Evaluation Activity: Frame Comparison

Here are three frames from my opening sequence and three frames from the beach scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. As you can see, both films use lots of long and extreme long shots to show the scale and isolation of the beach. 

Here are three close ups from DRIFTWOOD and three close ups from Pirates of the Caribbean. In both, the subject is central to the shot, and in the background of the shot are out of focus props and settings that aid the shot.

DRIFTWOOD: FINAL PIECE

I've finished the post-production of my final piece and uploaded the final product to YouTube and Vimeo. Please watch the video in HD and in fullscreen for the best viewing experience.

CLICK THE IMAGE TO WATCH THE FILM!

YouTube Link

I've had a great time making the film, I hope you enjoy!

JAKE DENTON

DRIFTWOOD: Beach Reshoot

After viewing and starting to edit my clips, I came to a conclusion I would need to go back down to Swanage to stage a reshoot, so as to have more material to work with.

I decided to shoot more scenes of the beach, specifically, shots of how the grandpa came upon the boy. I had my grandpa walk down the beach, collecting items of the beach. Through doing so, a better idea of my grandpa's character is established. He is some sort of 'collector' and his finding of the boy is symbolic of his pastime.

Here are some images from the reshoot:

DRIFTWOOD: Behind the Scenes

Here's the behind the scenes of my production. It captures an alternate perspective to the shoot and shows the actors, locations and events of the shoot at a more personal level. The final production should be released soon. Enjoy!

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW!

DRIFTWOOD: Beach Shoot

December 24th 2012 8:30 - 10:30

Me directing and filming the action

An 8:30 start was necessary to ensure the lighting of the scene was appropriate. Getting up early also meant we avoided the rain that had hampered my original plan to shoot from the 18th - 21st. 

Armed with two cameras, the Canon 550D and 650D, we travelled to Swanage beach to capture the beach scene of the opening. The vast majority of my opening sequence takes place on this beach, where a young boy is discovered by an old fisherman. 

I had enlisted my sister to take charge of the behind the scenes shoot with the 550D and a crew of others to look after the actors and help with equipment. 

The shoot came off without a hitch. However, a final assessment of the clips will have to be made to decide whether or not i'll need to head back down to Swanage to complete a final reshoot. 

The behind the scenes captured a chance encounter and interview with British actor and comedian Russell Brand! A full video will be available soon.

 Here are some pictures of the shoot. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Final Piece: Sound Design

I've been sick and away from school for the week. I decided to use my time to research sound design and lighting for my final piece. 

SOUND DESIGN AND FOLEY

Foley is diagetic sound that is created in post-production to build verisimilitude. A 'Foley Artist' works to mirror sounds that the characters and environments would have made. For example, a Foley Artist would recreate each characters footsteps in post-production. For my final piece I'll be joined in Swanage by a small film crew I've assembled. My Sound Designer, Louis Fitton will assist me in post-production to create foley. In my preliminary task one of the critiques was the dialogue, which I believe sounded too rushed and low quality. For my final piece I'd like to have sound recorded with a proper microphone as oppose to the built in mic in the Canon 550D. Further, I'll be manipulating sound elements more closely with the Sound Designer using the audio software in Final Cut.

LIGHTING

My final piece will largely be shot outside therefore artificial lights wont be needed. I'm planning to shoot from the 24th - 27st of December early in the morning. I'd like to shoot during the 'golden hour' of sunlight, which is usually the hour after sunrise or the hour before sunset. The 'golden hour' is the hours in which the outside light is most forgiving to shoot in as the light is far less harsh than shooting at midday. Using www.golden-hour.com I calculated that the 'golden hour' in the morning should be between 8:10 and 9:10 for my shooting dates.

DRIFTWOOD: The Storyboards

Here are the storyboards for my final piece, DRIFTWOOD. Click the images to see them in full.