Documenting The Doing #8: The Lone Ranger

20 shots. 4 people. 1 video. The Lone Ranger was all about producing a single camera film and we could only shoot 20 shots; no more, no less.

Me, my colleagues and our roles -

Olivia Searle: Camera Operator

Naomi Doddridge: Victim (actress)

Scott Friday: Villain (actor) 

Lauren Walke: Floor Manager

We began the day by choosing our own groups and selecting a theme for our production. As we had to use at least one long shot and one extreme close up, we thought a  horror would be ideal. Finding a theme to use as a horror was quite a challenge as we didn't come prepared with props or costumes as we didn't know what we were doing. It was by a complete coincidence we found a white mask in the studio from a previous production we did, and we were all set to go. 

The Mask we used for our 'The Lone Ranger' recreation

Planning the production was a bit harder than we expected because we didn't know how to cram a horror film into just 20 shots. It seems like a lot but when you go to plan it, it really isn't. We had a mixture of long shots, medium shots, points of view, close ups and over-the-shoulder shots. Looking back, we did have quite a variety of shots and they all came together really sleekly in the final video.

Our shot list (L), and scenario we had to follow (R)

We didn't hire out too many pieces of equipment as we were sure we were going to use a soundtrack to go over the top. This is because no members of the group were comfortable using extra sound equipment, as we didn't know how to edit it all together just yet. In the end, we hired out a camera (Canon 600D) and a tripod.

The beginning shot was set in stone; we knew we wanted to film it in the ceramics room. This room has good lighting and we were sure this would match with the first shot, which was an extreme close up of Naomi's eyes. This would capture the mood of the video as we wanted to make the audience feel apprehensive (in the nicest way possible!) about what Naomi was looking at. The shots from then on-wards were a mixture of different angles. I thought the way the production turned out was really good considering it was on a weather-watch day, our timing's were brilliant. It was a cloudy and windy day to the atmosphere was set automatically.

OUR FINAL PRODUCTION: The Lone Ranger - The Mask

Editing the video consisted of importing all of the shots in to Adobe Premier Pro and choosing the ones that came out best. We filmed most of our shots twice so we had a selection to choose from, and we found this to be very helpful as there were quite a few errors in some shots. Some had reflections of the camera operator, others just didn't look right and the lighting was all out (with outside shots). 

Some of my favourite shots

There were a collection of shots in particular which I thought worked really well when we edited them together. A section in which Naomi is running from off camera at the outside corridor to the door at the top was shot to look like a multi-camera shot. Half way through when she is running, we cut it, and shoot the scene from a different angle to give it more depth and style. This segment can be seen at 0.15-0.20 seconds in the film, (link above). The other section of the film I liked was the 'doors' scene in which Naomi is running from the masked character, trying to find a hiding place. Like the other scene, we cut the shots so they were in sync with each other to give it more edge and make it more professional. This segment can be seen 0.38-0.42 seconds.

I really liked being on the camera for this production as it gave me an insight of how single camera films are put together and created. We would've liked it to turn in to a horror but it ended up being a comedy because of the sound effects we used. The production as a whole went really well and we all worked together as a team and pulled it off.

Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.

Review: She Wants by Metronomy/Jul & Mat

'She Wants' is a one-shot music video by Metronomy, directed by Jul & Mat and produced by SoLab. The video itself has won multiple awards, including the Grand Jury prize at the International Music Video Art Festival in 2011.

''We focus on high impact, light images. Working with cut up pasteboard, glued together with After Effects, we're about returning to primary materials and rediscovering slow. Animated toys and crumpled paper, changing faces, changing clothes, all improbable settings, a mix of reality and post-production, of simplicity and techniques. Our videos are for sharing, are accessible to everyone and go beyond any language barrier.'' - Jul & Mat's statement.

Joseph Mount, founder of Metronomy, stated ''The story behind this video is being late about things whilst your other half is sleeping soundly and probably having wonderful dreams.'' 

She Wants - Metronomy

I really like this video. I think the quirkiness of the whole production and find it really interesting to take in. There are lots of different elements and aspects of randomness which keeps the audience on edge about what might come next. There are a lot of features throughout the production that I took on board when it came to edit our own production inspired by this piece. 

Many elements in this production are noticed by the audience and taken into account when watching it. As this is a music video to Metronomy's 'She Wants', the beat of the music fit with some of the actions that the actors and objects create. 

Moments of Magic during this music video

There are spots of magic during the video at points in the song that are most significant and have the most temperament beats. Abnormality is often seen in these parts to make the video altogether that little bit more unique than it already is.

In the photo compilation above, there are 9 pictures that represent the main magic parts of the production. These are called the 'magic' parts as some are near-enough impossible to be physically eligible to do so in the real world. 

Shot number 1 is the first scene of the music video that is of relevance and coincides with the rest, in terms of the action taking place. The feathers float off from the actress and this would be virtually impossible in real life, as she is left completely clean with no feathers. At the end of the music video, it transports back to this scene to show the 'real' version, and this is when the audience see that the beginning section was backwards.
Shot number 3 takes place when the main actress is walking upstairs towards the party that's going on, and this is where another 'moment of magic' takes place. When she knocks a woman out of the way, the water seems to hop from outside of the glass back into it, filling it up, which again would be physically impossible in real life. Gravity wouldn't allow that type of thing!

