Monday 23 March 2015

Post #7 ETAD 476.3 Major Assignment Part 5: Critical Self Assessment and Reflection

Personal Evaluation of Script, Shooting, and Post-Production

I have thoroughly enjoyed myself during ETAD 476 and have gained very valuable information on how to create movies using different programs, how to edit, the rules of cinematography,and many other aspects. I plan on using the knowledge I have gained and incorporating it into my future Science classes. I would really like students to create videos based on a specific organism, concept, etc. and share these with the classroom - this includes the use of multiliteracies in the classroom to further engage students.
I will now evaluate myself based on each criteria mentioned on blackboard within the 'Final Video Production Critique'.

Scripting (proposal, etc)
4 5 6 7 8 9 [10]
I gave myself this mark because I elaborated quite explicitly on the proposal: what the video would be about, who the target audience is, the materials needed, and the shooting schedule.
The script and story board were not meant to accompany the proposal - instead they were based on The Grand Budapest Hotel (Scene 8). I feel that I put a lot of detail and effort into the both the script and story board and both were well articulated and very precise in what the talent would say/do and the camera angle/shots. I enjoyed creating the script and story board because it gave me insight into what actually must be done to receive the green light to film.  

Storyline
4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10
There was no specific pre-determined storyline to my video production as it was based as an improvisational comedy. That being said I did not leave gaps in who the contests were, what their goals were, and if they completed these goals or not. I included overall scores to ensure that the storyline of a 'competition' was being followed by the audience and also included the winner (which was a three way tie). I feel that the only part of the storyline that may have needed a little improvement is the ending as it was a little abrupt without giving an actual award to the talent and instead said stay tuned for the next episode. I would actually like to create another episode so there may yet be a winner to Impractical Teachers. One other aspect that was excluded from the entire story was my character - there were constraints on filming so my portion of activities was cut from the final production, instead I was just the camera person, editor and director. I found this to be helpful though because it was a lot of work planning an improvisational comedy using students at the UofS as subjects - you couldn't really plan who you would choose to act on, you just have to wait until someone came to you.

Shot Variety
4 5 6 7 [8] 9 10
I feel that because this was an improvisational comedy it was hard to attain different types of shots/angles because it was important to stay incognito to the subjects. I tried to include different shot types in relaying the score to the audience and by changing frequently between all different cameras that were being used to film the talent and subject's interactions.

Pictorial Continuity
4 5 6 [7] 8 9 10
The filming was done over several weeks and there was not much concern of keeping scene continuity between dares because each talent completed a set amount of dares in each day. So there discontinuity would be seen between different dares, and especially when the scores are shown. For example half of the time one talent is wearing a green jacket and the other half it is blue - this could cause some confusion. I noticed this later when compiling all clips together. That being said the story/movie was smooth and was leading in an obvious direction. I feel that it came together nicely and was what I was trying to accomplish for this assignment.

Audio Quality
4 5 6 7 [8] 9 10
The audio was not the best that it could have been - if there were a lavalier mic that could have been used this audio would have been greatly enhanced. I did include subtitles to ensure that the audience was able to understand the progression and what was being said between talent and subject.  

Timing
4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10
The timing of my entire video is over the limit of 10 minutes (it is 12 minutes long) but I couldn't exclude other information as it would have taken away from the storyline. I ensured to make all titles (ex. Matt's go!) shown for just a small amount of time to take away from this length. As an audience member the time passes quickly because it is humours and it is easy to follow because of this reason.

Use of Transitions 
4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10
I used a fair amount of transitions between each scene. I specifically used certain transitions over and over to keep the feel of the movie consistent. I feel that by having a lot of transitions that are out of order is disorienting to the audience. I used a lot of jump shots to progress throughout the talents dares - I feel that these were well placed and added into the storyline that this was an incognito project and emphasized that these subjects did not know they were being filmed.

