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