Shooting a Dialogue Sequence Workshop

Shooting a Dialogue Sequence Workshop

Our media class participated in a two-part workshop where shot a small sequence involving dialogue and then edited the sequence using various editing techniques.

Shooting the dialogue

We were randomly split into groups and then told to film a simple short sequence that included dialogue and followed all the rules and advice we were given from previous workshops and what we had learned through the course so far. My group shot a sequence where there was a
man brooming who was complaining to his employer about his job.

When shooting we had to remember how to use all the camera equipment and the rules put into practice when filming, this included making sure we only filmed in a 180 degree radius, used camera composition work, focused the camera, kept continuity intact when reshooting sections and even small things such as bobbling the tripod for the camera.

One main issue we ran into was composing and filming the best shots, we found it
difficult to find really great and interesting angles to shoot with due to the movement of the scene taking place in a strange way that moved places and just was very stilted from the perspective of the camera; we didn't make great use of the space available which made this especially difficult for us. Therefore we ended up with some really strange angles that did not highlight the important parts of the scene and clearly didn't look to have any important connotations behind them. Another problem was that our group didn't put enough thought into the composition of each shot and we didn't put into
practice the rules of humans read things left to right, instead most shots had the subject placed in the middle of the frame. 

To avoid these mistakes we really should have planned ahead and not worried about the timing constraints of one hour because we finished a little bit early anyway. Working together collaboratively more would have helped as this would have enabled us to share more ideas and maybe we wouldn't have missed the key elements of camera composition which really did make our shoot appear less professional when we tried to edit. Upon further reflection when comparing are shoot in the editing suite to the other groups we discovered the white balance on our cameras was completely wrong and so every single shot we took looked dark and orange which made details hard to spot and really ruined any kind of merit the scene had left. 

Next time when my actual production group shoot our opening sequence most of these issues can be easily fixed; the white balance by just tweaking the preset on the camera interface and for the  camera angles and composition we have already planned in our group.

Editing the Dialogue Sequence

After a couple of weeks had passed we then returned to the editing suite where we then in our groups edited the mini dialogue sequence that we shot.

When editing we had to edit in a variety of different ways so that we were exposed to more editing techniques that we could use when we come to edit the real sequences. Throughout the workshop we had to put into practice what we had learned from the previous workshop such as how to cut and trim video as well as build upon our editing skills by using sound to direct the edit and using to different reaction shots of a character who is listing to the character speaking.

In addition to discovering the lack of white balance we discovered that we could have let the camera roll for longer before 'action' and after 'cut' which would give us more reaction shots to work with and improve the crossfade (when editing) of the sound. This however can be fixed by just giving more time in between each command by the director when shooting. We did follow the 180 degree rule but we did not make it easy for ourselves since as mentioned previously that in the scene the movement/action flowed in strange way which made it hard to follow and keep up with.

When editing the actual sequence we will definitely put into practice the crossfade tool where we can face audio in and out so it will sound cohesive and therefore the cuts will appear slick and smooth, not feeling stilted and odd.

Below is the video that Meadow and I edited of the Dialogue sequence we shot. The first section of the video shows the sequence that has cuts after each sound bite and the 2nd part shows a small section of the sequence that focuses in on reaction shots.

Shooting Schedule

Shooting Schedule

Today our group has made a shooting schedule to help guide throughout the shooting day which will keep us aware of how much time we are spending on each thing such as travelling, setting up, shooting etc.

 

Role on Set - Updated

Role on Set - Updated

Today our production group discussed our roles and we decided to switch them around because we each had a different preference and logistically it would work out better.  In conclusion from this discussion we agreed that:

• 
  as well as helping with the editing Meadow's main role would be camera operator
• as well as helping out with the camera operations Lila's main role would be Director
  
• as well as helping out with Directing my main role would be editing

We are all happier in our new main roles as we all feel more confident in these as opposed to the ones we swiftly assigned ourselves a few days ago.

Research Into Filming Roles

Research Into Filming Roles

In this post i will be researching into the various filming roles that are needed when on set. This is hopefully give me and my group a better idea of the main role we want to take when filming our opening sequence.

