Evaluation For The Son Of Ash

Doing the Son Of Ash film was a really good experience and I really enjoyed being part of a team. Being behind the scenes of a short film was really different. I didn't expect how much work took place and the amount of organisation we had to do. 

The  story of the Son Of Ash was about a young man who was created by the blood of his father by the created of the book. So that he can defeat the deadeyes. Throught the story you see him (finish the brief of the story)

I thought that the filming went really well. I loved working as a team and watching the film come to life. Even though we had a short time to do the film and having no budget, the film turned out really well. The shots were sharp and the sound I thought was of good quality and the location that we ended up using turned out to be a good place to shoot. I thought my editing could of been a bit better if I had the more in-indepth  knowledge of final cut express and with more available time, I believe I could of improved my final edit greatly.  

What I thought was good about the film is the flow and the story behind it. When I was filming I had to read through the script a few times to get the idea of the script because I didn't fully understand the concept. My role of being a producer and the directors assistance was to help  to direct the film with the director. This was really useful and helped me gain a lot of knowledge and understanding of what a directors role is like. Also I was a producer, with this role I had to make judgements on what shots we should have, if shots looked good or if we should have a different angle. I liked this role because it gave me the responsibility of getting the rights shots for my and other peoples edit as well as the original storyboard and shot list. With the role of the producer as well I helped with the post production paperwork.  What I thought I could improve with the film was the sound because even though it was of good quality, I thought that editing it was really difficult because of the amount of sound systems we used, and some of the sound that we used wasn't at the best quality as we thought  so we had to make the best of what we had.I thought a couple of shots in my final edit wasn't the best but I felt if we had more time on this unit and to film then we could of gone back and re- took the shot. 

I felt that helping to make a film and edit it as well was really hard considering that we didn't have much knowledge of creating a film or doing our role, so by making and producing a film took it onto the next level. At first I thought our film wouldn't be able to get filmed due to the amount of location we needed, but I feel that even though we didn't get the locations we wanted we still make an amazing student film from the amount of resources and the equipment that we had.
I felt doing a film in final cut was quite hard even though I have used it a bit in other units I haven't used it as much as I did in single camera and doing my film. This is because in my single camera I used new tools such as the green screen and adding sound effects like non- diegetic sounds and ambient sounds. Adding filters onto my film to make it look scarier. Adjusting the  sound to make the voices sound creepier to add that effect onto the characters. Overall I feel I can use final cut really well now I have worked with these different tools I can advance my skills on other things within final cut.


If I was to do my short film again I would want more time to prepare and have more time to edit and have more spare time. If I had final cut at home I would of taken it home and do it there but unfortunately I don't. If I had more time if I did it again I would also go on YouTube and look at how to do things on final cut for example good effects and make the edit crisp sharp and clean cut as well as putting the sound perfect with the character. I thought it would come out like a student film, but I feel like we have done really good and each one of us have taken up our role to the best of our ability.


We decided to get another point of view on the film to see what they felt like. We sent Shelly O'Brien a Film Studies Lecture, from Sheffield an email with the link to Callum's final edit of the Son Of Ash and this below is what she said about the film.

Shelly O Brien- Film Studies Lecturer, Sheffield (focuses on Horror)

Yes - it is amateur at this point and pretty rough around the edges in places, but there is certainly potential there! I like some of the graphics work SFX wise and the music works well keeping the pace. It's really the narrative flow which needs work. It's a bit hard to follow at times and needs clearer shifts between scenes and events. I liked the actual idea but felt it needed better exposition at the start and also sometimes the dialogue was difficult to make out - the lead actor spoke a bit too fast at times and articulation needs to be be clearer. They also needs to consider aspects of suspense - I know that it's a bit jokey but even here this could have given a few jumps haha!There is obviously a lot to improve on (and I say this as a constructive criticism) but overall I think that, as first effort with no budget, they have done really well. If they can do this with no experience and no budget it shows that they have an eye for angles of shot, composition, and imagination above all! Everyone has to start somewhere after all! My best mate is a filmmaker and he learns stuff everytime he makes a new one! Tell them that I think they'll really benefit from there course and I wish them all the best!! I'm sure they will get better and better.

shooting schedule, and planning permission

Storyboard

Script

comedy/sitcoms

                 Comedy

ith comedy's there is normally a typical family and is near to real life as possible for example my family or the Inbetweeners. They are always closed narrative and normally overcome a problem. Within over coming the problem is the comedy stems from. A sitcom is a situation comedy and normally deals with real life situations.

