First filming session - 8 November
I completed my first filming session, which went very well. I was able to shoot all the footage I needed to create a rough cut in time for the deadline and also get a feel of any location choices that I may need to change. I filmed two sets of characters at the same bench, and watching this back it is evident that I will need to re-shoot this at a different location for one of the characters. What's more, there were no issues with equipment or any actors/actresses unable to make it, and with all the filming I needed to get completed, I feel this was very successful.
Second filming session - 27 November
This filming session was also successful - from creating a rough cut and getting feedback, I knew what I need to re-shoot and any new shots that I needed to do. I re-shot certain shots that needed zoom to be removed and also changed location for a few, as well as improving lighting that affected the quality of certain shots. Again there were no issues on this filming session.
Monday, 9 November 2009
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Images
From left to right: Kieran Mcdonald, Emily O'Connell, Stephanie Harding, Henry Warren, David Austin and Heather Casey
From taking this image of the 'gang' jumping, I have decided that this would be effective in my intro as an action shot; it would link in with children and create entertainment and increase the action in my intro.
From taking this image of the 'gang' jumping, I have decided that this would be effective in my intro as an action shot; it would link in with children and create entertainment and increase the action in my intro.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
First character titles in Adobe After Effects
As I successfully made my main title for the children's TV drama, I moved onto creating the titles and individual shots for the characters being introduced. I was now able to use the software comfortably for the intended purpose, and had a feel for the style of the entire piece.
These are my first attempts at making the titles and background for the male and female characters. They will each be shown for 3-4 seconds. From watching the pieces, it is evident that the colours are different for each gender, this not only allows the audience to recognise the gender, but also connects with the stereotypical colours associated with the gender. For instance, I have chosen different shades of blue for the male characters and pink and orange for the female characters.
Having created these pieces, I have decided that there needs to be more added to the piece to engage the audience further, however when producing the final piece, I must ensure that any background animation I add doesn't distract the audience from the characters being introduced.
An example of a male character's piece
This is the first piece of the couple in the gang's shot
As both genders appear in this shot, I chose to combine the colours used in the separate gender shots. I have also chosen to use one colour as stronger to convey that the relationship is not equal. For example, in my first attempt more pink and orange is shown, which suggests that the female holds more power.
This is the first rough title I created that contains a shot of the character, in the final piece it will be shown for 3 - 4 seconds, allowing plenty of time for the audience to engage with the character and establish the representation that has been used.
Moreover, each of the character titles possesses a contrasting effect that gives each character a sense of individuality, and keeps the audience engaged; unlike my animatic, I have started to remove the repetition first seen in the animatic.
It is also evident that Saved By The Bell has played a heavy influence in my final decision to use animation within my children's TV drama intro, along with the way in which the characters are presented on screen. However, I have chosen a more modernised introduction than Saved By The Bell, but I must ensure that my intro isn't too similar.
These are my first attempts at making the titles and background for the male and female characters. They will each be shown for 3-4 seconds. From watching the pieces, it is evident that the colours are different for each gender, this not only allows the audience to recognise the gender, but also connects with the stereotypical colours associated with the gender. For instance, I have chosen different shades of blue for the male characters and pink and orange for the female characters.
Having created these pieces, I have decided that there needs to be more added to the piece to engage the audience further, however when producing the final piece, I must ensure that any background animation I add doesn't distract the audience from the characters being introduced.
An example of a male character's piece
This is the first piece of the couple in the gang's shot
As both genders appear in this shot, I chose to combine the colours used in the separate gender shots. I have also chosen to use one colour as stronger to convey that the relationship is not equal. For example, in my first attempt more pink and orange is shown, which suggests that the female holds more power.
This is the first rough title I created that contains a shot of the character, in the final piece it will be shown for 3 - 4 seconds, allowing plenty of time for the audience to engage with the character and establish the representation that has been used.
Moreover, each of the character titles possesses a contrasting effect that gives each character a sense of individuality, and keeps the audience engaged; unlike my animatic, I have started to remove the repetition first seen in the animatic.
It is also evident that Saved By The Bell has played a heavy influence in my final decision to use animation within my children's TV drama intro, along with the way in which the characters are presented on screen. However, I have chosen a more modernised introduction than Saved By The Bell, but I must ensure that my intro isn't too similar.
