amen

2006-05-15T01:22:00.002-07:00

approaching the end of my project further fine tuning was required, namely some photoshots were seen to be unneccessary, there sometimes appeared flashes of shots interrupting the main flow and my movie at the end was too dark.

Perhaps the only one I could do little about was the lighting on the final shots, but I was able to attempt to correct the other queries. The final challenge of the module was burning the film and music onto a DVD disc. From that point on all that was needed was to tidy up my story board.

Once i'd decided on the music and story I must confess i enjoyed this module but my poor computer skills required much assistance from patient staff and student friends. i think I learnt a few things that time will only tell.

2006-05-15T01:22:00.001-07:00

2006-05-15T01:22:00.000-07:00

2006-05-11T02:14:00.000-07:00

As we reach the final stages of the film the man comes back and meets his wife in the kitchen.the scene then fades into this sketch as the film comes to an end.

2006-05-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

The man in the film, later to leave, is seen taking his morning shower before breakfast.

2006-05-04T01:55:00.000-07:00

Second Stage of Progress Report on Creating the film “Leaving” as at 3rd May 06

Further to my previous report “3 minute 20 second Film” further photos were required as there clearly were gaps to fill in on the film to match Evie’s music. Also some of the original shots weren’t good enough to show clearly the flow of the story and would have left the viewer in some confusion.

There could be seen a degree of monotony with he original photo sequence because, first of all the shots had no variance in angle, all the shots were from inside the house and finally they all can be seen to be moving in and out from the subject.

Therefore I added extra shots from different angles i.e. from above and below, I also took a couple of shots from outside the house. As an extra experiment I tried to simulate what I hoped to be my opening shot of the film with a pen and ink drawing, the same for my last shot, my wife and I in the kitchen and on these sketches I superimposed the credits.

I hope now I’ve got enough film and all I have to do in class is to learn how to;

Shorten or lengthen the time sequence +or- the basic 4 seconds.

Remove the zoom in and out factor where necessary.

To add other effects on individual shots where required i.e. misty or sepia.

I would really like to know how to take one of the photos and “lose” it into obscure surreal mode and gradually bring it back to” life” step by step.

How to burn the final product onto a disc( and show it Jeannette !)

I confess I approached this Module with some anxiety because of my very limited computer skills but once I formulated my ideas, the learning of the new skills required for this in retrospect weren’t quite so frightening and I got myself to the stage of looking forward to the next session.

David Bell 3rd May 06

2006-05-04T01:51:00.000-07:00

3 minute 20 second Film from Evie Cassidy’s CD “Ain’t no Sunshine….”

The 3 minute 20 second film is to be made using Digital Movie camera, single shot Digital camera Sketched drawings. I have split the CD into 20 timed sections of 10 seconds duration each and planned it out on a large card plan. Matching the words and instrumental sections I know where the music is at any stage by referring to any of the 20 sections.
9 of the sections are instrumental and the other 11 sections Evie can be heard singing (i.e. 1 minute 50 seconds)

I wasn’t sure whether I aught to have first taken still photos of each location throughout the house where all the action takes place.

For the theme of the film is the domestic trauma of a woman seeing her man preparing to leave the home the woman being almost a by- stander to this event, what we don’t know is where he is going with a large ruck sack on his back. All this takes place in the first 30 seconds ( sections 1-3).

Section 4. As Evie begins to sing the woman looks wistfully through the lounge window as he walks to his car, she notices above that the sky in dark with grey clouds as it looks like it’s about to rain.

Section 5. Seeming to feel warm she clutches herself as she moves back into the house and the car can be seen driving away into the distance.

Section 6. Going through the house she is sad as she looks momentarily in the bed room at their unmade bed, in the kitchen at the used cereal bowl on the table and the rocking chair in the lounge with the newspaper lying discarded on the floor.

Section 7. There in the lounge she dwells a few seconds looking at the clock on the mantelpiece and looking across to the window she can see it has begun to rain quite heavily.

Section 8..There a number of framed photos on the sideboard, there’s a photo of them together obviously on their wedding day and a couple more on a sky slope and then 2 larger photos of each of them separately, she pulls out a duster from her pocket and genly dusts them.

Section 9. She turns round and slowly glances round the room zoning in on the empty wood burner stove and imagines her man there warming himself in front of a roaring fire as he adds extra logs.

Sections 10-12. As if automatically she moves towards the stove and takes the matches and lights the already prepared fire and then sits back on the floor and for 30 seconds she gazes in the flames as it takes hold.