- - - - - - - - - - -

The moments of magic that are quite surreal yet interesting to the eye (for me, anyway) are shots 6 and 7. I think they're so seamless and it's very clever how the director has put the designs in synchronicity with the beat of the music and the lyrics. Shot 6 takes the lyrics and portrays them in an art form on the floor.  This ties in with the statement that Jul & Mat have on their website, ''we're about returning to primary materials...'' - the primary material perhaps linking with the string. Such a simple effect for the video yet to effective to the audience.

My favourite moment of magic - ''light'' spelled out within synchronicity to the lyrics

My other particular favourite moment of magic is the segment in which the Jenga game is portrayed in a backwards manor. It's quite a simple technique to use but it's so seamless and effortless - it's a really nice feature. This part is also where the audience finally see for definite that some of the production is super-imposed and 'not real'/impossible. It gives the video that extra bit of edge and quality which other videos don't normally have.

My favourite moment of magic #2 - Jenga backwards

- - - - - - - - - - -

Overall I really like the concept of this video. The moments of magic make it really interesting to watch and throughout the production you're glued to the different elements to see what comes next.



Cheerio. :o)

Olivia.

http://www.juletmat.fr/ - accessed on 9th-Oct-2013

Documenting The Doing #7: One Shot

Class projects are always the big ones, the ones we always want to get spot on and make sure everything runs smoothly. For this particular project, we were situated at points around the college - starting in our studio and ending up in the ceramics room for the finale.

It all started with nominating the production team, based upon who we individually thought would be the best and most hard working at their given job. We had to choose 2 Directors, a Camera Operator, a Camera Operators Assistant, a Floor Manager and a Main Character. I think the production team as a whole did very well. There were 45 of us to tame and keep under control, and considering they're our colleagues, I think they organised the whole thing superbly. *round of applause for the production team, without being patronising.*

Our fabulous production team!

The production team had the roles of coming together and finding a theme for the project. We already knew as a group that it would be based on Metronomy's music video She Wants (my review of the original video is available to read here: http://strictlysavage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/review-she-wants-by-metronomyjul-mat.html). We'd also be using the song used in the original music video. Baring in mind that the music video She Wants is an interesting one - including some VERY random features and elements, it was perfect for our group as we're quite a funny bunch. In the end, the 2 Directors of the production pitched their idea to us and asked the rest of the group to bring in necessary props and costumes.

Our list of props

The production as a whole was based around Jade, the main character, in a strange dream. Throughout the final production, we saw lots of random objects and characters flying around, such as monkey, zombies, horses, backwards people, morphs, and weird gothic creatures. It sounds absolutely bizarre but I think it all came together really well, and considering there were 50 of us, it all ran as smoothly as it could have.

In terms of problems throughout the production, there wasn't actually that many. I think the biggest problem we faced was making sure our camera root was cleared in terms of people that weren't in our production (i.e. other students, teachers). Our Floor Manager, Jay, had a really polite way about him and kindly asked people to either move for a couple of minutes or not look at the camera when they saw it as this would've looked slightly odd for the audience. 

MY EDIT OF OUR 'ONE SHOT' PRODUCTION

Looking back on the production, I really did enjoy it - especially the editing. I have the role of being a backwards person with Katie. This meant us both wearing clothes backwards, with sunglasses on the back of our heads and baseball caps the opposite way round. It was really good seeing us all work together as a team, as opposed to individually or small groups like we normally are. I found the editing really fun to do as I wanted to make it quirky and different to everyone else's. We were all set to edit it individually and I was determined for it to be my best edit, as I knew it would be going in my portfolio at the end of the 2 year course. 

Behind the scenes of our production

Throughout my final edit of the video, I'd used a number of transitions and speed editors to create an in-depth final production. There were certain difficulties with slowing certain parts down without making them jumpy, but using the 'problematise/solutionate' mind-set I overcome the problems and made them work... somehow. The points I sped up in the production were the sections that I thought were a bit long to start with, for example the beginning segment where Jade is walking out of the room, and the fighting scene between the two boys (scene at 4.06 minutes). Slowing down some scenes proved to be a little tricky as it made the final footage a little blurry, but in the end I settled with slowing down only 2 parts. The dancing doll (scene at 23 seconds) and the horse (scene at 1.08 minutes). With speeding up and slowing scenes down, the ratio meant that matching the production footage to the original song was easier than I thought. It's quite a vastly finishing ending so I decided that the music would fade out when we all threw the balloons and confetti. Looking back, I wish I had perhaps put the original sound of us all cheering at the end over the top of the track to put our own stamp at the end. This is something I've taken into consideration and something I'll definitely work on in future productions.

Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.

Critique: Strictly Come Dancing

It's time for another critique and I decided to go completely out of my comfort zone and review something that I thought would be quite tricky to do. Instead of reviewing an acting-based program or film, I decided to do an entertainment show, which obviously uses the Multi-Camera Technique. No acting, no time to edit, nothing. Live, prime-time TV.

