the location being an industrial area). This meant that it was much more difficult to record sound without an annoying level of background noise disrupting the scene; meaning that more work needed to be done in post-production to correct this.

The reason behind us being unable to use Hallam Towers was indeed a peculiar of location issues, but nonetheless, unforseeable events such as these can be very problematic in filmmaking, especially in terms of location scouting, as there is very little that can be done to prevent it. Not knowing when Hallam Towers would be usable again, we were forced to improvise with a secondary location; which in this case turned out to be a detriment to the film's quality. Unfortunately, due to the news not yet reaching the press at the time of shooting, this was not an eventuality we could have forseen.

Problems With Sound Equipment

During our shoot for the therapist session, we were using a Zoom H5 and shotgun mic to record sync sound of dialogue between the patient and therapist. All of the patient's lines were recorded, while some of the therapist's were dubbed in later (since he is off-screen throughout most of the scene). This process mostly went ahead without incident; that was until around three-quarters of the way through our recordings, at which point we encountered and unusual problem with the equipment. The Zoom H5 was connected to the mic via an XLR lead. Some component involved in this process started to produce a strange electrical buzzing sound; one that was very audible on any recordings we tried to take. We were unsure what may have been causing this issue. We initially though that the zoom may have been picking up to kind of interference, but we couldn't find anything that could have been causing such a thing to happen. We determined that there was some kind of issue with the way the pins in the XLR cable were connecting the microphone and the Zoom together; but were unable to determine the exact source of the problem. We were forced to report the issue to the Creative Media Centre, who were likewise stumped by the issue. To compromise, they replaced our equipment with some functioning ones; swapping out the memory card so that we could keep our recordings. This seemed to solve the issue.

This was not an eventuality we foresaw. Of course, faulty equipment is not always something that can be predicted; especially considering that the equipment had been functioning without any issues for a majority of the shoot. Thankfully, in this case, we were able to replace the faulty equipment and continue as normal without any loss of data.

Shooting the Therapy Session

We have recently completed shooting for the film's therapy session scene between the patient and the therapist; this being my first time using a DSLR camera in a real shoot. This being the most significant scene of the film, it takes up a majority of the shots we needed to take; leaving only a few shorts scenes and shots to gather. Filming mostly went ahead mostly without incident, despite a small technical problem with the sound recording equipment. We had initially created a lighting set-up using Dedolights that created the sense of some kind of interrogation, but we were unfortunately unable to use it as we realised that any changes in lighting would be visible during the split-screen effect. The below shots show us blocking so that we could all gather an idea of what the shot would be like before it was actually taken.

This was a rough version of our original lighting setup. A strong key-light was used to create the sense of an interrogation scenario.

Here, Rebecca and I sit in the places of the therapist and the patient respectively. This is the setup we used to create the split-screen.

Green Screen Filming

In order to gather some bizarre footage to use during Luke's hallucinations, we recently booked out some green screen facilities. We came equipped with a variety of props that we recorded against the green screen so that they may be implemented into the hallucinations if we feel it is necessary. Some of these props include some ribbons, a pack of cards, a plastic revolver, a skull mask, among other things. It should be clarified that it is currently uncertain if the green screen footage will actually be used in the final film; although we are maintaining our policy of always deliberately overestimating how much footage we'll need.

Treatment with Camera Notes

Solo has written up a treatment for our project. Being the group's cinematographer, I have made a few notes on the treatment with regards to how its ideas could achieved effectively and realistically with regards to cinematography. The marked-up treatment can be seen here.

Shot List

Click here to see our shot list.

More Camera Research

Due to a shortage of available roles, I have once again been appointed as the group's camera operator. Although this is will indeed be detrimental to my overall skill-set development, it will provide me with a second opportunity to hone my cinematographic skills; as well as allowing me to experiment with more techniques and equipment that were not necessary or available for the experimental or documentary projects. I have already undergone research into a majority of the techniques I intend to employ in this project. However, there are a few additional elements that will be necessary to research into further before putting them into practice. They can be seen below.


