Monday, 31 October 2016
First Actually Scene Of Band After Title Sequence
This video is a video of the first scene where the band feature in the documentary after the title sequence. After the filming session that will occur this Saturday that will be the scene that goes before this. This is not completely finished as of yet as there are gaps in the sound where I have established what I am going to be saying yet, hence the random silence between minute 0:11and 0:18. Furthermore, there are still little pieces of sound that haven't been edited out het, and as of now they are fairly fairly obvious and off putting, however they will be edited further later on in the editing process. After all, this only the first draft for now, and there will be many more editing processes before it is fully completed.
Sunday, 30 October 2016
General Progress Update
Overall, I feel that I am a little behind on my whole production process. At the moment I have enough footage to create two or three scenes that would not follow a specific narrative, but would make enough sense as a scene on tis own. However at the moment, I am struggling to editing everything simply because of the fact that I have developed a storyline to follow yet, therefore I don't know what to put where and how I want to edit things. In the next week, I will have an actually storyboard drawn and written up so that I know exactly what scenes i want where and will have a stronger understanding of exactly what I'm doing.
Despite this, I have successfully edited the first scene, meaning that I can proceed to editing the second one and transitioning them together. I haven't got got the footage for the next seen but I plan on going out and filming it this upcoming weekend. The sound on the first scene is of good quality, the visual editing such as the aston works well, and the sound editing of fading in and out is very very good.
All of the scene for the first day scene is successfully filmed as well, and is ready edited and collated together. All that is need to be done is record some sound of myself asking questions as my voice was drowned out but the other noise in the room, meaning it is not clear exactly y what Im asking. Recordings for the rest of documentary is needed to be done too as I will be narrating the whole documentary as it goes on. I have plenty of time to start editing this scene, however I must start soon before other jobs arise and I end up dropping this down the priority list.
I recently decided that I will not go ahead with interviewing the individuals at Relentless as I realised it will make my 5 minute extract go over the 5 minute restriction by a significant amount. This is both good and bad as it means I can focus on editing the footage I have right now and not worry too much about getting kore. However it will force me now to editing the footage I have now to a higher standard as I will have a lower amount valuable videos. On the other hand, it could be considered that it is more about quality than quantity.
Another task that need to be carried out is finding other non diegetic music that is slow paced and quiet so that it won't drown out my voiceovers. Preferably, if the music can be made by Indigo Palace then that would be great, however if I am unable to find music from Indigo Palace then it won't be a major issue. I need this non diegetic music to help the narration not sound so isolated and dull. Providing music in the background will help what I'm saying sound much more engaging and interesting, rather than just a dull, monotone voice being played.
As said before, a story board needs to be done so that I can truly understand what needs to be done in order to make the documentary top quality. Despite feeling a little bit behind on everything, I do think that I will be able to get on top of it within a week. Once I am able to get on top of it, then I will feel more comfortable and will proceed with much more confidence.
Despite this, I have successfully edited the first scene, meaning that I can proceed to editing the second one and transitioning them together. I haven't got got the footage for the next seen but I plan on going out and filming it this upcoming weekend. The sound on the first scene is of good quality, the visual editing such as the aston works well, and the sound editing of fading in and out is very very good.
All of the scene for the first day scene is successfully filmed as well, and is ready edited and collated together. All that is need to be done is record some sound of myself asking questions as my voice was drowned out but the other noise in the room, meaning it is not clear exactly y what Im asking. Recordings for the rest of documentary is needed to be done too as I will be narrating the whole documentary as it goes on. I have plenty of time to start editing this scene, however I must start soon before other jobs arise and I end up dropping this down the priority list.
I recently decided that I will not go ahead with interviewing the individuals at Relentless as I realised it will make my 5 minute extract go over the 5 minute restriction by a significant amount. This is both good and bad as it means I can focus on editing the footage I have right now and not worry too much about getting kore. However it will force me now to editing the footage I have now to a higher standard as I will have a lower amount valuable videos. On the other hand, it could be considered that it is more about quality than quantity.
Another task that need to be carried out is finding other non diegetic music that is slow paced and quiet so that it won't drown out my voiceovers. Preferably, if the music can be made by Indigo Palace then that would be great, however if I am unable to find music from Indigo Palace then it won't be a major issue. I need this non diegetic music to help the narration not sound so isolated and dull. Providing music in the background will help what I'm saying sound much more engaging and interesting, rather than just a dull, monotone voice being played.
As said before, a story board needs to be done so that I can truly understand what needs to be done in order to make the documentary top quality. Despite feeling a little bit behind on everything, I do think that I will be able to get on top of it within a week. Once I am able to get on top of it, then I will feel more comfortable and will proceed with much more confidence.
Filming Progress Update
Generally, I'd say that I am up to date with all the footage that needs to be shot. Overall I'd say that I am roughly half through filming all the vital scene that need to be filmed, and I have the main videos that will form the structure of the documentary.
