Application of Post Production: Audio

After filming the documentary, I had to edit the documentary and put in the audio. I had filmed the interview with an external microphone so I could put together the sound with the video, so I muted to sound of the video and added in the interview from the external mic so the sound was much clearer. Firstly I took the right piece of interview for the video clip, cropped the part that I needed, then I added it to my timeline and finally I moved the audio to fit with the interview so it was in sync. It's a simple process but it takes patience as you move the audio and try to make it fit perfectly with the muted interview in the video.

Application of Post Production: Video

After getting feedback from the rough cut and finishing the edit, I wanted to colour correct the documentary, as that is an important part of post-production and ensuring the film looks its best. I used the effect 'colour balance', dragged and dropped in onto my clip, and that colour corrected my clip so the colours and tones of the shot were evened out, and the result was that it looked much better and the colours were balanced, getting rid of the red tones in the 'before' shot and neutralising them.

Client Draft

A Working Title:
The Motorbike Man

A Synopsis:
This Documentary is based on the career of my Granddad and how he became the British Motorcycling Champion in 1966. The documentary is set at WildTracks and at home, where I have interviewed him about his career and how it has affected him over the years. Furthermore, I will also include archive footage to help establish the context of the film. This short will be an interview-based documentary and you won't be able to hear the interviewers voice, and hopefully this documentary and the questions I ask my Granddad will allow him to reflect on his career and all that he's achieved.

The key features of the film are as followed:

1. How he discovered motocross
2. The training for competitions/championships
3. Motocross and his career
4. Family support
5. Accidents
6. How winning the championship changed his career
7. Riding in the present day

The Themes and Concept of the Film:
The theme of this documentary is Ambition. It looks at how success has come to somebody who set out to achieve something, worked hard, and the success came naturally. My Granddad wanted to ride motorbikes as a career, and his determination and passion for Motocross pushed him forward and eventually he achieved that by winning the British Championship and gaining Sponsorships throughout his career.

Additionally, when I set out to create this documentary, I knew I wanted to show some elements of self-reflection for my Granddad so it can add another layer to the documentary. I have achieved this by combining his appearances in not only the interview, but on the tracks when he is watching the bikes without saying anything. I think that this is important because it shows the emotional attachment to motocross and how important it is to my Granddad.

The Length and Other Technical Details:

• This documentary will be between 6-7 minutes
• It has been exported as a QuickTime Movie
• The file for this documentary is 487.8MB
• The dimensions for the short is 1920 x 1080
• This documentary was shot with a Canon 600d in HD Definition (with a tripod during the interview), with an external microphone recording the sound from the interview to make it clearer.

The Outline of the Target Audience:
The main target audience of this documentary is fans of Motocross. From youngsters just learning to ride, to pre-65 riders looking back on Motocross and how it has evolved, this film is for people to enjoy who are interested in Motocross and they either want to learn more about the sport itself, my Granddad, or they want to reflect on the evolution of the sport.

A lot of Motocross documentaries are on YouTube, made by fans of the sport themselves, to look into the world of Motocross. An example is: Jeff Loop - A Too Tall Tale, which was created in 2011. I would like to see my film shown online, on websites other than the obvious option - YouTube. It would be good if my documentary is shown on Motocross websites, and the WildTracks website as advertising for them (as that was where the film was shot).

Contact Details:
Email: 31663@longroad.ac.uk or maiaroseymedia@gmail.com

Shooting Script:

Shooting Script - The Motocross Man

Archers Recorded Footage - Audio

Genre and Target Audience Research - Sherlock

Sherlock is a BBC One contemporary crime drama series, an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Sherlock has had 3 series aired so far, with the first episode airing on the 25th July 2010 and the latest episode airing on the 12th January 2014. There are three episodes per series, therefore 9 episodes have been produced so far. Sherlock is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and Martin Freeman is Doctor John Watson. On the 2nd July 2014, Sherlock was renewed for a fourth series, with the three-episode series being aired in early 2016, following on from a Christmas airing in December 2015.

There are two main recurring themes in the Sherlock series: the science of deduction, and loyalty. With the science of deduction, Sherlock repetitively shows how you can discover and uncover a lot of information from even the smallest of things. Holmes can decipher information from almost any object, from personal appearance to personal items. Loyalty is the other key theme, and this particularly links to Sherlock and Doctor John Watson's relationship. This is an important theme to the series as Sherlock and Doctor John work together to solve the crime, as they are both equally as clever but their personalities couldn't be any more different, creating tension between them sometimes. I think that loyalty isn't a typical theme for a crime drama, as normally it's focussing on key issues like abuse, drugs, discrimination and so on, but the relationship between Sherlock and Doctor John is almost like a married couple like they're against everybody (including the MI5 and the Police) and working on their own, and so it's a key element to the series and the story lines.

