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.

NEWS ANCHORS

When it comes to news anchors of the recent years and how they have changed since the ones of the past it becomes a big topic on its own. In simple terms when someone watches the news of recent years, especially in American news, the anchors are not only there to provide the news but to also try and entertain the viewers as well. In the past it was about being formal and getting the news across as effectively as possible. In the next few paragraphs I am going to explain the past and the present in news anchors.

Bill O'reilly A Fox News Anchor

In the past when it came to getting the information to the public it was mostly done with rough paper cutouts and slides for the public to read and the anchor to explain. The emphasis on the facts was much much higher as that's what they created the news specifically for. Due to how the news was on a tight schedule to get the news across it was often a lot more blunt and to the point, giving the viewers all the necessary information and not much else so they can get as much as possible in the time they had. They couldn't waste money following a case like they do now,like vultures, so they focus on what they have and giving it as best as they can with the rudimentary tools they had.


One News Anchor that has stood out in recent years over in America is Bill O'reilly. He himself is a very imposing man to look at and in an interview with the son of a 9/11 victim showed something that was very dark. He Proceeded to badger the poor Jeremy Glick to try and distort his words against him. He seems to have taken it upon himself to try and make Jeremy seem unpatriotic and thus ensue that he is then seen as a bad person in the eyes of the public. Its horrible to see something like this as Jeremy has a right to say whatever he wants but he has that taken away from him in this interview.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IwIRNM5noY Uploaded on May 9, 2007 )
This is what has become of the news over in America and I hope it stays there personally as it has no place in modern news in my opinion.

In recent years the News has become a little warped in the way it is giving the information itself. The News anchors have started to become a form of celebrity themselves and have started to take over the News themselves as the star and not the actual News. That is not only how the news has changed in the recent decades. As technology became  more and more affordable and easy to use the News animators learnt how to create things digitally and create things not seen before to try and emphasize something else which can make us distracted by the actual points. Its a sad thing when the News becomes as fake as the animations they use but that's where its heading, especially over in America where Fox News can alter information to get their way in the world.

Scratch Video

When it comes to describing a scratch video its very simple. Found footage and found sound. What i mean by that is to take something that isn't yours but use it to create a video about a particular topic by mixing it with other footage and maybe a speech taken from another video. There are really endless opportunities on how to make a scratch video for either comedic ways or to prove a point.

One scratch video that is known by many people on Youtube is "The Bloody Apprentice" where the creator Casseteboy takes many of the Apprentice boardroom scenes and mashes them together to create a video that mixes and matches sentences and speeches to alter their meaning. "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3LLUQo1Ga0    25th March 2014" Much in the style of the Duvet Brothers and their videos.

Space Is The Place

When it came to the location of our choice, which was the Plymouth marina, what made an impression was how clean and cultured the area seemed compared to some of the other places around Plymouth. To me that is what gave the video the impression that Plymouth is a place for the upper middle class and rich when in reality its a very close mixture of the lot. Its mostly outweighed in my opinion by lower class and lower middle class but the marina is something that would say otherwise.

The shots that we recorded that day did seem to be very dark and dreary because of the weather that particular day. As much as I wanted the weather to be bright and sunny it just wasn't. None the less the shots that we recorded still seem to show how nice Plymouth can be. I think that's just the place showing itself off without the need for the sunny weather.

When it came to shooting the shots of the marina the main concern for us while we recorded it was to try and show it off in as good a light as possible. Many shots were often static showing off its natural beauty while some were panning shots to display what people bring to the marina. Boats, mostly boats. Even then the boats being a key thing for the marina it helped show off the area in a nice light.

One of my personal favorite shots was the bike leaning against the railings that I think really shows off how trusting some people in the area are. I never noted weather the bike was chained up or not but it showed a trust you wouldn't find anywhere else in Plymouth. Only in the marina can you find people sitting outside of a cafe, bar or restaurant drinking and feel comfortable to leave a bike unattended. Of course this is only my interpretation but there are many ways to look at it. I think the marina is a place in the city that is sometimes forgotten when compared to the whole city and understandably so.

When it came to the soundscape we had to be creative. There was a bit of construction work that day which left it sounding pretty naff if I can say so. The idea to put in a quiet music track i think is what saved it from sounding like a construction site. We where able to keep a few parts of natural wild track by changing its volume so only the parts that sounded good stood out. We had to choose a song that felt like it could advertise the place really well and fit in naturally with the wildtrack while disguising the rough noises.