I'd consider the opening scene of my documentary to be completely finished. THIs is because I am using archive footage from an event that I had filmed prior to even developing my documentary. That is essentially the main point of archive footage, to use footage that is stocked and can be used from the past. Therefore, because it has already been filmed months ago, that is one scene I have completely finished filming.
Another scene I'd consider finished is the first day of me as film/producer following the band. Although each video is only 2-5 minutes long, I am yet to edit them all together and I believe that once they are collated together, the whole scene will come up to around 10/15 minutes, making up the whole of the first scene. This scene consists of an interview with Jocelin Francis, the producer for Indigo Place, and a brief description from both Dee and Jocelin as to who they are and what they do. Since it'll only be a 5 minute extract of the documentary, this will probably be the only scene where I will need to conduct an interview in a similar manner as that one.

Another piece of stock footage that I have is the different shots from their event that was hosted in September. This consisted of various performance shot from not only Indigo Palace but other British performers. These shots are good for my documentary because it provides evidence that they are making ground in their careers and engages the audience in live activities.
However there are still a couple of scenes that still need filming. I still need to film iconic landmarks such as Tower Bridge, the London Eye and Big Ben. These need to be filmed to help the audience understand that this documentary is about British artist, and the audience seeing these landmarks will immediately indicate that this documentary is set in London. Additionally,I still need to take a trip to Relentless Studios to film my time lapse of Denmark Street, as well as take suitable footage of the outside+ inside of the Relentless Store.
I'd consider the opening scene of my documentary to be completely finished. THIs is because I am using archive footage from an event that I had filmed prior to even developing my documentary. That is essentially the main point of archive footage, to use footage that is stocked and can be used from the past. Therefore, because it has already been filmed months ago, that is one scene I have completely finished filming.
Another scene I'd consider finished is the first day of me as film/producer following the band. Although each video is only 2-5 minutes long, I am yet to edit them all together and I believe that once they are collated together, the whole scene will come up to around 10/15 minutes, making up the whole of the first scene. This scene consists of an interview with Jocelin Francis, the producer for Indigo Place, and a brief description from both Dee and Jocelin as to who they are and what they do. Since it'll only be a 5 minute extract of the documentary, this will probably be the only scene where I will need to conduct an interview in a similar manner as that one.Another piece of stock footage that I have is the different shots from their event that was hosted in September. This consisted of various performance shot from not only Indigo Palace but other British performers. These shots are good for my documentary because it provides evidence that they are making ground in their careers and engages the audience in live activities.
However there are still a couple of scenes that still need filming. I still need to film iconic landmarks such as Tower Bridge, the London Eye and Big Ben. These need to be filmed to help the audience understand that this documentary is about British artist, and the audience seeing these landmarks will immediately indicate that this documentary is set in London. Additionally,I still need to take a trip to Relentless Studios to film my time lapse of Denmark Street, as well as take suitable footage of the outside+ inside of the Relentless Store.
A Week With Indigo Palace: Opening Sequence First Draft
This is my opening sequence that will be the first scene of the documentary before the title sequence. At this very moment, I believe this is completely finished, and I do not think any further improvements are needed unless I think of more ideas. This scene will fade into the title sequence and after that, the documentary will then start.
Inspirations for my documentary
Prior to making my documentary, I had a clear idea of how I wanted my documentary to be presented. I want the general vibe of my documentary to be chilled and relaxing, and I wanted it to explore the inside of the music industry. When thinking of ideas, I immediately thought of a mini documentary series that was produced by a musical tribe under the name of Soulection. Through my production process, if I ever find myself lost for ideas, I turn to this documentary in order to be inspired into thinking of new/similar ideas.
The shots from the start to minute 0:17of the palm trees, the motor way and the aeroplane from a worms eye view, are creative and ascetically pleasing to the audience. It is a slow and smooth opening into a documentary, and it allows the to be ease into the documentary, rather than chucked straight into it, which could be overwhelming. Despite the fact that I've done an opposite thing in my documentary, that was only particularly for the "pre title scene". Once the actual documentary starts, the vibe of the documentary will become much smoother and less "in your face".
Another feature of this documentary that I particularly like and I will definitely use is the voiceover of the person in subject. The documentary starts with her doing her morning routines, and there is a voiceover present on top of the visuals. I like this feature as it makes it clear that it is she is th one talking, but still doesn't distract the audience from what she is doing, and the voiceover also provides a description as to how she's feeling most mornings. On top of these voiceovers as well, there is slow placed non diegetic much used. This adds excitement to screen that may be boring without the music. The editing of footage also creates excitement, as it draws the audience's attention to the what is happening, and makes the scene in general much more engaging.
One feature I will certain use is the scene transitions where a black screen appears and the text saying "Act (what ever number act it is)" appears. This is a good idea as it helps split the scene in a simple but affective way and helps denote to the audience that a new scene is about to occur. Without this, it would cause confusion to the audience and would make it hard to follow exactly what going on. But by adding this feature, it provides structure to the documentary and helps it flow smoothly, just like how I want mine to run.
