2 Day Project Waggle Dance

Waggle Dance......The very name conjures up some strange images. But in reality the Waggle Dance name comes from a very real thing and makes an awful lot of sense. Its the kind of name that would be funny to the majority because of just the name but to those who have knowledge of bees will know that its a very calculated and well thought out inside joke. Anyway enough about the name. Whats amazing is how well thought out the game is. Don't get me wrong the game is as complicated as it gets, but we could just be being thick. After looking blankly at the instructions for an hour....or two....or more we eventually figured out how to play the game. The end result is a really fun and strategic game that makes a lot of sense and even has the ability to make players wage war with each other over pollen.

So when it came to making the video we had to try and compress the main game play basics into a short a video as possible while explaining how it in enough detail to make sense. Having prior knowledge to the game made compressing it so very much easier. But choosing each little bit to explain took some time but overall I think the video ended up being a relatively good representation of how the game is meant to be played and gives detailed information on the crucial parts of game play.

Video Story Board

(1.https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/10385606_485747144860423_2707509845989947518_n.jpg)

(2.https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10440833_485747164860421_6671113982782861718_n.jpg)

When it came to choreographing all the points we wanted to showcase, in the video, we had to choose a theme or a style of video that we wanted to do. After a little bit of searching around the internet at guides and how to's I suggested we look at a video by a production company called PES. This group of animators/photographers really enjoy specifically making incredibly smooth animations that to me become hard to differentiate between video and Pixelation. So that's where we took our inspiration from. Add some Timelapses, Voice Overs and some Writing and you get our creation. The brain child of Me and Joe Callaghan Lynch was helped created by the rest of our group during production. The editing of the film was split between me and Joe....mostly Me but everyone gave input to how it should look.

                                        http://media.salon.com/2013/01/pes_qa2-620x412.jpg

When it came to shooting for the video we rented out the photography studio so we could house everyone involved and have space to maneuver everything we were using. The filming process that we were doing required a fair bit of attention to detail and precision as we wanted the Pixelation to look as professional as possible. The filming and photography was divided up between Me and Joe for the duration of the practice while the rest of the group either worked with the lights or were involved in moving and placing the pieces of the game. It was all a good bit of fun and was enjoyable for all but Me and Joe who spent the majority of the time trying to make the video look as good as possible, but in reflection we needed people to be serious and get it looking good and it was still kinda fun.

Overall I enjoyed the production and editing of the video. Its one of the videos and work set that I really enjoyed. It was good fun to make and produce as a group. I hope our video gets chosen by Grublin Games inc but if they choose another that is superior to ours then I am perfectly happy to congratulate the winners.

Review of ‘My Recurring Dream’ directed by Andre Chocron

1. Start by writing a overall review of this video, discussing your personal viewpoints regarding the
video.

When watching the 'My Recurring Dream' video you can see that so much planning went into each and every transition,scene and movement was planned with care and attention to insane detail. The very video focuses on just making everything look good while maintaining a one shot video look by crafting a transition style that uses a link to each sequence as a beginning and the end for every clip. Its something I have not seen in many forms of film or anything else for that matter but if you are looking for examples, look no further.

(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTqEdGq0h-pdFfN5KpKtb7ZVyuB1hK7wabKl-4lHYPhXQ7bxjt1)

The tone of the video I believe was and is designed to be all about the quirky and unexplained things that appear in the video. The Director Andre Chocron I believe takes us on a journey through all of these different locations in a way that is certainly a lot different to anything else I have seen. The combination of shots that are both reversed footage and normal forward shots is something that doesnt happen without immense planning and attention to detail and it is definitely something that works very well in the overall aesthetic of the film and is definitely the bread and butter of the video.

The way the music fits the the video is probably my favorite thing about it so far. The music doesnt need to be in sync. The video tells enough story that the music almost becomes secondary in my eyes. But it also wouldn't be the same without it. The music is a great compliment to the video as it just adds to the way you feel as you watch. I personally think that the music itself is great and deserves credit as well.

