DIRECTIONS; CRITICAL EVALUATION

Now that i have finalised everything within the project, including finished the script, research requirements and filmed and edited my production, i can evaluate from a critical perspective, what worked well and what didn't work as well.

What worked well:

Vee on the phone

-The thing that interested and engaged me most about Ariel Schulman and his work, was his use of modern technology and his aspiration to produce work that is far different from directors before. Within Nerve this was evident, in my opinion, within three main points -Screen recordings -filming through a MacBook webcam and -filming through mobiles. However as with this project, we had to make the work our own and direct it in our way, and so i chose to film the action through mainly a DSLR camera. I believe this worked well and allowed me to use a different range of shots to imply the emotion and internal struggle of a character. For example in my opening scene when Vee is on the phone to her friend, in the original it is a Skype conversation filmed through a MacBook Pro, i believe that the way i directed it can make the audience relate more to the internal struggle that Vee is going through, she is afraid to tell her mother of her ambition to move away from home and through a range of close up shots and low angled shots I tried to express this, and because of that i believe that this is something that went well within my production.

-The use of sound effects is something i have never used before in any of my work. Within Nerve i used a range of sound effects including - laptop slamming -mouse clicking -Nerve music. I believe this went well within my production and the sounds sound natural and fit very well within the action on screen. Sound effects make the drama on screen more intense, modify normal sounds to be louder than expected, or higher or lower than expected can surprise and audience, engaging them more with what they're watching. Also, the sound effects helped within my editing and it paired well with cutting/ending a scene with a black screen, the main example being when Vee slams her laptop down.

-I believe that something else that went well within my production was good coverage, in each scene i made sure to have a range of long/wide, medium and close up shots in order to represent each room Vee was in for a number of reasons (for example in her brothers room to show his medals and in Vees room to show the wide window - a metaphor for her longing to move away)

example of a screen recording

-The use of screen recordings i believe worked well for me, though it was done in the original, i didn't use it to the extent that it was used in the original. I believe i effectively made screen recordings match the other action on screen.



What didn't work as well:
-This project was about becoming a directing and making those directorial decisions when it comes to our production. I believe i was organised and decisive, especially in pre-production when organising cast, locations, costumes etc, however i believe that one thing i could definitely improve on, when being a director or working on any shoot, is making sure that all of the shots i need for continuity are done. Within this production i did this a lot however there are certain scenes with continuity errors (i.e. a character standing in a different position or looking toward the camera), some of them aren't too noticeable but personally i like my work to be very tightly edited and clean cut, so its something that i defiantly want to improve on for the future.


For example, in the two shots here, Vee is standing in a different position in each one so i had to cut it shorter to make it work



-Sound design was an issue for me when filming, i had issue with mics and had to use just the DSLR recorded sound, this wasn't ideal but i made sure i was close when filming sound and so the sound doesn't actually sound too bad. However i'd prefer to have used some separate mics to record sound, it makes the dialogue and location sound more crisp, giving it a better sense of realism.

Nerve from the original film

-Within the real feature of Nerve, there is an in depth design on the game that is played, i couldn't create something as detailed as that and so i was worried that it wouldn't have the same effect in mine as it did in the film. The way i did it, was to use sound paired with fast paced shots of Vee in her room, so rather than showing the video, i just played the audio from it and instead focused on Vee's reaction to it. Whilst i think i did it okay and also think this demonstrates the way i have directed it in a different way, I believe it would have worked a lot better if i had more shots, because of the lack of shots i couldn't do this scene as fast paced as i wanted too and for that reason i believe it didn't work as well as it could have

Overall from this project, i have learnt a lot about producing and directing a short film, mainly id say the thing i have learnt the most is the sheer amount of components that come with directing, so many decisions that are all integral to the end product. Moreover, something else i have taken from this project is the important of sound. Sound design is integral to making sure a film flows correctly and regardless of if the framing is good and the shots are good, if the sound isn't then it just won't feel right. Thinking about how i can record sound and how i will integrate any sound effects into my film was an important part of my production and something i will now always consider in future projects.

DIRECTIONS UNIT: FINALISED SCRIPT

As i prepare to film, i have made a few changed to some script, mainly increased the dialogue in some places and decreased it in others. I found that this time editing the script i was thinking more in the mindset of a director, and how some of the decisions and changes that i make, will and can effect the drama of the production immensely. As i prepare to write my shot list, i have completed the script fully.

DIRECTIONS UNIT; SHOT LIST

As part of my pre-production, i am writing out a shot list, i will list in one by one in chronological order, i believe this will help me massively when filming as i can methodically tick off each shot that i want to do when i want to shoot it. This will help me be extremely organised and make sure that filming goes smoothly and on time.