The captions/aston used every time a new person is introduced is another feature that I will use. I feel this is important to the documentary as it really helps establish everybody's role in the band/group. by adding everyone name, nickname and role in th group, it gives everyone equal importance, and does not undermine anyone who is presented. I want to do something similar as I feel everyone in the band has an important role in their won way, whether it be a singer, producer or a more business role.
The final feature I admire and will use is the use of archive footage from their shows. This is arguable the main/most exciting part of the documentary. In some ways, it feels like all the scenes prior to this final scene act as the build up or preparation. This creates a good storyline as it shows the hard work behind all successful events and that a lot of preparations needed. Furthermore, the live shows emphasise their success and determination.
The shots from the start to minute 0:17of the palm trees, the motor way and the aeroplane from a worms eye view, are creative and ascetically pleasing to the audience. It is a slow and smooth opening into a documentary, and it allows the to be ease into the documentary, rather than chucked straight into it, which could be overwhelming. Despite the fact that I've done an opposite thing in my documentary, that was only particularly for the "pre title scene". Once the actual documentary starts, the vibe of the documentary will become much smoother and less "in your face".Another feature of this documentary that I particularly like and I will definitely use is the voiceover of the person in subject. The documentary starts with her doing her morning routines, and there is a voiceover present on top of the visuals. I like this feature as it makes it clear that it is she is th one talking, but still doesn't distract the audience from what she is doing, and the voiceover also provides a description as to how she's feeling most mornings. On top of these voiceovers as well, there is slow placed non diegetic much used. This adds excitement to screen that may be boring without the music. The editing of footage also creates excitement, as it draws the audience's attention to the what is happening, and makes the scene in general much more engaging.
One feature I will certain use is the scene transitions where a black screen appears and the text saying "Act (what ever number act it is)" appears. This is a good idea as it helps split the scene in a simple but affective way and helps denote to the audience that a new scene is about to occur. Without this, it would cause confusion to the audience and would make it hard to follow exactly what going on. But by adding this feature, it provides structure to the documentary and helps it flow smoothly, just like how I want mine to run.
The captions/aston used every time a new person is introduced is another feature that I will use. I feel this is important to the documentary as it really helps establish everybody's role in the band/group. by adding everyone name, nickname and role in th group, it gives everyone equal importance, and does not undermine anyone who is presented. I want to do something similar as I feel everyone in the band has an important role in their won way, whether it be a singer, producer or a more business role.The final feature I admire and will use is the use of archive footage from their shows. This is arguable the main/most exciting part of the documentary. In some ways, it feels like all the scenes prior to this final scene act as the build up or preparation. This creates a good storyline as it shows the hard work behind all successful events and that a lot of preparations needed. Furthermore, the live shows emphasise their success and determination.
Saturday, 29 October 2016
Purposes and conventions of magazine adverts
The purpose of magazine adverts are to attract as many people from different backgrounds and societies to watch the documentary. Certain documentaries are more likely to appear in certain magazines. However magazines such as New! magazine often present adverts for all kinds of documentaries as they re a tv guide for all types of people and target all. As my documentary is a music one, it is like to appear in a more music orientated magazine such as Clash or Rolling Stones.




One common convention of adverts in magazines is the logo of the channel. This is key to adverts in magazines as it helps signify where the documentary will be seen on and helps the viewers to acknowledge whether they can watch it or not. Not only does it help audiences understand what channel its on but it also helps them understand what type of documentary is it. For example, if you were to see the Channel 4 logo on an advert, you'd make a rough assumption that the documentary will present matter to do with citizen who are of the lower/ working class. By seeing this, it allows the audience to gage whether it would be the type of documentary they will enjoy.
The title of the documentary is common in magazine adverts. More times than not, the title of the advert reflects exactly what the documentary is about and is often catchy or intriguing.These titles are normally accompanied with a brief slogan or tag line, which briefly describes what it is about. These two feature are used to once again help the audience come to the conclusion as to whether they be interested in something like not or not. It also give the audience an idea of what they are going to watch if they decide to watch it.
Time and dates are often shown in adverts too somewhere on the advert. These are shown to illustrate to the public when they can tune if they decide they want to see it. Furthermore, showing the date warns people weeks in advance so they can figure if whether they can watch it, and if they cant, it gives them time to figure out a way they can, whether it be recording, or watching online via on demand e.g BBC iPlayer. Depending on the release day of the magazine, the magazine may say "tonight" or "this Tuesday" so it allows the audience to understand when it is in relation to the day it is the day they've read it.
Although this isn't a specific feature of adverts, magazine documentary adverts are conventionally presented landscape. The cover pictures for the documentaries are taken specifically in landscape and are printed on A4/A3 paper for magazines. This may be because it is easier to put into a magazine format in terms of the double page spreads. Additionally, they may be portrait as they allow much more space to show detail and fit more subjects/items into the shot.