Special Effects, Graphics
4 5 6 7 8 9 [10]
I used a lot graphics in order to ensure my audience could understand the progression between dares as some of the audio was not recorded. I also included graphics at the beginning and end (and audio recorded over these) to ensure that the audience knew the purpose of the video. I enjoy the portion of the video that is a freeze frame of each talents face when they complete the dare or not. I feel this added into the effect of the video.  

Lighting
4 5 6 7 [8] 9 10
All the filming was done during the day and the Sun was used as the main source of light. There were no additional lighting requirements but they could have been utilized if available. One scene in particular is very dark (Matt selling his shoes to the females waiting for the bus) and would have greatly benefited from the use of additional lighting.

Overall Technical Quality
4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10
I think that the video is smooth and doesn't leave any gaps in audience knowledge. There are a lot of scene changes and they are (mostly) smoothly fitted together. The subtitles enhance the quality of the video as it supplies lost audio to the audience. I think the use of transitions and jump cuts enhances this production and helps create the storyline that I was looking to achieve. Also I think that the overall quality of the video is what I was trying to create, obviously it would have been better to enhance all aspects of the video but in the time frame and constraints place on production I feel it is a very well done project.

Personal total score: 87/100


    

Post #6 ETAD 476.3 Major Assignment Part 4: FINAL MAJOR ASSIGNMENT

Post #5 ETAD 476.3 Major Assignment Part 4: Rough Draft - Trailer

Trailer of Impractical Teachers by Moore Productions


Post #4 ETAD 476.3 Major Assignment Part 3: Story Board


 Storyboard to accompany blog about the script of The Grand Budapest Hotel - Scene 8






Post #3 ETAD 476.3 Major Assignment Part 2: Script







THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: SCENE 8
written by
Lynnea Moore
ETAD 476


Scripped
scripped.com
March 5, 2015
Copyright (c) 2015
Lynnea Moore
All Rights Reserved



Background:
The Grand Budapest Hotel is located in the snow-capped
mountains of the fictitious Eastern European nation of
Zubrowka. The two men, Gustave H and Zero Moustafa are
traveling by a passenger train to a town for a funeral.
Gustave H is a white, late-middle-aged, man who is the owner
and concierge of The Grand Budapest Hotel. He is dressed in
a purple outfit, to match all other outfits at the hotel.
His outfit includes a fancier waste coat.
Zero Moustafa is a middle eastern, refugee, boy who has come
to work at The Grand Budapest Hotel as a lobby boy because
of its great structure and renowned status. Zero wears the
same purple outfit, not as flashy, as Gustave; Zero also has
a hat that reads 'Lobby Boy' in yellow stitching. Gustave is
his personal mentor who ultimately becomes a trusted friend.
The two are already very close to one another.


SCENE 8: PASSENGER TRAIN CAR - OCTOBER 1932 - MORNING

(TRAIN BREAKS SCREECHING)

POV EXTERIOR CAR WINDOW - ZERO MOUSTAFA IS SITTING ON THE
LEFT WHILE MONSIEUR GUSTAVE H IS TO THE RIGHT.

Both are sitting on single car seats; the seats are red with
a pleated pattern and they have a white doily resting on the
top in the middle. There is a crystal glass of white wine in
front of both men on a table covered with a doily.

Gustave looks towards the camera (out the window)
questioningly, leaning ahead in his seat.

CLOSE UP OF GUSTAVE'S PROFILE WHILE LOOKING OUT OF THE
WINDOW.

When Gustave begins to speak he looks at Zero (off camera).
The ground is snow covered.

GUSTAVE H
(questioningly)
Why are we stopping at a barley
field?

Gustave looks out the window again as the train comes to a
stop - center screen is a blockade with one vehicle and men
standing in military uniforms with weapons. Smoke clears out
of the way until they are completely visible through the
window. (Above the soldiers is dialogue: 19 October/ Closing
of the Frontier)

(Men can be heard outside of the passenger train car).

POV CAR WINDOW (FACING INTERIOR).