As some of you reading this will know I'm a massive fan of Strictly Come Dancing, and famous dance duo James & Ola Jordan. Strictly Come Dancing is something I am really passionate about and I thought I'd review how I think it's filmed.

Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities and professional dance partners, competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series 'Come Dancing', with an illusion to the film 'Strictly Ballroom'. The format has been exported in over 40 countries worldwide, including America, South Africa and Sweden.

Some quick facts about the show {source: Wikipedia}

The concept of the show is fairly simple. A celebrity is paired with a professional dancer, with them dancing one dance each week. As they continue to progress, a couple are voted off each week by the public through phone votes, narrowing the show down to the final 3/4 couples who dance multiple dances in the final, to win the all important Glitterball trophy.

Strictly winners Chris Hollins & Ola Jordan in 2009

Strictly Come Dancing was originally broadcast at the BBC Television Centre (from 2004-2012) and is now at Elstree Studios. The producers block booked Studio 4 from August to December as the Studio was used daily by editors, lighting and sound technicians, and camera crew. Studio 4 is 594m squared and opened in January 1961. The studio was similar to its neighbor Studio 3 in terms of its design and layout. Studio 4 was designed as a light entertainment studio and contained a rather unusual sound system called ambiophony.

Studio 4 during Strictly Come Dancing

As the show is on live, prime-time television, the multi-camera technique is used to create a wide range of shots that allow the audience to see the main features from all angles. There are cameras situated around the dance-floor so the people in the editing suite can switch from one camera to the other during the live performances. Before the show goes live, all of the couples have time to rehearse their dance on the dance-floor, and this is where the editing suite can get the initial idea of when the upcoming features in the dances are. This way, they can make sure the audiences watching on television won't miss out on any good bits.

The clip I am reviewing is a dance by professional dancers James & Ola Jordan. This dance is called the Rumba, which is a dance that originated in Cuba. It's a dance that portrays passion and love, and seeing as James & Ola are married in real life, it's the perfect dance for them. 

James & Ola Jordan - Rumba

Throughout this dance, there are many camera angles and shots seen to emphasise certain features of the routine. I think the majority of camera shots used are close-ups and pan. The close-up shots create a passionate scene to in-cooperate the mood of the dance with the viewers, as even though this is dancing, they still act out the dance with facial expressions and poses. When the camera pans, it shows of the feature of a lift within the dance. This, in my opinion, is because it's very hard for the viewers watching on television to see the amazement of the dance if the camera stuck to one particular angle. By the cameras moving, it almost gives an indirect point-of-view of James and/or Ola and how difficult the lift is.

Different camera angles/shots of the dance

All 10 shots I have screen-capped have an element I would like to talk about, but I have decided I will pick my 4 favourites and shots that I find the most interesting to discuss.

Shot 1 is a typical long-shot used to create a feel for the audience at home about how big the studio is compared to Ola. The camera zooms in to Ola (shot 2) so it's clear to see her movement and identify to the audiences (that know their dances) what routine it is.
In shot 6, we see the first lift of the dance. This camera shot is very cleverly done as it starts off as a high angle to the right hand side, following zooming in to James & Ola, then zooms back out to the left hand side. The positives of this type of shot gives the audience a lot more of a dynamic approach to the life, and makes the lift in the dance look very superior as if it is 'spinning' quicker. The negatives to using this shot are that it can be quite difficult to see the lift in full effect - and some viewers may actually start feeling a bit dizzy (if they're sensitive to that kind of thing!) This being because the lift is spinning one way, and the camera is turning in the other, almost creating a kaleidoscope effect.
Moving on to shot 9, being one of the most basic shots throughout the dance. This pose that James & Ola are performing is the very end of the shot, meaning the cameras need to capture the most important thing throughout the dance, and this being them! This shot creates a relationship with James & Ola and the audience as you can really see the passion in their facial expressions, giving the dance a lot more depth. The camera angle shows Ola's head going in the right direction for the shot, and the camera crew did their best throughout the dance to keep the camera angles going.

As I stated earlier, the couples do a dress run before each dance to give the camera crew a chance to sort out what camera angles they're going to use and at what time. I think it's clear that it definitely works like this as the camera angles throughout the dances on this show manage to capture the most important things of the dance, which is obviously what the audience at home want to see.


Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Television_Centre ('Studio' section used) - accessed on 22-Oct-2013

Critique: The Avengers

The Avengers is an American Superhero film produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film features an ensemble cast starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo and Samuel L Jackson. Like your typical superhero film; The Avengers consists of an army of heroes (Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Captain America, Hulk) who are all fighting to save the world from the 'baddies', thus being Loki and some villains from another world, which was reached by the Tesseract opening the wormhole - which is what the heroes have been chasing all along.
I won't tell you how it ends, because if you haven't seen it, that would ruin it. I highly recommend watching this film, it is just fabulous.

A quote by the director of The Avengers, Joss Whedon

Nearly every film written and produced in this day and age use the Single Camera Technique. I wrote a quick blog on this which is available to read here: http://strictlysavage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-basics-of-single-camera-technique.html. Using the single camera technique, it allows the film to be edited in the most creative way. The flow of the production is much more lenient if this technique is used as it allows the edit to move with the audience. There are many scenes within the film The Avengers but I finally found a clip that I thought would be good to critique.