One common convention of adverts in magazines is the logo of the channel. This is key to adverts in magazines as it helps signify where the documentary will be seen on and helps the viewers to acknowledge whether they can watch it or not. Not only does it help audiences understand what channel its on but it also helps them understand what type of documentary is it. For example, if you were to see the Channel 4 logo on an advert, you'd make a rough assumption that the documentary will present matter to do with citizen who are of the lower/ working class. By seeing this, it allows the audience to gage whether it would be the type of documentary they will enjoy.
The title of the documentary is common in magazine adverts. More times than not, the title of the advert reflects exactly what the documentary is about and is often catchy or intriguing.These titles are normally accompanied with a brief slogan or tag line, which briefly describes what it is about. These two feature are used to once again help the audience come to the conclusion as to whether they be interested in something like not or not. It also give the audience an idea of what they are going to watch if they decide to watch it.
Time and dates are often shown in adverts too somewhere on the advert. These are shown to illustrate to the public when they can tune if they decide they want to see it. Furthermore, showing the date warns people weeks in advance so they can figure if whether they can watch it, and if they cant, it gives them time to figure out a way they can, whether it be recording, or watching online via on demand e.g BBC iPlayer. Depending on the release day of the magazine, the magazine may say "tonight" or "this Tuesday" so it allows the audience to understand when it is in relation to the day it is the day they've read it.
Although this isn't a specific feature of adverts, magazine documentary adverts are conventionally presented landscape. The cover pictures for the documentaries are taken specifically in landscape and are printed on A4/A3 paper for magazines. This may be because it is easier to put into a magazine format in terms of the double page spreads. Additionally, they may be portrait as they allow much more space to show detail and fit more subjects/items into the shot.
Friday, 28 October 2016
Reggie Yates: Life and Death in Chicago Analysis
The archive footage used in this documentary has a huge affect on the audience int his documentary. There are many real life videos of shooting, police brutality, violence and gun crime shown, which presumably are all from he same city and area that show and narrate exactly what the voiceover is discussing. The use of these types of archive footage is effetely as it helps the audience interpret and comprehend the severity of the situation at hand, and it proves the people watching that this isn't just a theoretical issue, but that it's happening right now and is a very serious regular occurrence.The voiceovers use are also used to provide further information to the audience so that they can understand exactly what is going on and who it concerns. The voiceover states "in 2015, 306 african americans were killed by a police in America, 8 in Chicago alone". This very important statistic is provided to us as it helps to almost emphasis the severity of the situation that is being discussed, and is used to have an impact not he audience so they can finally understand why this is such a serious problem. Statistics like these also provide validity to the documentary and overall, the audience are much more like to believe the information that their they are being told.
A shot that is often seen in this documentary is the presenter of the documentary in amongst the natural situations. These normally come in the form of medium shots of the presenter standing within the large groups filled by the general public that have nothing to do with the documentary ing filmed. The use of these shots and placements are used to effetely show that they are getting first hand information as well as real life perceptions of how everybody in concern with matter sees it. This may also suggest that the presenter does have an opinion on the matter, and that he feels a certain way about, hence why he is in amongst the crowds, to show his support for the cause.
Personally interviews between the presenter and people from the general public are very common in this interview for a variety of reasons. There are often medium shots of the two participants in the same frame, talking to each other about the topic of gun crime, and questions are often asked in order to gain opinions. These particular random interviews that look spontaneous are used to to help the audience comprehend an interpretation from inside the issue, and allows us to see how those affected by it feel, and what they feel should be done. Adding features like this gives the documentary a more sentimental feel, causing the audience to really feel touched and empathetic for those who are experiencing this issue first hand.One big feature that is used in this documentary is an account of a personal story. There is a segment of the narrative where the woman gives a description of her encounter with the police in the past. She explains exactly what happened, how she felt, who were involved and why she did some of the things she did. Adding the personal account to storyline really engages the audience as it really provides a deep visual representation of why the issue being discussed is so important. As stated before in ta previous point, features like this cause the audience to take sides and empathise with whoever they want to, and challenges their ways in thinking, in regards to the topic of police brutality.
Saturday, 22 October 2016
3rd Day of Editing Evaluation
What went well:
- On this day, I started to edit the sound for the transition from opening scene to title sequence of my documentary. This involved fading out the diegetic music of the opening scene, as well mixing this sound into the non diegetic music of the title sequence. This was simple as all I had to do it fade the sound out from the end footage using an audio transition. Furthermore, all I had to do is put the same audio transition on the start of the non diegetic music and position the two pieces of audio correctly so that it sound smooth and natural. Considering this is the first time I have felt with editing sound, it was fairly easy and I had no problem making sure that it sounded good.