Green Screen

Green-screening, more professionally known as chroma-keying, is a technique that is very commonly used in film and television alike. It is the process by which an image or video is layered on top of another. It is a very commonly used visual effect that is often used to remove a background, change a background, add visual effects to an actor, among many other things. Green screens often have to power to create an entire set during post-production. For our project however, we do not plan to be quite so ambitious with our use of green screen. We intend to record a variety of objects against a green screen that would then be able to make appearances in Luke's hallucinations. Although we are not yet completely decided on whether or not such an idea really needs to be implemented into the film, we intend to at least film some footage against a green screen anyway as it will allow us more footage to work with, as well as allowing us to broaden our skill-sets. It is indeed true that green-screen is more of a post-production process than a cinematographic one. However, there is undoubtedly a reliance on good cinematography for a green-screen to be effective. For example, in order to create the illusion that the objects and actors being filmed are in fact present within the intended background scene. the lighting of the two shoots should be as similar as possible. Due to our green screen footage being taken in a studio, the green screen will naturally produce ambient light as a result of spill. Consequently, the proportions of actors and objects may seem to fade, creating a rather unnatural and artificial look to the shot if lighting is not properly managed. In terms of the camera itself, the depth of focus adopted within the green screen shot should match that of the intended background as closely as possible. It is also important to consider exposure as a a coloured background such as a green screen can easily result in poor saturation levels if the camera is over or underexposed. In the case of underexposure, it can create high levels of noise that could potentially render any footage taken unusable. It is therefore important to light the green screen area as effectively as possible in order to allow a good exposure to be obtained more easily.

Green Screening in 'Grey's Anatomy'

DSLR Camera

Unlike my previous experimental and documentary projects, this time I have chosen not to opt for using the Canon XF100. Instead, this time I will be using a DSLR camera; specifically, the Nikon D3100. DSLR stands for "Digital Single-Lens Reflex". Though these cameras are more specifically geared towards photography, they are also more than capable of producing high-quality video footage; footage that, in my opinion, outdoes that of the XF100 in terms of cinematic quality in most situations. Unlike traditional SLR cameras, Digital SLRs come equipped with large image sensors that are capable of adapting the camera to the current shooting environment, allowing for high-quality footage suitable for photography and filmmaking. In addition to this augmented shooting quality, the D3100, as many DSLRs do, are capable of being equipped with a variety of lenses for almost any situation; allowing an excellent level of versatility and convenience. In our case, the lens we are using is the Nikon 17-35mm Telephoto Lens. This lens allows us to easily make changes to the camera's zoom, focus, and aperture; enabling us to create our cinematic shots much more easily. Despite DSLRs generally being specialised towards photography, in more recent generations, they have started to transition more into moving image. Due to their relatively low cost and adaptability, DSLRs are being used more in more in filmmaking in recent years. For example, the short film "Each Moment Is The Universe" (Bruce Thierry Cheung, 2012), was shot entirely on a DSLR; specifically, the Canon 7D. The film can be seen here. As visible on the screenshot below, DSLR cameras are able to use their specialism for high-quality photography to provide similarly high-quality footage with a very cinematic appeal; something that would be much more difficult to implement using an XF100.

Every Moment Is The Universe, 1:10 (Bruce Thierry Cheung, 2012)

Dedolights

Although hardly a revolutionary approach to cinematography, I have not yet had much experience in using cinematic lighting, as both of my experimental and documentary groups found that constructing a lighting set up was not necessary for our intentions. Although it would seem that this was indeed the case, lighting could still have been used to augment the cinematic and aesthetic quality of the shots we had taken. This time however, my group does indeed intend to make use of lighting; specifically, via the use of Dedolights. The room that we intend to film the therapy session in does indeed come with adjustable lights, however they are unlikely to prove to be as effective as Dedos. Characters and objects may appear flat and unrealistic if the lighting setup is not adequate. We feel that using Dedolights to set up our scene should provide us with more cinematic and visually interesting shots. Furthermore, given the nature of the film's main character, it is likely that lighting may indeed play a role in illustrating the nature of his psychology; perhaps using deliberately imbalanced lighting to only light one side of his face, creating an impression of schizophrenia. Before anything like this can be done however, we need to make sure we understand the fundamentals of cinematic lighting. Specifically, we need to make sure we come to terms with the most rudimentary lighting setup: three-point lighting. This setup involves positioning 3 lights around a subject; these lights being capable of a variety of roles for a variety of visual effects. Typically, this setup is comprised of three lights: the key-light, the fill-light, and the back-light. The key-light, as the name suggests, acts as the primary illuminator of the subject. The way in which this light is set up is capable of changing the effect of an entire shot. It is typical positioned at a 45-degree angle in front of the subject. The fill-light provides secondary illumination; the way in which this light is combined with the key can create a variety of effects. It is often positioned in front of the subject at a 90-degree angle to the key. Conventionally, the illumination the fill produces is set up to be approximately 50% as intense as the key. Subsequently, the fill's primary role is to eliminate shadows created by the key. However, as a result of our possible intentions to produce a chiaroscuro effect on our subject, we may decide to subvert this typical convention by lessening or even removing the fill-light in order to obscure half of our subject's face in shadow. Finally, the back-light is placed behind the subject; typically at a 90-degree angle to the key-light. The purpose of the back-light is to create a rim of light in order to separate the subject from the background, as well as highlighting contours. Given the unsettling nature of the therapy session scene, it is likely that we will attempt to experiment with our lighting setup in order to produce a visual effect that supports out intentions.

