Week 11 Post Production FONTS!

Entering into the final stages of editing and polishing our video essay’s for ACMI this week has been quiet the task, this is usually the time people start to stress and spend long nights working on their video trying to figure out the final details. Meeting up with Field in class to clarify all our worries and check off on specific parts of the video was helpful. It is also a great insight into witnessing how commission work operations and all the fiddly parts line-up with the needs of the client but also the creator.

Our group is on track to finishing on time and maybe even a little earlier, there needs to be some re-filming of the video however, they are minor task and again small details that can be fixed. I am very proud and excited of how well our group is working, meeting up every Wednesday to delegate and catch up on how each member is travelling has been a big help and also to make sure everyone is staying on task which has been really great.

One aspect of this week that has been super confusing and conflicting is the issue and clarification of FONTS! Many groups were confused and made mistakes on their video on which needed to be changed. Our group was mixed as well as had fonts in parts and others parts had no font. It was helpful to have Field in class to clarify and clear up on things fonts

Our group is content with the feedback we received from Field and the minor tweaks we are able to make to the enhance the video as well meet the requirements of ACMI.

 

Assignment #4 Screen Lab, ACMI Project ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’

Created by Georgia Bertolino, Beatrice Madamba & Tiani Wiropuspito

In collaboration with ACMI we were given the opportunity to share film techniques that directors utilise when creating a narrative in a film. Our group chose to explore ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’. This technique aims to confuse and distort the audience’s viewing experience. This video essay aims to define what it means to ‘break’ the fourth wall.

Click here to view the ACMI Article

 

 

Studio Recap

I have learnt a lot throughout Screen Lab this semester, Cat has guided and provided advice and has taught me new skills to adapt my story telling. To be more engaging and succinct with my camera work and in order to execute the narrative. The opportunity to engage with new forms of media and learn about different techniques and the operations of film has been super interesting. One thing that was interesting to discover were all the technical aspects of making films, videos and content. I personally am not into all the super technical gear and gadgets that are made within our world however, Cat’s passion on al topics related to audio and technical encouraged me to find a respect and interest. I have also learnt a lot about my style and approach to making films, which was a stark contrast from last studio where I was analysing media rather than creating. I have learnt a lot from Cat herself and how she works and her style and approach. I can say is I have improved my approach to making films immensely through pre-production planning and editing with Premier Pro.

On top of all the new skills, it has been such a great opportunity to work along side ACMI specially Field Car. I never thought I would have the opportunity to work along side world renowned museum of moving image. It is such an exciting opportunity, it is a shame that we never were able to work in person I manage to gain a lot from this studio and look forward to seeing other opportunities like this studio to do this again.

Screen Lab is the most informative and creative studios I have taken so far, I have learnt while being guided by the best but also encouraged to challenge my thinking creativity through difficult circumstances this year. Screen Lab has pushed me to think creatively in a different way and think outside the box rather then following the crowd.

 

The Production

Aesthetic

The groups initial idea for the beginning this assessment to narrow down toward the style and look of the video. We focused on how we wanted it to look but also what were we trying to say. As this was a collaboration with ACMI we still want to showcase our personalities throughout the video as well include information about this unique film technique.

Our approach towards the aesthetic style and development process was ensuring that information about ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’ shone through. As the main part of the entire video is to inform an audience who is unfamiliar about this film technique and explain the film technique while answering questions viewers might have, what is it,  how it is done and where can it be seen. From there we wanted to engage the audience right from the beginning, the group included a comedic live-action take at the beginning and the end allowing for a short narrative to be included as an example of how the fourth wall can be broken.

 

 

Pre-Production

 

 

Our first step was to create a page we could all brainstorm ideas, questions and stylistic approach towards the video essay. Once this was created we were able to formulate a concept that would mesh well with our topic while also attracting audiences.

From there we formulated a script comprising of editing notes ques for certain effects and timing and lines that would be read out for the video. Our final script included dialogue for the live-action as well as dialogue for the main part of the video which was the informational section. The script guides us and presented a textual idea of our approach for the video essay. The script was a fundamental aspect for guiding us in the editing process as well as making changes and notes from feedback we received from teachers and peers. With all these edits and changed that were made we received feedback to aid us to enhance the film and take on a third party view. This was helpful to us to see any oversights the group may have missed. After receiving feedback we made changes and was then ready to film.

Our choice for including a live-action take at the beginning and end of the video was to demonstrate how an actor would break the fourth wall while adding a comedic aspect to capture the visitors attention. In addition it would tie everything in the video together with an added story to tie the video together while showcasing our personalities.

Throughout our pre-production we began to recognize we had similar styles and visions towards the final product of the video which we found helped with collaboration but as well when someone in the group was explaining an idea we understood what they were talking about and could gauge their visualization.

As the category is ‘short-form’ creators only have a certain amount of time, it is important the narrative of the story is a prominent feature within the short two and half minutes. While considering the story and the narrative the added element of information is so important. Picking the right and most direct information that will answer the questions thoroughly and to point is so important.