- As a result of a problem I encounter with the sound, which will be explained later, I discovered a new feature that allows you to see the in-depth details to the sound. This features shows the waveforms, where the base increases and decreases, as well as the volume of the sound through the whole audio. Despite this not being a major a tool on this particular day, I am aware that it'll be very helpful in the future when I need to manipulate the sound I am using in the future and will help me understand further the ins and outs of sound.
- On this specific editing day, I discovered a new way of converting and exporting music files so that they are compatible to Final Cut Express. Once again, because of the problem I experiences, I had to find a way of converting the music so that I could get rid of the challenge I was facing. Learning how to convert and export music into different files was help because it made the process easier and it will help me in the future if I find myself in a similar position to what I was in today.
Problem I encountered:
- I only experienced on major problem on this day of editing. As mentioned before, I successfully editing and transitions the diegetic sound soon of the first clip with the non diegetic music of the title sequence. However, around 3 seconds after the base drops on the music, the sound just cuts out for around one and half seconds, and then continues as if the sound didn't stop. At first I though it was to do with the file I had received from the supplying of the music. Because of this assumption, I check my laptop and played the music to see if it was same on there, however the music was fine and there were not problems at all. After this, I went back onto Final Cut Express and tried cutting the music so that I eliminated the pause and put the two cut piece together so that is was as if I didn't even tamper with it. This failed once as it just didn't sound natural one bit. Still confused as to what was wrong, I tried looking at the waveforms of the sound to see exactly where the sound went silent. This proved to be unhelpful as it just didn't provide me with enough information as to why it stopped playing.
I informed my teacher about my problem, with he hope that she'd know exactly what was wrong. I left the problem with my teacher and came back later to see if it had been solved. She found a website that advised me to upload the audio onto iTunes and export it in a certain from there. The setting that had to be set followed.
This worked in the end and allowed me to upload it onto Final Cut Express without any audio silences. Despite eventually finding a way to solve it, it proved to be very time consuming and some what frustrating as I had no clue how to fix the situation. I feel that I could have got a lot more audio edited if I hadn't encountered this problem, and I hope that in the future I don't face it again.
In general, the editing process is taking a bit longer than I thought. However I feel this is only because I don't have enough experience with Final Cut, and due to this, it is causing thing to take much long than expected. I am planning to conduct more filming in the next couple of weeks, and it should help the editing become more efficient as it'll help gage where I am in the documentary and what scene needs to come next. Before then, I may edit more of the documentary. This will be the scene of the first interview and I have decided to edit this because I believe I have all of the footage needed to completely edit it all. The next editing day should bet much more successful than today's.
2nd Day of Editing Evaluation
What went well
- I successfully completed editing the the opening scene to my documentary in detail. This was an achievement due to the speed of which is was completely, especially considering that I only started sometime this week. Of course, if I think of any further ideas, I will proceed in editing it to ensure its of the highest quality. This stage of editing included fading in and out a brief aston describing where, when and what the footage was to help the audience understand exactly where they are. I have done this due to the fact that is very uncommon to throw the audience straight into the documentary the I have done, therefore including a brief description will help the audience comprehend what exactly is going on as well as int to cray on watching.
- My skills in terms of using Final Cut Express are improving rapidly. I now understand the basic features in more detail and now that this is apparent, I am able to start experimenting more with the features in order to manipulate the images. For example, in one of the scenes that follow the opening scenes, the footage appears too dark to be able to see the subject. After searching and tampering with a few buttons, I manage to navigate a tool that allowed me to adjust the gradient of light so that the subjects face was easier to see. This came to my advantage as it helps the overall quality of my documentary to improve further.
- I was successfully able to upload the music onto the software. As it was still early in the editing process, I did not attempt to editing any more the music and decided to focus solely on the footage. This is good because it now saves me the difficulty of trying to find the sound with the same difficult iI had finding the videos. Furthermore, it saves a bit of time for the future as the music will already be there, hence allowing me to just focus on the editing of the sound.
Problems I encountered:
- Although the fading in and out feature was conducted int he first day of editing, I had only noticed now that the fade isn't present when the caption/aston disappears. It simply just cut out of the footage, meaning that it looks unnaturally and out of place, which the audience would definitely notice. Especially due to the fact that I had faded the aston in, it was imperative I fade it out too so that the overall calm flow of my documentary as maintained. Eventually I figured that I had to use the cross dissolve in-and-out instead of just cross dissolve in order for the aston to fade in and out smoothly.
Overall, I'd consider the 2nd day of editing less productive than the first. Generally I believe this is because there were much more technical processes being demonstrated, therefore it took more time and commitment, resulting in less scenes being editing. Furthermore, because of the fact that I am now collecting footage together and curating them to develop a narrative, the combination of footage is becoming longer, causing the rendering to take long. As mentioned before, rendering is very time consuming, not allowing me to proceed with anything else. Despite this, I am pleased with how everything is coming together and I believe the potential for my documentary to be a good one is increasing.
