I have obtained many skills from this process that I can transfer for any possible future projects.
Analysing existing sketch shows is a good way of obtaining ideas and gathering knowledge of how the shows all work.
I am now extremely confident in operating a HM100 camera and if any future projects require film, I am confident that I can be of much assistance due to the experiences I have had on this module and THE3200 Contemporary Television Drama module.
I can now independently use the editing software IMovie and I am still a confident user of Final Cut Pro despite not actually using it for this project. I have had a useful tutorial on Final Cut Pro and I am confident that if any future projects require the editing of film I will be able to help.
Projections is a skill that I have developed over the course of this module as I am now confident that I can use a projector correctly and put up, or even make a suitable screen in which to project onto.
Time management and preparation skills are important whilst filming and my time keeping abilities were put to the test in this module as I had to balance out the time it took to film and edit with the other modules I had running at the time and organise certain dates in which to film with the other actors.
All of these skills obtained and put into practice will be very useful for any future projects that I may undergo, and the experience I have gained on this module will definitely be of good use in the future.
Sunday, 26 May 2013
What I learnt/Why I made the decisions that I did...
During the process of this module I developed various new skills that were needed in order to achieve the desired outcome.
By researching into the various sketch shows available, I developed an understanding on how they are made, the different types of shows that exist and what is required in order to make a good sketch show.
Throughout the filming process, my learning and understanding of using the HM100 camera developed as I became more comfortable and confident in setting up the tripod, setting up the camera, selecting the correct amount of exposure and filming each sketch. My understanding of using various camera angles developed as I became more artistic and daring with some of the shots used.
I became increasingly familiar with the editing software of both Final Cut Pro and IMovie and became confident in using them to achieve special effects such as fade outs and merges of clips and images. As my understanding developed, I was able to create effects that I never knew existed before the process began.
On the day of the screening, I learnt how to operate a projector and how it worked once it was connected to my laptop and what is required in order to project onto a screen as the final film was projected onto a normal large sheet that had been adjusted in order to complement the projections.
Along the course of the process, there were some vital decisions that had to be made in order for the piece to progress.
Selecting locations was vital as some sketches depended on certain locations in order to make sense. An example of this being the Foster's Ads that required a shed of some sort as the actual adverts take place in a hut or shed-like structure. The decision to film at my auntie's house was vital as it added yet another location to the list and almost added another world to the character. Too many sketches filmed in the same location can get repetitive and boring for the audience.
One sketch that I began to film was my own version of the Gangnam Style music video, however I decided early on to scrap this sketch altogether and replace it with the Rico's Workout sketch. This I felt was the right decision as the sketch became difficult to film due to various locations needed and the music video became dated by the time my sketch show aired.
A huge decision to convert the files and use IMovie instead of Final Cut Pro was made early on in the editing process and was one that I felt was a good choice. As I did not have Final Cut Pro on my laptop, I was forced to go into university and use the editing computers available on campus, however when I discovered that the computers did not recognise the file types, I decided to convert them and use IMovie instead which I had on my laptop, meaning that I could edit the piece from the comfort of my own home. This method was more time saving and despite being a less advanced editing programme, I still achieved the desired outcome.
The final decision that I had to make was an enforced one as I had to select a screen to project onto as both projection screens were being used for another piece. I opted to adjust a large sheet to project onto as this was the best method and the end result was still highly positive.
By researching into the various sketch shows available, I developed an understanding on how they are made, the different types of shows that exist and what is required in order to make a good sketch show.
Throughout the filming process, my learning and understanding of using the HM100 camera developed as I became more comfortable and confident in setting up the tripod, setting up the camera, selecting the correct amount of exposure and filming each sketch. My understanding of using various camera angles developed as I became more artistic and daring with some of the shots used.
I became increasingly familiar with the editing software of both Final Cut Pro and IMovie and became confident in using them to achieve special effects such as fade outs and merges of clips and images. As my understanding developed, I was able to create effects that I never knew existed before the process began.