The following clip shows a calmed-yet-heated discussion between two characters; Loki (the villain) and Tony Stark, who is Iron Man (the hero.) These two have some of the biggest personalities within the film. With Loki's determination to make the world his kingdom, he continues to portray his craved power in front of Tony. Tony Stark has always been known as the 'funny' Avenger. His one-liners and outstanding wittiness keep the audience entertained during what should be the serious and scary moments. Personally, Iron Man is one of my favourite characters because of this. This clip is filmed at Stark Tower, which is the home of Tony Stark. The camera flips from Loki to Tony, and back again. The conversation endures a clear rivalry and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Throughout the clip, it is clear that Tony is trying to keep his cool, as his visible calm persona almost tricks Loki in to thinking he can turn Tony into one of his minions. Tony is a very clever man, so he mentally and physically prepares himself for Loki's scheming plan. 

Tony Stark and Loki share wits

Throughout this scene, we see around 19 different camera shots and each and every one of them bring something to the scene. Tony is mainly stood behind his bar, stereo-typically to make him seem vulnerable, and he appears to be using it as a barrier from Loki. The colour palette of this film is quite dark. All different shades of blue, brown, grey and black are the majority of colours we tend to see. This ties in with the genre of the film, action and sci-fi, as these colours identify different themes, such as; death, space, earth, sky, explosions.

All 19 shots of the scene: Tony Stark & Loki - Headcount

There are a few shots I really like and I think it's because they portray Tony as the more dominant character of the scene. 

I particularly like shot 6 as this is where we first see Tony's wittiness towards Loki. We establish quite early on in the scene what the theme is - Loki wants to turn Tony in to one of his minions. The mid-shot of Tony (6) shows him smiling, which is where we really see him showing his true feelings towards Loki. Shot 5 is where Loki says ''I've met them [the Avengers]'' and this is the lead up to shot 6, in which Tony laughs because he's slightly stating the obvious. Shot 9 is quite a hard one to explain if you've never seen any of the Iron Man's, but I'll give it a go. Tony Stark is one of the world's most famous mechanics and he creates machinery like no-one else could possibly do. His wrist straps are a magnet source for his whole Iron Man suit, and when he gives the signal, the suit will come flying through everything in its path and attach itself to Tony, making him indestructible. Just after this scene, Loki throws Tony out of the window and Tony is fast falling to the ground, in which he uses his wrist straps to save him. (Unfortunately, I cannot find a clip). 

Skipping to shot 17 now, and this is very powering. The angle of the camera shows Tony to be abnormally large compared to where the camera is situated - which is below him. This makes his appearance look very dominating and frightening. He is purposely made to look big, to make his suggested personality and role be a hero. This shot corresponds with the shot before it, which is shot 16. We see the camera looking over Tony's shoulder towards Loki, and again, this makes Tony look dominating. In this shot, Loki looks very small. This coincides with most of the film and gives the audience an indirect way of showing how dominating Tony is compared to Loki. 

Body language of the promotion posters comparison (see paragraph below)

Corresponding to the scene I have reviewed, I decided to look at the promotion material used for the whole film. Researching in to character backgrounds and personalities, the teaser posters matched up very well to the information I found.

Iron Man/Tony Stark, (up to The Avengers), has always been a successful business man and hero. He has made his way through a number of life's difficulties, including the passing of his father and a lot of stick from the press for his achievements. In the first Iron Man, a bloke stole his idea of 'Iron Man' and created a bigger version, in-which, of course, there was a battle of the two 'Iron Men!' which Tony still came out on top, and killed off the copy. In hindsight, Tony Stark has, and probably always will, win.

Loki, on the other-hand, has never been successful. His brother, Thor, and him live in another world, known as Asgard. The first Thor movie displayed Thor replacing his father as King and Loki losing out. When Thor visited Earth, Loki tried to kill Thor in order for himself to become King, and he failed. Thor returned to Asgard after the battle which resulted in Loki disappearing, leaving Thor and his family and kingdom into thinking he was dead. Although throughout The Avengers, Loki seems to win all of the tasks he does, the audience know in the back of their minds that he will never win the battle, and he will never be King of the Earth... Or will he? Well you'll just have to watch the film to find out! 

The Avengers
Black Widow, Captain America, Hawk Eye, Hulk, Iron Man & Thor

To end this post, I'll leave you with this. In all of the promotional pictures for the 6 Avengers, Iron Man is the only character looking at the camera. Does this mean anything? Yes. (Now I actually have to tell you what happens at the end of the film, for this to make sense. Damn.)

The Avengers - Finale

Iron Man is the real reason that the world was saved. He flew a nuke into the other world, through the Earth's opening, so it exploded, killing the source of the alien-like creatures, ordering them to just completely drop on Earth. There's tension as the audience have no idea if he's going to survive, as Black Widow has turned off the Tesseract, meaning the wormhole will close any second. There's questions flying through audience's heads... ''Will he make it through in time?'' and ''Will he survive?''. With his eye contact in the poster, it corresponds with the film ending, showing that in hindsight, even though the other Avengers have their own special part in saving the world, he is the main hero!

