abbiyeoofficial

[abbiyeoofficial]

Blog #04

Editing

We finished filming on Wednesday and began the editing process on Friday. Matteo will be editing the film itself and Cleo will be making the end credits as well as some animations in the film itself, these animations include a seagull and an octopus which allow us to achieve the requirements to include an animal in our film. I will be working on the sound design when the rough edit is sent to me, it is important that I wait for a rough edit before creating a score as I will need to match dialogue, sound effects and timing for character introductions, for example, when the character Drag of Death enters, I will create a piece of music that solidifies the characters intentions and mood.

Personal Responsibility

I have started working on the music sequence that occurs when my character goes under the water. I have asked for a 10 second sequence, however, I am prepared to shorten or lengthen the piece depending how the edit fits into the 2 minutes we have. The track currently has 11 layers. These are sound effects, audio tracks and MIDI tracks. I’m aiming to create organised chaos in this piece of music. I’m drawing inspiration from the Entr'Acte in Mamma Mia the musical and the rabbit hole scene from Alice in Wonderland. These pieces of music demonstrate a state of mind, or a trip to another place which is what I am aiming for. My character is drowning and travelling to the afterlife so I wanted it to sound eerie and sudden.

To Come

Our team still has a lot to work on and the Goldfish filmfest is coming up quickly. We think we have a good shot at getting in and we’re all working really hard to achieve a good result. The final editing still needs to be finished and then the animations and score need to be added to the film, but so far we are on schedule and I, personally, am so proud of this group. I can’t wait to have the finished film and watch it as a class.

[abbiyeoofficial]

Blog #03

Shoot Day

Today we started filming. We shot the first and last scenes and will be filming the rest on days that have not been allocated yet. We stuck pretty closely to the storyboard and worked well as a team to make it come together.

The images above were created by our Art Director Cleo with guidance from our Director Caitlan and the Cinematographer Matteo.

Making The Look

Our Producer Ben, who is also in charge of make-up and continuity had the task of creating a major head injury on the lead character, played by myself. Ben made sure to use products that wouldn’t harm my skin and made an effort to avoid fake blood that contains mint as I specified that I’m allergic. Ben also made the look consistent through the shots, re-applying blood or make-up to enforce continuity.

Personal Responsibilities 

As the Sound Director I don’t have much to work on as I have to see the edited film before making the score. During the filming process today, I made sure everyone recorded their dialogue onto their phones instead of using the audio from the phone we filmed on, this will give the sound clarity as I will match up the dialogue in post-production. I also came up with some ideas for music and sound effects that I will create when I have the final project. Sound effects: 

Water (ocean) recorded from go-pro or using audio from another film, Scene One Entr'Acte:

- Using ‘Stormwater’ (a song I wrote) chorus

- Drowning sound effects

- Dialogue “she’s gone under” “can you hear me?” ect.

- Clock Tower Bell chiming

This sequence will occur when the screen is black after the drowning scene. 

 I also made sure I brought my own gear for the shoot, such as a surfboard, wetsuit and we used my van for the ambulance scene that closes the film.

Having Fun

The one area that our Tutor Louisa wanted us to succeed in was having fun, and I can confidently say that we definitely achieved that. Between shots, we had group discussions and food breaks with lots of laughter. We also really enjoyed the filming process and we will definitely have a blooper reel that we can look back on when our assessment is submitted. I personally really enjoy spending time with this group of people and I could not be more happy with the effort put in and everyone’s eagerness to take on responsibilities, it just makes the whole project so much easier and so much more fun.

[abbiyeoofficial]

Blog #02

Planning and Scheduling

Beginning our group project, the team had a meeting and we finalised our story. We also looked over the script that our Director/Script Writer Caitlan Stewart created. We all worked together to make it short and precise whilst still showing the storyline. Our Producer Ben O’Moore will be working on a schedule to organise shooting days where we are all available to be present. Ben will also ensure that the team will stay on track. 

After our class on Friday, our team went on a short drive to Nobby’s carpark to look around the area and make sure that it would be appropriate for a film as we wrote it down in our pitch and script. We scoped out different places and back up areas in case our first location doesn’t work.

If all goes to plan, we will be filming our opening scene at Nobby’s Headland and majority of the film at the Station in Newcastle.

Storyboard

Our Director Caitlan and Cinematographer Matteo Salvini came up with shots and they worked on a very brief storyboard that they then handed to our Art Director Cleo Debnam who is currently working on making an official storyboard design. She will have to consider the locations (Nobby’s Head, The Station, The Clock Tower, ect.) 

Our team also had the idea of making a seagull a symbol in the film as one of our requirements is to have an animal. Cleo may work on creating an animated seagull to be apart of the shots.

Sound Design

As for my part in this production, sound design is something that I have in the back of my brain. As we haven’t started the film officially yet, I have nothing to work with. However, I have been thinking of ways I can make it interesting, especially with the clock tower as it is a requirement to get a clip of its bell. There are other sounds such as water and train effects that I will need to consider as well. I can’t wait to get started.

Concluding For This Week 

I have found that our team works really well together coming up with the finer details and I believe this will be an easy task for us as we are all friends. Should be an amazing experience and an absolute blast!

[abbiyeoofficial]

Blog #01 - Group Project

Introduction

Creative Collaborations. A class where each and every student is treated as an equal. The past seven weeks attending the University Of Newcastle has consisted of new friendships and an incredible learning environment. Our most recent assessment task involves teamwork in order to create a two minute short film that suits the criteria of the assessment task.

Meet The Team

Ben O’Moore - Producer

Ben will be overseeing the pitch, risk assessment and finer details of our project. He will also pay close attention to continuity, ensuring costuming, props, hair and make up and all the small details remain consistent and tie into each other.

Caitlan Stewart - Director/Script Writer

Caitlan will be directing our short film. This will mean she will be ensuring the storyline has clarity and meaning, and she will be leading the team in our creative vision. This role entails artistic decision making and strong guidance.

Matteo Salvini - Cinematographer

Matteo will be filming for the project, he will be in charge of the specific shots needed and will also consult with Caitlan about the blocking of actors. Matteo will also be providing the equipment needed and can advise the team what they may need to provide.

Cleo Debnam - Art Director

Cleo will be the art director for our short film. Depending on the time spent on editing and production, Cleo may choose to include animation. Cleo will also be responsible for costume design and props that bring the story to life.

Abbi Yeo - Sound Design

Last but hopefully not least, myself! I will be taking on the role of the composer for the short film. This will mean that I will be setting the mood of the film with the use of Foley and a Score that compliments the emotions and actions that the audience will be viewing.

The Pitch

The story will focus on a surfer who unfortunately drowns while surfing. They try to avoid moving into the afterlife as they are not ready to die. It will then become a montage of the repeated death sentence and will give it a comical aspect. The end will be resolved either by the character accepting their fate or returning to their life and being spared. This is obviously the main pitch, the story could develop and more ideas may change it completely.

Now it is time to begin production and work as a team.