Links to My Videos.

Space Is The Place
In this montage of footage taken around Plymouth we tried to Document some of Plymouth's nicest parts and display them as best as we could. But this being the South West we had to compete with some very frequent rain showers and in general some grey and moody weather that didn't help in the video one bit. But In general the footage fits nicely together as a unit and does show Plymouth off in a nice but gloomy light.
https://vimeo.com/88066200

Graham and His Hat
This was the work that we were set to do individually about a picture that we were given. This I believe was to show us how easy it is to create a story from nothing more then a picture and claim it as real. The task itself was incredibly simple, Take a picture, create a story, record that story as the person in the picture and then overlay that on a video.
https://vimeo.com/88243591

Scratch Videos
The concept behind this video task was to create a video out of found footage from websites and mash them into out own video explaining either a topic or showing something happening. When it came to choosing a topic I decided I would do a comparison of Rugby to Football based on how players react to the impacts of tackles. While I can say I favored the rugby side when looking back the video it does show very clearly the differences of the players between Football and Rugby in a montage video that's funny and cringe-worthy.
https://vimeo.com/89898685

Wet Wok News
The task set for this video was to choose a certain topic that we would deem somewhat news worthy and then go and film a news story about it following a specific guideline of shots to make it seem as close to a real news report as possible.
https://vimeo.com/89899740

Make Something Dull Cool
The Take Something Everyday and Make it Interesting Project was a particularly hard task. The object that I had chosen seemed to have no real world value, no special reason of being made and in general had nothing about it other. Making it so hard to actually make something factual so I opted to create a mockumentary for it because it had not interesting history to it.
https://vimeo.com/90007739

Its All About The Presentation
When set this task we were told to create a fake interview and then edit it to get rid of the "waffling" and show only the good parts while including some Noddy shots to break down the footage. We created two different videos, one with everything left in and another with it cut down to the best parts without umms and ahhhs.
https://vimeo.com/87660758
https://vimeo.com/87660716

HOW ‘REAL’ IS DOCUMENTARY?

For me, my initial thought to whether documentary is real is that it is real. A documentary is a documentation of something that has happened or is happening. That's what I see it in my own eyes. I mean of course Mockmentarys have even a small sense of reality to it to make it seem real but do either remain as something of comedic use. There are Fly on the Wall Documentaries like "Benefit Street" that do follow a group of people in an attempt to show others who are outside of that situation the lives that those people live.

(http://debater.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Benefit-Street.jpg)

The main factor in deciding if something is real or not is to look at how its shot, what they are explaining/showing and what purpose they are attempting to achieve. "Benefit Street" for example aims to show the life of a group of people who are currently living on a street that is primarily inhabited  by people on benefits from the Government. The idea ,I think, of this documentary was to show people the lives of those on benefits in an attempt to highlight issues that are normally swept under the rug when it comes to politics and elections. Its an educational thing for everyone that hasn't had the experience of being on benefits or knowing anyone who is. Its a particularly touchy subject that is very controversial in politics of recent years and it caused quite the stir.
"Despite provoking hundreds of complaints and being slammed as “poverty porn”, Benefits Street has been a huge ratings hit for Channel 4 and has got the whole nation talking about an issue that is so thorny, you can end up arguing with yourself about it."
(http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-previews/what-time-benefits-streetbenefits-britain-3155637#ixzz2wy4hDVAa 25th March 2014)



One of my favorite Mocumentarys is a Fly on the Wall comedy "Modern Family". Its one of the most popular shows still running of its type. The comedy behind it is based of what the writers know happens in day to day life for dysfunction but functioning family's.  The way the show is shot is in form of a documentary style like that of the Big Brother show with interviews with the characters. The show does seem to break the forth wall at time with characters directly looking at the camera gives that the sense they are looking to the cameraman.  When you watch a normal Documentary you listen and you watch as a story is told to you about something happening either now,soon or in the past. This is what makes this show so good is that the documentation seems entirely real with the characters but also completely made up but factual at the same time.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/Modern-Familytigtlecard.jpg)

John Grierson was the very first person to "coin" the term Documentary to a factual film or video in a review. When he decided to come up with the name he also wrote "The First Principles Of Documentary" which is a study into how documentaries are documentaries. John Grierson is featured here because of the term he created "Creative Treatment Of Actuality". Its a brilliant statement that means so much in such a short sentance. What he is saying is that no matter how true the things you use are how you document them is of your own creation and thus it can never really be 100% factual.