On the day of the screening, I learnt how to operate a projector and how it worked once it was connected to my laptop and what is required in order to project onto a screen as the final film was projected onto a normal large sheet that had been adjusted in order to complement the projections.
Along the course of the process, there were some vital decisions that had to be made in order for the piece to progress.
Selecting locations was vital as some sketches depended on certain locations in order to make sense. An example of this being the Foster's Ads that required a shed of some sort as the actual adverts take place in a hut or shed-like structure. The decision to film at my auntie's house was vital as it added yet another location to the list and almost added another world to the character. Too many sketches filmed in the same location can get repetitive and boring for the audience.
One sketch that I began to film was my own version of the Gangnam Style music video, however I decided early on to scrap this sketch altogether and replace it with the Rico's Workout sketch. This I felt was the right decision as the sketch became difficult to film due to various locations needed and the music video became dated by the time my sketch show aired.
A huge decision to convert the files and use IMovie instead of Final Cut Pro was made early on in the editing process and was one that I felt was a good choice. As I did not have Final Cut Pro on my laptop, I was forced to go into university and use the editing computers available on campus, however when I discovered that the computers did not recognise the file types, I decided to convert them and use IMovie instead which I had on my laptop, meaning that I could edit the piece from the comfort of my own home. This method was more time saving and despite being a less advanced editing programme, I still achieved the desired outcome.
The final decision that I had to make was an enforced one as I had to select a screen to project onto as both projection screens were being used for another piece. I opted to adjust a large sheet to project onto as this was the best method and the end result was still highly positive.
Evaluation: own views on process and final performance
I encountered many minor problems and set backs over the course of the process that may have affected the overall end result. It became increasingly difficult to write sketches that I could actually possibly film, as many of my ideas involved extreme locations and in one case, a celebrity appearance! I was limited on how many sketches I could write and perform and in some cases, was limited by time constraints, access to certain locations, lack of budget, access to certain props and costume and availability of other actors. This meant that I had to keep the sketches as simple as possible and bear all of these factors in mind. This limited my options, as although I had ideas for around thirty sketches, I only ended up producing around nine. Although I would never have had the time to actually film and edit thirty sketches, I still felt hindered by this.
Location became an issue as a huge majority of the sketches were filmed in or around my own house. This meant that the Mise en scene became familiar as each sketch seemed like it was being filmed in the same room. Out of the nine sketches, six of them were filmed in my rented property at Hendon, one in my actual home in Enfield and two at my auntie's house. This meant that I had to be creative with the space as I could not access a genuine news room for the 10 O'clock News sketch so I had to place a table in the corner of my bedroom.
The actors that did take part were my colleagues and were very helpful and vital in achieving the desired outcome, however finding a date where they were free to help me became an issue, particularly with the A-team sketch as I required another three actors. Planned to be filmed over Easter, the filming date had to be moved back to the beginning of May as there was not an earlier date in which all three actors were available. This meant that I had less time to film it and edit it resulting in unnecessary stress and a rushed final project.
During the filming process, I found myself feeding off the other actors' energy as some suggestions were made whilst filming that ended up staying in the show despite not being in the initial script. An example of this is when Darrel Draper suggested that he should say the line "Now then, Now then" whilst playing the role of (Jimmy) Hannibal (Saville). Another good example of this is when Damien Feeney suggested eating KFC chicken whilst playing B.A Baracus for the A-team sketch. Although that was not an idea I had considered, whilst filming the sketch, it was kept in as to add more humour and a stereotype to his character.
A major issue developed during the editing process as Final Cut Pro failed to recognise the MP4 file types I had filmed each sketch as. This meant that I was forced to convert all of the files as .MOV file types and edit the entire piece on IMovie instead. Being a more basic editing software, a huge majority of techniques and effects that are available on Final Cut Pro were not available on IMovie. This resulted in a poorer film quality and hindered the overall quality of the projections.