(http://www.juliusdesign.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/dream1.jpg)

Out of all the Transitions that appear in the the video, my personal favorite has to be the TV transition in the stairwell.The way they used the older fashioned TV as the transition to a train looked great. The effect  of moving through a TV into the Train is just something that appealed to me because its a clever mechanic that to me was great for the stairwell that looked somewhat old fashioned. The TV effect, that I cant seem to pin a name on just makes the transition look better and stand out as the camera dives into the TV and then clears up to follow the women in the yellow dress. All in all its just my favorite transition because it just flows so well between shots.

So lets get to the 3 words that I would use to describe this video.
1.Precise (like hitting a bulls-eye ehh ehhh)
2. Planned
I choose Precise in conjunction with Planned. Purely because its the truth. Everything about the video screams precision and planning because of just how cleverly portrayed and filmed it is. The way the scenes and the actors are coordinated shows how much they really cared to plan and make sure that they are not out of place or a distraction from the scenes destination. Taking care over everything that is seen is the reason why I have picked these words.

(http://keenetrial.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/precise-evidence-e1392352782163.jpg)

(http://www.silentradio.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/carefully-planned.jpg)

3. Inventive 

How can you say the video isn't inventive? You cant, to me everything I see has obviously has been inspired by something. But everything they are inspired from is worked with  to make it their own, from the water pouring from the painting to the static on the TV screen. Its just clean, quick and visually intriguing. Something Andre Chocron seems to be an expert at, like his other video Havoc.    

(http://www.parking-net.com/Upload/ContentManagersPictures/InventiveIT/inventive-it-2013.jpg)

Floor Plan

Link to My "Recurring Dream" (https://vimeo.com/95960796)

FOLEY RESEARCH

1. Who exactly is Jack Donovan Foley? Well to state is simply, the pioneer behind the Foley technique named after him. The movie business was already using and adding in sound after recording scenes thats no myth. So what does Jack Donovan Foley so that was so pioneering? What Jack Foley did was tailor make  sounds for each scene so that each sound was unique and felt much more real then using generic and often bland sounds. Its a line of work that until his death was never credited. He was never featured in the credit of any film he created sounds  for. The foley industry has become massive and there are awards given to films for their sound effects and other sound related arts. But to think it all really started from one man thinking about making something just sound better. Its amazing to listen to just the noises of a film and realise how a silentfilm looks just so out of place.
 (Picture Right http://filmsound.org/foley/foley.jpg)

2. The technique that Foley created was and still is a way of creating sounds after filming to be edited in after. One example that seems to be very prominent in his career was working on the film "Spartacus". This is a quote from http://filmsound.org/foley/unsung-hero.htm "Director Stanley Kubrick wanted to reshoot the Roman army marching to battle because the location sound was no good. Foley ran out to his car and retrieved a large ring of keys, which he then jangled in sync to the march step, creating the rhythmic "ching" of the armour and saving production the expense of a two-day shoot with soldier extras."As an example of what foley is, this cant get any better. Using everyday objects to create sounds for a film is basically as simple as it gets. Many people who work in the business have their workshops full of hundreds of different objects to create unique and varying sounds for many films. Its a form of work that I view myself as a form of art and I think could be very enjoyable to do.



3. When it came to creating the Foley technique it was done under a bit of commercial pressure. When he was at the age of 23 he was working with Universal Studios in 1914. He worked with them on some of their silent films but when the world of film decided its time for sound made its entrance he and a sound team were brought in by Universal studios to make their silent musical Show Boat a fully sounded film. Due to the fact the Microphones could only just about record voices and singing Foley and a team were given the task of creating the sounds for the rest of the film. This is possibly the first film to unofficially use the Foley technique.
(Picture Right http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Broadcasting_a_radio_play_at_NBC_studio.jpg/330px-Broadcasting_a_radio_play_at_NBC_studio.jpg)

4. To me the reason Foley is still used is because its just so darned effective. I mean watching any film behind the scenes has evidence of it being used, but there is no way you could tell that the sounds were added in after, its something that never occurs to a viewer until told about it. Like I mention above I believe its a great form of art and is very much ingrained into film making itself as a key component. I don't think any great film that has been out in the last 20 years would be the same without the hard work that goes into each and every sound recorded by a Foley Artist. Is there any doubt that it shouldn't be replaced in my mind. No is the simple answer. The work is amazing and its a essential part of every film and if done right can make or break a film. Thats why to me it is a crucial part of film culture and deserves to be part of it for as long as we create films.