Cheerio. :o) 

- Olivia. Stark.

Critique: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey is a British period drama television series created and written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired on 26th September 2010 and has been running for four series', a fifth is planned for 2014.

The series is set in the fictional Downton Abbey, a Yorkshire country house, the seat of the earl and Countess of Grantham, and follows the lives of the Crawley family and their servants during the reign on King George V. The first series opened at the end of the Edwardian era in 1912 with news of the family heir's death on board the Titanic, spanning the two years before the Great War. The second series covered the years 1916 to 1919, and the 2011 Christmas Special covered the 1919 Christmas period, ending in early 1920. The third series picks up soon thereafter, covering 1920 through the autumn of 1921. The fourth series covers a six-month period between February and August 1922, while the Christmas Special will be set in late spring/early summer of 1923.

Series 4 - Mary and Edith on the staircase scene

The scene I will be reviewing is a single-camera scene set on the grand staircase of Downton Abbey. Mary (dark hair) had recently lost her husband, Matthew, in a fatal car accident just seconds after giving birth to her first child, George, and this episode was aired on Christmas Day 2012. Mary has been suffering with severe depression since the death, wearing nothing but black and barley leaving her room. This episode is set 6 months on from the death of Matthew, and it's clear she is still suffering with her tragic loss. Throughout all of the series', these two sisters, Mary and Edith, have never seen eye-to-eye. With Edith being the middle sister and Mary being the oldest, there's constant bickering and petty talks about who's the better person. This scene brings out the awkwardness completely.

Throughout this scene I counted a total of thirteen different camera shots. The camera angles alternate between medium shots and over-the-shoulder shots to create an awkward atmosphere between the two sisters. The first shot we see is Edith walking along the hallway with a letter from a Valentine, as it's Valentine's Day. She is smirking at the letter as almost if she was expecting it, and as I remember the full episode very clearly (huge fan), the audience could almost sense Mary was nearby, as she has no-one to celebrate Valentine's Day with, because she's still mourning. The second shot we see is of Mary walking down the stairs, with a face like thunder, of course. Edith is completely unaware of Mary's presence as she begins to walk up the stairs, but Mary can see her.

Shot 1 and 2

A few shots later, the conversation begins. When Mary realises that it's Valentines Day, an uncomfortable vibe appears to fill the atmosphere and the conversation pauses for a while. Mary is first to direct the conversation away from Valentines Day and continues to ask Edith what time she is leaving for London. The audience can still see that both Mary and Edith are being short and sharp with each other, as it's believed that Edith is off to London to visit her Valentine. 

The camera angles and shots are in a very clever set up at this point, as they begin to suddenly switch between the two women. None of them talk, so all of their expression is displayed in their faces and body language. Although there is only 3 shots in which there is no talking, the atmosphere tension rises up another level when Edith finally breaks the silence. She does this, and at the same time, makes an excuse to leave Mary and walk up the stairs. It isn't until Edith has walked past Mary, that the common sarcasm between the two sisters is seen. "Have a happy time'', spoken words of Mary. My theory is, that Mary said this to make Edith feel sorry for her. She's thriving off of other people's sadness at the moment, and doesn't believe how anyone can be happy at the moment, because she isn't.

All of the shots

(Shot 1 and 2 are the same shot, but there were two different angles which I thought were quite important. Shot 11 and 12 are also the same shot. Shot 16 is an add on for what Mary is looking at, at the end.)

I really like this scene and how it has been set up. I think filming on the stairs creates a different atmosphere than filming at say, a dining room table or in a living room. The fact that Mary and Edith are positioned in front of a window so the light is shining on their face gives a lot of depth to the scene as it is giving natural light towards their faces. 

Reading more in depth to the lighting, it could portray both of their personalities in an indirect way. Throughout the scene, Mary is mostly in the dark (shot 7), and Edith is in the light (shot 6). With Mary being a little depressed lately, it portrays with the lighting layout as, unless she turns to a certain angle, she won't be in the light - which could portray as the personality she is currently giving her family in this series. 

Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2RzDoFRCyo - accessed on 10th-Dec-2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downton_Abbey - accessed on 10th-Dec-2013

Critique: Thor 2 - The Dark World

Thor 2 - The Dark World is the continuation of the famous Marvel movies. It is a crossover from the sequel film The Avengers which was released in 2012. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Natalie Portman (Jane Foster) go on an adventure together to try and save all nine Relms and the Universe from being destroyed by minions from another planet.

The clip I will be reviewing is a segment from the beginning of the film. Thor came back to Earth to avenge it with fellow colleagues Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Hawk Eye and Captain America, and whilst he was visiting, he did not see Jane. In this clip, Jane portrays her anger with Thor as she gives off signs of body language and facial expressions to show she is not happy.

Reunited - Jane Foster and heartthrob Thor

The production of this clip is set in an abandoned factory in London, England. Jane is talking with her friend, Darcey, when out of the corner of her eye, she sees Thor, in whom she hasn't seen in over two years. The dark and gloomy lighting used in this clip shows that the mood is also intense and a little dark. The scene fully begins when Jane takes a swift walk up to Thor, pauses for a second, then slaps him around the face to show her anger with him. The camera angles show the meaning of the two characters in an indirect manor. When they are both having a heated discussion, the camera angles switch to portray the mood.

