Thursday, 19 November 2009

Editing Process

Editing was new to me, making it difficult for 100% participation at the beginning. I had to get Natalie a group member to explain how it was used. After that I found it really easy and gave 100% of my time and effort to the process when necessary.

I focused mainly on the graphic design and editing that in to suit. I really enjoyed this aspect as it gave me the chance to be creative in the designs and also learn how important they are in the timeline for the documentary to run smoothly. As it is a group task we took sections of the documentary to focus on when editing, my section was the Clarks interview and the interview with the auntie. Combining these in with the other interviews and footage we had was difficult but getting suggestions of each team member made the process successful.

As you can see from the screen grabs we took during the process, I ensured all sound levels were correct and all at an even consistency. I learnt how to fade the opening song out so it ran more smoothly as before hand it stopped abruptly. Many hours were put in out of lesson time, however this was difficult to arrange as my free periods clashed when the classroom was in use, however I stayed behind after school to ensure completion.

I enjoyed the editing process as it gave me the chance to learn new and valuable skills that I did not previously know.

Referring back to our audience throughout we changed some of our vox pop's. We decided they were not suitable due to the fact some of them contained swearing (see video clips) we decided not to incorporate this as it was not suitable for us to present however we do realize it may have been suitable as our documentary is scheduled for after the watershed but we did not feel comfortable adding it in.

When we completed the documentary we had a final check through as a group. We all watched it together making individual notes on what could be improved; we then discussed the points and made changes upon our decisions. I found this aspect very helpful as it gave us a chance to watch it through toughly with the whole group present enabling us to contribute positive and effective feedback. As my main aspect of the editing process was designing graphics and arranging the Clarks interview I faced a few difficulties. During the graphic design we had to keep to are chosen colour scheme, however this was difficult when producing the interviewee's names as on occasions it did not show up due to the background. But as I wanted an even consistency I have to go back and change them all again this was slightly annoying as we had to keep to a strict deadline. Editing the Clarks interview was good for me to do as I was the interviewer and I was familiar with the question and answers already, however as we had more then one interview I found it difficult to link them altogether as I was supposed to only do the one interview however to enable we met the deadline once Whitney had edited her interview we both started to link them together.














o see the volume control.






















Capturing the 2nd Tape of our footage.


Altering the sizes of the images for the opening titles.















Tuesday, 3 November 2009

Filming Process

Filming our documentary we faced many dilemmas. The weather was inconsistent making it hard to arrange times to film as a group and individually. We also struggled to find interviews as we did have one planned with a local New Look store and upon arrival they pulled out, not giving us much time to re-plan.

During the filming process I found it really interesting, asking the public on their views for the vox pop was a highlight for me, everyone was so helpful and engaging. I interviewed several of the interviewee's I found that all the assistants that participated were really helpful making the filming process go with an ease.
Due to lack of a dolly, at one point we had to drive a car to create the effect of a tracking shot, quick and logical thinking allowed us as a group to make use of what was around us, I feel this has developed our documentary standard as we tried to use a number of different filming techniques that were not professional to create a professional shot.

Taking it in turns to film, ask for vox pop's, interview and arrange interviewing appointments gave me an overall experience. I asked many shops if it was okay to film footage in their shop, this was nerve racking as some people rejected however my confidence grew through the filming process. (As you can see by the photos we took through the process there is one of me asking in the Everton Shop.)

We had to plan our time effectively to ensure we met the days filming that was required, before setting off to the necessary locations we thoroughly planned the day's events, I feel that without this we may have lagged behind. We ensure we arrived at the shops early to ensure they were quiet to do the cutaway shots and recorded the vox pop’s later on in the afternoon when busier and a wider audience available.
I feel as a group we have got much closer, sharing the work load evenly to ensure everyone has a chance at each aspect has made the filming process an enjoyable time as there was no miss understanding in the group.

The best bit of filming that stands out for me is the Clarks Interview. The mise en scene is 100% appropriate to the documentary. The natural lighting and the children's shoes on display make it complete. The Camera work for this interview is also very good, following the codes and conventions of a real documentary. The age of Kelly is ideal for our target audience which is also another bonus. I arranged this interview by phoning up the branch, it took a while to arrange as on some days the manager was not present, I was then directed to head office, and then I finally made the appointment. This showed me planning and scheduling is so important, having to get permission from the right people is essential for the production to continue.

The part of the filming I dislike is the interview with Lisa Kenny, I feel the mise en scene is not very good at all. The lighting is dark, the background is not 100% relevant to shoes however it is relevant to the topic of children's shoes as it was filmed in a child's room. The sound quality is poor due to the fact upon arrival the second time the microphone did not work. I feel the answers are good and detailed and the camera work is effective however I feel that with better planning this could have been done much better. As this is one of the parts I filmed I am very disappointed in what was produced.

We had to arrange for the interview with Sadie and Lisa to take place as we lost the saved interview with Mr. Swindel and had recorded over it. This was a nuisance as we were running to a tight deadline. After filming the two new interviews we realised we could retrieve the lost work, as this interview was are main aspect we re-included it.

Mr. Swindel's interview was very good; although we didn't use a microphone the sound levels were very good. Due to lack of settings in school were the interview took place we had bad mise en scene however it was still effective and illustrated what the topic was about.





Arranging the shoes for a tracking shot.




Arranging the shoes for a tracking shot.


Creating the word 'SHOES' out of shoes for the opening title.


Camera, Action GO!


Discussing the best shot.


Referring to time plan to see what was next. (please note that it is a pen in her mouth)


Filming more shots.




Advising each other on best and possible shots.


Using resources available to create shots.




Checking that the microphone was working correctly before starting voxpop's.


Voxpop's in action.


Using a bin to get a high angle shot of the 'SHOES'.




Asking for permission to film cutaways in the Everton Shop.


Possible still cutaways.








Having a FUN time.




Filming more possible cutaways.


Filming Quirky Facts.




Ticking off what is complete whilst shooting more shots that we saw on the day which we liked.




Creating a spinning shot in Office




Creating a cutaway in a shoe shop.


Possible Cutaway's.