(All quotes http://filmsound.org/foley/unsung-hero.htm)

HAVOC (Director Andre Chocron, 3m34s, Norway, 2013.)

When it comes to watching Andre Chacron's havoc I get the sense they are looking to try and show Havoc like chaos. (For example "that tornado was causing havoc") When watching the video for me I would have preferred that the actions and movement of the actors, stuntmen and the dance be more precise and in sync but taking in account of the title i can see how its not supposed to be in time with each other. To me the work Havoc bring to mind the thought of chaos and destruction. Which the video does show very well considering it was all filmed in 18 seconds at 300 frames a second. At a snails pace like it is it shows all the movement coinciding with each other. The flames, the dancer, the stuntmen and the popping of the balloon show a good representation of the term Havoc to me.

If I was organizing and directing this music video I would have chosen to have a very unorganized but organised chaos. Having everything in the video look in time but still chaotic at the same time. Because of the nature of the film itself being 18 seconds long in film time but 300 frames a second make it all about what you can get in during that 18 seconds. Trying to pack enough into 18 seconds that translates into a 3 minute video and isn't boring is very interesting and required a lot of planning and rehearsal to get everyone running in the time zone.

When the final result was shown to us I couldn't help but not like how some of it seem to be off at certain points. One such example that bothered me was when the dancer seemed to take up more of one side of the shot then the others and lacked overall symmetry. While I feel like that's the intended purpose I think it would have shown off more of what was happening in the background and made it look a little better. Having one side blocked I think was a bit of a mistake in my eyes, but that's just me and it could have been a conscious decision by Mr Chocron.

 The 2 steps to figure out the speed of which the film was slowed to.

1.    25 ÷ 300  = 0.083

2. 0.083 x 100 = 8.3% of the regular speed.

Steps to fugure out how long the footage is?

1. 300 FPS x 18 seconds of footage  = 5,400 approximate frames.  

2. 5,400 ÷ 25 FPS = 216 seconds of resulting footage.

1

When it game it came to filming our own group Havoc video the group was led by our course leader Tim Dickinson. He gave us all direction but allowed us the creativity and freedom to do what we want, within reason. The group was really a kind of clay, Tim managed us to make sure each of us was given a reasonable time on camera to show off our tricks, movements and most importantly our bubbles. When it came to practicing for the final run through it was mainly about getting the timings right, like switching or doing your piece correctly. It was just about making sure the final run-through is as good and it could be for the edit and hopefully to be used in the music video.

One of the main things we used in this production was the Camera Dolly. Camera Dollies are used to film something moving or in our example to move around a set location. Its often used specifically to capture moving objects, cars and people. One of the biggest uses I know of outside of the film business is the use in sports. Specifically I know of in Rugby. They use it to run up and down the touchline following the ball and the players as they run. Its becoming an increasingly useful  for sports and films as they allow cameras to move at speed up to 18 feet per second (Cheetah Dolly http://pacificmotion.net/cranes-and-dollies/cheetah-dolly ) There are different varieties of Dollies, ones you sit on and ones that are programmable for instance.

(http://www.aceeast.com/cam_images/TrackRunner2.jpg)

Zombie Movie

When it comes to zombies there is nothing I like more in films. Especially when mixed with comedy, like ZombieLand. Zombie films and Zombie survival are something that comes to my mind on a daily basis, what can I do with that golf club, when would this song be good in a zombie film etc etc. I love the ZomCom genre with a passion and its the type of film that I want to be making as a fully fledged director.  Below is my copy of the film edited by me.

 Getting dressed up as a zombie was great fun for the day as  its a great way to have a laugh and to see the public's reactions when walking around is great. I have to say I felt bad for the young kids who didn't particularly know how to process a zombie walking through the city. But it was a good sign that the make up was at least effective to make people have to give some of us a second look.

Reviewing the footage I was able to picture the way I wanted  to set it out the film. Like that of the original Zombie films like that of "Night of the Living Dead". The black and white effect in Zombie films I think is a very classic way to go and can make a film with gore look great. The footage I was given at the end of the day to edit was good but I feel like if I had been with a group of people I knew well that I would have been able to help create some more shots for the film and add to the general aesthetic of the film.