Zero and Gustave are both looking out the window. Zero is
emotionless while Gustave looks somewhat concerned - Gustave
has a glass of wine in his hand.

The car door opens with a click, both men turn their heads
towards the sound. Three military men can be seen standing
before the entryway; they are wearing grey uniforms with
pistols at their hips.

POV OF MILITARY MAN'S MID-SECTION - FULL SHOT OF BOTH
GUSTAVE AND ZERO WHO CAN BE SEEN ALONG WITH THE MILITARY
BLOCKADE THROUGH THE WINDOW.

Gustave still has the concerned look on his face and is
still holding the wine glass while Zero is emotionless.
There is a noticeable silence as the situation registers.
Gustave smiles after about 3 seconds.

GUSTAVE H
(chipper)
Well, hello there, chaps.

MEDIUM SHOT OF ALL OFFICERS STANDING IN THE DOORWAY.

There is one suitcase to either side of the door; in front
of one of the suitcases is a bottle of wine in an ice bath.
Officer 1 is in the middle with his hand on the door. All
men are washed of emotion.

OFFICER 1
(deeply and
demanding)
Documents, please.

POV OF THE TRAIN CAR WINDOW AGAIN FACING THE INTERIOR. ALL
TALENT CAN BE SEEN. FULL SHOT OF THE OFFICERS AND MID-SHOT
OF GUSTAVE AND ZERO.

Zero turns his head back towards the table somberly and
looks towards his glass of wine on the table. Gustave is
putting his glass down as he speaks.

GUSTAVE H
With pleasure.

Officer 1 walks towards both men, Gustave reaches into his 
interior coat pocket and produces his document.

GUSTAVE'S POV AS OFFICER 1 IS TAKING HIS PAPERS.

Across the table we can see that Zero is obviously worried
as he holds a small unofficial document, fidgeting with it
in his hands. He looks towards Gustave in support. As the
officer flips through Gustave's document, Zero looks towards
the officer.

SWITCH TO POV ZERO - GUSTAVE IS SMILING AS THE OFFICER IS
FLIPPING THROUGH HIS DOCUMENT.

GUSTAVE H
It is not a very flattering
portrait. I was once considered a
great beauty.

EXTREME CLOSE-UP OF OFFICER 1'S LEFT CHEST WHERE WE SEE
'CPL. F. MULLER' STITCHED INTO HIS UNIFORM. POV ZERO AS
GUSTAVE REACHES TO RECLAIM HIS DOCUMENTS FROM THE OFFICER.

GUSTAVE H
(questioningly)
What does the 'F' stand for,
Fritz? Franz?

TRAIN CAR WINDOW POV - MID SHOT OF OFFICER 1 - HE IS THE
ONLY PERSON VISIBLE ON SCREEN.

OFFICER 1
(somewhat
surprised -
glancing at
Gustave when he
guesses
correctly)
Franz.

ZERO'S POV.

Gustave is laughing and smiling as he returns his document
to his coat pocket.

GUSTAVE H
(laughingly)
I knew it!

GUSTAVE'S POV.

Zero looks very worried in his eyes as he hands the officer
his document. He is slightly jostling his leg as the officer
turns the paper over in his hands.

ZERO'S POV. THE FRONT OF THE OFFICERS BODY CAN BE SEEN
HOLDING THE PAPER, GUSTAVE MID-SHOT.

GUSTAVE H
(talking about
Zero's
document, said
in a nice
manner)
He's making a funny face.

Gustave looks up happily towards Officer 1 with a smile on
his face.

TRAIN CAR WINDOW POV. MID-SHOT OF GUSTAVE AND ZERO AND FULL
SHOT OF THE OFFICERS.

Officer 1 is inspecting Zero's papers, he holds the papers
off to the side so that the officers behind him can see the
document. Officer 2 looks at the document and then walks
into the room.