Scene 1:
1) Close up shots of - Vee's eyes
                                 -Vee's macbook as she turns it on
                                 - Vee's nose
                                 -Vee's whole face
2) Computer Screen Recordings as Vee opens up her emails and attempts to reply
3) Wide shot of Vee within her room on her laptop, as she gets up and walks toward her bedroom window
4) Close up of Vee's face as she looks out of her window and breaths heavily
5) Wide/Long shot of the view from Vee's room, as we view this the camera starts to back out, as if its coming back into Vee's room, we see the back of Vee as she longingly stares outside of the window, as the phone starts to ring we see Vee's head turn back around
6) Close up of Vee's phone ringing
7) Low angle hot of Vee on the phone
8) Mid shot of Vee on the phone as she walks back over to her bed and goes back onto her laptop
9) Wide angle shot head on facing Vee as she is watching her laptop screen (we can hear sound from the Nerve video playing)
10) Close up of Vee's face

Scene 2:
1) High angle shot look down toward the kitchen hob, showing Vee cooking an egg in a frying pan
2) Close up focusing on Vee's face as she starts to talk to her mother, her mother can be seen in the background of this shot (out of focus) and then focus in on her mother as she starts to talk
3) Mid shot of Vee as she turns around from the hob to the kitchen side (now facing her mother head on as her mother is still sitting in the dining room)
4) Wide shot of Vee (the back of her) as she picks up her breakfast plate and joins her mother on the dining table
5) 2 Close up shots of Vee and her mother as they engage in conversation, specially focusing on her mother, demonstrating her unwillingness to have this conversation
6) Mid shot of Vee's mother as she gets up from the table and walks back across the kitchen
7) Close up of the table displaying books from the college that Nancy wants Vee to attend
8) Close up of Vee as she admits to her mother that she will go where she wants to go
9) Mid shot of Nancy at the kitchen
10) Close up of see as she looks down at her breakfast in disbelief, turns around to say something more to her mother but her mother is not there
11) Wide shot of the empty kitchen (Showing Vees POV)

Scene 3
1) Close up shot of Vee's hand opening her brothers door handle
2) Wide/Long shot that shows the whole of Vee's brothers room
3) Panning Mid shot as we follow Vee walking around her brothers bedroom
4) Close up of army medals hanging on the wall
5) Mid shot as Vee sits on the edge of his bed
6) Close up of a picture frame on his bedside cabinet

Scene 4
1) Mid shot of Vee, she is sitting on her bed cleaning the sense of her camera
2) Close up of Vee standing up, she slings her bag over her shoulder and then looks down onto her bed
3) Close up of the college guide on her bed
4) Mid shot of Vee's face as she sighs and shrugs
5) Long shot displaying Vee hastily leaving the room

Scene 5
1) Close up of Vee riding her bike along an alley - low angle, looking up as if from the handle bars, she breaths heavily OR screams in frustration
2) Long shot of Vee riding her bike, pan across the follow her
3) Low angle shot of just the bike tire as it rides past, almost as if the bike is coming towards the camera
4) Medium shot of the back of Vee as she is riding her bike, coming away from the camera
5) Low angle shot as Vee comes around the corner, suddenly stops her bike and falls down to the ground in anger
6) Wide shot of the same as above
7)  Close up of Vee as she is sitting on the ground with her arms covering her face whilst she is upset
8) One long wide hot of the whole rest of the scene (to edit the follow shots in and out of)
9) Close up of Vees bag as she takes her laptop out
10) Medium shot of Vee as she opens up her laptop screen hearing the works 'Are you a watcher or a player?"
11) Shots from the left and right of Vee as she looks around to see if anyone is there
12) Extreme close up of Vee's eyes as they look around her laptop screen
13) Close up of Vee's hand as she selects something on the mousepad of her macbook
14) Close up of Vee's face as she looks at what she's done
15) Low angle shot of Vee standing up, packing her laptop away and getting her phone out
16) Wide shot of Vee as she makes a phone call
17) Close up shot as Vee makes a phone call to Tommy

DIRECTIONS: FILMING SCHEDULE

As we now are in the starting point of our production weeks, I am currently preparing a schedule so that i know what i have to film and on what days. I am filming on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th of February, i believe this will be more than enough time as long as i am fully prepared. I am filming one scene on the Monday and then the other 2 scenes on the Tuesday. Below is a brief outline of what i will be filming on each of the days

Monday 13th February
-This will mainly be in the kitchen where my main character Vee is talking to her mother
-She comes downstairs and starts cooking some breakfast, her mother is sitting on their dining table eating and reading the newspaper
-Vee starts to bring up how her friend has fund put by from her parents to go to University with, her mother shows a disinterest at this, she doesn't want her to go away and tells Vee that she's already got a place at a local college and can stay at home with her
-Reluctantly, Vee agrees and pretends that her mother is right and has a good idea