I would have liked to have been more involved in the film production and directing, but being a zombie meant I couldn't be a director. I could put my ideas forward but not being close with anyone within the group I felt a lot like an outsider and that I had no power in the group.  To have so many ideas and no one who was willing to listen killed my enthusiasm for the day even if zombies are my favorite genre. At the end of the day what I came out with was a decent edit of some decent footage. I feel the day would have gone better in a group of people I know and I can talk to as colleagues and discuss things without being rebuffed as happened.

Final Documentary Items and Review

Storyboard

In this sequence I have shown in the drawings the beginning of each shot. This does include the video I put in as at the end of the shot its shrunk down leads to the opening of the next shot.

Location Release Forms

Review

Filming this documentary was a fairly easy process as it required very little movement, equipment and technological experience. We had a very simple day of filming that lead to a relatively easy time during the editing phase. The only problem I had during the filming was just getting the lines right but that was easily over come by taking a few takes to get it right and then picking the best take of those.

As far as editing it was easy to create fairly good looking with what we had. Making the clips flow was very simple as we only had a few basic shots to put in order and a few other clips to show as examples.

The clips of The Walking Dead I used where a good choice as they are my favorite and are described as the very best examples of great Story Telling. "From the very beginning, The Walking Dead sinks its teeth in and never lets you go. It's a journey in the truest sense of the word, replete with tragedy, heartache, tension, fear, and even brief moments of catharsis. Calling The Walking Dead a work of entertainment almost seems like a misnomer, considering the heavy tone and general lack of sentimentality in the writing."(http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/the-walking-dead-a-telltale-games-series 26th March 2014)

When it came to Filming this documentary it felt great. For once I got to finally got to talk about something that is very connected to who I am. Being able to make a documentary about something that you know first hand has such a great feeling. Its like unloading a heavy weight from your back. I did also very much enjoy having total control over the editing of the project. But Looking back at the project I feel like its not as good as I made it out to be in my head. I am in general feeling like the documentary could have been done better.

FOX NEWS/CNN

When it comes to Fox News and The Right Wing Agenda  they go hand in hand, pocket in pocket. Rupert Murdoch the owner of Fox News does like to use the station to his own whims by distorting news to try and gain supporters through lying and deceiving to those who watch fox news. Well that is what people claim anyway. "http://www.freepress.net/rupert-murdoch-scandal  25th March 2014" While I cant make my own opinion on this topic, as I have very little knowledge of American Politics, but I can say that it could be totally plausible,to alter the News to help your cause if you own the station and ultimately own the News.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Rupert_Murdoch_3576.jpg

One thing I can talk about is how they present the News.They often use the anchors to try and explain something in a way that appeals to those who cannot think for themselves. That is what tends to happen in interview based news when they ask questions and try to distort someones words into something else. Anyone with half a brain can see how they do it but they try to aim those at those who don't like to question someone smarter then them.

http://foxattacks.com/ is a great site that has many examples of how fox news has edited peoples information in the past few years.

They are in the long run doing it for the profit. This is where they differ from something like the BBC which is essentially a publicly funded company paid for by the taxes of British citizens. The Fox News has in the past distorted the news to gain either public interest or political interest. Both of these are bad for the people watching as they never get 100% real news. The BBC is different to this in the sense that they have no motive to alter the news for profitability. They get a fixed amount of money no matter what they do but they can an try to affect the political views of the viewers by showing certain stories but they are less prominent much less frequent. The Newspapers are what tend to alter peoples political views.

Fox News certainly is a controversial thing in the world. Is it fair? Certainly not, they show what they want to show and will exploit others to get what they want. Are they balanced? who knows, but they are definitely on the wrong side of the line with how they treat information. But at the end of the day its described as being right wing for a reason and does tend to show what they want and what they have to earn more money and better of the company on the whole. Its a very lucrative business and has made many people involved unparalleled in wealth. That is what I think drives them, money and not getting the news that slanders their political view to the public. Its disgusting to think they sacrifice the information to earn more money but that's what a business does.