Production Log
After researching the genre, it was time to start making plans. Firstly I needed to use my knowledge of the subject and jot down some ideas and drawings of all the possibilities. I had watched some previous productions of this nature and was able to learn a lot from their strengths and weaknesses. I drew up a storyboard template and sat down at my desk in an attempt to think up a possible project. However, this proved to be a much greater task than I had anticipated, especially as I was working by myself and had nobody as such to 'bounce ideas off'. For several days I couldn't think of anything that I liked; I could imagine individual scenes in my head of wonderful thrilling action, but could not string anything together coherently. During this week of uncertainty I watched a couple of action thriller movies, both of which inspired me. I have a particular interest in the works of directors David Lynch and Martin Scorsese, and took much of my inspiration from their works. Martin Scorsese has made many classic thriller films, the most famous of which being Goodfellas I enjoyed his style and his portrayal of Mafia life. David Lynch on the other hand has a large surrealistic influence, in fact after viewing his most recent film; I left the cinema feeling quite disconcerted.
So, I decided to create a sort of blend of the two, mixing the conventional smart, authoritarian, collar-and-tie male and homicidal renegade with surreal influence. After toying with storylines on paper I produced one I particularly liked and drew up a very rough storyboard.
Having invented the theory of my production, it was time to plan the practical aspects. I needed to organize locations, equipment and people. I had already made the decision not to have many actors in my production, working singly; it was much harder to find reliable people to use for the simple reason that 'it wasn't their coursework'. However I managed to sort out dates, times and places with all the appropriate people and equipment. The only thing I was unable to rely upon was the weather!
As far as equipment was concerned, I decided that I was going to film some of my production using a wide-angle lens. I intended to film the outdoor scenes during the daytime - some of the locations I wanted to use wouldn't have been the safest places to be at night with a valuable video camera. Also, this meant that I could use natural light instead of having to take a huge lighting setup on location with me. I could compensate for this by adding any lighting effects on at the editing stage. I did however decide to use additional lighting in the indoor scenes.
Fortunately, the microphone on the camera itself was of a good quality and so the recording of diegetic sound including the dialogue was not of great concern, especially as there was to be very little dialogue. I was able to beg and borrow the props I intended to use, one of which included a replica gun - this meant that I had to inform the police in case they got any reports of armed youths!
Having planned my production I decided to take action as soon as was possible.
I had originally planned to do ...
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Fortunately, the microphone on the camera itself was of a good quality and so the recording of diegetic sound including the dialogue was not of great concern, especially as there was to be very little dialogue. I was able to beg and borrow the props I intended to use, one of which included a replica gun - this meant that I had to inform the police in case they got any reports of armed youths!
Having planned my production I decided to take action as soon as was possible.
I had originally planned to do the filming of my production on two separate days - one day for the indoor scenes and one day for the outdoor scenes. The locations were approximately 4 miles apart and so it would have been folly to try and do it all in one day. The indoor filming went quite well, apart from the fact that the building I filmed in was quite noisy, and there was dialogue in those scenes. I didn't want to risk doing voiceovers - I learned from experience that it is much easier said than done. Also, there was a slight problem with the lighting I used, in that it seemed to highlight the actors face in some places and leave it in shadow in others. This was because he was not lit from all angles adequately. However, I overcame this problem by making a few adjustments.
The real problems came when I filmed the outdoor scenes. Firstly I had to transport all the equipment down to an industrial estate, which was not a problem. The actor and assistant cameraman turned up as planned and after the actor had changed into his suit, we began to film. After about thirty minutes or so, the previously blue sky had changed into a murky grey colour and rain appeared imminent. It would have been a bad decision to have tried to continue so I decided to call it a day (be it a short one.)
It was some days until the weather allowed me to film again, but let it not be supposed that I did nothing to my advantage in those days - I looked at the little that I had filmed and analysed its good points and bad points. I then made revisions to my plans so as to be sure that it would look as good as possible; editing can't cover up all discrepancies in the raw footage!
During this day of filming, the weather stayed fine and so allowed me to work efficiently and productively. My only set back was that my assistant cameraman made a grave error with the 'record' button on the camera and turned it off when it was supposed to be on and vice versa. But, thankfully this error was realised before we left the location.
Having finished the filming aspect of the production, it was time to use the editing software. My original intentions were to make use the departments editing software, using a programme called imovie, which was run on a Macintosh computer. This was a fairly simple piece of software aimed at fairly inexperienced producers - ideal (or so it would seem) for people in my position. Having imported my clips via fire-wire, I did an initial sort of the ones that were useful and the ones that were not. Having deleted the unwanted clips I began the slow process of trimming each individual clip to the correct length and placing them in order. This was quite a lengthy process, partly because I was unfamiliar with the software. However, it was in the editing stage that I reaped the benefit of working alone, I could do it at any time I wished and also, I could have it exactly as I wanted it to be.
