Documentary and Drama Self Evaluation

Documentary

Our original idea and pitch was to do a documentary on the lives and acts of street performers in Liverpool. We chose this idea after collaborative group research into previous documentaries about Liverpool as well as research into the area and its culture and we found that there is a heavy movement of street performers out there and that there was even a law that was almost past meaning it would be near impossible to perform on the street and to get permission to. This was therefore a somewhat controversial and topical subject for our film to be based upon and especially seeing as it was half term when we went to Liverpool, we knew there would be a lot of performances going on whilst we visited. We had also discovered, from the pitch, that this subject matter hadn’t been covered an awful lot so our film would stand out and be original contextually. Even with our planning, our original idea change quite a bit due to unforeseen circumstances technically (which I will go into detail later) which eventually left us with a final piece on an individual aspiring musician, Vanessa Murray.

Even though we did a fair amount of preliminary planning before setting off for Liverpool, including shot lists, shooting schedules, locations and contact details with meeting times for our interviewees; we failed to properly test our equipment before going meaning on the first day of filming, our camera packed up and we couldn’t use it for more than 5 minutes at a time due to a faulty battery connection. This meant on the second day we had to borrow someone’s DSLR which none of our group had any experience with, and we only had the default lens which hindered our capability to produce a variety of shots. With this mixture of Z1 and DLSR footage, the edit proved to be quite difficult as we had to render very frequently because of the difference in footage on the timeline. Then the hard drive with all our sound and edit on broke and we didn’t have a backup of them anywhere. After speaking with our tutors and the other members of the group and being granted an extension, we decided we should re-shoot the documentary as best we could focusing on only one of the subjects we interviewed on our original shoot, Vanessa. Next time I will test the equipment thoroughly to make sure it is in working order as well as keeping a backup for all our work on another hard drive. Finally when we went back to reshoot, the sound we recorded was in mp3 which meant the quality was very poor and in the end we reverted to using the camera sound which made it very poor quality. Although the blame would normally go to the sound recorder for not setting up the Marantz correctly, this fault was partly down to the fact we had only 4 members in our group out of 6 (and only 3 who were at the reshoot) which meant we didn’t actually have a sound recorder in the first place which made it very difficult to do more than one role effectively.

With these issues, our film had a fair few weaknesses, and the major one was the sound. Due to the poor quality of the recorded sound on the Marantz, we had to use the camera sound in the edit which made the sound design aspect which I did the majority of, very difficult. I used the dynamic compressor effect to make the sound actually audible, as well as having to constantly have to reduce the noise on every piece of sound we wanted. This made the dialogue very tinny and poor quality, with a lot of background noise interfering with it. Also, due to the haste in which we recorded the reshoot in (we only had one day) the exposure on some of the interview shots were poor due to the shutter speed being too high which in turn meant Vanessa’s face was underexposed and the backdrop was slightly overexposed. In the edit this proved problematic as we wanted both to look good and in the end I slightly overcompensated with the colour corrector and made certain shots seem over-produced/edited. A final weakness, once again due to lack of detail because of the time limit, was that in the edit there was a few false finishes with the interview which made the narrative and content a bit difficult to follow. Some of this was due to the sound recording as well because a few answers were unusable. This being said, our film did also present a lot of strengths as well. We had a huge variety of different establishing shots to choose from and a lot of really strong compositions for cut-aways, L-Cuts and J-cuts as well as to set the location of the film. This was due to the strong plan and shot list we created before going to reshoot. The actual content of our film was very strong as well due to the very thorough and extensive list of questions we wrote up before going back. This gave us very solid and interesting answers from Vanessa which ultimately increased the strength of our film making it more enjoyable and interesting to watch.

We had a variety of problems with our group for this film, firstly that we only had 4 members so we all had a lot more work to do between us and share certain roles and responsibilities which proved very messy and problematic in terms of sound. Also, due to availability of certain members and their technical competency, myself and Chris (the director on this film) had to do the vast majority of the work overall, doing pretty much everything from setting up compositions on camera, recording atmos tracks, attempting to salvage audio using sound design and also working on the whole final edit alone. This proved to be very difficult for just 2 members and given the short deadline, really hindered the quality of the film overall. From this experience I have personally learnt to always check equipment properly before going on locational shooting, set it up correctly, back up all work on numerous devices and how important it is to have a full crew for a film such as this documentary. Things I would change are using a lapel microphone for better sound quality, plan ahead more frequently and never assume everything will work perfectly and finally to always give yourself time to give your best in your work by sharing the workload evenly between members of the group by using realistic goals.