Director

The director is the creative lead and is holds the key creative vision within their heads. They must direct the cast and other members of the crew and work collaboratively with everyone to ensure the most possible final product is created. They foresee the process from pre to post production.

Camera Operator

The camera operator must shoot the action of what is taking place in the scene. They must
have full control of the camera and be on the ball as they would need to ready to film when they are needed.

Editor

The editor is the person responsible from turning the camera footage into the film that will be distributed. They must manage cutting footage, adding effects, creating transitions and putting
the the film together in a cohesive and structured way according to the storyboard.

Art Director

The Art director works closely with the director in order to understand the main vision of the film and what is should look like. They are responsible for determining the mood, tone and general color palettes and must ensure all the
artwork used in the production process lines up with the director's vision.

Producer

The Producer is in charge of managing the budget and scope of the film or TV product, they approve various production expenses and
work the director's creative ideas and try to bring them to life.

Filming Roles in Our Production Group

As a production we group we then discussed which role we each would like to carry out; we first agreed that we would all be the art director and producer since there are only three of us and we all need to be on the lookout in terms of how things look and keeping continuity in place as well as the fact that we are technically all producing this opening sequence together which is why we are all producers.

Meadow will be taking the role of editor, Lila will be the main camera operator and I will be the director on set. These roles however are only guidance as we will all need to be on the ball and be able to help out in any way possible.

I wanted to be director because I really enjoy coming up with and expressing creative ideas and it is something i am possibly looking at for university. I will need to ensure that all the props, costumes and camera equipment is all being transported to the filming location and to make sure the actors are fully comfortable whilst on set.

However this means i need to oversee the entire production and make sure everything is how it should be which includes direction of actors, placement of props, calling out filming commands such as 'stand by', 'camera roll', 'action' and 'cut'.

Call Sheet

Call Sheet

Today I produced a call sheet which will provide the contact details of the cast and crew working on our opening sequence. This will come in useful if one of the cast or crew does not come and we may need to contact them urgently.

Foley Sound Research

Foley Sound Research

Foley sounds are sounds that have been added to a media item in the post production stage, they are tailor made sounds with a specific purpose such everyday standard sounds including as footsteps, or even placing a drink down onto a table.

They are often recorded by a specific 'Foley Artist' in a recording studio in line with the visual content to ensure the audio is of the highest quality level.

Foley sounds are divided into three main sections: Walking, Props and cloth.

• Walking - Footsteps are integral as they shouldn't sound the same for each step, these needs to be variation. The artists need to equip the right shoe sole, the right surface and pace to create the atmosphere that will convey exactly the world shown on screen.
• Props - These are sounds involving how the characters individually interact with the world, but specifically the foley artist needs to be aware of more unusual sounds as they can be significantly harder to dissect what is needed to create an exact replica of the sound that shown to be made on screen.
• Cloth - Foley artists often rely on certain fabrics rubbing together or being blown around in the background whilst the characters are the main focus. These are the smallest sounds that are often made by artists but in the long run add depth to a film or TV show by really building up the world of the film and the atmosphere found within it.

Next i decided to try and create my own foley sounds and make them in conjunction with a visual media product, specifically using the 'Kitchen scene' from the film Jurassic park. I then
came up with my own ways in how to recreate sounds similar to the ones heard in the first thirty seconds of the clip. I used a variety of objects such as:

Deodorant,

Water

and a light switch!

Once I recorded all of the foley sounds i then uploaded them from my phone to my computer and placed the files in audio/music editing software called logic pro. I then combined the sounds together in the sequence that they were shown to be heard in the video
clip.

Next i added reverb to all the sounds to create atmosphere and further make them seem more realistic and inline with the visual context we were shown
in the scene.

From there i reversed the last two sounds to make the noises of the dinosaur more realistic and engaging! 

I then exported the file to blogger and Voila, here it is; hopefully it conveys the right atmosphere and if played in line with the video clip it will match up relatively well so the my sounds and the scene will work well together.

Shot List

Shot List

Today our production group made a shot list which is a list of all the key shots we need to film on the production day. It will hopefully act as a great guide to follow on the day of filming as it will keep as track and let us know the minimum in what we need to film.

Set

Set

For the set we are using a garden house located in Beatrice Webb.

