Editing

We used the editing software ‘Final Cut Pro’ to edit our film opening, in order for us to keep the continuity of each shot. We have also added effects, such as fading in and out, gradient wipes and desaturate. We have managed to use and add sound, from garage band, to help finish the piece off. These sounds consisted of the main soundtrack called ‘Timeless’, but also sound effect that accentuate shots of Ife dead. We also used text effects for credits on Final Cut Pro, to help make the piece look more professional.
We therefore in every other lesson have captured the latest bits of film and edited it into the opening of our film. We have managed to keep the continuity right and have managed to get a lot of editing and filming done in the same time that we were given. We have also found that we have filmed too much and it doesn't fit within the time limit so we are going to have to cut some bits down and try and compromise the time of each shot so that it fits within the time limit. We also have to make sure the sound fits in with the right shots and that the two marry together and tell the story we want it to. Therefore the editing has to be just right to make sure that it doesn't just look like a home movie made by a group of students.

Some problems that we have come across during editing were very minor ones and therefore overcame these problems. For example, the problems with it being too long; we overcame this by shortening down the length of the clips by cross-cutting between Fiona and Ife, and therefore made it fit within the time limit. Other problems that we came across are ones such as some shots being out of focus, we therefore had to re-shoot this and add it back to the opening shot, making sure it fit in the time limit and wasn't too long or too short.

Another problem we have overcome is making sure that the continuity is consistent throughout the whole of the film opening. This was a problem because we were cross cutting between 2 scenes and it was hard to show how much time had passed between the 2 scenes when one scene cut to another.

Moreover, when we were putting on a soundtrack, we had to make sure the sound was right for both the scenes, which contrast each other; therefore the music had to be just right. After looking through a number of soundtracks on 'Garage Band' we found the perfect soundtrack called 'timeless' and decided to name our film this as it fitted perfectly with what we wanted to portray; being that time is an important factor in our film. For example, Fiona's character doesn't care about time, hence 'timeless' and is minding her own business, whereas Ife has lost time and again is literally 'timeless'. It is also very important from the right timing of shots and making sure they fit in with each other to help with continuity.
We also found that having the whole film opening in black and white was more effective than our initial idea which was to have Ife’s shots in black and white, in contrast to Fiona’s shots in colour.

Other than small problems like this the editing went really well and was quick and easy to grasp onto the mechanisms of Final Cut Pro.

Out filming

We have filmed our first few shots of fiona, we want to make sure we have all the appropriate shots needed for Fiona first and then film the ones of Ife after. On our first day out we were able to get a few shots of Fiona to

start off with. However, we didn't get as much as we planned filmed, because the location we decided we were going to film on wasn't as we thought it was. We therefore spent time walking up by the cannal looking for an appropriate place to film.

Moreover, we had planned to film from the other side of the cannal so that we were able to get clear shots of Fiona walking by the cannal, but because the path that we chose for Fiona to walk by didn't really have another side to get to we had to make do with filming on the same side and changing the shots of which we were filming because we had wasted alot of time looking for the location already. Also it would take too much time to search for a new location and we don't have enough time to do that. We therefore decided to compromise with what we already have and work around the fact of filming on the same side and making sure there was enough room to put the camera and tripod as well as having Fiona walk past.

The 2nd time we went out filming we carried on filming Fiona by the canal, moving up the areas of which she was walking up. Some places took us one take where as other places took more, this was mainly because we were panning in the shots and didn't get the timming right, meaning that Fiona wasn't consistantly in the middle of the shot and the panning wasn't smooth.

Achieving Ife's make-up while on set


Before we could start any filming of Ife, we had to make sure that we got his make-up done first. We therefore had to make sure that we had calculated this into the time given, every time we went out to film. We also had to make sure that the make up we applied onto Ife was smooth and didn't look like make up so that the 'dead' affect could be well achieved.

Filming Ife's Parts
For Ife's parts we filmed him lying on the floor, we had to make sure that we got the right shots and achieved these from the camera on the tripod as it would allow us to have a steady shot. In doing this we had to make sure that we could get the right angles of Ife and not make it look like there all from one shot. we also had to make sure that, every time we came out filming, Ife was lying in the same position and same place he had been in previously, as well as making sure that his hands and feet were in the same position and that the way his clothes draped, e.g if his jacket was closed or zipped up or left open. We therefore took photos on our phones as references from different angles so that we could look back on them every time we came back to the location to film.

This was when we started filming Ifes part on the floor. We needed to get close up of Ife's face on the tripod as handheld wasn't steady enough. We therefore had to make it directly above his face and make sure the tripod wasn't in the shot. This was a little tricky as there wasn't much space of which we could place the tripod without in getting in the shot or in the way of Ife's body. It was also hard to film as we had to make it high enough so that the camera was filming directly above his face, but we wasn't as tall as the tripod to see through the camera so had to tip toe slightly.

During the filming with the tripod we had to consistantly make sure that the tripod was flat on the ground and make sure the camera was straight. we therefore had to remember to line up the spirit level everytime we moved the camera as most of the ground that we were filming on wasn't flat or level.