1st Day of Editing Evaluation
What went well:
- On the the first day of editing, all the clips from my first day of filming were easy to access. Although this seems like a simply and customary thing, I had great difficulty finding the clips for weeks, therefore I feared that I had lost the footage and that I would have to film the footage again. However it was a much simply process than I thought, as all I had to to do was plug in the camera via USB wire.
- Considering the fact that as part of my AS coursework I had to use Final Cut Express, I didn't have an in depth knowledge on how to use it. Because of this, I feared that it would be greatly time consuming to get to grips with how to use it correctly. However, with assistant from my teacher as well as a fellow student, I was capable of using it to a high standard within the second day of filming. This came as an advantage as it saved a reasonable amount of time and allowed me to crack on with the editing process immediately.
- Although I did not completely finish them, I was able to make a start on the opening scene and the scene that followed later on in the documentary. It proved to be a little difficult due to the fact that I haven't quite developed a clear storyline/ scene plan yet, therefore if you were to watch the documentary so far, it would look a little unorganised. However I was able to collate some shots and audio material to create some scene that will certainly end up looking good in the future. This is a benefit as it cuts out a bit of time in the future and will allow me more time to make further improvements to ensure the overall quality of my documentary is the highest.
Problems I encountered:
- I struggled to locate exactly where the videos were and how to access them. Prior to finding them, I had saved them on a memory stick due to the fact that the MTS files were not compatible with the Mac computers. After realising this, I then tried to open the files on my own personal laptop with iMovie, however I discovered that I had to convert them al to mp4 files in order to be able to upload them onto Final Cut. This worked however it was very time consuming having to keep converting every file one by one. However eventually my teacher advised me to just bring my camera in with the USB cable and it should automatically convert the files so that they were comparable with Final Cut Express. This was extremely inconvenient as it I simply couldn't start the editing process until I had the videos uploaded onto Final Cut. This was very time consuming and frustrating as I one point I thought I had deleted the videos and that I had to film hem again.
- With Final Cut Express, whenever you put a new piece of footage, sounds, editing transition or anything new that was present before, it requires rendering in order to be able to watch it back and see how it looks in amongst the rest of the documentary. Rendering isn't the quickest of process, and in total this week, waiting for videos to finish rendering occupied approximately half of the editing time. This was a problem as it took so much unnecessary time out of my editing, and I believe that I would have completely a larger amount of editing if i didn't have to render every footage.
- As briefly mentioned earlier, certain features of my documentary were difficult to edit due to the fact that is was hard to establish where what part of the documentary it was. Distinguishing what should come before and after was hard as half of the footage hasn't been filmed yet, therefore understand how things need to be transitions was difficult. In future editing stages, I hope to have majority/ all of the footage so that it easier to understand what scene is what in correlation to the rest of the documentary.
Overall I'd say the first stage of editing was promising an that it should become easier and better in the future. I had not developed a specific idea as to how everything should be edited as it frees space for spontaneous ideas. This was my first experience one to one with Final Cut Express, therefore just like anything else, the more editing I do, the better my skills will be and the final result will improve gradually. By the time I next sit down to edit more footage, I hope to have filmed more footage so that the storyline can develop more and the overall feel becomes clearer.
Thursday, 20 October 2016
Locations Reece Part 2
Since making the first Locations Reece, I have though of a few more places that will be included in the 5 minutes sequence of my documentary. Many of the locations before were planned for situations where interviews were going taken. However, after more development in the plot/plan of my documentary, I cam not the realisation that I will need shots of locations that will act as filler scenes for when I don't not want to be presenting the bad. There will be a lot of voiceovers in the documentary, therefore a wide variety of shots will be needed for when there is not visual content to match up with he sound.
As mentioned before, I want make sure that the audience know that the band is British and that the UK grime is seen isn't all negative and has potential to be big globally. Therefore, to illustrate this British heritage, I want to shoot many iconic births landmarks so that it is clear to the audience that the setting in England. Furthermore, by showing these landmarks, it will allow the audience to engage into documentary and be able to say "Ive been there" or " I know where that is". Even more so, if my representation of them being positive works, it'll make the audience think that they are proud to be British. The locations will include the London Eye, Big Ben and Tower Bridge.
Friday, 7 October 2016
3rd day of filming plan
On the third day of filming, I plan to take a visit to where the band members work at Relentless Studios on Denmark Street. I want to make this visit for two different reasons, one being that this street is an iconic street in the music industry, and is well known for hosting many big named musicians. Figureheads such as David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC and many more have created music on that very street, therefore using an iconic music location will immediately portray the representation I have been trying to create. Additionally, I have picked this location as it will give me a deeper insight into their lives. Furthermore, it will help me to understand more about the place that essentially encouraged and inspired the group make music.