Camera angles portray a setting

The camera angles portray a meaning between the two characters that are very significant in the film. As Thor is a God (not a metaphor, in the film he's a God), he is a significantly larger person than Jane Foster. The camera angle shows us that is is larger than her, by doing an over-the-shoulder shot and looking up to him, making him seem more heroic. The same thing happens with Jane, except this time it's a totally different concept. As in the film, she is a geeky scientist with a petite frame and vertically challenged, the camera does an over-the-shoulder shot of her, making her seem smaller than she actually is to start with. With Thor's armour and physical appearance, the camera angle makes him seem as if he is protecting Jane, even though he is not touching her.

The rain in the background also gives a hint as to what Thor is God of. He is known as the God of Thunder, so when he first appears, it's almost expected. The rain shows a significant link between the two of them, and the audience know he isn't far away. 

As he stands between the buildings when he first arrives on the scene, the highlighted colours are his red cape, long blonde hair and defeating hammer. These are the three signature items that Thor always has, wherever he goes (in this film, anyway). These are highlighted as a reminder to the audience that he is still the Thor he used to be, even though in the first Thor film he was a normal everyday person for the most of it. 

I really like how this scene has been put together. The basic camera angles are good as compared to the rest of the film, this is quite a down-to-earth scene and it's rare that we see a normal conversation happening. The continuous switch between Jane and Thor show that their relationship is still on the rocks as their facial expressions portray a lack of communication and connection between them both.



Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor:_The_Dark_World - accessed on 11th-Dec-2013

Original Thinking #2: Shynola v Gallagher

Once upon a time, a creative production house called 'Shynola' was caught up in dispute over similarities with their video for Coldplay's 'Strawberry Swing', and a video produced by the director Owen Trevor for Andy Gallager's 'Something Else'.

Shynola is a collective name of a group of 3 visual artists based in London who have collaborated on a variety of projects, including a number of acclaimed music videos for several pioneering artists. Shynola currently consists of Jason Groves, Richard Kenworthy and Chris Harding, who along with Gideon Baws (deceased 2008), began collaborating in 1994 whilst they were studying at the Kent Institute of Art & Design. They've received numerous industry accolades including awards from D&AD, Edinburgh Film Festival, MTV, NME Brats, and numerous UKMVA awards including 'Video of the Year' and 'Best Director'.

Shynola created a production for World-famous band Coldplay called 'Strawberry Swing'. The music video was inspired by the vertical pixilation technique and was nominated for Breakthrough Video at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.
1 year earlier, Andy J Gallagher released a music video called 'Something Else'. Directed by Owen Trevor, the production was also inspired by the vertical pixilation technique.

Coldplay - Strawberry Swing

Andy Gallagher - Something Else

There was quite a dispute over the 2 music videos as there are noticeable similarities between the two, and there is no doubting that. Many articles were released for the general public's viewing and a fuss between Shynola and Gallagher had become very well known.
Interviews and blogs were set-up to differentiate the 2 music videos and both Shynola and Gallagher stuck to their guns and defended themselves in this situation. Gallagher took the more softer approach by actually thanking Shynola for their well-researched response. Gallagher stated in a short interview aimed at Shynola; ''Firstly, thanks to Shynola for putting together such a well-researched response to the recent media speculation surrounding my 'Something Else' and Coldplay's 'Stawberry Swing' videos.'' Andy Gallagher's original interview was somewhat over-exaggerated by the media and he also put a few disclaimers in to back his say, such as ''I never accused Shynola of plagiarism''.  


There has been quite a bit of speculation between viewers of the two videos, but they are mostly supporting Shynola. As one viewer stated on Andy's Something Else video, ''I think the idea is the same, but made in a different way, so it's not a copy.''

Evidence of YouTubers' opinion

In my opinion, I do genuinely believe that Shynola were telling the truth when they stated they had never seen Andy Gallaghers' 'Something Else'. Yes, there are some similar features between the two videos but I don't think this determines that any of it was copied. The themes throughout the 2 videos are completely different, and with technique's like vertical pixilation, the variety of production stories that could be created is indeed very high. Shynola wouldn't have needed to copy. They are a talented production group that have their own ideas in essence to create some wonderful pieces of art.


Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.



http://www.artofthetitle.com/studio/shynola/ - accessed on 2nd-Oct-2013

Original Thinking #1: I Done It 'Cos I Love It

Original thinking doesn't exist. Somewhere a long the line, a personal would've been inspired by someone or something which has resulted in them creating a production with their own unique twist. In most situations, I don't tend to look at it as copying; I tend to see it more as inspiration or flattery. The only time I see it as complete copying, for example, is if you were to do everything the same. Let's just say I wrote a tweet or status, and someone copied everything word for word without crediting - then I see it as copying.
This blog discusses a number of similar productions and advertisements and whether they're inspired by one-another, or they just copy.

