Nikki - Critical Approach: Task One

Emma - Contracts

Formal Contracts:
A Formal Contract is one that has been written out and needs to be signed by both parties. Formal Contracts are legally binding and often used when there is money involved so with employment, buying a house etc. These contracts also include loads of Legal Terminology that can confuse people and end up with some parties being misinformed.

Informal Contracts:
Informal Contracts is a type of contract that is usually viewed as a few words and a handshake. You do not need to sign anything for this type of contract however they do not usually hold up in court if there is some misunderstanding with money. These usually occur when both parties trust each other. A person enters Informal Contracts on a day to day basis, even when ordering a take away.

The contract with Sky was an Informal Contract because nothing had to be signed for us to start doing the work that was required of us. This means that while this type of contract can not usually be proven in court, both parties trust each other to meet the expectations of the other so a formal contract is not needed.

Emma - Production Log

1^st October 2015

On this first day of the task I made sure that I had a plan for everything that I wanted to do. I finished all of the pre-production in preparation for the next day that I would be out filming. The pre-production that I did to make sure that I was ready were: risk assessment, shotlist, storyboard and the like. This helps with filming the next day to make sure that I am organised and have a clear idea of what I need to make the video that I want.

2^nd October 2015

This is the day that I needed to go out to get the shots for my video. I set out early in the morning to make sure that I could beat the traffic and the rush hour in London but also so that I could film the sun rising during the bus ride to London. I had to change my video idea from the pre-production plan because my friend had to cancel which made me realise that I should always have two ideas in case plans don’t always work out. I headed back to college and then realised that the quality of the shots were poor so I changed cameras and promptly headed to South Bank so that I could replace the shots and have a good quality video. Shots filmed: Boats, Cars, Trains, Buses, Taxi, Bikes.

3^rd October 2015

Today I edited the shots all together into a video that shows what London Transport is all about. I used background music as non-diegetic sound to add more of an atmosphere to the video that I think fits the pacing of the video very well. The video turned out quite well in the end although there are definitely things that I could improve. I like the use of non-diegetic sound in place of diegetic sound because it helps to build a sense of narrative in the video and creates a more immersive experience instead of leaving in the sounds of London traffic which isn't that nice to listen to.

7^th October 2015

On the first day of the Fashion video I sat down and made sure that, once again, I did all of the pre-production like the shotlist, risk assessment etc to make sure that I was prepared for filming. My initial idea was to film a few of my friends and interview them on their favourite fashion trend at the moment and also where their favourite place to shop is. 

8^th October 2015

The idea with my friends fell through as they had to return home on the day that we were due to film so instead I went with my backup option which was Oxford Street because I thought that it would be easy to get a variety of shots like point of view and medium. I tried to subtly film in a few shops on the high street so that I could put the latest trends into my video instead of just filming outside of the shops and getting a lacklustre video.

9^th October 2015

I edited the fashion video and wrote the evaluation. I didn’t think that the video was entertaining enough with the shots alone so used the editing to make the video a little more engaging to watch including adding a filter to make it look more interesting. The colours of the video ended up being blue and pink and reminded me a little bit of Las Vegas so I chose the song Vegas Lights because of that so that it would all stick within one theme. This video was a little bit harder to edit than the transport one because I wasn't sure if I would end up having enough shots to make the time limit but I played with the speed/duration button and the video ended up reaching the time that the brief wanted and still looking just as good.

14th October 2015

I had to finish two sets of pre-production documents on this day because we had the next two days to get the filming done for the next two of our videos so I planned for the Entertainment video and the Architecture video. I wasn't sure what to do for the Entertainment video at first because I wasn't sure what types of places I would be able to film but in the end I came up with the idea of filming in a park because there are so many things that you can do. The Architecture video was a little easier to plan because I knew instantly that I would want to film around Westminster.

15th October 2015

For the Entertainment video I decided to film in Battersea Park so I headed there to film in the afternoon hoping to catch a few people walking their dogs however it poured down with rain so I had to wait until the rain calmed down a little before I could go out and film but this only made sure that I could get a nice few shots the flowers that had been rained on. Personally, my favourite time to go to parks is in the Autumn because of all of the different colours so this worked out perfectly because I was able to film something that I love which I think shows in the quality of this video.

16th October 2015

I filmed the rest of the Entertainment video in the park on this day with my sister. We went into the park because I thought it would be funny to get some shots of her on various pieces of the playground equipment. 

20th October 2015

I set out early in the morning to go and film for my Architecture video. I got the bus to Westminster and filmed from there to South Bank. I chose these places because there are a lot of buildings of contrasting designs so I could show every side of London Architecture. From there I went straight to college to start editing the videos.

21st October 2015

I made sure that I finished all of the editing for the videos on this day. I chose to use non-diegetic sound to add an atmosphere to both of the videos. I chose a slower song for the Entertainment called Into The Wild by Lewis Watson because the shots are quite relaxing and worked better at a chilled pace. I chose the song Ever Fallen in Love by The Buzzcocks for the Architecture video which ended up working really well with the types of shots that I had. The day I filmed the Architecture video was really gloomy and grey so I added a filter to make the shots look brighter. 