Although the sheet that was eventually projected on was not suitable for projections, the outcome was still positive as after trimming and hemming the sides of the sheet and placing a pocket for weights at the bottom, the overall result was a screen that was of a good size and quality and the projections onto it were clear and unspoilt.
After the first viewing of the show at 6pm, I had discovered slight faults with the footage itself. It became clearly evident that the Babestation sketch was too long and was in need of cutting and the sound quality, particularly of the shots taken outside in the wind was poor. However despite being aware of this, there was very little I could do to rectify this as the programme IMovie would have taken around two hours to upload a new edited version of the show and with my next screening being at 7:30pm, I had no time to re-edit and upload a new version.
Despite all of the problems that occurred, I was still proud of the final project and what I had achieved, as the camera equipment available to me was not of the best quality and I had very limited practice with the equipment, but I had achieved a sketch show lasting for roughly half an hour that was of good quality and one that I could be proud of.
Location became an issue as a huge majority of the sketches were filmed in or around my own house. This meant that the Mise en scene became familiar as each sketch seemed like it was being filmed in the same room. Out of the nine sketches, six of them were filmed in my rented property at Hendon, one in my actual home in Enfield and two at my auntie's house. This meant that I had to be creative with the space as I could not access a genuine news room for the 10 O'clock News sketch so I had to place a table in the corner of my bedroom.
The actors that did take part were my colleagues and were very helpful and vital in achieving the desired outcome, however finding a date where they were free to help me became an issue, particularly with the A-team sketch as I required another three actors. Planned to be filmed over Easter, the filming date had to be moved back to the beginning of May as there was not an earlier date in which all three actors were available. This meant that I had less time to film it and edit it resulting in unnecessary stress and a rushed final project.
During the filming process, I found myself feeding off the other actors' energy as some suggestions were made whilst filming that ended up staying in the show despite not being in the initial script. An example of this is when Darrel Draper suggested that he should say the line "Now then, Now then" whilst playing the role of (Jimmy) Hannibal (Saville). Another good example of this is when Damien Feeney suggested eating KFC chicken whilst playing B.A Baracus for the A-team sketch. Although that was not an idea I had considered, whilst filming the sketch, it was kept in as to add more humour and a stereotype to his character.
A major issue developed during the editing process as Final Cut Pro failed to recognise the MP4 file types I had filmed each sketch as. This meant that I was forced to convert all of the files as .MOV file types and edit the entire piece on IMovie instead. Being a more basic editing software, a huge majority of techniques and effects that are available on Final Cut Pro were not available on IMovie. This resulted in a poorer film quality and hindered the overall quality of the projections.
Although the sheet that was eventually projected on was not suitable for projections, the outcome was still positive as after trimming and hemming the sides of the sheet and placing a pocket for weights at the bottom, the overall result was a screen that was of a good size and quality and the projections onto it were clear and unspoilt.
After the first viewing of the show at 6pm, I had discovered slight faults with the footage itself. It became clearly evident that the Babestation sketch was too long and was in need of cutting and the sound quality, particularly of the shots taken outside in the wind was poor. However despite being aware of this, there was very little I could do to rectify this as the programme IMovie would have taken around two hours to upload a new edited version of the show and with my next screening being at 7:30pm, I had no time to re-edit and upload a new version.
Despite all of the problems that occurred, I was still proud of the final project and what I had achieved, as the camera equipment available to me was not of the best quality and I had very limited practice with the equipment, but I had achieved a sketch show lasting for roughly half an hour that was of good quality and one that I could be proud of.
The Entire Process...
There were many stages to the proposition module that were of crucial importance to the final product. Here is a step by step guide on the process that I undertook:
1) Selecting a field that I wanted to explore and fill out the proposition form: After establishing that comedy was the route that I wanted to explore, I then went about filling in the form stating why I wanted to explore this particular field and what I would learn from it.
2) Research into existing sketch shows: After the form was approved, I then went about my research, looking into existing sketch shows, analysing how they are made and put together and the different types and genres that they explore. During the research process, I had taken some influences from the sketches that I had viewed and used similar techniques in my own show.
