Musical Trailer - Reference Stuff

I'm working on a musical trailer for a uni production so have been looking at the structure of them. Obviously the above illustrate high end productions, but elements such as switching from song and different actions are things I need to take into consideration when shooting/editing mine. Also things such as how singing is presented in general, as I can only show a few snippets of performances. One thing that's obvious in these are the use of text to break up sections, I could possibly incorporate this dependent on length.

Voice

The adjustment to our original concept sees the addition of another voice to our film. The station where the robot-character 'recharges' will act as an initial companion to the character (though he may not realise this).

Though this is still in development, I have begun thinking about how the 'voice' of this addition, this charging dock in the wall, will sound.

Having recently seen the film 'Her', I don't think the voice should be overtly human, as I think this confuses the lines between technology and being 'completely humanly real'. However the voice of this should not be completely robotic either, or it should at least offer some warmth. A nice in-between would be good. Ultimately it will depend on design and script how the voice should sound, and isn't our main concern.

I really like the voices in Coheed and Cambria's 'The Hollow', and feeling we should go down this route, or something similar. To be honest, we could also consider adding an effect to the robot-character's voice so he also sounds ever so slightly distorted (like the male voice in this music). A simple distortion could possibly add to the effect of the characters, whilst we are not intending for it to be too dialogue heavy, it could add personality and differentiate the robot-character from the wall-'character', even if it they are just noises to signify something. 

The robot-character's 'Creation'

The story for our short film has changed a little, and the companion the robot-character try to make is no longer the main element, and won't 'come to life'. This allows a little bit more creativity in it's design, as we don't have to worry too much about like-ness to a woman for example.

However, I still like the idea of it being some form of mannequin/doll like character. (This would also help with the bulk of the torso). Whilst it wouldn't be moving, it should have that stiff slightly plastic feel to it. This is what I like about the below video. The over-the-top make up is something that can be considered for our 'creation', as it would signify a 'plastic - artificial' type of beauty that the robot-character is trying to create.

The use of make-up could also allow us to use the simplest of forms, like Wilson's face in Castaway. This would also compliment that 'simplistic' design of our robot character's head.

The relationship between the two in the above video is obviously one sided, yet works extremely well and is believable. Therefore the design of the 'creation' should allow the real character to emote onto it, and project it's feelings, whilst pretty much sitting their blankly as it does so. Ultimately I feel simplicity would benefit us budget-wise as well as allow a clear understanding as to what's going on.

This links to the Mighty Boosh again actually and their episode 'The Nightmare of Milky Joe', in which Howard and Vince make coconut friends. 

Again the character design is simple, and it's a lot more about the 'real' characters interaction with them, rather than the complexity of the 'built' thing.

Mighty Boosh: Crack Fox, design and make-shift characters

Since our robot-character works at a junk yard I felt Crack Fox was relevant. The vibe of this environment is that of a cave or fox hole, for ours we are looking more into a 'home' environment. However I feel it would still appear a little tatty and messy. What I find interesting about the Mighty Boosh is the make-shift feel to their work, the character's and environments have a costume/theatre like look to them. This is something we are considering in the way of the robot-characters head, due to not being a full-body robot there is already an element of costume.

The 'theatre'/unnatural look to their work is probably a little bit too fantastical for the theme we are working with, however I think that our environment shouldn't be a straight 'realistic' style, and have at least illustrative elements to it, whether that be in the use of colour or in a slightly 'make-shift' style, as the character himself is meant to be making some of the props.

Elefante (Short Film)

I watched this short film a while ago and felt, whilst it's not completely in keeping with our theme, that it was relevant to our own short film. This is mainly the idea of someone who doesn't necessarily look like a 'human' being depicted as different. The juxtaposition of the look of the character and it's human traits (for example in this he's still pretty much upright and wearing a shirt) creates an empathy and interest in the character.

