Research

In terms of our documentary with Ian Cook we didn’t have to do a huge amount of research since it was more about the character and his art, juxtaposed with my initial idea with my cousin, since it would have been about him and the problems he faces as a rapper in Sweden. Meaning I would have to research the music industry in Sweden in a lot of detail. Before making the documentary, Anjani asked Ian Cook some questions about his business where we discovered a story that his ex-girlfriend bought him a toy car and she told him not to get paint on it. He ended up not listening to her and started painting with cars. This helped us because it assisted with the treatment, shot list, storyboard and questions.

 

We looked into his website as well and got an idea of his ethos. So what I have learnt is that without research on the subject the production becomes flat and not straightforward. As a filmmaker it’s important to know what message you want to put across, Susan Sontag theory suggests that an image can never be a true representation as it is just a shot of the moment and one perspective (Sontag, S. (1979) On photography. London, United Kingdom) Therefore, it gives us the artist the freedom to create a meaning.

Process and development

Sergei Eisenstein’s Strike has made me more aware of the power of cinema. The way he combines the shot of the people getting shot and the cow getting slaughtered creates a third meaning. This has given me inspiration to try and replicate something similar to that and to experiment. 

Researching editing techniques such as rule of 6 has taught me the importance of emotion. Without emotion no one will really feel the documentary, therefore during the production we did the best we could to put emphasis on that. While Ian Cook is talking about his work we planned on showing sequences of shots of his toy cars and the paint. In the final edit we wanted to add non diegetic sound of race cars at the beginning while having a panning shot of the shop to introduce the audience to his world.

In terms of production in the shot list we included references to the painting and cars. Whilst filming we wanted to capture as much colours as we could to put emphasis on the colours of the paint he was adding. Moreover, we also did a lot of tracking and panning shots to symbolise paint strokes.

Analysis

The shoot differed quite a bit from what we planned but not drastically. At first we wanted a lot of stable shots but on the day of the shoot we didn’t meet that expectation which meant we didn’t have the clean shots we wanted. We also wanted to use a camera, which was 60fps so that we could capture a nice slow motion close up of Ian throwing the paint. But because we didn’t have access to that we use a Sony video camera, which didn’t come, out well in the edit so we were forced to scrap that shot. Another element we wanted to use was music which would have been made by Liam, however when we looked at the edit we felt that it worked even without music, so we added the car sounds at the beginning.

Furthermore, we wanted a certain style and flow with the editing so we used a lot of panning shots to convey paint strokes. We also wanted to progressively add colour bit by bit to create a journey of the painting in our piece. Moreover we got the balance of close ups and longs shot that we wanted since our strategy was to take out 3 cameras and where one capture close ups of the shop while the capture long/mid shots. The third one was used to film Ian Cook while he was painting.

Evaluation

Overall I feel that this production was decent but there could have been a lot of improvements considering what I have learnt in terms of the theory aspect, which I feel we could have put more into practice.

However, although we didn’t meet a lot as a group, with all the meetings we had, everything was established clear enough therefore the preparations and the date for the shoot was clearly established. In addition to that, when we got into gear although there wasn’t a lot of passion during the production, we showed a good level of commitment as a team. We assigned ourselves with different roles and stuck to them to a decent standard and eventually got a lot of different variety of shots. With the final edit I feel it visually looked good and the black and white with the highlighted colours gives it a certain feel.

However I feel that the audio and the interview were poor. I was the one who interviewed Ian Cook with the questions we had we weren’t getting good answers. I tried to ask him interesting questions that that were personal in terms of where he came from and how his passion for the art came about. However, he seemed to half-heartedly answer the questions.

Overall I feel that through out this module I have learnt a lot of invaluable information and skills about documentary production through my research of the history, theory and the general production. Researching Vertov and reading about him, I have leant about the history of montage editing and he is someone who pioneered documentary. Learning this I have learnt why shots are selected and how to combine them to create something more.

I feel like I learnt more from the information I read and to be honest I don’t think we implemented a lot of the theory into our documentary. The main things that this production lacked was passion, proper planning and team cohesion as we didn’t communicate enough until the day of the shoot. However, I feel there are positives to take from this, which was documentary that came out pretty decent with decent ideas implemented. In the future I will ensure that the next documentary will be planned better and I work on a story that I feel strongly about.