“Life in another's shoes”

A Documentary Explaining and Showing Why Gamers of Recent Years have Started to Become Attached to Characters in Games.

Research and Ifluences

Influence
Factual Documentary's are just the general type that has influenced the style of the Documentary  but as for its topic I was influenced by a YouTube documentary called “XP: The Life of a Video Game Addict” that focused on someone who had become addicted to gaming. Our style will be fairly similar to this documentary and will mix found footage with a talker who will try to explain attachment to characters between clips. 

Research
When looking online for information on the emotional attachment to game characters I came across a research paper that goes very into how and why some people end up growing attached to characters in games. (http://ndbowman.info/documents/CharacterAttachment.pdf) They conclude that a few of the reasons are linked to "Four distinct components: Identification/friendship, suspension of disbelief, control and responsibility." so I asked on my questionnaire for people to write their reasons for caring for some characters. For the next question I asked if a their reasons matched the few I listed.

 For the question "Have you ever felt emotionally.."  Below I have chosen an example of a good answer. 

Below linked is the percentages for the question "What Emotions Do You Feel When A Character You Care For Dies"

Here are the statistics for the 14 answers we received on the question "Do any of these match your description of why you are attached to them?"

Target Audience

•My main target audience?

Its a fairly wide parameter that encompasses a lot of people. I can say that the key audience would be teen gamers aged 13-17 who have an interest in gaming and a small part of psychology.

•What would you like your documentary to achieve?

I would like the documentary to just be able to educate a few people about how gaming
affects peoples emotions and can even form bonds to characters that are not real through
good scripting, stories and art.

•How do you want people to perceive this?

I hope that when people watch this they see it as opportunity to learn about a culture that is normally shunned and put down as something that has no meaning and makes no sense getting attached to where as in actual fact it is.

Problematize and solutionate

•Problem= Copyright

•Solution= Disclaimer

Tagline

"They are not any old pixels"

Synopsis of "A Life In Anothers Shoes"

"We choose to play games not because we have no life, but because we choose to have many." A quote that has floated around the internet for a few years starts to ring truth with many gamers around the world. In recent years games have taken to making very in-depth stories with well developed characters that seem to have captured gamers hearts and some feel physically attached to them. Much like those who attach themselves to movie characters. In this short Documentary we plan to show you and explain how people get attached and care for the characters they play.

How Real Is it? Story.

Hi there, Im Graham Rown. When I was a young boy I had always dreamt that I would own my own hat. A year ago today that dream became a reality, when the picture was taken. It was not as I expected it to be, the hat is itchy, it makes my head hot and the women just don't like it. Possibly it was just the choice of hat that is the problem, but I will never know now because I spent all my life savings on this hat. I think the TV sales channel lied to me when they claimed it to be the best hat in the world and worth the $10,000. They wont give my money back and they keep mocking me about being an old man when I ask. Im so old :(.

What are Documentaries?

 ‘There is no absolute definition of documentary, they come in lots of different forms, for example'
Documentary's on a whole are all about showing off something to the masses that people wouldn't necessarily learn about on a day to day basis, That can be anything you deem worthwhile for others to know, people,animals and very commonly historical events. Documentaries are great ways to get information to the masses that necessarily don't have the time to read books of information. "often includes narration of written documents from a historical period, with music and images shown on screen to help the past come alive for the audience."-(http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-documentary-film.htm 25th March 2014)

To me Documentary's are a form of education first and a form of entertainment second but they tend to excel in both senses. Some of my favorite Documentary's are from my childhood, For example Walking with Dinosaurs while not strictly real and mostly CGI they combine the animation feel with lots of information about the dinosaurs the world around them that educated those who watched it. They use the CGI to reenact some examples that younger audiences might not have gotten through just verbal explanation. "music and images shown on screen to help the past come alive for the audience."-(http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-documentary-film.htm 25th March 2014)


Different types of documentary range from the purely factual to the almost completely fake Mockumentarys like that of The Office that are for entertainment only and hold very little education information. Historical Documentary's are pretty much self explanatory. It teaches the viewers about specific bits of history or a general frame of time etc the 17th century or the Crimean War. A documentary is something that's so broad that you can virtually do anything as a subject. People, Time, war, animals...the list goes on, If you can make it interesting you can make a documentary on it. Its that simple.