Whilst there is dialogue and subtitles, the main elements of the story, and emotions of the character, are clearly depicted through the actions and movement. There is also a clear narrative arc in this story. A beginning, middle and end that is satisfying. Whilst not all short films necessarily need this, we should make sure the narrative structure of our film is at least that. Satisfying.

ELEFANTE from Pablo Larcuen on Vimeo.

Storyboarding Essentials (Rousseau/Phillips)

I've also looked into 'Storyboarding Essentials' in order to understand storyboarding in preproduction a little clearer, and follow any hints or formats that may prove useful.

(The following are the beginning of notes)

Something that caught my attention was the use of greyscale, the book describes the effectiveness of this (and to an extent how to do this) in a little detail. It mainly describes it's importance in signifying depth in a panel. This is something I would like to convey easily, and if greyscale can achieve this (rather than worrying too much about perspective) then it's something I will attempt when creating our 'cleaned up' version of the storyboard for our short film. As I am also helping Tom with the filming/cinematography during the shoot, I feel that the storyboards should be clear and offer camera direction/angle etc that we can work from, in order to be efficient and effective. This will also allow an element of choice with the team, we can discuss the flow of the film etc before shooting it, therefore being more prepared during the shoot.

'The one important requirement is that the panels must clearly indicate framing  height, camera angle and movement'

Designing for Screen: Notes (so Far) (Georgina Shorted)

I've been reading 'Designing for Screen' in order to gain further understanding of the role 'Art Director/ Production Designer' and what the job entails. In our team, I am taking more of an 'Art Director' role, focusing on design/overall aesthetic so it seems like a good idea to understand these roles and pick up any tips and advice.

Here are some  notes I have taken from the first chapter or so…

Something that stood out for me was the phrase:

'Colour is especially important for lower budget productions as it is virtually impossible to build elaborate sets without a decent budget'

As we have a very limited budget I'll have to keep this in mind. We are wanting a quite busy set at some points, but perhaps this would be just as effective with a few items that are striking and coloured in a way that stand out etc. The importance of colour is something I established in my dissertation project, and is something I will be playing with. I have already started discussing what works in certain films, such as Wall-E etc, and feel that that 'rustic' colouring of coppers and browns would be interesting. However I wouldn't want our project to seem to 'washed' with just one range of colour, therefore further 'colour test' should help, and is something I shall consider when designing.

The book also highlights the differences between working in a studio and on location. We've experienced the latter when working on our live briefs, and certain elements like travel etc did prove tricky. It will be interesting to work in a 'studio' type environment, and have a lot more control over the elements, especially lighting.

Live Brief (ExPro): Live Brief #1: Matte Painting/Final Shot

For the final shot of our Live Brief #1, we wanted the girl to step out of the cinema and reveal the logo. I began matte painting this, creating an area that looked as if it were part of a sign for the cinema. We then decided to change the background too to give it a more asymmetrical and appealing look.

Unfortunately I'd not used the RAW dng image when creating the matte painting in Photoshop (a silly mistake on my part and shown above).

Thankfully though, this allowed me to re-create the image to a better quality in Photoshop and After Effects. Below is a quick breakdown of the process (not including the logo etc.) We decided making it sun-down/night time would work well for the short narrative (she's spent the day in the cinema/it's ending the day etc.) as well as match the lighting of the streets (as the sun really was beginning to set when this was shot). 

Cinema Matte Painting Breakdown from Lija J on Vimeo.

I found using the elements of the footage already in the scene helped keep the authenticity of the matte painting. For example altering the sign height, but still keeping it's rims. I still feel the sign is a little flat, and had I more time I would have looked into this, and worked the light a little more on each panel. Overall though I think it achieves the desired effect.

Concept art - Character Development.

The character becomes a little addicted to television an adverts, but ultimately realises this doesn't bring him happiness. To convey this, we will probably be incorporate footage of him watching the TV (as illustrated above). This is quite a 'well-known' angle, but illustrates the absorption of the watcher, and the power of the TV. (For example this is used in Requiem for a Dream).