I would say that the target audience for Sherlock are anybody over the age of 14. This is because the story lines can be complex and there is a lot to take it, therefore children under the age of around 14 might struggle to keep up with the storyline. Furthermore, the story lines can be nerving for younger people because some of the characters and plots can appear creepy. After 14, it is really suitable for anyone who is interested in Sherlock Holmes and crime dramas in general. However, it is a very modern adaptation to Sherlock Holmes, so older viewers who are used to reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories may not like it as much.

BBFC Classification Letter

BBFC

Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films within the United Kingdom. The BBFC was established in 1912 as the British Board of Film Censors, by members of the film industry, who would rather manage their own censorship than have national or local government do it for them; it began operating on 1 January 1913. Its legal basis was the Cinematograph Act 1909, which required cinemas to have licences from local authorities.

All films rated by the BBFC receive a certificate, along with "consumer advice" detailing references to sex, violence and coarse language. If a certificate specifies that a film or video game is only suitable for someone over a certain age, then only those over that age may buy it.
At PG the BBFC Guidelines allow some element of 'horror' provided it meets the criteria that 'frightening sequences' are not 'prolonged or intense'. Recently updated BBFC Guidelines go into even more detail about scary moments in children's films in the 'Main Issues' section:

• Despite the scariness, the film features a number of ‘mitigating factors’ – elements which lessen the intensity of the more frightening scenes. These included moments of comedy and fun like silly songs, performances by dancing mice and the strange behaviour of the amusing and colourful neighbours. Additionally, a lot of emphasis is placed on the reassuring happy ending.

• The characterisation of Coraline also offered a strong argument for placing the work at PG. Coraline is shown to be a resourceful, courageous girl who, although she may occasionally be scared, always manages to find her way out of a difficult situation and eventually succeeds and defeats 'The Other Mother'.

• The biggest consideration was the fact that in Coraline, some of the scares come from people or places that should feel safe to children - for example their homes and parents. This was one of the reasons the examiners did not feel a U category would be suitable.

• At PG the BBFC Guidelines also state that 'fantasy settings may be a mitigating factor' and Coraline fits in the category of a fantasy film. The examiners recognised that the film's central idea of a parallel world would be a familiar idea for a child audience well used to similar plot devices in fairy tales. The film's fantastical elements: the talking cats, performing mice, and mothers with buttons for eyes, plus the fact that Coraline features animated models rather than human actors, all make it clear that Coraline's world is different from the real world of the audience.

 

The Video Recordings Act requires that video releases not exempt (music, video games, etc) under the Act had to be classified, making it illegal to supply any recording that had not been certified. Certificates could restrict release to any age of 18 or under, or to only licensed sex-shops. The government currently designate the BBFC as the authority for certifying video releases. As the law requires the certificate to be displayed on the packaging and media labels of the video recording, in practice only UK releases can be legally sold or hired in the UK, even if a foreign release had identical content.

Coraline case study:
Why did the BBFC settle for a PG rating?

“Many children enjoy the excitement of scary sequences, but, where films are targeted at a younger audience, classification decisions will take into account such factors as the frequency, length and detail of scary scenes as well as horror effects, including music and sound, and whether there is a swift and reassuring outcome.”

Rough Cut Feedback

• Just goes straight into the footage, good intro could be added
• Good audio, clear and good background music to accompany it
• I like the different shots used, you see the motorbikes and him in an interview
• I like the framing of the shots so there is no blank space when he is being interviewed, its all relevant to the documentary

Re-Drafted Script

Changes made from the inital first draft script:

• I have added Exterior and Interior locations
• I expanded on the descriptions of the shots and the locations to help set the scene for the Director and readers of the script
• The initial summary of the script has been updated and made more specific about the script
• An address and phone number has been added
• More cuts have been added
• The script has been made longer (an additional two pages has been added)

Rushes Log and Edit Decision List

• Blue: WildTracks Footage
• Pink: Cutaways
• Purple: Interview
• Green: Sound
• Yellow: Text
• Red: Archive Footage
• Black: Unused Footage

Documentary Treatment

A Working Title:
The Motorbike Man

A Synopsis:
This Documentary is based on the career of my Granddad and how he became the British Motorcycling Champion in 1966. The documentary is set at WildTracks and at home, where I have interviewed him about his career and how it has affected him over the years. Furthermore, I will also include archive footage to help establish the context of the film. This short will be an interview-based documentary and you won't be able to hear the interviewers voice, and hopefully this documentary and the questions I ask my Granddad will allow him to reflect on his career and all that he's achieved.