Review of another "THE TAKING SOMETHING EVERYDAY AND MAKING IT INTERESTING PROJECT"

The documentary I have chosen to review is the Micro Doc by Liam Woodridge, Joe Callaghan-Lynch and Joshua McDonnagh. The title of the micro doc is "The Chessboard" and features a glass chess set at that is the main focus of the documentary from a visual point but the focus of the documentary is the history of the board-game itself. 

The Video starts off with a few different shots that showcase the Glass Chessboard set up in the center of a table. It then transitions into the title screen and revealing the name and the creators of the video. After the title the chessboard is again revealed and over the course of the next few minutes a chess game is played out in a stop motion animation style after each turn. As the game progresses the narrating, done by Joe, explains the history and origins of the game itself. Its a great explanation and really gives a good depth of information about chess and is interesting enough that you don't feel bored.

Looking at the video itself the lighting is a little harsh and does make some of the pieces hard to see but that's the only qualm but overall the lighting effects give the pieces some very outlined shadows and does make some pieces look impressive.

My Intentions

I intend to make this a Mockumentary and make it a more entertaining video then a factual one. The object I chose has a particularly boring and even mundane because it is nothing special. It was a limited offer object but mass produced in the hundreds of thousands a few years ago. I intend to make a few jokes about how it is more of a toy then a piece to keep for value.

I am going to have a voice over as well as someone holding and using the object to back up my points. One of my jokes I want to use is "how fast can it go? well how fast can you move your arm?". This is a very cheesy joke but totally worth it.

Finding out any particular information on the Truck has been fruitless and has turned up very little information. Because of the lack of information we decided that the mockumentary idea would do a little better then spouting gibberish for 2 minutes straight in a documentary so Mockumentory lets use speak nonsense for comedy.

My research into my Cadbury's Truck.

I am afraid that the Tin itself is of no real special origin and was used primarily as decoration and storage for the Mini Fingers. Other then that it was modeled after a old fashioned van of an unknown origin.

(http://www.britishshopabroad.com/product_images/n/631/c__41837_zoom.jpg)

9.30 REVIEW - THE WORK OF RICHARD HUNTER.

Micro Documentaries are a very interesting concept in practice and theory. The idea that you can concentrate a documentary into the space of a few minutes is an impressive feet. Richard Hunter is someone who can use the time to his advantage by summarizing very key phrases and speech's to create really poignant short pieces that can either make someone out to be one thing or another. For example in the Toy Maker short Doc he made Ron Fuller to be a nice person...if not a little creepy and obsessive. But even then it plays to the strength of Ron and makes the Documentary a bit of a Mockumentory while retaining the normal strengths of a Documentary like showing genuine emotion.

http://asylumfilms.co.uk/directors/richard-hunter/ This is a link to the work of Richard Hunter

When it comes to the Pro's and Con's of Micro Docs its evident that a Pro is that you necessarily don't have to keep people interested for a long period of time. Shortening it to a few minutes means you can throw it out there and not have to worry that people will be bored halfway. Especially if you choose a topic that's as bizarre as the Taxidermi that will grab peoples curiosity and give them the dose within a few minutes. A Con of making Micro Docs is that you rarely get the chance to put any really substantial information about the target. Having to summarize everything or just leave it out can make a subject seem relatively out of place and weird.

Within the space of a few seconds the Amanda's Autopsy I could sense that Amanda was going to be made out to be a weirdo. The opening statement "Taxidermy is calming to me..." really just freaks me out. Its perfectly spliced with a clip of Amanda dissecting a rat which REALLY makes the sentence seem creepy. The sentence itself screams scary but adding the clip is a really good way of driving it home into the viewers mind. Its a very clever way of making the viewer want to watch is to "peak their curiosity" If you can make someone curious about a subject then they may be quite likely to look into the subject at a later date even if it scares them. Curiosity killed the cat and what not.

Do You Think SCIENCE?

The video is a great at showing of the thinking process and the initial reaction to the question. The body language that the scientists convey is the real answer to the question. You can see that they have their own belief mixed in but they have to go with what they have and can rely on which is that the evidence points to no. A lot of life's questions cannot be answered by science alone which is where belief has to step in. Belief and Religion are for those who worry about the unknown and need something to guide them when they don't understand.