3) Writing my sketches: After extensive research, I was able to begin writing my own sketches based around the sketches I had viewed and my own inspirations from general everyday activities. After writing and in some cases, re-writing around nine sketches, I began selecting locations for them to be shot at and thought about the props and costume I would need for each one and in some cases, sourcing the extra actors and actresses if required.
4) Creating Shot logs/Storyboards for each sketch: After selecting the locations for each sketch, I was able to begin thinking about how I was going to shoot them. This required an artistic eye, as to achieve a professional result, a variation of camera angles and techniques must be displayed. Creating the shot logs/storyboards required selecting different camera angles for each piece of dialogue and thinking about how the show was going to cut together. Selecting the correct camera angles for the right piece of dialogue is essential in building a relationship with the piece and the audience.
5) Shooting the sketches: This was the longest process and the most difficult to achieve as it required lengthy periods of time to set up the Mise en scene for each shot and consider the amount of light and sound would be captured by the camera. Adding to the length of this process was the fact that due to the availability of certain actors, filming dates had to be delayed as some actors were not available to film on certain dates. Due to these reasons, the filming process took longer than I had anticipated, however it was still achieved to the standard that I had hoped.
6) Editing the film: The editing process required certain knowledge in order to operate the editing software. Having filmed the footage on an MP4 file type, using Final Cut Pro was a necessity as it is one of the few programmes that recognise this file type, however once I loaded the programme up for the first time, I realised that the editing software was not recognising the MP4 file type as it failed to upload the footage. After several attempts at figuring out why this was, I decided that the best thing to do was to convert each file into a .MOV file type and edit the piece on my laptop with the IMovie programme. Due to time constraints, this was the most efficient and practical method of editing the footage.
7) The presentation: Once the footage had been edited and the show was put together to create the final half an hour piece, it was time to present it to my colleagues. The studio selected for presenting the show had a projector already installed, so connecting the laptop to the projector was a simple process. The difficulty came in the form of the screen in which to project the show on to as I had discovered that another colleague was using both projection sheets for his proposition module which left me with a task of finding another screen to use. After looking around the prop store, the only thing available was a large sheet, however it was not in a good enough condition for projections. The sheet had to be cut down as there was rough edges around it, hemmed on all four sides, ironed and pressed as to remove the creases from the sheet in order to achieve a smooth projection, a pocket was sewn along the bottom of the sheet so a piece of wood could slot into it weighing the sheet down as it hung from the studio and it had to be pinned up with giant safety pins as there was nothing attached to the sheet to hang it from. Despite this problem, the final quality of the projections onto the sheet was still of a high quality and I was happy with the overall result. The last thing to do was to organise box office in the form of an events page on Facebook and create a poster for the show in order to inform my colleagues and the staff of the screening times.
Monday, 6 May 2013
Storyboard for: 10 O'clock News Sketch
Final Script for: 10 O'clock News Sketch
Cast
Anutta Wanker - Riccardo Lettieri
Cantget Nopussy - Riccardo Lettieri
Sweet Brown - Riccardo Lettieri
Italk Toofast - Riccardo Lettieri
INT. News room. Night 10:00pm
The news music is playing as a figure of the news reader reading a Nuts magazine appears. He does not recognise the camera for a while. Eventually he throws the Nuts magazine aside, shuffles his papers and begins to deliver the news.
Anutta Wanker
Hi there and welcome to the ten O'clock news, I'm Anutta Wanker. Our main stories, in Hendon in North West London, childhood obesity is at it's highest ever level, however pedophillia is at it's lowest ever level. Our news reporter Cantget Nopussy is in Hendon. So whats the situation?
We cut to the news reporter who is standing outside. He picks his nose and licks the finger before receiving the news in his ear piece.
EXT. Hendon. Day 15:30pm
Cantget Nopussy
Well, basically, the kids are getting fatter and the pedophiles are getting far too picky if you ask me... Back to the studio.
We return to the news room where Anutta Wanker is drinking Fosters before he realises the camera.