GUSTAVE H
(slightly
concerned,
pointing
towards the
document)
That's a Migratory Visa with Stage
Three Workers Status, Franz,
darling. He's with me.

Officers 1 and 2 look closely at the document as Gustave is
speaking. Officer 2 abruptly looks at Zero.

TRAIN CAR WINDOW POV MID-SHOT OF BOTH OFFICERS ONLY. BOTH
HAVE STONE FACES.

OFFICER 1
(looking from
document to
Zero)
Come outside, please.

GUSTAVE'S POV - LOOKING AT ZERO, OFFICER'S HANDS AND ZERO'S
DOCUMENT CAN BE SEEN.

Zero is looking towards the officer's very troubled. His
eyes cast around before coming to a stop on Gustave.

ZERO'S POV - MID-SHOT OF GUSTAVE.

Gustave is very concerned but is coming off as cool and
collected towards the officers.

GUSTAVE H
Now wait a minute. Sit down Zero.

JUST BEFORE GUSTAVE SAYS 'SIT DOWN ZERO' THERE IS A POV
CHANGE FROM ZERO'S POV TO GUSTAVES POV SO THAT WE SEE ZERO
RISING OUT OF HIS CHAIR TO GO WITH THE OFFICERS. IT QUICKLY
CHANGES BACK TO ZERO'S POV SO THAT WE SEE GUSTAVE FINISH HIS
LINES.

Gustave's hands are held up as if in a calming manner - held
at chest height.

GUSTAVE H
(voice elevates
and quickens as
he is speaking)
His papers are in order. I crossreferenced
them myself at the
Bureau of Labor and Servitude. You
can't arrest him simply because
he's a bloody immigrant. He hasn't
done anything wrong.

DURING GUSTAVE'S ELEVATED SPEECH, THERE IS A QUICK CHANGING
OF POV (CLOSE-UPS) FROM GUSTAVE TO ZERO AND THE TRAIN
WINDOW'S (FACING THE OFFICERS)TO SEE THE EXPRESSIONS ON ALL
TALENTS FACES. ZERO IS WORRIED, WITH EYES QUICKLY SCANNING,
WHILE THE POLICE ARE LOOKING QUESTIONINGLY TOWARDS GUSTAVE
AND ZERO AS HE IS EXPLAINING.

AFTER THE SPEECH, WE HAVE GUSTAVE'S POV ON ZERO (CLOSE-UP)
AND THERE IS NOW ADDED AUDIO - ABRUPT STOPS IN THE MUSIC
WITH A FUNNY/AWKWARD TUNE. WE SEE ZERO'S EYES SHIFT FROM THE
OFFICERS TO GUSTAVE WITH HOPE, AND THEN BACK TOWARDS THE
OFFICER. AS ZERO LOOKS AT GUSTAVE WE THEN QUICKLY SEE ZERO'S
POV OF GUSTAVE AS HE GLANCES FROM THE OFFICERS TO ZERO,
LOOKING WORRIED AND CONCERNED WITH LIPS PURSED, AND BACK TO
THE OFFICER.

WINDOW'S POV WITH A CLOSE-UP OF THE OFFICERS FACES. WE CAN
SEE OFFICER 1 IN THE MIDDLE, 2 AND 3 TO EITHER SIDE, AND A
4TH BEHIND STANDING JUST OUTSIDE THE DOORWAY. OFFICER 1
GIVES A STRANGE LOOK TOWARDS GUSTAVE AND CASTS HIS GAZE
TOWARDS ZERO AND THEN BACK TOWARDS GUSTAVE; OTHER OFFICERS
HAVE STONE FACES LOOKING AT EITHER ZERO OR GUSTAVE. WHEN
OFFICER 1 FINALLY RESTS HIS EYES ON GUSTAVE FOR THE LAST
TIME, THERE IS A CHANGE TO GUSTAVE'S POV AND OFFICER 1
ABRUPTLY GRABS ZERO BY THE ARM AND HAULS HIM OUT OF THE
CHAIR. ZERO IS EXTREMELY WORRIED IN HIS EYES. POV ZERO TO
SEE GUSTAVE REACHING TOWARDS THE OFFICER TO TRY AND STOP HIS
GRABBING.