Split-Screen

Split-screening has a variety of uses in filmmaking. The most common way in which it is used is as a stylistic effect to place two actors within a single scene, or two provide multiple angles of a single scene. This is achieved by recording two or more separate shoots, which are then aligned in post-production. The idea of the split-screen is to rupture the illusion that what is being viewed is a seamless reality; subverting what a film is typically intended to accomplish. In our case however, we plan to use split-screen in a slightly less popular way. The effect can also be used to place an actor within a scene more than once by locking the camera in position, film the two (or more) versions the scene, and then arrange them together in editing. Often, the two shoots are divided by an imaginary line (often central) that actors and moving objects must not cross as they will disrupt the illusion. When attempting a split-screen effect in this manner, it is imperative that the camera is kept in an absolutely stationary position between shoots, and that the shooting environment does not change (such as a change in lighting or miss-en-scene) so that the only variation between the shoots is the action taking place within them.

The traditional form of split-screening, seen here in "Pillow Talk" (Michael Gordon, 1959).

Seen here in "Parent Trap" (David Swift, 1961), split-screening is used to allow Hayley Mills to portray two characters in a single scene.

Contacting for Locations

A large majority of our film will take place in a therapy session, meaning that we of course therefore need to find one; or at least a room that strongly resembles one. We therefore contacting a few local therapists, hoping that perhaps one or two of them would be able to provide us with a location. Contacting local therapists would also be beneficial as it would allow us to gather a more informed perspective on the subject of mental illness, therefore allowing us to portray it as respectfully and accurately as possible. Among the therapists we contacted, only one respond to our query. Her response can be seen in the screenshot below.

Unfortunately, she was unable to provide us with a location. In honesty, we foresaw this eventuality due to the rather hectic nature of a therapist's occupation. Nonetheless, she was able to provide us with another contact: Cornerstone. We subsequently contacted Cornerstone in the hope that perhaps they would be able to provide a location, or perhaps just a little more insight onto the sensitive subject that our film deals with. Sadly, they too were unable to provide a location as a result of their offices being used almost all day, every day of the week. 

Thankfully however, they were kind enough to provide us with a photograph of one of their offices. They explained that a few of the essential items for a therapist's office include: comfy chairs, tissues, a clock, and a plant. With this in mind, it should now be possible to find a location on campus that can be rearranged to emulate the environment of a therapist's office. We will begin our search soon.

Short Drama Film Analysis - About a Girl

In order to provide some further inspiration and ideas for our project, I have decided to analyse a short film that I found to be interning. Namely, the film is "About a Girl" (Brian Percival, 2001). I noticed multiple similarities between this film and the film that we are planning to make for our drama project: making it a valuable point of research.

Similarly to our own, the film is largely character-driven. The film follows an unnamed 13-year-old girl as she talks about stardom and singers; alongside descriptions of her life, her relationship with her father, her frustrations with her mother, her desire to become a famous singer, as well as the band she has formed with her friends. Her rants, shot via a shaky tracking shot resembling the pattern of walking, initially seem like fairly ordinary things for young girl to complain about. The way in which her rants are delivered break the fourth-wall; they are designed to seem as though we are walking alongside her. In doing so, the film creates an almost humorous tone through which its narrative is delivered; despite the dreary grittiness of the setting.

The main themes of the film I would argue are relationships and escapism. However, the film opts not to present these themes via any particular narrative, but rather through the exploration of a single character. The film explores the way in which the girl's shaky relationship with her family coincides with her fantasies of becoming a pop-star; a hopeful escapism of the life of poverty and emotional aloofness.

The film employs a particularly distinctive style of delivery towards providing exposition on its central character. Its structure seems rather fragmented; particularly during the scenes of direct character address. These monologue sequences deploy a rather fractured, uneasy style as a result of the scenes being broken up by flashbacks and jump-cuts; alternating between sequences of direct address and more conventional scenes that observe and adhere to the fourth wall; the two being unified by the unnamed protagonist. Her rants make up a majority of the film; these sequences being particularly fast-paced and energised as a result of its frequent use of jump-cuts, flashback sequences, the protagonist's rapid and vibrant style of delivery, and indeed the deliberately shaky shooting style. This shooting style is in fact noticeably different from the shooting style of the other sequences of the film. For example, the flashbacks showing the girl spending time with her uninterested father are shot much more smoothly and emotionally; creating what almost seems like two levels of reality. It seems likely that this intends to represent the contrast between the girl's external and internal lives, the former being represented through gentle flashbacks, and the latter being represented by a more abrupt, gritty direct address with a much duller colour palette.
 