Peter Fischli & David Weiss - Der Lauf Der Dinge (The Way Things Go)

According to a source on Amazon, this short movie was released on 1st January 1987. Directed by Peter Fischli and David Weiss, they used a number of different materials such as tyres, ladders, soap, oil and gasoline. All of these are somehow put in to the production in a certain order to make the Rube Goldberg Machine run smoothly.

Honda - The Cog (advert)
This advertisement was first launched on ITV1 on 6th April 2003. The production was actually contacted by the Fischli and Weiss, as they threatened to take legal action over the similarities between The Cog and The Way Things Go. The artists felt that the ads creators had ''obviously seen'' their film, and should have consulted them.

This Too Shall Pass - 2nd March 2010
This Too Shall Pass was originally a song, and there are actually two music videos for it. The first music video was 'Marching Band', which was released on 12th January 2010. James Frost, the director, then found time to direct another video he had ''always wanted to do''. This is when he create the video that revolved around a Rube Goldberg Machine. The video's inspiration came from the band who originally wrote the song, who wanted ''a giant machine that we dance with.''

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My personal favourite video is This Too Shall Pass by OK Go, directed my James Frost. The reason for this is because I find the whole approach to the video absolutely incredible. The main introduction to the video occurs about 10 seconds in, when a toy car knocks over a domino, starting to create the famous domino collapse  that most people world wide would have seen. Throughout the video 4-minute-long video, we see a number of levers and contraptions all coinciding with each other to create a seamless production that keeps the audience engaged. I personally think this video is a lot better than The Way Things Go because in that video, the audience do a lot of waiting around for things to happen, which is quite boring. Also, the video I watched was around 10 minutes long, and I think trying to fill this time can be quite tricky. I also think that as This Too Shall Pass has better attractions within the video because it was filmed a lot more recently, and the production team and directors would've possibly had a slightly higher budget and a lot more technology and props.

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Overlooking the 3 productions, they are all very similar in one way or another. I think the main comparison I can make is the fact they have all been inspired by the Rube Goldberg Machine, which originally made its debut in the 1900s. There are many parts I like throughout the whole 3 productions, however there are also negatives for me in each production. My favourite part of The Way Things Go is when the chemical reaction takes place around 3.30 minutes in. The way this is designed is very clever, as like an other Rube Goldberg Machine, each sequence brings another event. The reaction then causes a foam-like substance to 'pop' 2 candles which creates yet another sequence. I really like this feature as it adds a little bit of chemistry in to the production, and it's fascinating to watch. My least favourite part is actually the start. I was watching a bin bag spin of its own accord for about 30 seconds... and ever since that point I was dreading the rest, I thought it would be incredibly boring.

The chemical reaction - as it happened

As I said before, my favourite production out of the 3 was This Too Shall Pass. My favourite feature in this production is the domino-collapse at the very beginning of the film. I have always found it fascinating to watch dominoes fall, ever since I was little, so I knew that before I'd even seen the rest of the movie, this would be one of my favourite parts. It's such a simple technique to use, and so easy to design, yet it's so effective to the eye and it looks great in all productions, no matter what the theme. I actually have another section I really enjoyed watching; and this was the spoons hitting the glasses filled with water, forming a musical tune that could actually be a song. I think this part is under-estimated on how hard it could actually be, as most of us know that the design of this would've been filling different glasses up with a different amount of water, creating lower and higher tones. I have to be honest and say there isn't a 'least favourite' section in the production. I think this is because each part of the film happens so quickly, and comparing this to The Way Things Go, it is clear. In The Way Things Go, it all happens very slowly, and each contraption takes quite a long amount of time to react to the last one, which can be quite dull to watch.

Left: dominoes and Right: glasses playing tune

The 3rd and final production I watched was The Cog which was originally made by Honda to advertise one of their cars. The concept of this production is really good as when it appears on the TV, it's fascinating to watch as it has different sections to keep people interested. It's also unique and different to any other advertising technique, and this is why people find it interesting. The design of the advert also allows the audience to see what goes in to the car and it's basic features. People will go to their friends and say ''Did you see that car advert with the different bits going in to it? It's so cool!" etc, and it could also boost Honda's profile. My favourite part of this production was the section about 18 seconds in, which consists of 3 screws on a detached bonnet working in synchronicity with each other, starting from the top of the bonnet and working their way down. I think I like this effect as it's similar to the domino effect seen in the This Too Shall Pass production; each screw moves to create the next screws' movement and so on. As for my least favourite part of the production, I don't really have one. The past two videos I have found something I'm not keen on, but this production is faultless in my eyes. The sound effects are also very good as they tend to be very crisp and clear, so they're easily recognizable. I think with this production, if you were to compare it to the previous 2, then this is very modern.

The screws creating a sequence to form an action

I wouldn't have straight-out said that anyone is copying. If anything, each production has been inspired by previous productions that have been launched. In this case, all 3 productions are inspired by the Rube Goldberg Machine. Looking at things from the perspective of Peter Fischli & David Weiss, who produced The Way Things Go, I would say there are a couple of elements in This Too Shall Pass which are noticeably similar. I think as the Honda - The Cog advertisement has been produced with much more modern technology that the other 2 productions, it has its own unique twist in which the production announces itself to the audience. For example, the tyres going up a ramp is completely impossible, and it gives it that own value of it virtually being impossible without computer technology; whereas the other 2 productions are all hand-made with no super-imposed performances.