The beginning of Our Gang
As I am creating an animated background and using colour and movement to engage the younger audience, I chose to use the software Adobe After Effects as a starting point to allow create the titles and enable to grasp the use of the software. Following the feedback from my animatic, I chose a title as 'Our Gang' - this was chosen as I feel conveys the narrative well, and people who viewed my animatic quickly established that the characters were part of a gang. In addition to this, 'Our Gang' is simple for the target audience to associate with.
I began by creating a main title...
The main title will be shown for 4-5 seconds to instantly engage the audience.
From watching the main title, I felt that the colours were too feminine, and this was reinforced with feedback from people who viewed the title. As the target audience is a young male and female audience it was essential that I changed the colours to attract both genders. Nevertheless, the font chosen for the title is effective in linking with the theme of youth and the title itself. I also changed the effect of the title to a bolder effect, which is instantly in the audience's vision when the intro begins.
Shot 2
I have chosen the same colour scheme as the main title shot for the second shot, containing the 'Produced By...' title. This highlights that they are both the main titles of the intro.
I began by creating a main title...
The main title will be shown for 4-5 seconds to instantly engage the audience.
From watching the main title, I felt that the colours were too feminine, and this was reinforced with feedback from people who viewed the title. As the target audience is a young male and female audience it was essential that I changed the colours to attract both genders. Nevertheless, the font chosen for the title is effective in linking with the theme of youth and the title itself. I also changed the effect of the title to a bolder effect, which is instantly in the audience's vision when the intro begins.
Shot 2
I have chosen the same colour scheme as the main title shot for the second shot, containing the 'Produced By...' title. This highlights that they are both the main titles of the intro.
Friday, 23 October 2009
Animatic and Storyboard
My initial storyboard can be seen on the first two pages, however I established that the length each of the shots were held for, was too long and while my intended time is acceptable for the genre, it didn't match with the length of the shots and this was fortified through feedback from the teacher. Therefore, I needed to add more shots to complete the time, and to make my opening more engaging and effective and I changed my storyboard and animatic by adding additional shots.
Feedback: I received positive feedback for my animatic - people were able to recognise quite well that it was a children's TV drama for young audience, which was said to be fortified through the background of the 'swirls' and the presentation of the characters. What's more, what interested people by watching the animatic was how the characters would be presented, for example would I use stereotypes or look at using characters of a different culture and race? Additionally, the audience were able to engage with the group of characters being a gang or a group of friends, which has encouraged me to name my piece 'Our Gang' to really allow the audience to understand the theme of the narrative.
However, I was informed that the editing style I used was repetitive that resulted in the animatic losing audience engagement, so for my final piece I will use a different editing style. In addition to this, the editing style resulted in the presentation of characters becoming quite similar, thus losing focus on the representation of the characters.
Conclusion and Evaluation of animatic:
Therefore, I am pleased with my final animatic; I feel that the feedback I received and from watching my animatic back will aid with my final piece and what I am going to change, and what issues I will develop - such as using stereotypes for my characters. Moreover, as making the animatic was an independent project that meant using the Adobe Premiere Pro software, which I struggled with at the beginning of creating the animatic, I now feel confident with using the software.
Furthermore, while I am pleased on the most part with the final animatic, I do feel that the style I used is quite repetitive and continues with the same theme, thus I intend on using, not just a different editing style, but also a different style of animation - with each character having animation and a background that reflects their characteristics and personality.
Final decision
I have decided to go with a teen sit-come drama, as I have collected some ideas and now have effective ideas to meet the codes and convetions, and to target the intended audience of 7-13 years old.
Saturday, 10 October 2009
Codes and Conventions of the sitcom genre
Common codes and conventions:
- Diegetic sound is rarely used, only background music
- Main characters introduced central on screen
- Typically under a minute in length
- Action montage - e.g. The Addams Family and Malcolm in the Middle
I now need to decide whether I will subvert the codes and conventions or stick with them in my own piece.
- Diegetic sound is rarely used, only background music
- Main characters introduced central on screen
- Typically under a minute in length
- Action montage - e.g. The Addams Family and Malcolm in the Middle
I now need to decide whether I will subvert the codes and conventions or stick with them in my own piece.
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