 

Filming

Our approach to the video was to break it down into three parts, we each would feature and edit the beginning middle and end. This was the most effective approach for the group to put everything together and all put our own spin on the video which was then compiled and finalised by Tiani. Our style for the video had a combination of both live-action and found footage, which as a group we agreed that everything worked well and coherently together and told a narrative along the way.

For filming the outro I filmed on my iPhone which I found the most effective way to get my message across and fit the aesthetic of the video. Our inspiration for the ending was the opening of the Brady Bunch which is features in the image above in the top right. I loved how they benefited from the fourth wall and interested in such a way that was comedic and but also demonstrated they were apart of the narrative. In addition te us of the moving boxes and to fit their face fit our aestheitc for this short form video.

Filming was completed over a certain amount of days we needed to re-film and re-edit certain parts on top of all of this we were not able to film together which extened the time of film. The group managed to complete all elements we wanted to include in the video.

 

 

 

 

Editing

Here is a screenshot of my timeline via Premier-Pro, as previously mentioned we each edited our own recorded parts of the video which Tiani and then compiled to make one video. While editing ensuring that titles and sound would match the video was a challenge however, I managed to put everything together make the final edit smooth and ensure that Tiani was able to work with my video. One struggle I found was ensuring the voice recoding was -6DB and ensure that was across the entire video and avoiding variations of sounds. There were a few changed that were need to be made particularly from my video such as legibility of titles and timing issues. When provided feedback from Cat we made these final edits and ensure these were corrected in the final video.

Collaboration

Collaboration this year has been a challenge for many especially for group work within studios. Personally I have found in order to make group work successful you need to have several key elements in order to execute your goals. These include; open communication, delegation, commitment, recognizing people’s various circumstances and being adaptable within the group. These several key elements have helped my group find success in achieve our group goals as well as individual.

Open communication is an obvious one but one many tend of oversee, during this semester our group made a point to let each other know if we were struggling but also updating each other on the progress of each induvial task. Having this open line of communication allowed everyone know what was going on who was doing and having a general idea of what tasks were being complete. Open communication allows a simple process of delegation continue and commitment to thrive. As a group we discovered that once delegation was made if helped with the flow of the project but also meet deadlines that were set. Throughout the flow on effect of these process there was confidence within the group which establish trust amongst the group and allowed people to open up and inform the group if they were struggling and allow someone else in the group step-in and aid that person into completing the task to meet the deadline. What was discovered from several elements of the group was this process of smooth and open ended communication with one another. I believe it also helped that our personalities got along as well but setting these key elements allows for collaboration and the group to thrive and produce a piece of work that hit every target.

 

Week 9 Presentation peer review

One students work that I thoroughly enjoyed viewing was ‘The Art of the Title Sequence’ by Andrea Garcia. Her presentation caught my eye. What I liked most about the presentation visually was the PowerPoint itself. It was simple yet colourful and really communicated to the audience about herself her style and the intention for the video. The next visual element of the presentation was the consistency of structure, the audience were able to  really see she thought about what information was going to be included, second, third and really made the presentation legible and easy for the audience to digest.

Her approach with her concept for the video essay was concise specially her slide called ‘What will be included’. Andrea’s layout the plan for the information what is to be included in the video was very informative and useful information that visitors will be able to walk away having learn something new from her film. Her information that she intends to include will perfectly fit into the time frame of the video with her visual mood board further down (of the presentation) of the different title sequences  will also fit her aesthetic  for the video.

Finally, Andrea has put a lot of work towards her pre-production which was impressive and provided and clear idea on what to expect for the video, although just a script her visual mood board of the various opening title sequences and structure was very consistent and clearly shows she is prepared and organized to start filming and gathering content for her video.

Her script was well throughout and has structure to the information she is providing. Her information will suit the timeframe of the video.

Andrea’s overall approach to the week 9 presentation was very confident and concise. She was confident in her voice and explained her concepts and ideas thoroughly with clarity.

Week 10 Breaking the Fourth Wall Production

We are heading into the final weeks of class and things are ramping up. Although our group is cool, calm and collected we are determined to produce a video about breaking the fourth wall with conviction and confidence.

This week has been quiet in class however, groups have been busy collating their videos for ACMI. Our group has been working on filming our intro. Getting test footage and communicating with one another to ensure we are keeping with everyone’s vision for the final product. Along with this we are collecting footage that will be included and used as examples from films that have incorporated ‘breaking the fourth wall’ from there they will be played over with dialogue explaining ‘breaking the fourth wall’.

One thing we did reflect upon this week was last weeks feedback on our presentation. Our aim the next time we see are presenting or providing an update we aim to ensure we are clear and explain each step of our process.

Our group has been in consistent contact throughout the week to organize each task we require to complete in order for the next person to complete. We were able to show some footage in Thursday’s class our intro, although audio was lacking Cat managed to see a small part of our idea.