Drama

Our idea for this piece was based heavily around the brief of making it about a ‘journey’.  As a group we discussed and decided that we wanted our film to be about a metaphorical or emotional journey and not just a plain physical one. The reasoning behind this was to make it more open for interpretation so we could get a good range of ideas down, as well as making it more original and less linear as a film. We decided to make it about a brother and sister who have recently lost their parents and following the emotional journey of recovery of the sister (Abbey) with help from her brother (Alex). The brief specified only 3 characters can be used in the film and 3 locations so we chose the interior of a house, a park and a city center. There is some tension and conflict between the siblings and Abbey believes that Alex is trying to replace and compensate for the loss of their parents. After a few confrontations, Abbey accepts that Alex is trying to help her and they make up.  Although we have developed quite a sturdy script for the film, we decided that it is open for improvisation from anyone whilst we were on set if the group agreed that it will strengthen our final piece.

We met a lot as a group before we started shooting and everyone came up with a solid list of things that they needed to do whilst on set (shot list, floor plan, sound list e.c.t.) This really helped whilst on location due to the limited time we had in the house because everyone knew what they were doing and what needed to be done (bar a few details). We also improvised when shooting and used 2 cameras when possible to get 2 different angles on the scene. We also went through about 3/4 takes on every scene just to make sure we had a variety of shots, sound and got the best performance out of the actors. We all collaborated very well even when not filming as the communication between almost all members was very good which I think shows in the final film. The sound recorder and I exchanged notes, sound lists and discussed foley sounds, with the director to insure we had all the sounds necessary to make the film flow smoothly and match industry standard. The only things that didn’t really go to plan were we all originally agreed to use the Midi keyboard with Logic to create mood provoking melodies that match with the theme of the film. However, when we discussed this with our tutor we were advised against it unless we really knew what we were doing at the risk of making the film ‘cheesy’.  After being told this we all decided against it and instead try and provoke the same kind of mood by editing around the atmospheric tracks.

Our film had a few weaknesses with it however, the main one being the sound recordings. Due to the fact we shot on different days for the same scenes a few times, there is a distinct change in the levels in-between dialogue. To try and compensate for this and these quiet recordings, I attempted to use the Dynamic Compressor effect to increase the voice to make it audible. Unfortunately this also increases the atmos track within the dialogue which meant that a few bits of speech have a fluctuation in the atmos which makes the film a bit uncomfortable to listen to. Due to the short notice cut of the use of the Midi, it also feels like in some places there is a lot of sound missing which could/should be there. This is because we didn’t plan for this to be the case and as a group didn’t adapt to the change well enough. This being said, the film also showed a lot of strengths especially in the variety of shots used. This is because of the use of the two cameras and the amount of takes we did as it allowed us to select the best compositions within scenes for the film. The compositions themselves also stand out in certain places, and accompanied by the sound design really do give a heavy mood to the visuals. I believe that the narrative itself is also quite strong as it uses a bit of light humor tied in with the heavy and dark implicit themes to really provoke mood swings on to the view making the film more powerful and enjoyable.

As a group almost all of us worked very efficiently together especially the producer and director and only the cinematographer let us down due to unavailability’s because of other commitments which meant the editor and I had to do the majority of the setting up cameras, finding good compositions and actually filming the drama. This leads on the fact that because we were a big group and the actors schedules, it was a bit difficult for the whole crew to be in a location at one time which caused a few problems as some people didn’t know what was happening a certain stages in the overall production of the film. From this experience as the sound designer I have learnt the importance of foley sounds and making sounds perfect for effect, also how difficult it is to get a decent dialogue recording when on set. Also I have learnt the importance of collaborating and communicating with the whole of a film crew as it is vital to make sure everyone knows what is going on to create the best possible final product.

Editing Process #1

I've started off by labelling and renaming all the different sound files we recorded over the 4 days we filmed as well as the foley sounds recorded off set. After doing this and organising them all into their respective scenes, I began to write a sound list required for each scene, combining the foley sounds and sync sounds (mainly the dialogue) which I will refer to later when we have the rough edit done for the visual side so I can begin to sync the audio to the video.

After organising the sounds, I used soundtrack pro to begin cleaning them up by reducing noise where necessary, adding the Dynamic Compressor effect to sounds that were recorded too quietly to make them more audible and higher quality and linking individual pieces of dialogue, that were recorded separately to one another, together which started to form the individual scenes from the sound point of view. Due to the fact we did numerous takes for the same scene to get a variety of camera angles, we also recorded a large number of dialogue recordings that were almost identical. This really worked in favour of the sound as well as visually because it allowed me to choose the best pieces of dialogue and combine them together to get the best quality which will really strengthen the narrative.