There's no such thing as completely original productions. Something, somewhere, and somehow, has been inspired by something in which the artist has seen.


Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Fischli_and_David_Weiss#The_Way_Things_Go - accessed on 1st-Oct-2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cog_(advertisement) - accessed on 1st-Oct-2013
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Too_Shall_Pass_(song)#Second_music_video:_Rube_Goldberg_Machine - accessed on 1st-Oct-2013

Technique's: Single Camera v Multi Camera

With the amount of technology we have in this day and age, the camera angles and setups are a key factor to the appearance of a number of productions. I took a look in to the basics of Single Camera Technique and Multi Camera Technique, but now it's time to look at them both in more depth and compare the two.

The Basics of Single Camera Technique:
http://strictlysavage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-basics-of-single-camera-technique.html

The Basics of Multi Camera Technique:
http://strictlysavage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-basics-of-multi-camera-technique.html

There are many advantages and disadvantages of both single camera and multi camera techniques. Different productions will require one of the two different techniques, it's just about matching them up to suit their required role in the filming process.

The single camera setup is mostly used for prime-time dramas, films and music videos. With this, the production and editing team normally have a suitable amount of time to edit the clips all together. Most dramas, such as Downton Abbey, are filmed 6 weeks in advance to them going on air. Using single camera setup will also take a little bit longer to film, therefore causing the production as a whole to be more expensive, as hiring out equipment and studios is all based on how long the producers use them for.

Single Camera Set-up : Multi Camera Set-up    

A multi camera setup is mostly used for soap operas, talk shows, game shows and sitcoms. With there being stereotypically 4 or more cameras, it's unlikely that any movement will be missed. If there was to be a single camera recording a live show such as Strictly Come Dancing, it may miss some movement from say, one of the dances. Therefore, using a multi camera in this type of scenario, all of the important footage will be captured, and with live shows, the camera crew can easily cut to a different camera if there is something worth broadcasting in their line of capture.

In recent decades, larger Hollywood films have begun to use more than 1 camera on set, usually with 2 cameras simultaneously filming the same setup, however this is not a true multi-camera setup in the television sense. Sometimes, feature films will run multiple cameras, perhaps 4 or 5, for large, expensive and difficult-to-repeat scenes such as large explosions. Again, this is not a true multi camera setup in the television sense as the resultant footage will not always be arranged sequentially in editing and multiple shots of the same explosion may be repeated in the final film - because the different shots are taken from different angles they can appear as different explosions to audience members.


Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.

The Basics of Multi Camera Technique

*This is the sister blog to ''The Basics of Single Camera Technique''* - http://strictlysavage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-basics-of-single-camera-technique.html*

A multi camera set up is a method of film making and video production. Several cameras are employed on the set and simultaneously record or broadcast a scene. The use of multiple video cameras to cover a scene goes back to the earliest days of television; three cameras were used to broadcast The Queen's Messenger in 1928. The BBC routinely used multiple cameras for their live television shows from 1936 on-wards.

VIDEO: A clip from The Queen's Messenger, broadcast 1928

This form of filming is used in television within soap operas, talk shows, game shows and sitcoms. Multiple shots are obtained in a single take without having to start and stop the action. This is more efficient for programs that are to be shown a short time after being shot as it reduces the time spent film editing or video editing the footage.

The traditional set-up of a Multi Camera Technique

Generally, the 2 outer cameras shoot close shots or crosses the 2 most active characters on the set at any given time, while the central cameras shoot a wider master shot to capture the overall action and establish the geography of the room. In this way, multiple shots are obtained in a single take without having to start or stop the action. This set-up is increasingly vital for productions that don't have a long amount of time to edit, and live television.

With multi camera shooting, it unfortunately comes with many disadvantages. The producers and lighting directors will have to light the entire studio, and with this, all of the shots are at risk of looking the same which will perhaps not give the same effect if there are two different atmospheres trying to be created. There is also a risk of the cameras getting in the way of each other, and being visible within reflections that may be visible.

Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.

The Basics of Single Camera Technique

A production using the single camera set-up generally just employs 1 camera. Each of the various shots and camera angles are taken using the same camera, which is moved and reset to get each shot or a new angle. With this, the lighting set-up is typically reconfigured for each camera set up. 

In television, the single camera set-up is usually reserved for prime-time dramas, music videos and commercial advertisements. In single camera production, if a particular scene cuts backwards and forwards between two characters, then the director will first point the camera towards the first actor and shoot shots 1, 3, 5, 7 and so on. They will then point the camera to the second actor and do shots 2, 4, 6, 8 and so on. Then, in the post-production stages, the shots will be edited and joined together to make the correct order.

The traditional set-up of a Single Camera Technique

Using the single camera technique has many advantages; such as having maximum create control over every aspect and area of the production. Lighting, positioning, framing and composition are all areas the camera operators are able to control. Another key advantage about having only 1 camera is that there will be no other cameras that can sneak in to shot.

Cheerio. :o)

- Olivia.