However, the above is quite a destressing scene, and it isn't really the intention to push it that far, as though the script is trying to convey 'a message about advertising', making it so in your face, in a film format could come across as a little preachy. Not unlike Charlie Brooker's video below (which in contrast, works well).

The general sense that both these videos illustrate though, is that of things , and what we're shown to want not actually being what will make us happy. This is a theme explored in the below short film, which takes a more light-hearted approach at the subject matter, whilst still maintaining a sense of melancholy (they get old).

Love in the Time of Advertising from Love in the Time of Advertising on Vimeo.

Character development … looking glum

Carrying on thinking about the character, I've done some basic concept art. Whilst he's meant to appear battered and old, he still needs to appear appealing to the character. I'm hoping the splash of colour of his high vis jacket (as he works at a junk yard), will help this, along with his head piece.

(Trying to use Copic pens)

I like the idea of the robot character being a bit older, naturally due to the head piece we don't have to worry too much about the actor portraying this, as long as the design and movement conveys this. Things would be slower, a little bit more considered, there'd be a weight to the movement. A sense of 'fed up'. However at the moment I feel the character's teetering on the edge of too miserable. We want him to be sympathetic but not completely whiney and mopey. 

(Above illustrating 'feeling sorry for themselves' characters). 

Whilst there'll be a slowness to the character, he shouldn't necessarily feel defeated. If anything it'd be more sympathetic for him to be still at points thinking, rather than drooping and slouching too much. However this ultimately depends on script, the concept that the character is watching television would induce a sluggishness that has to be considered.

Robot Designs/Sketches

Our character is going to be 'robot' in some way. We want to capture a sense of isolation from other people, of 'the norm', and have been looking at a range of films, including Spike Jonze's 'I'm Here'. An element of depicting this isolation, and difference is through a robotic style, or a style in which the character seems human, but face is covered up. It's an interesting costume choice, as in a way it dehumanises the subject, yet if used well, can create empathy and sympathy from the audience.

The 'cardboard box head' idea stuck with me when we were talking about this 'robot'-like character, as it is simple, definable and clear. A worry is that if the design is over complex the character would be overshadowed by it's look. The 'cardboard head' style conjures up images of play, and if we are messing with idea of the character not being a literal robot, but more a 'metaphorical' one, then having a more illustrative design may help this. For example, this advert below shows how simple the design can be whilst still being striking.

Therefore I've been playing with designs mainly for the head of the character. Practically too, if we have a striking head piece, we don't have to worry about a complete body piece for the character, allowing more movement and a more 'human' element to come through whilst simultaneously making it easier on ourselves cost/building wise. 

I attempted some designs that varied from the square head, but felt they were a little too busy. The 'layered' effect in the bottom central images could still be incorporated in the final design however. The 'square head' slowly became a little battered and deflated, to avoid the cliche 'box head' look, whilst still having it. It also hopefully shows how tired the character is becoming.

Gabriel Ba - Umbrella Academy etc.

I was introduced to Gabriel Ba's work through the comic series 'The Umbrella Academy' written by Gerard Way. I really like this style. The thick jagged lines, with heavy blacks and shadows are illustrative whilst still depicting the scene.

http://fabioandgabriel.blogspot.co.uk

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10paezinhos/

(interview with Gabriel Ba)
http://www.darkhorse.com/Interviews/1545/Umbrella-Academy-Interview-Gabriel-Ba-3-31-08

 Sometimes I feel restricted by trying to too accurately portray proportion and a level of 'realism' in drawings, especially storyboards. I enjoy using biro when drawing and used to draw with dark lines and slightly angular forms a lot a few years ago. Gabriel Ba's work has led me to re-discover this kind of style and begin playing with it again. I find it a lot more freeing and working quicker this way, avoiding getting too hung up on 'real' accuracies. I feel that this will be of benefit when trying to draw storyboards and quick concept work for this project, especially as the subject matter itself is quite angular. Also of note are the colours, despite the use of heavy black, the colours are bright enough to give the pictures a nice finish and level of depth.