INT. News room. Night 10:01pm
Anutta Wanker
Our other top story, there was a massive fire that took place in Africa last night. We were able to interview one of the local residents as she describes her horrifying experience when se first realised that the complex was on fire.
Cut to Sweet Brown as she stands beside a building describing her experience.
EXT. Africa. Morning. 11:34am
Sweet Brown
Well, I woke up to go get me a cold pop, then I thought somebody was barbecuing, I said oh Lord Jesus its a fire! Then I ran out I didn't grab no shoes or nothing Jesus, I ran for my life. Then the smoke got me I got bronchitis... Ain't nobody got time for that!
Cut to the news room where there is an empty chair. Anutta Wanker returns to his seat in a hurry. His shirt buttons have been undone and his hair is all messy.
INT. News room. Night 10:01pm
Anutta Wanker
Let's get the latest sports news now with our sports correspondent Italk Toofast. So what's been happening in the world of sport?
Cut to Italk Toofast as he stands in front of an I love Tottenham poster whilst wearing a Tottenham Hotspur shirt. He speaks incredibly quickly...
INT. Sports room. Night 10:02pm
Italk Toofast
Luis Suarez is a prick, Gareth Bale is awesome, Arsenal are scum, QPR lost again, Man Utd won again, Chelsea, Wigan and Norwich all lost coz they're shit, Bayern Munich thrashed Barcelona and apparently the referee is a wanker, back to you in the studio...
Cut to Anutta Wanker as he is snorting drugs on the news table. He recognises the camera, pushes he drugs away, removes the rolled up five pound note from his nose and ends the news report.
INT. News room. Night 10:03pm
Anutta Wanker
That's all from us, have a lovely evening, take care and goodnight.
He gets up to leave his chair. We realise that he is not wearing any trousers. The news music ends and there is a blackout.
END
Inspiration for: 10 O'clock News Sketch
This sketch was created and filmed last minute! The inspiration and idea to do this sketch came very late on in the process whilst filming the A-team sketch.
The Sweet Brown cutaway shot within the A-team sketch was a spoof on an actual news report following a fire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udS-OcNtSWo
After filming it, I came up with the idea of doing more spoofs on news reports and even making up some of my own. Then the idea developed into creating my own news report, inventing characters such as Anutta Wanker and Cantget Nopussy. With these daft and useless-at-their-job characters, I added humour into presenting the news.
The Sweet Brown cutaway shot within the A-team sketch was a spoof on an actual news report following a fire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udS-OcNtSWo
After filming it, I came up with the idea of doing more spoofs on news reports and even making up some of my own. Then the idea developed into creating my own news report, inventing characters such as Anutta Wanker and Cantget Nopussy. With these daft and useless-at-their-job characters, I added humour into presenting the news.
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Technical Challenges
During the course of the module, I encountered many technical challenges that required specific knowledge in order to overcome.
The first technical challenge was operating the HM100 camera and recording the actual piece itself. This process took the longest to achieve as several hours is needed to set up the camera, set up and dress the location for the shots, choose the camera angles and physically shoot it. This challenge was made increasingly more difficult by the fact that for a large majority of the sketches, I was on my own which required me to set the camera up on a tripod, focus, and press record and stop myself. This only added to the time it took to shoot the sketches. The general set-up that the camera requires before shooting are as follows:
First you need to set the white balance by holding up a white piece of paper and using the white balance button on the side of the camera until the colour of your shot looks the same as it does with your naked eye.
Then you need to set the focus to manual and adjust the aperture. This is achieved once a small symbol of a hand with the letter 'F' appears on the display screen.
Once the shot is set up, you then need to adjust the zoom and focus. This is done by zooming fully into the object you wish to film, pulling the focus with the focus wheel on the camera, then zooming out again.
After practicing the shot, you are ready to film. Allow five seconds either side at the start and end of the shot for editing purposes. It is also advised to shoot a master shot which is a wide shot of the entire scene as a backup just incase the scenes do not cut together in the edit.