The key features of the film are as followed:

1. How he discovered motocross
2. The training for competitions/championships
3. Motocross and his career
4. Family support
5. Accidents
6. How winning the championship changed his career
7. Riding in the present day

The Themes and Concept of the Film:
The theme of this documentary is Ambition. It looks at how success has come to somebody who set out to achieve something, worked hard, and the success came naturally. My Granddad wanted to ride motorbikes as a career, and his determination and passion for Motocross pushed him forward and eventually he achieved that by winning the British Championship and gaining Sponsorships throughout his career.

Additionally, when I set out to create this documentary, I knew I wanted to show some elements of self-reflection for my Granddad so it can add another layer to the documentary. I have achieved this by combining his appearances in not only the interview, but on the tracks when he is watching the bikes without saying anything. I think that this is important because it shows the emotional attachment to motocross and how important it is to my Granddad.

The Length and Other Technical Details:

• This documentary will be between 6-7 minutes
• It has been exported as a QuickTime Movie
• The file for this documentary is 487.8MB
• The dimensions for the short is 1920 x 1080
• This documentary was shot with a Canon 600d in HD Definition (with a tripod during the interview), with an external microphone recording the sound from the interview to make it clearer.

The Outline of the Target Audience:
The main target audience of this documentary is fans of Motocross. From youngsters just learning to ride, to pre-65 riders looking back on Motocross and how it has evolved, this film is for people to enjoy who are interested in Motocross and they either want to learn more about the sport itself, my Granddad, or they want to reflect on the evolution of the sport.

A lot of Motocross documentaries are on YouTube, made by fans of the sport themselves, to look into the world of Motocross. An example is: Jeff Loop - A Too Tall Tale, which was created in 2011. I would like to see my film shown online, on websites other than the obvious option - YouTube. It would be good if my documentary is shown on Motocross websites, and the WildTracks website as advertising for them (as that was where the film was shot).

Contact Details:
Email: 31663@longroad.ac.uk or maiaroseymedia@gmail.com

Recce Report

Aerial View of Motocross Track - Copyright WildTracks ltd

Call Sheet

Storyboards and Set Design

Documentary Risk Assessment

This risk assessment outlines the risks of filming in the location: Wildtracks, Chippenham

Furthermore, after the risks are evaluated, I have assessed the persons who may be harmed, the property that may be damaged, the risk controls already in place, the likelihood and consequences of the hazard, and the further action required to control the risk.

Additionally I have provided information for contact in the event of a problem.

Mind Map of Ideas

Story Structure Diagram

Shooting Schedule: The Motorbike Man

First Draft: Script Feedback

Criteria for script feedback

Get feedback from at least one peer (other student)

• Be more descriptive of the locations and the surroundings
• Add in more shots of Freddie riding the bikes

Get feedback from Tom and Barney (questioning)

• Change the lettering from all upper case letters
• Add in External and Interior Locations
• Be more descriptive of your shots (mid shot, panning)
• Add in as and when music fades in and out (if applicable)

Concentrate on script as an instruction for filming/filmmaking

Think about:

1. How to shoot
2. What does the film look like?
3. How to edit
4. How to sound design
5. Graphics
6. Technique and storytelling

What does the audience need to know?

• Freddie's history and what sparked his initial interest in bikes
• Whether he continues to ride today
• How riding affected his life - positive/negative - was were his successes/failures?

The Motorbike Man: First Draft Script

The Motorbike Man: Interview Questions

These are the basic questions that I'm going to ask my subject. In order to get more information, and to continue the flow of the conversation to make it more natural, I will probably ask more questions relating to the answer my subject has already given. For example:

(Scripted question) What do you think started your interest in motorbikes?
(Scripted answer) My father had a motorcycle and used to follow motorcycle racing, so I would go with him to watch from when I was around 8 years old.
* (Unscripted question) So would you say your Dad was your biggest inspiration? *
* (Unscripted answer) Yes/no (etc...) *

QUESTIONS:

