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.