12th November 2015

This is the day that I started to edit together the mash up of all four videos that I filmed. I decided to use one song instead of the various songs that I had used in the videos because I felt that none of those songs would really go together into one video without it feeling disorganised and messy so instead I chose one song and paced the video to suit that. I also wanted to make the colours look more in unison with each other so I added a colour corrector so the shots didn't' look completely different.

13th November 2015

I thought I had finished my edit on the previous day but on a second look I realised that there was so much more that I could do to make the video look better and flow easier with the music whilst sticking to the same pace that I had originally wanted. I ended up adding more shots to the video and played with the colouring again because I wanted it to look hazy and faded rather than bright and in your face.

Emma - Final Evaluation

When I first heard about this task I thought that it would be a simple one to pull off but in the end there were a lot of components that needed to be completed in order for the task to be done well. If one video was slacking in content or quality then it meant that the mash up video in the end would not be the best that it could be. For the first video I didn't spend as much time planning as I maybe should have or could have which meant that I was disorganised when the day of filming came meaning that I was not sure which shots I already had or the shots that I needed to re-film making me run around in a panic that I wouldn't get it finished on time. As the project went on and as I kept making the same mistake of not taking time to plan carefully I started to make the right changes and ensure that I was always organised when it came to the day of filming. I think that my videos definitely got better as they went on and I learned from my mistake of under-planning.

In terms of filming, I think most of the things went alright. I carried a trip-pod with me when I filmed for the transport video and it ended up making me grouchy so that I didn't even want to film in the end and I didn't care what the shots looked like so for the next few videos I didn't use a tri-pod at all but instead used the things around me to get a steadier shot. In retrospect, if I could film this first video again I would ask for a smaller tri-pod or even a monopod so that I would get steadier shots all over but I don't think that any of the shots came out too shaky or that couldn't be fixed in editing. Another obstacle I came across while filming was that a lot of the time London is grey and raining which can cause all sorts of difficulties when it comes to filming so I learned to prepare ahead of time for anything that can happen in terms of the weather. 

My editing skills improved a lot from the first video to the last as I learned a lot of new tips and tricks in how to make the video look a lot cooler and feel like it had a narrative instead of just a series of shots that I threw together in Premiere. If I were to do this project again, I would probably try to do something a lot different than the videos that I produced this time for example adding voice overs or cool transitions and effects but I definitely think that these videos are still just as good. 

Overall, the videos and the mash up video are of good quality and entertain and intrigue the audience so they all fulfil the brief to a standard that I am more than happy with. There are things that I would improve, starting with time management and trying to be more creative, but the quality of work that I have produced is the most that I was able to provide at that moment.

Feedback Sheet:

Emma - Mash Up Video

Emma - Architecture Evaluation

I've always loved the Architecture around London and it's always been something that I appreciate when I am out and about in London so I thought that this would be an easy video to pull off but it actually ended up being quite difficult. I could not decide where I wanted to go to get my shots because there are so many beautiful buildings that I wanted in my video but that were too far apart from each other and so would have caused me difficulty getting the filming done in the time that I had. I decided to go to Westminster to South Bank because there are plenty of buildings that show the different styles of Architecture in London and have huge landmarks like the London Eye and Big Ben. I once again used non-diegtic background music in this video to stick to the theme of my previous videos and this worked out really well once again. The video that I produced does fulfil the brief that was asked for in the contract.

Emma - Architecture Video

Emma - Planning For Architecture Video

Emma - Entertainment Evaluation

After thinking over the brief of Entertainment for a while, I knew that I would have to film one of my favourite things to do during the Autumn which is going to parks. I decided to go to Battersea Park because it is local but also because there is a huge variety of things to do from boating to the adventure playground. Even while I was filming the video I knew that I wanted it to end up as something that was relaxing to watch and had a running narrative. I didn't decide the song until the day of editing but I knew exactly how I wanted the video to feel and I think that's exactly how it ended up. The video is understated but still entertaining and fulfils the brief exactly.

Emma - Entertainment Video

Emma - Planning For Entertainment Video

Emma - Fashion Evaluation

I didn't have many ideas come to me instantly when I found out that the next video would be Fashion. After a while I came up with the idea of filming different outfits that my friends like to wear while interviewing them about their favourite stores to buy clothes. In the end this didn't work out because my friends had to back to where they live so it would not be possible to film them. I had the back up idea of filming at Oxford Street so this is what I did instead. I spent the day going into different stores and subtly filming different trends and also filming the popular stores on the high street. I added a filter to the shots which made the video take on a pink and blue hue which reminded me of Vegas. This is where I got the inspiration to use the song Vegas Lights. The song ended up being a great fit for the video as it is fast paced and fun which is what I was aiming for the video. I do think that the video fulfilled the brief because the length was what was expected and the video was engaging. 