The clips were now all in the right place at the right time in the correct order, I looked at my work and was pleased - it was all ready to add the special effects. I had viewed previous projects that had been constructed on imovie and I decided that I wanted to use something a little more professional to overlay the effects and sound. I exported the images from the Macintosh computer back onto my DV tape and then imported them onto my PC, which has an editing programme called Adobe Premiere 6. This software was much harder to use, but my recent experience with imovie had taught me some valuable lessons and as a result I picked up the basics of the programme fairly rapidly.
There were an awful lot of special effects to be added in order for it to look, as I wanted it to. Firstly, the film was meant to be set in America, which meant that the lighting had to look different - it needed to have an orange glow. For the vast majority of the film, this effect had to be added. I also edited in some lens flare during the shot of the passing train (as well as speeding the train up!) Perhaps the most noticeable effects were that of the blurring in the first sequence of the production and the gunshot effect, consisting of the sound and the fire leaping from the gun barrel. After editing in the effects I imported a music file to put over the top of the diegetic sound. There was quite a lot of work to be done in balancing the sound levels - there was obviously a lot more noise outside in the industrial estate than in the office!
Finally, I added the titles, which were quite plain in comparison to the picture. I then exported the finished piece onto VHS and pressed play.
Analysis of the finished project
The films' soundtrack consists of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Originally I intended to cut out the diegetic sound other than the dialogue, but revised my decision. The sound of traffic and passing trains gave it a more raw appeal and contributed to the atmosphere of urban decay. The film opens with the sound of a radio being tuned with a single high note over the top. The radio sound suggests that somebody is listening in or spying on the man in the office - he is dealing with private, even secret affairs and he is unaware that somebody is listening him to. The audience in this case are the voyeurs. The single high note creates tension, as if something is about to happen. It symbolises an evil presence looming within the room. The next part of the soundtrack is mainly diegetic, however the high note still remains, leaving the audience in suspense. The diegetic sound is of the man having a conversation on the phone. The audience only see and hear his end of the conversation - this intrigues them as to who is on the other end of the line. The final part of the soundtrack in this section is of the phone slamming down. The sound has been slowed down and given an echo, which dramatises the whole event.
The second part of the soundtrack consists mainly of some music. It is quite percussive, much like many films in this genre. The music is in a minor key and has a dark sound, suggesting again that all is not well. At one point the music cuts out completely, in conjunction with the BCU on the hooded skaters face. The sound at this point is of a cold wind. This has many connotations, including desolation, evil and moreover death. The music then cuts back in again and continues to the end of the sequence, near which there is the sound of a gunshot. The music ends exactly with the end of the sequence, giving the film a sense of completeness and symbolising the end of the first 'chapter'.
There are a wide variety of camera angles in the film; the opening uses mainly still shots - mid shots, close-ups and a big close-up of the mans mouth when he is speaking on the phone. When the man begins walking a zoom-pan shot is used as he passes by. Again, this emphasises the fact that he is being watched, especially when he walks under the bridge; the camera is at a low angle and the shot is quite dark, as if the audience are hiding and spying on him. When the hooded skater first appears, the camera zooms to a big close-up on him very quickly. The remaining shots are largely static - there is enough action taking place in the shot without the camera having to move. Also this conforms to the idea that the audience are secretly viewing all of the events in the film.
The opening of the film, set in the office displays all the classic items one would expect to find in an office; filing cabinets, a laptop computer, a coffee cup and a phone. Also, the audience can see the mans brief case, which suggests to them that it will be important in the near future. The mise-en-scene is realistic throughout the film, particularly at the end, where the man approaches his destination - a decayed subway, with various bits of rubbish lying around.
There are a large number of special effects in the film, in fact throughout the whole piece there have been adjustments made to the colour. The opening has been given a blurred effect, which acts in conjunction with the fuzzy sound of the radio. This intrigues the audience into learning more about the man. During the BCU of the hooded skater, a greenish tinge has been added to his face, making him appear evil and almost alien. Perhaps the most noticeable special effect is that of the gunshot, where the audience see the flash as the fatal round is fired. During this scene, the image has been changed to make it appear dirty, which reinforces the idea of urban decay.
The editing in the film mainly consists of cuts between shots. The only other transition used appears at the end, when the screen fades into blackness and the film title, "Lost Witness" appears. The rest of the titles have been added at the beginning, to conform to the conventions of action thriller. Also, they have been placed here so that they are the main point of focus in this section of the film - the audience cannot see anything else clearly due to the blurred effect.
The film has conformed to the conventions of action thriller film as well as having moments of surrealism as well. Together they are very effective combination and as a result, the film is exciting, tense and thrilling; a great entertainment experience.
John Bussey 6129 AS Media Studies Coursework