Relentless Studios is located on Denmark Street near the train station Tottenham Court Road. I hope to film a time lapse of Denmark Street for the introduction of my documentary. I want to do this as it'll help to set the scene and allow the audience to understand exactly where they are. This will help me expand on the portfolio of shots I will use in my documentary, making it much more interesting as well as engaging. I will do this by one of two ways. One way is that I will simply just film a minute or two worth of video of streets near the areas, and then speed up the footage when it comes to the editing process. Or I may explore the features of my camera and see if there is a time lapse feature on it. Based on my previous filming day experience, the overall feel of my filming did feel a little unorganised. Although I simply didn't plan the day for purposes of making the footage feel spontaneous, it did end up feeling as though I had not really got any valuable footage filmed. The time round, I will develop a clearer idea of what exactly I want to film, so that when it comes to it I can get the most important shots done, and then any other footage is extra. However, I must be aware of the fact that the band will be working most of the day, so I must understand that they may be busy at certain time, therefore they may not be able to participate in all the scene that are required.
2nd Day of Filming Plan
This upcoming Saturday, I am planning to go all over London to film some of the most recognisable setting ofGreat Britain. I plan on going to Tower Bridge which lies on the River Thames, Southbank where the London Eye and Big Ben is located, and possibly The Shard if I am able to.

Tower Bridge will be one of the location I want to capture due to the fact that it has great British history. I want to be able to capture the heritage of London through my shots, and I feel that Tower Bridge would be great as it is highly recognised amongst anyone who lives in London. I want to emphasise the fact that the band being represented are British talent, and that we are on par with the likes of America in terms of the number of high quality of musical individuals we have. Aside from representation, I feel Tower Bridge is also just a good setting to help the audience understand exactly where the documentary will be set.
I will also be taking a trip to Southbank which is the location of the London Eye. This is yet again another famous iconic location of London, therefore will once again help the audience to understand where this documentary is set. Right near the London Eye, there is skate park that is a popular destination for many young skaters to come and practice their hobby. I plan on filming these as I feel skating is a talented sport, and as mentioned in previous posts, I want the overall documentary to act as a promoter of talent and gifts. Shooting these type of shots such as medium/close up shots of the skaters, it'll help the audience understand that the main theme of this documentary is telnet, right from the very beginning.

Tower Bridge will be one of the location I want to capture due to the fact that it has great British history. I want to be able to capture the heritage of London through my shots, and I feel that Tower Bridge would be great as it is highly recognised amongst anyone who lives in London. I want to emphasise the fact that the band being represented are British talent, and that we are on par with the likes of America in terms of the number of high quality of musical individuals we have. Aside from representation, I feel Tower Bridge is also just a good setting to help the audience understand exactly where the documentary will be set.
Near the London Eye is the Houses of Parliament/ Big Ben. I plan on finding statistical facts and figure about the amount of funding that goes towards creative arts and talent, and hopefully, if it plans out well enough, I will display a shot of the Houses of Parliament to assist my voiceover. I want to do this to illustrate how creativity isn't just a hobby but is also a source of profit and helps the economy in our country. Seeing the Houses of Parliaments will help the audience understand immediately that what I ma talking about is in relation to political and governmental matters.
Thursday, 6 October 2016
1st Day Filming Evaluation
What went Well
Challenges that I faced
Overall the first day of filming was much more successful than I ever expected. Generally, the band members were all on board with idea of being documented, as they all provided a good quantity of footage that will provide entertainment for the audience, as well as it all being natural. The footage gained from today's experience has set the next day of filming at relentless studios nicely and has set the scene well for the rest of the documentary.
- The overall feel of the filming was spontaneous and carefree. Although all participants in the filming process today knew that they were being filmed for purposed of documenting, it did not cause the footage to be force/fake. They all continued with their business as if i was not even present, which contributed to the accuracy of the film. It was exactly how I wanted them to be because i was afraid they'd not act the way they normally did without being filmed
- All the types of footage I was wanted was filmed. I managed to film close up footage to use as transition scene, as well as personally interviewed the the band members and aimed personal access to the processes. For those who enjoy the feeling of gaining exclusive access, they will enjoy these scenes very much as it had a very intimate atmosphere.
- I managed to gain access to the rooftop of one of the building in the area. This was perfect for my documentary as it helped me shoot a landscape shot of the city that we were located in. Furthermore, the footage was filmed in the nighttime, therefore it acts as a good scene to end on for that particular day. This scene of a panoramic sweeping shot has given me inspiration to end the scene there and use an editing tool to fade it out to lead into day two out of 7 with the band.
- The interviews came out a lot better than i thought they would. I intended on getting a black background and sitting the members in front of it to interview them. However, there was a corner inside the studio that had a nice blue lighting that hit them in a creative way. The overall message of documentary is to promote creativity, hence why I place them in the light so that it was more engaging and interesting. Additionally, the interviews were very helpful and helped inform the audience exactly who they are, which consequently helped them follow the narrative much easier.