The second technical challenge came in the editing process. Learning and using Final Cut Pro was essential in order to edit the footage and cut it all together to create the final show. Being a complicated programme, it took an induction workshop and several hours practice to get to know how the programme works and how to achieve your desired effects such as slow motion and fade outs ect.
The final technical challenge came in operating the projector itself. As I desire to have the show filmed then projected onto a giant screen, almost like a cinema, knowledge on how to install, set up and operate the projector was essential. As I had never operated a projector before, assistance was required in installing and working it. Placing up a suitable screen for which to project on was also needed and required assistance.
Overall, amongst all of the technical challenges encountered on the module, specific knowledge was obtained in order for progress to be achieved as I did not know how to operate a camera, edit film or install and use a projector before the module started.
The first technical challenge was operating the HM100 camera and recording the actual piece itself. This process took the longest to achieve as several hours is needed to set up the camera, set up and dress the location for the shots, choose the camera angles and physically shoot it. This challenge was made increasingly more difficult by the fact that for a large majority of the sketches, I was on my own which required me to set the camera up on a tripod, focus, and press record and stop myself. This only added to the time it took to shoot the sketches. The general set-up that the camera requires before shooting are as follows:
First you need to set the white balance by holding up a white piece of paper and using the white balance button on the side of the camera until the colour of your shot looks the same as it does with your naked eye.
Then you need to set the focus to manual and adjust the aperture. This is achieved once a small symbol of a hand with the letter 'F' appears on the display screen.
Once the shot is set up, you then need to adjust the zoom and focus. This is done by zooming fully into the object you wish to film, pulling the focus with the focus wheel on the camera, then zooming out again.
After practicing the shot, you are ready to film. Allow five seconds either side at the start and end of the shot for editing purposes. It is also advised to shoot a master shot which is a wide shot of the entire scene as a backup just incase the scenes do not cut together in the edit.
The second technical challenge came in the editing process. Learning and using Final Cut Pro was essential in order to edit the footage and cut it all together to create the final show. Being a complicated programme, it took an induction workshop and several hours practice to get to know how the programme works and how to achieve your desired effects such as slow motion and fade outs ect.
The final technical challenge came in operating the projector itself. As I desire to have the show filmed then projected onto a giant screen, almost like a cinema, knowledge on how to install, set up and operate the projector was essential. As I had never operated a projector before, assistance was required in installing and working it. Placing up a suitable screen for which to project on was also needed and required assistance.
Overall, amongst all of the technical challenges encountered on the module, specific knowledge was obtained in order for progress to be achieved as I did not know how to operate a camera, edit film or install and use a projector before the module started.
Storyboard for: A-Team sketch
SHOT 2: Long shot of team around the table.
SHOT 3: Medium Close-Up shot of Face.
SHOT 4: Medium shot of Mr. T reading a newspaper.
SHOT 5: Long shot of team around a map.
SHOT 6: Medium Close-Up of Murdock.
SHOT 7: Point Of View shot of Face in his bedroom.
SHOT 8: Medium shot of Face with a condom.
SHOT 9: Medium Close-Up shot of Mr. T.
SHOT 10: Close-Up shot of Mr. T's face.
SHOT 11: Panning shot of Hannibal as the camera starts at his feet and pans up to his face.
SHOT 15: Medium Close-Up shot of Mr. T staring.
SHOT 23: Over the Shoulder shot of Hannibal reading the article aloud to the group.
SHOT 24: Long shot of team behind the table reading the map.
SHOT 25: Long shot of team walking towards door.
Storyboard for: Blow-Up Date Part 2
Storyboard for Fosters Ad 2
SHOT 2: Close-Up of phone speaker.
SHOT 3: Establishing shot of boys in shed answering phone.
SHOT 4: Medium shot of caller.
SHOT 9: Medium Close-Up of Brad.
SHOT 10: Medium shot of caller.
SHOT 11: Establishing shot of boys as they establish the problem.
SHOT 18: Close-Up of Foster's pint and can on table.
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