After our group tutorial with Dom, we were advised against using the Midi keyboards with Logic at the risk of them making our film cliché and cheesy, so he suggested we attempt to create mood and emotion through other means. After a bit of discussion between the director, Dom and myself, we decided the most effective way to do this was through the careful editing of the atmospheric tracks which underlay the piece. In specific scenes where we were originally going to do this, the atmos on its own couldn’t do this very effectively due to the drab nature of it, so I recorded some foley sounds as well as taking some well recorded camera sounds of Ella (who played Abbey) sighing and inhaling, the way she did these showed a heavy amount of emotion which really shows when tied in with the atmos. Dom also suggested that we try and portray Abby’s emotions  through her ‘headspace’ by adjusting the atmos in specific scenes/shots. This involved me key-framing the volume in soundtrack, and adjusting the levels of the sighing accordingly, to create a powerful sense of mood.

I also used key-framing when panning the footsteps in a few scenes to give a sense of space and movement through the static shots. It also adds to the realism of the film which makes it easier to relate to for the audience which is what we want from our film do increase its effectiveness at connoting specific emotions and the emotional journey it is based on.

When I got the rough cut of the visual edit, I began syncing the sounds I had improved earlier with the video, making sure to use foley sounds where necessary, and also to lip sync as well as possible with the dialogue. I finished a final soundtrack to go with the rough edit of the film which will serve as the basis of the final fine cut in terms of structure, and will hopefully only require minor tweaks to get it to satisfactory standard.

  

Foley sounds and extra recordings

As previously mentioned, the locations we were filming in posed a few issues when recording the sound due to background noise or even space was a problem, so we decided to record certain sounds in different locations. The main sounds we needed to re-record were action sounds in the scenes where we had the boom on the actors for clear dialogue and so the other sounds were quite difficult to pick up on. We originally wanted to use the studio to record these sounds to make them as clear as possible, but then due to time and other bookings we decided to attempt to replicate the location which we filmed in, a small room and a kitchen. I re-recorded these sounds in my Halls to give a small, isolated room atmosphere to the shots which I hope will work very effectively.

Also, due to the feedback given by Dom earlier this week, we have decided against the original idea of using sounds created in garage band with a midi keyboard due to our lack of experience on it and risk of it making the drama a bit ‘cheesy’. This means the atmosphere tracks are going to be key in conveying emotion alongside the body language presented by the actors. Thanks to Dom’s suggestions, I will be carefully considering the levels at which the atmos tracks will be at throughout the film, dipping them when an emotional piece of acting or dialogue is produced and also attempting to tell the story through the use of sound by giving a sense of space and feeling.

 

I have put together a list of all the different sounds that I will use in each scene to give me a clear sense of direction whilst editing. I have collaborated with the director (Luke.F) and the editor (Tom.C) and got the rough cut to work with when it comes to ordering and syncing the sound. I will first clear up the sounds themselves, and then make them join in with the narrative to produce a rough soundtrack which I will finally add necessary effects to and clean up any further anomalies to produce the final soundtrack.

Pockets - Short film analysis

‘Pockets’ is a short film produced by Dazed Digital, Prettybird US and Jonathan Wang and is a surrealist/black comedy drama piece about a character named Tommy and his girlfriend Tammy. They are living in a car and have no money and Tommy holds someone at knife point to get his wallet for some food. It turns out the man's coat pockets are portals into anyone else’s and the man starts fighting Tommy by punching him through his own pockets. The fight continues and takes numerous turns and the man with the coat ends up having Tammy at knife point. He then eats a ‘hot pocket’ and then Tommy punches him from the other half of the hot pocket and burns him alive (a little hard to tell the narrative is short but if you watch it you’ll understand).

The film also works very well in terms of originality, professionalism and execution due to the variety of shots used, the special effects, the acting and the use of props. The idea is very abstract and has never been done before so it leaves a massive window open in terms of interpretations and new conventions. The narrative itself is semi-believable as well, which makes the audience feel empathy for the characters, however, with its mix of surreal content and black humour, it creates a brilliant combination to keep the audience entertained and interested.

The reason I am analysing this short film is because it has very good sound design in it and as the sound designer in our drama project, I have to look out for things like this and apply them within our film. There is a heavy use of foley sounds in the film mainly involving the punches and other physical actions (knife being drawn, gun being cocked). This is done because the sound will be very muffled and have a lot of feedback of the atmos sounds when recorded on set and the director wants to emphasise these violent actions to add edge to the film. The sound also uses a soundtrack recorded made by The Abassi Brothers and it is used very effectively in the film because it connotes violence and anger through the blasts of bass and also mixed with the high repeated frequency synth sounds builds up tension and suspense. Also the selected use at the start and end of the film and when the main fight breaks out builds upon it as well as the atmospheric sounds, and they are very effectively used to build suspense due to them being a low frequency bass sound that sort of throbs throughout the fight scenes. This connotes pain and adrenaline which also links heavily with the themes of the film.

I will adapt and take on board the sound design used in this film to our own drama piece, mainly focusing on the importance of foley sounds, re-recordings and atmos tracks.