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Challenges that I faced
- Although it wasn't a major issue, the continuity of the footage is isn't 100% clear. At first, I wasn't sure whether to film all of it as one continuous film or whether to keep stopping and started. I ended up filming separate clips, however later I realised that it would probably be hard to follow a narrative that is guys full of different clips put together. I probably should have filmed it all together and eventually edit it so that they transition into each other smoothly. This is certain once thing that I will consider on my next filming day to avoid the storyline being jumbled up.
- During the process of filming the personal interviews, the band members wasted a small amount of time. There was period of time that proved to be ineffective as the band members were joking around with each other and interrupting each others interviews, causing the flow to be interrupted. All though it was all light hearted and that it didn't cause major problems, it caused the process to be very time consuming and tedious. The only positive out of this is that it provides good footage for bloopers.

- Due to lack of necessary equipment, the sound quality of the footage is a little distorted. I am aware that there a specific piece of equipment that tallows the quality of sound to be improved drastically, however I was unable to gain access to that, causing the sound to sound little less than top quality. I hope to edit the quality of sound later int he editing process to improve the quality and allow the dialogue to be clearer.
Overall the first day of filming was much more successful than I ever expected. Generally, the band members were all on board with idea of being documented, as they all provided a good quantity of footage that will provide entertainment for the audience, as well as it all being natural. The footage gained from today's experience has set the next day of filming at relentless studios nicely and has set the scene well for the rest of the documentary.
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
1st Day of Filming Plan
1st Day of Filming Plan
I am preparing to start filming the fundamentals of my documentary. The footage I am planning to film is not necessarily in chronological order, however as of now, that does not matter as eventually it was all collate together to make a clear narrative. I have a brief idea of the shots I am going to film today, however I have not strictly planned them as I want the overall first day of shooting to be spontaneous and dynamic.
The first shot I want to shoot today is on the train. Ideally, I want to shoot a shot outside of the window on the train as it moves. I want to film this as it indicate immediately to the audience that we are travelling somewhere specifically, and I will include the audio of the announcer on the train stating where we are. Locations will be vital as it'll help the audience understand where we are and will allow them to relate to the places if they have been there before. In the future, I will film locations such as Victoria station as it is recognised by more people but for today I will only film the locations that we are going to, which should be West Croydon.
One shot I certainly will try to film today is the interviews of the various members of the band. I am aware that only 3 of them will be here today however it’ll come as an advantage as it will feel more intimate and personal. Only having 3 of them inside the studio will allow me to spend more time with each member and gain a stronger insight on the private lives of these artist. Another advantage of having the members that will be here today is that Jocelyn Francis, Dee Baffour and Omar will be there. Dee and Joeclin are the two main rappers in this group, and Omar is the main producer, therefore it’ll provide accurate details as to what their motivations and influences, as they are the ones that formed the band.
I am going to their own personal studio today that they bought, built and developed all by themselves with their own money. I have decided to go here first because this is where they make majority of their music these days and is where they spend most of their time in relation to music. Today, they aren't doing an intense music session, however they are just editing past music and building ideas on how their new song will sound. I want to film today in particular as it’ll provide a good representation of processes needed in developing music and songs. I also decided to come to their personal studio as I want to know how they developed the studio, why they did it and how much money and time they have committed to it.
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
Documentary Newspaper Advert
The subject of this advert is made fairly obvious through the Rule Of Thirds. The child that appears to be trying to climb out of the floor is place right in between a line of division in the shot. Placing the child in this position was used specifically to target him and engage the audience to focus on him straight away. By doing this, it shows that the children are the main priority of this documentary and that the whole documentary will be based on them. This is also assisted by the caption on the bottom left, which only adds the to the image being presented.
One prominent feature of this advert is the title on the bottom left of the advert. It is the only piece of text on the advert and it says "Britain's Forgotten Children: A season on the care system starts Monday". By stating the title of the documentary and what it is about will allow the audience to understand that exactly the documentary is about and will entice them into watching it. Furthermore, the text used isn't excessive, and is very minimal, which could be used to not give away too much to the audience. By not giving a detailed description of what the show is about, it will allow the audience to watch the documentary so they can find out further information.

There are many techniques used in this advert that are used to intrigue the audience. One technique that is used is the use of the blur affect on the legs of the people walking past. This this was a specific technique used to emphasis the general public walking past the child that is in focus and shows the audience that the citizens are just carrying on with their lives. This particularly may have been used to add to the fact that the title says "forgotten children" and shows that that the general public are not interested or concerned with the child that is in subject of the advert.
One final feature that is present in this newspaper is the Channel 4 logo. This is placed at the side of the advert so that the audience know exactly where they can watch. By putting the logo there, it helps the audience to understand what sort of documentary it'll be based on previous documentaries shown on channel 4. This is also used as a promotional method as the audience will see the logo and will want to know more interns of dates, and time, and will therefore go onto the channel 4 website to find out this further information.
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