(http://semiconductorfilms.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Do-You-Think-Science-1-Charles-Townes-960x724.jpg)

What I love about this type of interview is that it specifically puts pressure on other peoples opinions. Much like the Bowling for Columbine the interview forces the participants to think of their response in a very overall sense. Like one said in the interview. If science does explain everything then there is no longer any mystery in the universe. That is deep and very true. To know everything destroys one of the key things of our being. Curiosity. Anyway this was one of the best responses they got from the interview in my eyes. Its was all because they gave the person the little amount of time to prepare and he showed his true belief.

Some of the other interview participants reacted in a fairly common display. They spent a good portion of their time uming and ahhing.Which shows that they had to think either very carefully about their answer or they were stumped by the question. Either way it affects their judgement in the situation an proves many varieties of answers.

Charlton Hestons Interview with Michael Moore

(http://kellimarshall.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/bowling_heston.jpg)

Watching the interview from Bowling for Columbine you can see that straight from the get go that Michael Moore is attempting to pressure the response he wants from Charlton Heston by giving him questions that have to get a personal or emotional response. Michael Moore has obviously came to the talk in an attempt to try and reveal some of the darker thoughts and feelings inside Charlton Heston. Evidently Charlton Heston does start to feel the pressure of the interview bearing down on him as some of his replies become half hearted and at one point possibly racist. 

I have to say that Michael Moore is definitely twisting the way Charlton has to respond to him. Michael started to force and try to pressure Charlton on any slip-ups he made in an attempt to force either a deeper meaning or possibly even infuriate him into more mistakes. One he focused on was when Heston said roughly "more ethnicities in the us" In an attempt to pry out information that Charlton might be partly racist in his excuse for gun crime he forced more questions on him before he had finished explaining his point. The only problem with that tactic is the answers can never really be considered sincere.

Its a certainty that Michael held alot of the power in the interview. At the beginning it was a fairly neutral and relaxed environment for both but as it progressed Michael took a much more aggressive stance and it became fairly one-sided. Charlton managed to remain calm pretty much to the end of the interview until he ended it which gained back some power in his favour.

Our Own Time Lapse Doritos Advert.

Well the title says it all. Very simply we created a short time lapse advert of Me, Liam Woodridge and Josh McDonnagh eating Doritos. It may be so very simple but it certainly looks and feels professional. It to me seems very reminiscent of adverts that play in the break of a movie on T.V. that act as sponsor to that particular film production. 

When it came to creating the idea for the advert it was pretty much an instant idea for Doritos as soon as we mentioned the name. It was originally going to be a stop motion but we developed it into being a timelapse that returned to normal speed at parts and returned to a faster speed. This gave the idea and effect that it was at a party. 

As the idea developed we started to think about making another advert to go alongside it, which is currently on Liam Woodridges Vimeo, so it would be used on T.V. breaks with an alternating pattern so it doesn't seem overused at breaks. A few more adverts would make the effect even better but we would have rather made two well made and thought of ones then 5 somewhat thought out ideas.

What I think makes this video so simple but effective is that it is just easy to understand and puts across a clear message. The motto we chose was "Never Throw A Party Without Doritos" which I think felt so natural and easy to show in such a clear video about people eating Doritos.

Doritos Mariachi Critique

What do you see when you look at the Doritos Mariachi? I see celebration, friendship and good music. This is an advert that has excelled in my eyes. Its a perfect representation of a party and brings froward the emotions and joys of a party and shoves them in the audiences face in the hope that they link the brand Doritos to the excitement of the party and the times with friends.

With a concept like the Traditional mariachi band playing in a house party where can you go wrong. Its bringing across Mexican culture in two forms. The music and celebration and the Doritos crisps themselves. 

The makers in this advert know exactly how to throw a party in your subconscious. By making an advert that focuses around the Mexican music and the time you spend at parties the creators are planting in your mind that Doritos=Party as well as Doritos=Friends and Family. These are something that everyone, especially the Mexican culture, hold very closely to themselves. By linking those ideals to the brand people will likely think of the advert when faced with planning a party or meeting up with family members. As a very successful advert they do put they right link into the mind of the viewers.