There are many different types of comedy for example gross out comedy, social comedy, romantic comedy and teen comedy. With each one of these comes with a different set of codes and conventions, like the language; the representation; the audience and the institutions.

With a teen comedy like the Inbetweeners the introduction is very lively and really fast paste.  Within the first minute of the shot you get a montage of things that have happened throughout his days of high school. The lighting is high key to make the audience feel like it’s real life and also so that the audience can relate to the characters.

Within the show there is a lot of non-diegetic sounds like the music after each scene has finished. Also there is noises in the background, this is to enhance the realism in the show. Non-diegetic sounds are what come from the outside of the narrative structure.

In the Inbetweeners they over come a problem, for example the one at the xmas party, when Will has to organise the party. He overcomes the problem by doing a good party, but then right at the end the reflex on what they did and what’s going to happen next term. The narrative structure in comedies is normally a linear narrative. This is so that the audience knows what’s happening. 

In sketch comedies they are fast paste and short clips of the characters doing their own clips.  With fool Britaina for example they introduce the character and is just the one guy doing different clips. The lighting within the show is high key to make it look natural and realistic to the viewers. The sound in the show is a non-diegetic with the narrator speaking. But then there is diegetic sounds when they are speaking. The editing in fool Britannia is really fast paste and as soon as one clip finishes there is a narrator at the end with a non-diegetic sound and then cuts to the next clip.

Recces, roles, prop list and alternative locations

Recces

The recess I analysed the surrounding area of were we where going and explained the lighting and the power that we had in that area. This was really useful for when we did go out and film as we knew what we were expecting when we got there.






Prop List

We each got a chance to say what props we wanted in the film and what we may need when we are there.











Alternative locations


These roles I had to email some of the people to see if we could get locations if the 1st plan didn't go to plan. Unfortunately none of our ideas that we came up with none of them followed threw.







Jobs Roles

These are our job roles so we knew what each person was doing.

production schedule overview and shooting schedule

call sheets and shot list

Call Sheets

 With the call sheets I organised what times we were shooting and I wrote the first bit, we also in the production meetings we also discussed the equipment that we will be taking out and the props that we will need.











Shot List

 With the shot list I did every shot we look that day and the angles that I wanted for the film that we were doing.

production paper work risk assessments

Callums House  Risk assessments

 General Mossley Risk Assessments

 With the risk assessments me and Callum did one each, we sat down and analysed what part we were filming and the full extent of each problem that may occur when we are filming.

production paperwork part 1

Production meetings.

With the production meetings I wrote some of them out when Callum wasn't in, this was my role of being a producer and directors assistant. With the production paperwork we organised ourselves and made sure we knew what we were doing before we went out filming.

Actor Release Forms.

With the actor release forms I had to write some of them out and the other ones I was the witness for the actors who were signing the release forms.

crime drama

Format

All crime dramas use suspense to build up tension, this is to keep the audience on edge and wondering what’s going to happen. There is always clue to lead up to the criminal this is a way to get the audience involved with the program.  There is not normally a cliffhanger in crime dramas unless they run for a period of time. But normally they get resolved at the end of the program. The classic resolution with a crime drama is that the criminals get arrested and the family get closer for the victim.

Narrative Structure

The narrative structure of miss Marple is different to other crime drama because what she does is observes the scene and uses her common sense to determine the criminal. With Miss Marple she normally resolves the crime within a 1-hour period. The structure of the episode of Miss Marple is the same but how she progresses and reaches a conclusion with different methods in each episode.

Technical Aspects

Lighting

The lighting with the crime drama differs for example they would use low key lighting when there is a death, if they are going into an abandoned place, if one of the characters are secretive. They Use the low-key lighting so that the audience gets a feeling of the scene and for pathetic fallacy. This is when they use characteristics for inanimate objects for example an evil spirit. There is a scene in Life on Mars were Ashes dies as you can see from the image the lighting is very low key apart from the lamp which in his direction.  High key lighting in crime dramas are usually made to make the criminal feel uncomfortable, like for example when the criminal is getting interviewed for the crime that he is being accused of.