Bibliography 

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/russia/articles/sergei-eisenstein-s-montage-revolution/

Hicks, J. (no date) Dziga Vertov Defining Documentary Film.

Sontag, S. (1979) On photography. London, United Kingdom: Penguin, [1979].

http://videoandfilmmaker.com/wp/index.php/tutorials/film-editing-walter-murchs-rule-6/

http://writing.upenn.edu/library/Sontag-Susan-Photography.pdf

Cheese string | making a relationship

the perspective of the man selling the cheese string as he is in the first shot. Also through the use of the pov shot we see his perspective. at the end of the video we see him going home into his house.

 

Portrait shot of Hussein Sharif

 

1. the character is receiving news about his brother got assaulted which i fabricated the purpose of this was to get a genuine reaction of the character so his personality could shine through as i couldn’t find an actor. I spoke to Husseins’ twin brother and told him to tell Hussein that he got beaten up and is hospital.
2. I didn’t put as much though on the framing as i could have done, however i did with the mise en scene as my friend has a lovely view from his balcony and it would look better without me having to set up the entire scene

 

overall my main was to get a good performance from hussein to make the portrait more authentic and that eliminated the problem of not finding an actor

Portrait here 

My role in the production

In this module there were few people who didn’t attend and dropped out which was a bit annoying for the team, but apart from that I feel that it was a great group project as the people who were there throughout all had a creative input and put a decent amount of effort in which I think was healthy. In terms of the production I helped to film the UK VT and edited it. I also found the guest for the interview Ade Oyieyo who is a friend of my doing masters on Digital media and culture. Moreover, I did the lighting and some of the camera as me and Jiayan swapped between each other.

Blog task 5

Both X Factor and The voice share many similarities, one of them being that they both are singing competitions. However, I feel that these websites have more differences as they’re both owned by different channels which have different philosophies when it comes to presentation and style.

ITV is a privately owned network so they prioritise profit and they therefore have to cater to the needs of the users. In the X Factor website, all the links are singular and linear, kinda like twitter and Facebook. This I think is very good for the site as todays generation are use to scrolling down as we use social media on a daily basis, so navigating through the site would be natural for the users. The prominent colours are the iconic golden and red shades of the show. This reminds the audience that this channel belong to X Factor

Regarding The Voice the red and black on the website denotes the colors of the show. This creates a simple and straight forward feel and like X Factor, reminds the user of the primary colours of The Voice. Moreover,stars and logo at the background is at the trademark of the show and the stars are also one of the selling points for The Voice.

On the X Factor, the users can browse through Latest new, Insider, Finalists, Live Shows, Backstage, The Xtra Factor, Style, Competition, Tour and App. The top bar simplifies it for the user as it shows them a clear direction of where they want to browse. The Voice has the same type of bar with similar links. However, I feel the bar with X Factor looks better since the silver colour connotes prestige and looks more interesting juxtaposed with the plain white colour of the bar in The Voice website

Both sites have the link at the top which directs the users to the app where they can vote for the stars they want through on X Factor or rate the performances of the stars on The Voice. This interaction makes it a lot better and simpler for the audience since it allows them to have a say in the show better compared to in the past where people had to ring and pay to vote. This is a win win situation for both shows since people can vote easier and the show gain better information or more voters.

Both of the sites have the format style of their respective networks. I feel that this is a problem since it becomes more about the channel rather than the show and I think all the emphasis should be on that since it’s what the audience want to look at.

X Factors website looks quite modern and has adapted to the times better than BBC’s the voice whilst also maintaining the ITV feel to it. However, I would change the colours and the format as it all feel a bit too 80s and cheesy because in this generation we’re all too use to that and people all naturally long for change.

If I was to change something about The Voice website, I would make it more interactive and change the layout. BBC want to stick to conventions but really they should get with the times and adapt to the new system because it gets quite boring and confusing to the audience. Also for both shows I would make the top bar where the users can navigate through the site stay visible at the top while the users scroll down. this would save a lot of time for the users as it prevents them from scrolling back up every time.