Tuesday 14th February
-Vee is in her bedroom, she is on her laptop and starts to open up her emails with her college acceptance letter
-She talks on the phone with her friend about a new game called Nerve then she opens the game up on her laptop and the phrase "Are you a watcher or a player", this is a metaphor for someone living inside of their comfort zone in life, and someone living outside of it
-Also, i have to film Vee going into her dead brothers bedroom, she looks at his room and pictures of him, this makes her upset looking at pictures of him
-Vee leaves her house, after talking to her mother (what is being filmed on Monday) in anger, we see her riding a bike to a field, she suddenly stops and sits down in anger, sighing at the frustrating situation she is in
-Her laptop starts playing "Are you a watcher or a player" again from inside her bag, she gets it out and press's player
-Wondering if what she has done is the right thing, she calls her friend and announces to him that she is a player

DIRECTIONS UNIT: PRE PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT

high key lighting

Over the past few weeks, we have had a range of different workshops on lighting, editing, sound and general directing workshops. From these workshops we learn more about the art of directing and what is needed to successfully direct a production. This has also taught and extended our knowledge as to what directing involves and emphasises the amount of work that a director has to do.

3 point lighting

In terms of lighting, we were able to try a range of different lighting set ups to help us decide what set ups, if any, we would like to use within our own production. This included

- Three Point Lighting; a standard method used in visual media, it involves using three lights, a key light, a fill light and a back light to light an object within a scene.

- High Key Lighting - a style of lighting for film television or photography that aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in a scene, originally it was used for technological reason, but it is now used to suggest an upbeat mood, normally present in comedy dramas or sitcoms.

DSLR

Using lighting within productions is vital to all aspects, its vital for the story and vital for the mood. Within my production of Nerve i would prefer to use purely natural light, i want to try and create something that is very raw and clean cut, i want it to bring a sense or realism to the audience and for that i believe natural lighting would be best. Any lighting issues i do have i will endeavour to rectify in post production.

Moreover, we have had a range of camera workshops, including on Sony EX's and PMW's as well as DSLRs. DSLRs are very effective as they are light, portable and can have very good lenses to produce very high quality pictures. However, my one issue with a DSLR is sound, its more difficult to catch the specific sound that you want to capture with a DSLR, and sound is such an important part of the production that i wouldn't want to use a DSLR. Also, i feel far more comfortable using a Sony as that is what i have most experience using and that is what i feel more at ease for my production to go smoothly.

Sony PMW

DIRECTIONS UNIT: TV DIRECTOR RESEARCH

Jack Bender, born September 25th 1949, is an American television and film director, best known for his work on Lost and Game of Thrones. Bender studied art at an LA college, he then went into action, appearing on shows such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, after this he began directing and producing a range of different shows. His biggest credit will be the ABC TV Series Lost, overall he directed a massive 38 episodes across the whole series, more episodes than any other director, and he was the executive producer across the board. His other credits include

- Game of Thrones

- The Last Ship

- The Sopranos

- Under the Dome

- Alcatraz

Due to the amount of shows that Bender has directed, he has come to have a very specific directorial style. Firstly, before looking at visuals, Bender has a very good handle on episodes of shows that involve some sort of time travel. The most prominent is an episode of Lost entitled 'The Constant', which involved the character of Desmond time travelling. Bender notes how he didn't want to do any gimmicky transitions or 'star trek dissolves and wipes', he wanted it to look very honest, and he did that through close up shots and then simply black editing cut to transition into the different time. The close up shots illustrates the emotion that a character goes through and therefore adds to the drama, something that Bender believes is far more valuable for an audience, than any gimmick.


The idea that Bender cares more about the emotion within an episode is mirrored in his more recent work on the last two episodes of season six of Game of Thrones. This is one of the most successful and famous shows in TV interest, and Bender to go in and direct when he never has before, he wanted to make his mark. Within his episode, one of the much loved characters of the programme Hodor, was to be killed by an army of the dead. However, Bender did one shot in that scene, where the camera moves closer in to Hodor and his face, as the army of the dead are pulling at his flesh.
Benders work is a huge inspiration to me and highly influences my work. Using a range of different close up shots to convey emotion, rather than focusing on the act that is making them feel that emotion instead, and it is something i defiantly have planned for at least one of my scenes in mu production.

DIRECTIONS; SOUND PRE-PRODUCTION

After our session with Simon, it got me to thinking about the sound design within my own production, what i want to do with my sound, and how i want to record it. The session with Simon made me realise the wide range of ways to record sound and put it into a film that there is.

Mainly, i would like to record my sound simply with a boom pole, most of my scenes involve purely conversational sound; in one my main character Vee is talking on the phone to her friend and in the other she is in her kitchen talking to her mother. The best way to capture this sound, in my opinion, is simply with a boom pole as i am filming. I believe that this is a better option rather than dubbing the sound in later, because it will add to the drama of the story to use the original sound.

I also have other sound within my production that may require special effects or dubbing in afterwards. This includes the sound from the game that Vee goes on her laptop, the voice i need to use for this needs to sound somewhat computerised, and so i will dub this in during post production rather than during production. Also, within the last scene i have to film, it will be taking place outside, so i will firstly be sure to record about a minute of location sound as well as possibly some special wind effects.