Sound

For crime drama the sound is normally non-diegetic. Non-diegetic sound is sounds that are put in on editing and not there when filming. The non-diegetic sound normally fits in with what happening on screen. For example if there is an explosion, or a car on fire.

Editing

With in Miss Marple episodes they use close up of Miss Marples face when she is distinguishing who has done it and when she knows whom the killer is. There is also a lot of cut always and long shots of the place where she is heading or the area. This is to give the feel to the audience of the place.  What I have also noticed in Miss Marple is that if there is a disturbance within the scene then the camera angle instantly changes to the action that is taking place.

Scene Structure

There are so many scene structures like when there is a murder you get the police tape and a crime scene. Police will be in uniform and especially in Poirot the characters are always upper class or middle class. And most of the time it is set in a house.

soap operas

Understand The Features Of Single Cameras.

I will be explaining a range of single camera production. I will be talking about three difference genres. For crime drama I have choosen Criminal Minds I have choosen this because it’s a good example and easy to analyse. For comedy I will be analysing The Big Bang Theory because it’s a really successful single camera production comedy and it’s well structured and easy to follow. For my third genre; Soap Opera I have choosen to do Hollyoaks, because it’s the only soap I watch and it’s a good single camera production.

Soap Opera

Soap Operas always have an open ending, to the next episode. With soap Operas such as Hollyoaks they normally use 3 settings. For example a pub or a school, the loft and a shop. This is normally were all the drama happens.  For example with Hollyoaks most of the drama happens at ‘The Dog’ with the Sienna scenario at the moment, also this happens also with Coronation Street and Eastenders.       

Format

Almost all the Soap Operas show the lives of multiple family’s and characters. They embraces in family issues and things that happen in day-to-day life but more melodramatic. With Soap Operas they are normally open-ended and have a cliffhanger ready for the next episode.  Open- ended endings are when they don’t finished and they make the audience wanting more.

Narrative Structure

Soap Operas have a linear narrative. A linear narrative is the story develops from the beginning, through to the middle and the end. It doesn't jump.  A linear narrative is a narrative that is normally being told in order of time and occurrences within the show or film. Soap Operas use linear narrative so that the audience can still follow the story line even if they have missed a couple of episodes. For example who killed Fraser in Hollyoaks?  This story line is still going on with each episode still having an open end to the drama but the linear narrative is that it started off with him being shifty, then getting killed and now the finding out whom the killer is, this is what all the soaps do try and drag a story line out over a period of months like in Eastenders were Lucy Beale gets murdered and it’s will take a year for the audience to find out who killed her.  With Soap Operas they use a multi strand narrative. A multi strand narrative is when there are several stories running at the same time throughout the episode.

Technical Aspects

Lighting

The lighting in Soap Operas tends to be low key lighting, due to the fact of the tension and drama. The main actor who is speaking in normally in high key lighting. There was a scene in Coronation street were Jason and Tina were together all the scene was low key lighting apart from them two which was high key. The program does this to show the innocence and the love between the two characters. They try and make it as realistic as possible.

Sound

The sound in most soap operas sounds differ because of the area for example Eastenders isn’t as minimal as Emmerdale because it’s done in the city. With Eastenders there is a lot more ambient sounds. With all the soap operas I have looked at the most sound that is heard is the dialogue. In soap operas it makes they try and make it as realistic as possible with the drama which cuts out and theoretical styles of acting. For example in Coronation street with Hayley Cropper who was diagnosed with cancer.

Editing

The editing in soap operas are really fast paste. They edit according whoever is speaking. As soon as the character has spoken it will move onto the next character. The editing in soap operas are mainly cuts between different character and their story within the episode. With the editing they try and show as much about the character as possible so the audience can relate and understand the character.

Scene Structure

The mise en scene is normally represented as a middle class environment, for example they will wear work clothes, casual wear ect. This is so that the working class can relate more to the stories.  With Eastenders you can tell that it is done in the city because of the busy streets whereas Coronation Street and Emmerdale are more rural and less busy.

Overall soap operas keep to the realism so that the audience can relate to the characters. All the soap operas have similar camera angles, sound, and editing and all have the same effect. Some of the drama is very dramatic to real life but it makes the audience feel better about there lives and so that they can relate to the drama.