 

Task 4 – Health and safety

Analyzing health safety is perhaps the most important thing in a production because this prevents future hazards which could potentially tarnish the entire production. Although a lot of the considerations are highly unlikely it is still important to not take chances because a lot will have to be compensated for because of a little mistake

Risks that have to be considered include:

-Taping wires to the floor

-Not having any liquids on set

-Mini fire extinguisher incase something burns

-If filming out door bring anything that could cover electrical equipment e.g. umbrella

Risk assesment

 

 

 

Blog Task 3

In a world where everyones attention is directed to the diverse and limitless world of the internet where viewers can watch what they want and when they want. Inevitably it has created doubts about the longevity of the generic and conventional TV industry. However, I do feel there may be survivors to weasel out of this inevitable doom, but others won’t.

X Factor is one of the most popular shows in ITV and during it’s peak it gained over 17 million viewers. However, since then it couldn’t live up to the heights it reached in the past  with an average view count of just over 6 million as stated in an article written in the Guardian. There are certain things that X Factor is known for which makes it unique and more appealing with special celebrities to judge the up and coming artists in the show. It allows the viewers to gain insight into the experience and knowledge coming from the judges. Furthermore, each of them have a style and a personality with Simon Cowell in the past being the rude, strict and brutally honest judge whereas Cheryl Cole was the more nicer, encouraging and supportive character. This makes the show more attractive as the characters are interesting

There is an ongoing competition between the big signing contest, mainly X Factor and the voice and there is always going to be a battle for survival. There are doubts cast over the future of the show as the Voice has become more and more popular ever since it’s inception. And now that ITV has bought the voice from BBC it may be signs that the network has lost faith in the future of X Factor.

Having read an article in the Guardian non-linear viewing now takes place on PVRs, where people skip through ads. This proves the discontent people have watching adverts. For the BBC, not having any adverts is one of it’s selling points therefore I feel there is degree of uncertainty for the broadcasters to just scarp the license fee.

However, In a world where people would rather subscribe to Netflix and Amazon Prime as it contains more content and payment is simpler, it has become hard for the BBC to compete so it is perhaps a safe option to scrap it and make profits through advertisements like ITV and Channel 4. Furthermore, considering that over 400.000 households’ approximately avoid paying the TV license highlights the failure of this method. Advertisements would surely prevent this.

However if I was to pick a side it would have to be for BBC to keep the TV license since BBC still generates a large amount of income from shows such as Doctor Who and Top Gear. They also recently sold The Voice to ITV and will gained large profits. This proves how BBC can consistently produce popular programs and I think that it’s their way of competing.

One problem that television faces today is that it’s struggling to compete with the world of the online media. ‘87% of Consumers Use Second Screen Device While Watching TV’ according to an article by adweek.com, highlights that the world is heading towards that direction.

One thing that could improve the second screen experience in my opinion would be to allow the viewers to watch the backstage on their phones while the live show is going on in the screen. This would give the viewers an extra window to see through while they’re watching the main show.

Furthermore, a good improvement would be if the show allowed viewers to connect the tv screens to their phones kinda like how Spotify and and YouTube does it so that if someone wants to go to the toilet for example they can watch the program while their in the toilet.

The TV channel could create accounts for people so that they could record the shows on their phone and it’s saved in their account. so when they finish their jobs they can go back home and watch it. This would be an upgrade on-on demand as it sometimes takes a while for the show to be uploaded on the channel. This would assist the TV industry as Netflix and on demand websites are ‘killing the TV industry’ according to an article an article in the guardian website.

 

References

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/nov/09/the-x-factors-future-on-itv-in-doubt

http://www.adweek.com/lostremote/accenture-report-87-of-consumers-use-second-screen-device-while-watching-tv/51698

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2015/feb/05/netflix-subscription-services-television-ad-revenues

 

Top Gear and Graham Norton show comparison

Top gear and The Graham Norton Show are both magazine tv shows and share a lot of differences and similarities. One of the things that both shows have in common is that they both have live audiences during their shows. However in top gear you can see the audience in all the shots whereas in Graham Norton show the audience are always behind the camera. Graham Norton has gone for a more conventional route whereas Top Gear includes the audience and tries to create a more inclusive show where the audience fully get to experience the content of the show.