1. What do you think started your interest in motorbikes?
2. When did you get your first motorbike (and the brief story behind it)?
3. Did you have lessons or did you teach yourself? When did you start?
4. When did you start entering competitions?
5. Was it difficult to juggle schoolwork, a social life, and everything else, with a career that was rapidly developing? Did you have to prioritise?
6. Motocross is a dangerous sport. Did you ever have an accident whilst riding? Anything major/minor at the start/peak/end of your career?
7. Why do you think those accidents didn’t put you off riding?
8. Did you want to make motocross your career or did you want to keep it as a separate hobby?
9. How did motocross influence your future?
10. What did your father think about all of this? Was he proud/did he support you/go to all of your races?
11. What about the rest of your family? How did they feel about it all?
12. What was your most memorable moment during your time you raced?
13. Did your father encourage you to start racing or did you want to try it anyway?
14. What was the process of preparing for a competition?
15. What happened after you won British Champion?
16. How did it feel when you won?
17. Do you still ride bikes today?

Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, 1995)

Film Structure and Analysis

"As part of Unit 11 (Scriptwriting) you need to produce a blog post about narrative structure. This should focus on linear and non linear narrative structures." 

• An explanation about the difference between story & narrative:

A story and a narrative are two different things -

A story has 3 structural elements: a beginning, a middle and an end:

The beginning -

• Important as it sets the audience up for the events that are going to occur in the film
• The beginning addresses the issue at hand and the subject to the audience

The middle -

• A good middle has a structure
• Each event we see should be linked to and in keeping with the subject and tone of the film
• A good middle section may be a series of separate sequences that link together to tell more of a story

The end -

• The resolution
• The closure of the ending or an open ending (sequel)
• It is what the audience will leave with once the film has ended.

A story refers to almost everything involved in a fiction, and is most often the collective of narrative, plot, and the space in which the fiction exists. The story includes everything that makes a fiction: the tone, the mise-en-scène, the context (e.g emotion context).

However, the narrative refers to the way the plot and story is communicated to the audience (how we tell the story). This could, for example, be first or third person or from the protagonists point of view. In comparison with the story, the narrative has no requirements to obey the laws of time and space. This means, and is the case with Pulp Fiction, the narrative can jump backwards and forwards between the different events to the plot. This means that the narrative can be constructed however many ways without it directly affecting the story or the plot.

• An explanation of both the 3 act narrative structure and the 5 act classic Hollywood structure 

The 3 act narrative structure:

1. Equilibrium
2. Disequilibrium
3. New Equilibrium

Equilibrium: When everything is as it should be, in a state of equal balance between powers of any kind.

Disequilibrium: A disruption of that order by an event, and then the recognition that the disorder has occurred. The disruption usually takes place outside the 'normal' social events, and the characters or situations are 'transformed' (Todorov theory) through the progress of the disruption.

New Equilibrium: An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption, and then the return or restoration of a new equilibrium at the end of the narrative.

In these three stages, the narrative is not seen as a linear structure but a circular one - the narrative is driven by attempts to restore the equilibrium. BUT, the equilibrium reached at the end of the story is not identical to the initial equilibrium (hense, NEW Equilibrium).

The 5 act classic Hollywood structure:

1. Exposition
2. Development
3. Complication
4. Climax
5. Resolution

Exposition: Introducing the key characters and the location. The part of the story that introduces important background information to the audience, e.g about the characters backgrounds.

Development: Getting to know more about the characters, and the 'rising action' that is the build-up to the 'complication'.

Complication: Something happens in terms of the plot. The turning point, which changes the protagonist's fate.

Climax: The conflict between the protagonist and antagonist ensues, where there could be a moment of final suspense, until the resolution.

Resolution: A 'happy' (or sad, but not normally) ending - comprises the events from the climax to achieve a resolution.

The 5 act classic Hollywood structure is a linear narrative structure. A linear narrative structure is a narrative that follows a straight line: starting at the beginning, moving to the middle and then the ending of the story.

• An explanation about linear narrative and non-linear narrative - you should support this with examples from film and/or TV:

Linear narrative -

A linear narrative is a story that starts at Point A and follows a logical progression of time that leads the characters to Point B. The story occurs in chronological order. 

Non-linear narrative -

A non-linear narrative is a narrative structure which is composed with the branching of the structure, where a a single starting point can lead to multiple developments and outcomes. In cinema, a non-linear narrative is shown through 'broken narrative', for example in the 1996 film Pulp Fiction. The film is three short stories, which, when you look at the bigger picture, are actually three parts of one story where the chronology is broken up. Quentin Tarantino creates this narrative without using the 'flashback' technique.