Live Brief (ExPro): Shooting (Review)

After some location scouting and camera testing in the previous weeks, we went out to film for our live brief on Sunday the 9th of March. This was the first proper production as a team and I think we worked well.

Throughout the day it became apparent we probably had too much equipment. Luckily the weather was  great, so we didn't have to take time setting up lights, (overall we probably wouldn't have finished had we done this), but this didn't mean we didn't still have to carry them, along with other things. The Boom mic for example was a hassle to manoeuvre, especially in muddier areas, and in hindsight probably not needed, as our final edits barely use the sound recorded (if at all). However I do feel it was right for us to cover our bases, as had we chosen to be more 'sound' focused in the edit, it would have been awful to recreate footsteps and branches etc. Luckily we also had Tim and Tom S on hand to help carry equipment and get involved with the set up of the shoot. Having extra hands was very helpful, and is something we will be considering when shooting our short film. However the situations will be different, and shifting equipment will be less of a hassle.

Checking out the location before the actual day of the shoot, before we had equipment and extra people with us proved to be invaluable. We had already sussed out where we would shoot, and ended up using  three key locations on the day, stopping now and then to shoot segments whilst moving to each one. This saved time and allowed us to appear (and be) more organised. This was especially important as we were working with people outside of the course, and therefore needed to appear relatively professional and efficient. I enjoyed the shoot and felt we covered a lot of ground and scenes over the course of the day. As a team we worked well and communicated clearly without constantly having to confirm with each other the best course of action (which again would have taken time, and possibly caused tension), as we each had confidence in each other.

Live Brief (ExPro): Live Brief #1: Axes (and other attempts)

A scene in both our Live Brief entries involve a fight between a knight/barbarians/wizard etc. Therefore we needed appropriate props.

I altered plastic axes to look battered and grimy, and hopefully more realistic for these shots. Varying colours etc was meant to signify a difference between the weapons, (despite them originally being the same).

Before and After

The concept of Live Brief #1 was for a young child to wander through the magical woods. An idea to visually illustrate this further was to dress the set a little, a specific idea was to do this with piles of books propped by trees.

Attempting to make these however (as sourcing naturally old, bound books would prove expensive and hard to carry), was difficult (as shown below) and ultimately abandoned due to looking tacky, and obviously made from cardboard.

Live Brief (ExPro): Live Brief #2 : Digital Painting: Future City

Live Brief #2 is very digital heavy. The final shot involves a futuristic city landscape, slightly inspired by the 'Horizon' video (mentioned here). At first I played with the concept of the company logo on a city-top garden, but this quickly shifted to a more 'rural' environment.

For this I initially drew some rough concept art, in order to draft layout and possible colours.

This was then worked over to create a more detailed digital painting. Layers as was going into After Effects. Which meant a stricter form of painting (rather than as a whole picture, focusing on each ledge) This had pros and cons, ultimately there was a sense of control but it became more time consuming.

Digital Painting: Future City (Background) from Lija J on Vimeo.

(The colours don't appear to be showing correctly in Blogger, and are a lot more bluer than depicted below)

The original intention for the foreground was for the objects to be made in 3D, however due to time constraints etc. this was not the case, and instead the foreground building etc were also drawn on layers. Ultimately I think this damages the perspective, as it is something I'm not particularly skilled in and struggle with. The signs too (intended to be animated in After Effects) still seems a little bland, flat and blend with the background a little too much.

In hindsight the colour theme is also a problem, whilst used to signify the future the overwhelming amount of blue and pink doesn't sit right with the rest of the shots in the Live Brief #2. That and the painted effect and lack of detail are an obvious contrast and this shot just seems like an addition to the rest of the piece.

Wall-E

An obvious parallel to our short film is Wall-E as our short involves a robot-type character taking things from a scrap yard that he works in and building a 'home' out of them. Aesthetically, like in District 9, the junk and world of Wall-E is a range of reds, oranges, browns and yellows creating a worn and dusty environment. This matches Wall-E's colours, a match I think we should also try and incorporate in our film between character and environment - though I'm aware our character should also stand out.