Also interesting is the relationship between the first and final shots of the film (seen below). The very first shot of the film depicts the silhouette of the unnamed protagonist, confidently singing and dancing atop a grassy hill. The shot's low-angle creates a rather dramatic shot, perhaps suggesting a bold spirit behind the girl's seemingly cold exterior. The film's final shot however (following the twist in which she drops a plastic bag into the canal, the bag having a dead, unborn baby inside), depicts a wide high-angle crane shot of the girl as she walks away from the camera; her singing much more subtle and inhibited. While the two shots vary deeply in terms of style, it is interesting to note that the song sung by the girl is the same in both scenes (the song in question being "Stronger" by Britney Spears). Furthermore, a particular lyric from the song that she seems to frequently sing is "But now I'm stronger than yesterday. Now it's nothing but my way. My loneliness ain't killing me no more." These lyric provide a sense of empowerment to the girl in the film's first scene, and yet (following the twist), seem painfully ironic in the film's final scene.

The first shot (left) is rather triumphant and bold, while the final shot (right) is rather lonely and subtle.

Personally, I find the variety of styles that the film employs to be rather interesting approach. It works rather effectively given the film's nature as a character-driven story, as it provides multiple perspectives of a single character. It could be argued that the fourth-wall-breaking monologues act as the girl's perspective on reality, while the smoother, more emotional flashbacks and cutaways provide the lonely reality; the two converging in the final scene for the rather bittersweet ending.

"The film presents a richly detailed, yet elusive, portrait of a character that neither changes nor triumphs during the course of the brief and lonely journey that leads to an intense twist ending."

                                                              - Felando, C. (2015). Discovering Short Films. 1st ed.

This is an effect that, I think, would be a good idea to attempt to emulate in our project. Similarly to this film, our film is a character-driven story; providing multiple plains of reality that provide multiple perspectives on a single character; the two meeting to form a dramatic twist ending. Considering the already existing similarities between the two films, it may perhaps be a good idea to adopt a similar style within our film; such as utilising a variety of shooting styles and colours between the different layers of reality, as well as perhaps having an ending that links to the start in some way.

More Ideas

After reading through the ideas that we have compiled thus far, we have decided to opt for a slightly different approach towards the way in which the film is delivered. We mostly came to the conclusion that many of our ideas may have been a little too ambitious for a five-minute drama; especially considering our time constraints and equipment limitations. Instead, we have decided to opt for a more minimalist approach to the film's narrative. This idea revolves around our previously established concept of an unreliable narrative; where Luke will reveal details of his life which, when juxtaposed with a related cutaway, are revealed to be slightly inaccurate or exaggerated as a result of his deluded mental state. For example, Luke may say that he has "found a new job"; the cutaway revealing the disturbing truth that he is actually working as a contract killer. What Luke says is technically not incorrect, but is twisted in some disturbing way; as we plan to do so for much of the information he reveals. We also had the idea of the 'therapy session' just being another part of Luke's delusions. Being schizophrenic, Luke may well have multiple personalities, and it may be that in fact, in his own head, he is simultaneously the patient and the psychiatrist. This would be achieveable within the film by constantly keeping Luke as the subject of the shot when in the 'session'; not letting the viewer see who he is talking to. At the end of the film, a wide shot of both 'speakers' would reveal that Luke is also the psychiatrist (achieved through a split-screen effect) and that he has been speaking to another of his personalities and not another person.

New Drama Project

We have recently started working on our third task: a 5 minute drama film. We used the film treatments we had all previously written as a starting point for our ideas; mine being selected to act as the basis for the project. The story of the original treatment concerned a man (Luke) in his early 20s that had been seeing a psychiatrist for the past 15 years or so. He had recently reached a breakthrough; the film chronicling moments of his life from his childhood to present day via a series of flashbacks. However, in hindsight, I realised that this idea would be very difficult to effectively execute in just 5 minutes. Thankfully, as is the nature of film treatments, the idea is open to interpretation and alteration. My original treatment was used as a basis for this project; although it has been subject to many necessary alterations. Some of our ideas can be seen in the image above.

The image mostly provides some notes of our ideas as, at this point, we haven't especially finalised on a particular idea. However, there are some concepts that we have mostly decided on. For example, we have decided that rather than Luke being treated for 15 or so years in a more general sense, he will instead be suffering from a mental condition that causes hallucinations and misconceptions of reality. In addition to this, Luke could act as an unreliable narrator for the film. He will give descriptions of the film's events that, due to his unstable psychology, are inaccurate. We may juxtapose his narration with the true events in order to clarify his unreliablity as a narrator, as well as his deluded perception of reality. In terms of Luke's hallucinations, we may also make use of unusual lighting and camera movement in order to create a tone that is easliy distinguishable from the other parts of the film. By doing so, we will be able to create what seems like an 'alternate reality': the reality that Luke perceives to be real; one that we will likely juxtapose with the true reality in order to clarify his psychological instablity.