• A diagram illustrating a classic Hollywood narrative structure - this can be a flow chart or a table

• A diagram illustrating the narrative structure of Pulp Fiction - This is the order that the film is shown 

• An alternative diagram that breaks down each storyline in Pulp Fiction and puts it into chronological order

The Pitch And Feedback

Working title:
The Motorbike Man

Log line (your film idea in one sentence):
I am going to make a Documentary about my granddad about his love of motorcycling (who won British Motorcycling Champion in 1966) and how his interest of motorbikes has evolved over the years.

Synopsis (one paragraph explaining the key narrative elements of the film):
My Documentary is going to be an interview-based short film, but you won't hear much of the interviewer's voice. I will ask questions about what started off his passion for motorbikes, and why he thinks he's been interested in them for so long. I will talk to his brother, who runs a motorbike school, for his opinions too, and overall I want to find out more about how being so involved in such a dangerous sport has effected his life.

Pitch Feedback:
Katie Turner: "I like how you're focussing on such an important part of your Granddad's life, like he is reflecting on his career. You should get some footage of your Granddad riding his bike to show he still likes riding today, even if he doesn't compete as much."

I think that it's important to get some footage of my Granddad riding his bike, because I think it will add to the depth of the documentary, and it will be interesting for the audience to watch as it fits with the theme and it shows everyone just how passionate he is about riding. I want to show the audience how much riding means to him, and expressing it though archive footage and comparing it with footage from today seems like a good idea.

Documentary To-Do List

I have a short list of things that I need to do before I can begin to film my Documentary:

• Brief my Documentary subjects
• Take some test shots
• Research stories/back stories
• Check and plan recording dates
• Find and access an archive

6 Documentary Ideas

Generating documentary ideas using the following 6 starting points:


Key starting points -

• A story from your local paper
• A person you know
• Investigation into something you're interested in
• A place
• An issue
• Autobiographical

A story from your local paper:

• RSPCA investigation launched after baby rabbits are found abandoned in Soham - view here
• Oscar Pistorius trail - view here

A person you know:

• My cousin, Harry, who wants to be a pilot and is interested in aeroplanes.
• Policeman, Dave and a 'day-in-the-life' documentary
• My dad, who runs his own restaurant

Investigation into something you're interested in:

YouTube, and how's it has grown and become so popular

A place:

Harrods, London

An issue:

Technology (and it's continuous evolution) - giving the older generation technology they haven't used, e.g iPads and iPhones, and documenting their reactions

Autobiographical:

'Day-in-the-life' of myself

Documentary Review: Supersize Me

Summary:
Supersize Me is a 2004 American Documentary film follows Morgan Spurlock in a 30-day period from  February 1 to March 2, 2003 during which he only eats McDonalds food.

The film follows Spurlock and shows us the dramatic effects this lifestyle has, both physically and psychologically. Furthermore, it looks at the fast food industry's corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition to increase its profit. He also goes around and interviews people on the street and their opinions towards the fast food epidemic.

At the start, Spurlock is physically above average in shape according to his doctor. Before he started the experiment, he was 185.5 lbs at 6'2 feet tall. By the end, Spurlock is 210 lbs with a 13% body mass increase.

Spurlock eats McDonalds three times a day, and he tries everything on the menu at least once over the next 30 days. Additionally, if he's offered to go supersize with his meal, he has to take it. By the end of the documentary, we learn that Spurlock has gained 24 and a half pounds in 30 days, after consuming around 5000 calories a day. During the 30 days, Spurlock experiences mood swings, sexual dysfunction and fat accumulation in the liver, which is dangerous.

The end text tells us that it took Spurlock 5 months to lose 20.1 lbs, and a further 9 months to lose the remaining 4.5 lbs

Agency:
The increasing spread of Obesity throughout America, and Spurlock wanted to investigate it. The key agency is Spurlock going on the 30-day McDonalds diet and then he goes on to document how it affects him.

Sound:
Continuous music throughout most of the documentary, quieting when people, such as Spurlock, are talking. Spurlock narrates what is going on throughout the film.

Interviews:
Various doctors, physicians and people on the street.

Narrative:
Morgan Spurlock

Producer:
Morgan Spurlock

Director:
Morgan Spurlock

Thoughts:
I think that this was an interesting documentary because it explores a key issue that's getting worse, obesity. Also, McDonalds is a very popular fast-food restaurant (and drive-through), so a lot of people will want to watch it because they'll be interested in knowing more about the food that they consume. Overall, Spurlock took a well known fact that fast-food is unhealthy and took it further to prove it in a shocking and attention-grabbing way.