Make up testing pays off!

From testing the make-up we used on Ife before hand in lesson, we were able to achieve the 'dead' look that we wanted. This meant that we weren't wasting time on set trying to figure out how to do the make-up and how we would go about it. The main base of the make-up is a very pale matte and powder foundation. This was easy to get as Fiona has fair skin and uses this make up herself, therefore this make up will definitely look pale against Ife's dark skin.

We made sure that we got the whole of his face and his lips. We therefore made sure that we got the right colour for his lips so that they looked like they had lost colour and wasn't as red as they usually are. For this we made up a dark brown lip balm for him to put on.

As you can see the make-up is very pale against his dark skin and this is the look we needed for him to look 'dead'. However, because we are not make-up artists it isn't perfect and looks slightly streaky but this doesn't really matter as we haven't done any extreme close ups of his face, therefore not being able to see the streakiness of the make-up. We had to make sure we got all the make up on every part of his face, even right up to his hair line so that it didn’t look like it was meant to be a comical feature.
We also had to make sure that we got his ears and neck as well so that it didn't look odd and didn't look like make-up but his natural 'dead' complexion. We also put make up on his hands too so that his hands didn't look alive while his face didn't. This would've probably made him just look ill rather than dead. The make-up and how it was applied therefore made a lot of difference as we wanted Ife to be portrayed as dead and nothing else.

2nd March 2010 - Make Up Testing

For Ife's make up we have researched on how to achieve a "dead" look with make up.
We found a list of make up that we would need, on the internet, that would help us achieve the dead look. We also found out that for dark skinned people making them look dead would mean to make their skin grey, we therefore agreed that making Ife's skin look pale.
Before we applied any make up upon Ife's face we had to make sure that he wasnt allergic to anything and wouldn't have a reaction to any of the make up we would be putting on his face.

We practiced applying to make up to Ife's face so that we knew how to apply it for when we are out filming. We put on a light application of pale foundation on to his face to start off with and then applied pale powder to help even it out and make it look faded. We did the same to his ears, neck and hands so that it was all over to make him look dead. We then applied the dark lines under his eyes with black a black eye liner pencil and smudged this into his skin making it fade off the further away from his eyes it got. For his lips we made a mixure of products, which contained lip balm, which acted as the base for it and was therefore appropriate for us to put on his lips, brown foundation, to make it similar to his lip colour but slightly lighter so it looks as though the colour of his lips has slightly faded. This was only applied very lightly as we didn't want it to look like listpick which would look very unnatural.

Here, as you can see, we tried to work out a nice lighter tone to Ife's lips to tone them down a little making them paler than usual, giving it the effect that the blood circulation has gone and therefore there is no colour to his lips.

We also tried to work out whether or not the dead look was achieved buy pale or dark rings under his eyes, we therefore tested this to see which would work better and found that the dark eyeliner against the pale skin made him look much more 'dead'.

Animatic

Fiona drew a storyboard which we used to create the animatic. She used the camera to mimic the movements in the real film opening to make a mock version of the film. Fiona and Caroline then recorded a voiceover, to place over the clip, which describes the camera shots, titles and story. To link the animatic in with the film opening, we put the same soundtrack over it.

Achieving Our Initial Genre Theme

For our genre/theme choice of the film opening sequence, we as a group decided that a teen drama/murder mystery would be a good option to work with. We therefore opted to go shoot by the side of a canal which creates a mysterious yet calm scene. Also we decided to create an atmosphere of increased tension by including a lone character walking through a lonely path by the canal. We therefore found a perfect location by the canal and will be filming around here as it adds the mysterious effect.

25th February 2010 - Research On Genre

For our genre we have mixed together a sort of teen drama with muder mystery. We have been inspired by past film openings and have combined the two together to create our own film.
The murder mystery part came from the film "Brick".

This video however, is a remake done by some students but this shows the same scene and shots as the actual film "Brick". From this you can see the sort of ideas we want to use for our own film opening. We couldn't find the actual opening on Youtube so we had to make do with this.

In this opening we see close ups of the dead character and it cross cuts between 2 things happening at the same time. We decided we want to take this idea and include it into our own film. We like this idea because it leaves mystery to the character and helps to show the other character as it cross cuts between the two. This works nicely for the sort of genre we decided to do.

We have also been inpired by the film opening of "Juno" as we are also have the idea of someone walking in and out of each other the shots.

This shows similar ideas of the walking we plan to include in our opening scene as it follows the character as it enters different locations.
We thought using some ideas similar to this in the walking would go well with our plan as it helps pass time and fits nicely with the cross cutting of the dead character.
Also, it works well with music playing at the same time as it gives insight to how the character is feeling and sets the scene.



We also looked at the 'Sliding Doors' film opening and this shows a character walking towards somewhere and the camera shots show her walking from one side of the scene to the other to show that she is still walking the same way. It also shows the cross cutting between the 2 scenes that are happening at the same time. This is the sort of film opening we wnat to put together.