Sections 13-15. She appears to snap out of her dream world, gets up and busies herself around the house, cleaning away the breakfast things, emptying the dish washer and puts on the kettle for a cup of tea and just as she sips it slowly the phone rings from behind her on the worktop and it makes her jump. She grabs and brightens up as she listens to the caller who she obviously knows very well.

Section 16. In continuing to talk she seems animated and laughs now and then and glancing up she at the window she notices that the rain has stopped and the dark clouds are beginning to break up and the blue sky begins to appear.

Section 17. On putting down the phone she runs into the bedroom and standing near the dressing table she vigorously brushes her hair and applies make-up.

Section 18. She dashes back to the kitchen door and looks across to the back door just in time to see it open and the form of a man can be seen through the frosted glass.

It’s her husband. They run to each other and they embrace, he’s dripping with water from the heavy rain and as they separate she notices through the kitchen window that the sun is beginning to shine through.

Section 19. The husband removes the large rucksack from his back and as he releases the clasps he places the bag into the worktop in front of his wife.

Section 20. First of all he drops some money and a slip of paper on to the top and then proceeds to pull out a couple of bagettes, a newspaper and a Tesco bag full of groceries; he’d just been to do the family shopping!

At this stage without seeing how these sections work out both in content timing and synchronisation with the music I won’t know what needs removing and what needs any extra input.

I don’t know yet which sections are best suited to moving film and which are better with stills. I realise that the CD music is the leader of the action and where it is appropriate (i.e. when the woman is reflecting on the past) I would like to insert a sketch in either black or white to fade into a still photo of the same scene. This would include the scenes where she is looking at the bed, breakfast table etc.

"LEAVING"

2006-03-27T03:47:00.000-08:00

A 3 MINUTES AND 20 SECONDS FILM SURROUNDING EVIE CASSIDY'S CD "AIN'T NO SUNSHINE...."

This film is to be made using Digital movie Camera, single shot Digital camera and animated sketch drawings. I have split the CD into 20 timed sections of 10 seconds duration each with a lay out planned Story Board. Matching the words and instrumental sections i know where the music is at any stage by referring to any of the 20 sections.

9 of the sections are instrumental and the other 11 sections Evie can be heard singing( 1 minute 50 seconds).

The really exciting aspect is to visibly make the transition from computer created cartoon image or icon to fade into still photo and see the transition, espesially where there is a film gap that needs imput.

I wasn't sure whether I aught to have first taken still photos of each location throughout the house where where all the action takes place.

The basic theme of the film is the short story of a domestic drama surrounding a woman who's husband is leaving their home and she is a sad bystander watching him prepare to leave and then go out of the door into the rain with a large ruck sack on his back. Up to this point this action has taken up 3 sections(30 seconds) and the CD has started and has played an instrumental introduction to this point.

Section 4. As Evie now begins to sing the woman in the film looks wistfully out through the lounge window as he walks through the rain to his car. Looking up she can see how black the clowds are and the rain is getting heavier.

Section 5. seeming to feel cold and shivery she clutches herself and begins to move back into the house and the car can be seen out of the window moving off into the distance.

section 6. As she slowly moves through the house she glances momentarily into the empty bedroom at their unmade bed. She comes down into the lounge and glances across the table at the breakfast items and his empty cereal bowl . She then looks in the lounge there is the chair he last sat in with his newspaper scattered on the floor.

Section 7. Dwelling in the lounge she spends quite a time looking at the sideboard clock and glancing up she can see that it's still raining quite hard through the lounge window.

Section 8. By the clock on the sideboard are a framed photo of%

leaving

2006-03-20T02:37:00.000-08:00

Not only do I enjoy Eva Cassidy's music as music but there is a' mistiness' about all her songs, also a sadness that makes me reflect on various issues in my own life. This particular piece stands out above the others as it makes me reflect on the times when I have left people and situations when perhaps I should have stayed and faced up to my responsibilities.

It always seemed to be that invariably that i was the one who always left and this Piece makes me see a little of what the effect must be like for the person who has involuntarily been left behind.

I did have in mind one of her other haunting songs,"The Autumn Leaves" but of course I would have had difficulty creating that season now in spring!

On the visual side my idea would be to have the 3 minute 25 seconds track as backing to the situation where a husband is being watched by his wife through their lounge window as he walks towards the car with a rucksack.

As he drives away she slowly and sadly drags herself to the kitchen, looking at a photograph of him on the table as she goes. .She slowly takes the margarine from the fridge and slowly spreads it on some bread.

Hopefully the music is drawing to an end as she completes this task (if not I would add her completing some other task to make it fit. The twist is that the husband enters the kitchen and opens his rucksack and hands her the groceries he's just bought for her from Tesco's !