Another similarity is that both shows have funny and witty presenters with Graham Norton known for a lot of his sexual jokes and Jeremy Clarkson for his humorous personality. However, the thing that makes Top Gear isn’t Jeremy Clarkson as the two other presenters Richard Hammond and James May are equally as liked. Graham Norton on the other hand is fully based around him as it’s also named after him.

Both shows also invites famous celebrity guests, however they both use them differently. Graham is more focused about the guests what they’re promoting and they also gossip or have general interesting conversations. They put a lot of emphasis on a humorous interaction. On the other hand Top Gear focuses slightly more on cars although they do have humorous exchanges with the guest however they’re mostly related to cars.

Another thing is that Graham Norton show don’t play any VT’s compared to Top Gear which plays a series of them in one episode. Graham Norton show is more dependent on the quirky and witty personality of Graham Norton whereas Top Gear relies a lot on the VT’s and the fast cars they’re promoting.

 

Another difference between the two shows is that Graham Norton mainly targets British audiences so it mostly consists of British humor. On the other hand, Top Gear has really wide reach and generates a lot to the news channel because there are a huge amount of people that are interested in cars so naturally it would have a big audience.

 

The One Show

One show is  the main magazine television show in BBC and launched in 2006. The content of the show is mostly things British related e.g. people stealing energy in British neighborhoods and acting schools in London.

In One Show there is always a guest promoting their latest or movies etc. for example James McAvoy came onto the show to promote the latest X-men film. during the show he talked about the set and the atmosphere and they showed behind the stage footage him getting his head shaved while face timing his director. throughout the show James McAvoy came across as funny and charming. This is effective because it persuades the audience to watch the film.

The set looks very comfortable like a living as there are sofa and tables, kinda like a chat in a living room. This works as it may reflect the environment the audience is in, therefore it makes for a show which is nice and relaxing to watch.

Furthermore the presenters have good chemistry as some moments look improvised rather than scripted. Sometimes the after introducing the show the presenters will talk to echoer and smile and laugh. This makes it more positive and energetic and makes the audience feel more engaged. In addition to that, whenever a presenter is talking the other one is always looking at the camera and nods and smiles. It’s important as it makes it look more natural and maintains the positive atmosphere.

 

Production log – P2P

January 31, 2016

This was the first meeting we had and here we had the briefing for the documentary. The brief contain some of the history about general Abdisalam. Purpose of this was so that everyone in the group can know about what we’re filming. I also proposed the production techniques that we’re going to use for example sound equipment, cameras and lighting.

I showed everyone the narrative that I have in my head where Minute 1 could be about his early days and everything that led up to him fleeing from Somalia and living. Minute 2 could be about him living in the U.K. and when he was offered the job as general. Minute 3 about how his work as general is going and the problem that lies ahead. This narrative structure is more like an inspirational story so we’re open to many different ideas.

 

2 February 2016

We met up again started developing the idea even more. We were trying to develop the structure of our documentary in more detail.

 

4 February

We brainstorm even more ideas and developed planned location to interview Jalato. We also began to gather the stock footage that we’re planning on using. We set ourselves a target to find music for the documentary.

 

10 February

It was only days before the shoot and we couldn’t get hold of the general. This meant that we had to prepare for everything for Ali’s documentary incase we can’t film the general. Mohammed called up his mum to secure the location in his living room for the interviews and we started to think about shots we are going to use to put over it including shots of Ali playing football etc.

 

25 February

We filmed most of the footage that we needed and wanted, all that is left to film are clips of Ali filming things with his camera which Mohammed is going over to do. Apparently he wants to make a montage on nature around Northolt in London. These clips are going ton be over the film while he talks about his dream of being a filmmaker

27 February

We filmed the final parts of where Ali is outside filming. We got all the footage we needed and around 5 mins of video. I also called up a producer for star TV requesting if I could use any archive footage that they have that we could use. The producer replied by saying that it’s not necessary for them to give me footage as none of the footage from Somali TV has copyright.