Today we actually went to visit it so we could make sure the set would work with the storyboard and logistics of filming. We also discussed how we could best use each area of the set to its best advantage, for example make use of the 'plant' details of the room such as the rug which has embroidered flowers and plant pictures on the walls which fits with the natural biological theme of the murder in
the opening sequence.

The stand out detail of the garden house is definitely the windows which pass around the back walls of the room; these provide an incredible opportunity for some dazzling cinematography with how the rays sunlight could enter the room,
however this cannot be relied upon because the weather is unreliable and we do not know the exact filming date yet.

Editing Workshop

Editing Workshop

Today our media class participated in an editing workshop where we were taught the fundamentals of editing and some useful industry terms:

For the camera footage that we used to practice editing on was from our previous camera workshop where we filmed a brief sequence, we did this on the editing software adobe premiere pro which is capable of being used by all sorts of people from amutur youtubers to collosal feature films such as Deadpool. Within the editing software there are 4 different windows; 

• The bin which keeps the footage,rush and dailys' folders in
  

• The timeline which allows you to combine the footage together and also make additional adjustments

• The source monitor which is where you can watch and trim the raw media
  

• The program monitor which enables you to watch the project that is in place on your timeline

There is one golden rule in editing that you must do all the time, to save as many times as possible which can be easily done by the simple command 'cmd S'. This is so in the event of a power cut or an accidental log out your project will be fine. The editing material itself is located in 'bins' and is categorized into footage, rushes and daily's; footage is the raw media that is copied from the source of origin, rushes and daily's is the raw footage shot on that day.

One very important tool that is used frequently when editing is the 'cut' tool which allows the editor to chop the footage up and change its length and the begging/end points, it is the foundation of editing and without this tool then you can only get so far. The shortcut for this 'cmd K'. In the source monitor the 'in' and 'out' points become of significant relevance because these will enable you to set and what point that specific video clip starts and ends so it will erase the sections that you will no need such as the words 'rolling', 'action' or 'cut'. The +/- buttons ley you enlarge or shrink the audio/video channels in the timeline so you can more efficiently edit the material on the timeline as cutting clips from a far viewpoint is nearly impossible.

Finally, just in case you make a mistake you can reverse it by using the command 'cmd Z' which will undo you project by one step - this is a lifesaver! However one final tip to note is to be careful when putting footage onto the timeline as you need to make sure when putting it on that you will not override any of the current footage already there, it can be a great pain to remove further down the line of an important project.

The Storyboard

The Storyboard

Below is the storyboard that each member of our production group has contributed too; Lila did the beginning, I did the middle and Meadow did the end.

My Completed Section of The Storyboard

My Completed Section of The Storyboard 

I have completed the middle section of the storyboard - the part that i was assigned to complete.  This section covers how the man prepares the poison berry mixture which is conveyed through the his obsession over an intricate set up, which shoes how he does this; through equipment such as bunsen burners, pestle and mortar and even distillation.

Props

Props

The props we are working on acquiring are:

• 
  Granite pestle and mortar, needs to be round and circular 
  

• Tweezers

• Distillation set up

• Medical gloves

• Red shiny berries

• Vinyl + record player

• Beaker

• Funnel

• Duct tape 

• Spirit burner and lighter with fuel 

• 
  Scalpel 

• Tissue 

• Chopping board (wooden)
  

• Padded handcuffs

• Zip ties 

• Water

• Pipette 

• Pop rocks (something to make the liquid fizz)

• Prop cigarette + ashtray 

• Clock (might be an issue as there may not be a place to hang it up)

• Need to think about water supply / if there is no water supply, he will have the gloves on from the beginning so he doesn’t need to wash his hands

Some of reasons for the key props are as followed:

Distillation set up - to show how thought through the man's murder plan is and how he is enjoying the lengthy drawn out process of killing his sister.

Padded handcuffs - to make sure there are no visible scars or bruises to the woman to make her death seem less like a planned out murder and more like an accidental passing.

Red shiny Berries - these are berries that will be almost visually identical to the real daphne mezereon counterparts, they are essential because the camera will follow them throughout the opening tittle sequence since they act as the 'glue' of the tittle sequence narrative.