District 9 Aesthetic

Our short film is to be set in the room of a robotic-character who works in a junk-yard so I've started thinking about the tone of the exterior and interior.

The colour and sets of 'District 9' have a rich but run-down feel to them, and is something I could incorporate into set designs for the film. The red/brown colours have this element of rust to them, that would be more effective and interesting than generic sci-fi robotic 'silvers'. The overall tone of battered, abandoned and make-shift is of interest to our project. In the 'prawn's' hut there is a heavy element of scrap and junk acting as a home which is something I will draw reference from when creating the design for the 'robotic-character's environment. In the case of our character however, his environment will be built up over time, rather than beginning in that state.

The designs of the 'prawns' themselves are interesting in the sense that they too look battered and worn, I wouldn't want our 'robotic-character' to seem too shiny and new, instead adopting this more rusted bulky but make-shift design. Costume wise, the main 'prawn's clothes are interesting, they are typical 'hero' colours, red and blue (like superman) as well as having a slight resemblance, whether intentional or not, to Marty McFly from the 'Back To The Future' films (due to the red body-warmer). Like this, our character should perhaps have some sort of warmth or 'human' association in it's design in order for the audience to feel sympathetic and interested in it.

http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2822

http://www.itsartmag.com/features/zoicdistrict/district9-part2.php

'One of the trickier aspects was creating dust elements and atmosphere to help sit CG elements into the scene.'

Whilst we are not intending there to be much CG in our piece (instead relying on in-shot production and design) there will be an element of colour grading etc. We should then possibly consider things such as dust elements and extra 'run-down' effects being added digitally, dependent on how effective the set and dressing is.

Historical Television

I attended a lecture by Greg Jenner, historian for Horrible Histories and many other things, on 'History and TV', at York University.

The main discussion revolved around the difference between the representation of history in Documentaries, Drama and Comedy. I found it fascinating, making me think a lot more about the representation of history in the media. I especially found the struggle for documentaries to truly show the debate-heavy nature of history very interesting.

Documentaries.

History Documentaries aren't really documentaries, as they aren't really documenting anything. Everything that they are discussing has already happened. History in general is an 'intellectual pursuit' that involves a large element of debate, and this is something that is hard to convey through documentaries, as ultimately the format asks for an answer. The fact there 'is no real answer' often doesn't sit well. Debate isn't the best TV.

There is seemingly a difference between the sort of documentaries on each channel. (There are certain historical periods, such as the tudors, victorians and WW1 and 2 that are quite frequent, seen as the 'popular' times).

As the BBC has a legal mandate, it's documentaries, especially on BBC 4 are there to cover all bases and educate, with a limited bias.
Channels such as C5 however, have 'scoopy history', 'tabloid news' style history, which is historically problematic as it teases.

A lot of Documentaries are created from independent companies, who pitch to these bigger channels. They have tiny budgets and a team can consist of 3 people. This is something I found really surprising.

The lecture also discussed the different style of historical documentary that seems to be ripe in the US which follow a 'journey narrative' and relays heavily on cgi and wow-factor instead of the actual information.

Drama

In contrast to Documentaries, a Drama's main concern is the drama, rather than the facts. It shouldn't necessarily be accurate. Rival companies of films etc, have been known to pay historians to slag off opposing films for their lack of accuracy.

The lecture further describes the different types of history drama that there can be. (See video)

Comedy

Comedy uses the language of the past to create jokes and divide characters, as seen in Black Adder and Horrible Histories. Horrible history uses modern ideas and analogies with the historical characters to make them more relatable and situation understandable, and funny, to their audience.
The 'Timetravel device' in which characters are self aware of how they are portrayed in the future etc, is an interesting tool. Comedy is allowed to play with these forms and twists easily and it is accepted by the audience.

(Here is the full lecture:)