The Doritos advert had one more trick up their sleeve in this advert.It had a promotion. The promotion was who ever one had the Doritos Mariachi band play at a party set up by Doritos and supplied by Doritos. That in itself is motivation for some people to go out and buy Doritos on the chance of a free party and music. Others will first be taken in by the adverts intent to link Doritos to other things (as mentioned above) and this will be just the icing on the cake for those with the intent to already buy them.

I was very inspired by this advert not only by the quality but also by how they make the world of friendship and Doritos fit together so well. My Doritos bowl advert was designed to show off very similar emotions and make people associate the Doritos brand again with parties and friends. Those two points are what can make a product sell faster then most. Pringles did it numerous time in their Made To Share campaign and this was the Doritos response to it. I for one enjoy the feeling o the advert and can easily say its a 9/10 in my eyes.

XBOX ONE- INVITATION Advert

What makes a great advert? To me its wanting to be there. Wanting to be in that situation. That is what the advert Invitation does really well in my eyes. Its essentially representing how people react to the games on the new XBOX ONE. Its how I reacted and I believe it is a very good representation. Though obviously completely fabricated its visuals are impressive and make the video enjoyable.

Most commonly used in advertising is the tactic of association. Its the easiest because of it wide range of uses. In this Invitation advert they not only associate the song with the brand but also the emotions "Associating a product or company with a famous person, catchy jingle, desirable state of being or powerful emotion creates a strong psychological connection in the customer"

(http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-common-advertising-techniques-15273.html)

. Looking at the advert you will notice how the man reacts to the Titan (Massive Robot Above) with a smile. The advert is attempting to plant in your mind the association that the Titan means something to smile about. The aim of this advert is obviously to entice people to play and buy the game on show. By linking the game with an emotion if they see the game around the possibly might remember that it makes you smile and possibly purchase the game. All about the possibilities.

One thing that I notice fairly prominently is that the people that are being "Invited" range from middle age Business Man to an American College student, a young Women on the train platform and a Teenager watching the Football. Basically they are trying to advertise to as many people as possible within a certain bracket. They have to be careful age wise as to not show the product as a children's toy but also not too old to show its for pensioners. They choose a fairly wide age group from about 16-35 that does encompass both men and women. This was crucial to show that its a great product for anyone with free time, be it student or a businesses.

I for one love this advert.It makes everyone seem equal and the unique combination of awesome CGI, music and acting make the advert a great success in my eyes. Possibly it needed to show off some more footage of the actual product but its serves its purpose as it is very well. 7.5/10

Advertising Critique # 1 Cadburys Gorilla

I have to say this is one of my favorite adverts of my childhood. The simplicity and wackiness of the advert have had it firmly glued in my mind for many years. It really does the perfect job of linking the idea of fun and crazy that still draws me to this day to Cadburys chocolate. Yes the advert makes no sense, yes it has nothing to do with chocolate and yes that is not a real gorilla but it conveys a real sense of wonder that has captivated me and many others like me. Even if it doesn't out rightly show the chocolate bar you know that is what its advertising and every time you think of that advert you will think of Cadburys. I know I do and that's what makes me think its successful.

(http://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/jun/23/advertising)

The Cadburys Gorilla is the perfect example of Association. "Associating a product or company with a famous person, catchy jingle, desirable state of being." This advert perfectly links Gorillas and Phil Collins In The Air Tonight. Imagine if you will being at an event or social gathering and hearing the song, as mentioned, played. Instantly your mind will connect the song to Gorilla, then to Cadburys and then onto the chocolate. Most people then desire the chocolate that is now linked into their mind. Perfect way to make someone crave and buy chocolate is to do it without them knowing. The subconscious of a human being is what makes this advert so effective. 

Another effective thing this advert did over the course of its duration on TV was its ability to "Jump on the bandwagon" to put it simply. When the 2007 Rugby World Cup came on it jumped on the hype of the matchs by placing itself at the end and beginning of each break. Thus again Associating Cadburys and rugby together. People who wanted to the watch the Rugby were reminded of chocolate every break and this leads to people buying chocolate and eating it while they are watching. I know that because it happened to me that year.

When it comes to be being an effective advert I have to say its one of the best. As mentioned before i am a little biased as its personally my favorite and has done its job over the years. Compared to other adverts I feel the association works better then many. I still find joy in watching this advert now and I will do into the future.