The final piece

I really have enjoyed this module and I hope to continue film in the future. I am really happy with the final product and how it has come out after all of our efforts. Even through ewe hit some bumps working through it has shown me how you can still make a product you hare happy with even if ideas and things get changed in the process.

Continuing editing

We had many many many complications the first week of editing due to the software not working and ur drives where we kept the work would disappear so there we many issues and struggles we faced the first few days. Yet as we final got to the editing stage it became really enjoyable as we started to see our work come together and be what we had hoped. We had so may shots to choose from that it was difficult to pick which cut away to go to and we also really wanted to show the narrative from day to night so we had to be very specific to keep a good order and the show the transition well. Of course over the time of editing we did so many changes realising that the shots didn't fit in certain places and had to be rearranged. One of our first issues was that the shots were to literally to what the interviewee was saying and it was becoming boring by seeing exactly what you are hearing. Thus we took this to consideration and moved the shorts forward backwards so it wasn't in time with what the boys were saying creating a more engaging piece.

Editing; Voice over

In class this week we were given a task of completing an unedited clip and making a voice over to put on top to complete the short film. We were sent to the Audio Booths which luckily before I had used in sound so I had some experience there thus me and my group were able to get it done swiftly. We then raced back to edit, it was all based on the war in Ireland, and make the best film we could in the shortest time. We edited the sound to correlate with the images shown on screen of the devastation the war had on thousands of people. I enjoyed this task as it was different and fast paced, something we hadn't tried before.

Issues with sound

Once we started looking at the clips we realised that the sound was not recorded properly when walking around the fair which was a little disappointing especially in the firework scene. Yet as we started editing we realised although we were missing the ambiance but due to the fair playing music constantly through the day and night all the shots would have different music playing and it wouldn't have matched up thus would have made the film disorientated. Therefore we used a free unlicensed music which worked really well.

Beginning our own editing

We began editing all our clips together, we had over 170 clips which was crazy for a 4-minute clip. We first looked at all the clips and wrote down each individually what they consisted of so we could decipher them in future edits. We had such a variety of shots it was hard to start and choose where to begin or end. So we decided to take the interview and lie it out on the timeline to find the narrative of the film and how it will work as a piece. From there we added cutaways and filled the gaps between the talking with music to really start brining the the documentary together.

Editing in Class

Today was our first lesson in how to use Adobe Premiere to its full extent and the differences to it and other software we have used in the past. We edited together a clip or a feminist talking about the history and information now available on the British library website. We learnt how to;

• import clips 
• put on the time line 
• change sound levels 
• change the colour on certain clips 
• add photos and then edit those to move and zoom in and out
• cut clips 
• and export the piece as a whole 

This was really interesting the difference between Adobe and Final Cut, learning all the different things it could do to the clip were simple and easy and we now have put them into out own work. 

Interviews

The interviews with the twins went almost according to plan, due to them only being 11 they were very cheeky and laughable together so it took over a good hour to actually get them to answer the questions properly. Yet once we did they said some great things and really gave a family and warming feel to the piece. We of course had many outtakes to look through.

The Actual Day

The filming went really well around the fair, it was a bit gloomy weather but it meant that we had little glare from the sun which helped. We were able to get a real variation of shots and really show the fir through the different stages of the day. We didn't have any problems traveling or filming the night life looked beautiful will all the lights and music. it got really busy at around 6 with many families traveling out.

Budget

Prices each for the day of travel

• £25.00 for the train to Maidenhead with return
• £5.00-£10.00 for lunch and food previsions 
• Bring debit/credit cards just in case of emergency's

I personally stayed on till Tuesday, the others in my group went home. This was due to me getting the interviews on a different day and also wanting to visit my family for the weekend.

What Shots

• Many wide shots; to show the fair as a whole
• Close Ups; to show the intricacy of the art work 
• Shots of steam; to keep that element 
• Different angles of all the rides and stalls 
• Shots of people around the fair and how busy it gets 

Safety

• Make sure all equipment is accounted for and nothing is left
• Travel together and safely, be careful of trains 
• The fair may be wet and muddy and not to slip 
• Be safe around the rides
• Do not go on a ride without permissions 

Plans

• Get camera equipment Friday 4th November
• Train station 8:15 Saturday November 5th
• Get to Maidenhead 10:50
• Get to Fair 11:45
• Film; closed; day; night; fireworks 
• Finish 22:00
• Interviews Monday 7th November 
• Charlie and Jenson Bedroom 
• Home 1:30 train Tuesday 8th November 

Editing the short film

We began editing the short film together and seeing what my group already had physically with editing software and what we already knew. Although the university edits on Adobe premiere, we had not been taught yet how to really use this software and so me and Casey had a good knowledge of Final Cut Pro so used this to edit. I could not be over 1 minute so we needed to cut down a 5 minute interview and replace with cutaways and a little music. We did not want to use music the whole way through due to our tutor suggesting it isn’t a music video so we wanted to defiantly use his advice. This was really fun and engaging as we got to really work as a group and edit something fun and easy.

Ken Burns

We connected a documentarian to our piece that we believed we could follow and add some of our ideas from and try to incorporate his themes.

How our narrative changed

Here in our powerpoint you can see how our first narrative was, compared to the outcome that was the final piece.

Presentation Making

We as a group needed to make a presentation which would accumulate as 20% of our mark and really focus on what we wanted to achieve from the production (which at this point we had very little idea) and connecting our piece to a famous documentarian that had connotations with the work we were making. We worked together by looking at what the fair consisted of and its own family history. We also looked a documentary maker who we believed had a connection as he looked at historical films and we were focusing around a historical idea.  

Carters

Presenting ideas

In the next week we all presented our ideas for the main project and then in our groups decided on which would be the most approachable and achieve able to complete. The class gave so many ideas from homeless people to nightlife to deserted towns. It was so engaging what everyone came up with and how creative the class is and really invested into the project. Once me and my group got together we decided on my idea and we really discussed what angle we wished to approach the fair and if we wanted to use the fair for ascetics and go for a different idea totally.

·      We decided on looking at how people appreciate the fair and what it does for the community.

·      Also perhaps the nostalgic feel that the vintage fair can bring to people and how history is still used in modern times to give a difference.

·      As the fair is a steam fair and a few of the rides are still run on fair to this day we may look into the view on steam.  

·      Lastly an idea would be to look at how its run by a family and how the children will continue the work for generations to come

As we progressed it to completing the film we saw how we were representing the fair changed and differed depending on the logistics and interview style we went for. I believe this was one of the biggest changes for me, watching our ideas mould and advance as we began filming and what worked for us as a group.