Emma - Fashion Video

Emma - Planning For Fashion Video

Emma - Transport Evaluation

When I first started to plan this video I had really high hopes for how it would end up. I wanted the video to look like a 'Day In The Life' of a commuter around London but in the end that's not how it would end up turning out because I ran into some issues. I had to change my video idea so that instead of following someone around London it would show the popular forms of Transport in London. During filming I made sure that I got a variety of long, medium and close up shots in different places like Westminster for the boats along the river and a bridge in Waterloo where loads of  cyclists like to go. During editing I added background music as non-diegetic sound to add a sense of narrative to the video and a filter so that the colours were more enhanced. Overall I think the video fulfilled the brief to a good standard.

Emma - Transport Video

Emma - Planning for Transport Video

Emma - Foodival Video

Emma - The Last King of Scotland

As the sequence begins we hear diegetic sound coming from an accordion that is being played on screen. Other sounds include the chirping of birds and photographs being taken of Forest Whitaker's character, Idi Amin. Diegetic sounds like these set the mood of the scene but also contrast with the scene that is to come making the transition more effective.

The music at the beginning of the next scene is used to indicate that all is not well by using non-diegetic sound as background music to show that something isn't right. James McAvoy's character, Nicholas, walks into the room with no background music but as the camera is focused on his face we can tell that something is wrong by the way that the music slowly builds up from silence to create suspense and create a feeling of uneasiness.

As the character picks up the photograph the music goes down a pitch and starts speeding up but doesn't let go of the suspenseful feeling as it changes from string instruments to brass which gives it a deeper, atmospheric sound. This music, to me, suggests the emotion of sadness at the fact that his belongings have been ransacked but also the feeling that there is more to come.

As Nicholas picks up the envelope the music slowly falls into an almost silence which is a contrast to the rest of the scene which is filled with the background music and diegetic sounds of paper rustling as Nicholas searches through his things. This on it's own depicts to the audience that whatever is in the envelope is important but they can also tell from the sheer contrast of the build up to the silence that what is in the envelope is not going to be good.

As Nicholas is opening the envelope the music starts to build an eerie tone and as is gradually gets faster and faster the atmosphere builds until the tension is high enough that the audience are almost building with the music themselves. When Nicholas discovers that what's in the envelope is his new Ugandan passport the music reaches the peak of its crescendo and ends with a strong beat as Nicholas slumps down onto the chair. This music brings us on a journey with Nicholas' emotions while he goes from feeling confused, worried and it ends with a almost helpless, defeated feeling.

As the scene changes from inside the house to blurred headlamps the music is different. It has a faster pace to it and suggests a feeling of urgency as Nicholas heads to where he needs to go. By the time he reaches the door the music has changed again and instead of having a full atmosphere with the music it sounds almost hollow as Nicholas knocks on the door which is a stark contrast the beginning of the scene.

Emma - Edit Analysis: The Virgin Suicides

The film that I’m going to be analysing is the 1999 film The Virgin Suicides directed by Sofia Coppola. One of the main continuity edits that we see throughout the duration of this film is the Shot Reverse Shot technique. This is often used to show both what the character who is speaking is saying but also how the other characters in the scene are reacting. The example taken from this film is when a minor character is telling the boys about how he found Cecilia after her first ‘attempt’. It’s important that this technique is used so that the audience can get as much information from the scene as they can get.

Another continuity edit technique that is often found in The Virgin Suicides is Eye-line Match. This example was taken from the therapist scene near the beginning of the movie. The scene starts with Cecilia looking at something off camera which then turns out to be a therapist holding an inkblot test which we see after the cut. Another technique used in this scene is that it seems to take on a blue hue which evokes emotion from the audience and adds a melancholy feel to the scene which contrasts to some other shots throughout the film that are well lit and take on a yellow hue which lead the audience into believing that it is a happier scene.

A Fade Out/Fade In transition is used between Cecilia’s death and what the audience presume is her funeral. This is both to showcase that some time has passed since the scene that we last saw but it also makes for a softer transition between two upsetting scenes instead of a harsh cut. 

At one point in The Virgin Suicides muted colours are used to suggest to the audience that what they’re seeing is a memory. This helps to distinguish between what is happening is real time and what is a flash black. Overlap transitions are also used throughout the memory with Cecilia narrating from her diary to show that the audience is still seeing memories from her childhood but also to highlight that they are different and separate memories of her sisters. This allows the audience to see the Lisbon family in a way that the other on-screen characters do not and therefore allows them to get an extra piece of the story without confusion.

Crosscutting or parallel editing, as it is sometimes called, is used in a particular scene to evoke emotion in the audience and to create intensity. The technique is used to show different families, shot from the same angle, watching the same news programme about Cecilia. The scene is continuous and has a great effect on the audience by showing not only how the suicide affected Cecilia’s family but others too which builds onto the information that the audience already has and creates a richer story.

A montage of clips moving from day to night is used in The Virgin Suicides to portray how much time has passed. These clips are shot from the same angle and helps the audience to understand that the film has now entered a different season.