GUSTAVE H
(very
concerned,
demanding)
Stop it, damn you!

TRAIN CAR WINDOW POV - MID TO LONG SHOT OF ALL TALENT.

There is disruption and the officers are grabbing at Gustave
as he has risen from his seat to help Zero. There are noises
of struggle and force.

ZERO
(exasperated)
Never mind, Monsiour Gustave! Let
them proceed!

POV FROM UNDER THE TRAIN TABLE, FACING ALL THE FEET ON THE
FLOOR, WATCHING THE DISRUPTION HAPPEN.

GUSTAVE H
Ow! That hurts!

CHANGE TO CLOSE-UP OF GUSTAVE AND ZERO'S FACES, ONE BY ONE,
BEING SHOVED INTO OPPOSING WALLS OF THE TRAIN CAR. THEIR
NOSES ARE NOW BLOODY.

Groaning noises from both Gustave and Zero can be heard as
they are shoved into the walls, along with their pained
faces.

MED-SHOT OF THE BACKS OF THE TWO OFFICERS HOLDING GUSTAVE TO
THE WALL, YOU CAN SEE THE PROFILE OF ALL 3 TALENT.

GUSTAVE H
(yelling)
You filthy, goddamn, pick-marked,
fascist assholes!

MED-SHOT SWITCHES BETWEEN GUSTAVE AND ZERO. ZERO IS BEING
HELD AGAINST THE WALL BY THE OTHER 2 OFFICERS.

QUICK CAMERA CHANGES TO SEE GUSTAVE AND ZERO LOOKING AROUND
THEIR BACKS AT EACH OTHER WITH WORRISOME, COMPASSIONATE
EXPRESSIONS. BOTH HAVE BLOOD RUNNING DOWN THEIR FACES.

GUSTAVE H
Take your hands off my Lobby Boy!

CLOSE-UP OF BOTH GUSTAVE AND ZERO'S BLOODIED FACES, EYES
WIDE STARING AT EACH OTHER - THERE IS BOTH WORRY AND LOVE IN
THEIR EYES.

(Whistle blows somewhere in another passenger car)

END SCENE

Post #2 ETAD 476.3 Major Assignment Part 1: Proposal

Final Production: Part One - Proposal                                                                          
Today I am proposing the creation of an improvisational comedy video. It could possibly include an overlap into alternative comedy, cringe comedy, deadpan comedy, mockumentary, spoof, observational comedy, physical comedy, prop comedy, surreal comedy, and satire. The video would consist of roughly 4-5 people (talent and camera person included) that would have to act out situations/scenarios that are presented to them at the time of shooting (they would not know what they were doing beforehand, but all other members of the group would know as they made the scenario). The talent would read a card or have a blue-tooth device in their ear that would prompt them to do certain gestures, say certain things, and act certain ways in a populated area. This area would more than likely be the campus of the University of Saskatchewan and possibly other high traffic locations such as the mall. The talent would reveal themselves, after all prompts, to the interacting audience members as a person participating in a College of Education video production class assignment. These members would be given a permission form allowing the use of their footage within our production. If any member chooses to not sign the document of permission, their choice will be respected and their footage deleted. There will not necessarily be scene continuity between different audience member’s and talents interactions as the purpose of this video does not focus around a certain story with a chronological order but rather a set of tasks to accomplish within one shooting period. I chose to do this video project because I wanted something that was humorous and involved multiple friends who enjoyed comedic experiences. There is a YouTube account that does similar activities, called Impractical Jokers, which portrayed many random scenarios and it seemed like a fun activity to do with friends. I wanted to create a production that was not specifically for educational purposes, but instead would entertain the population.
The audience this video is intended for is my ETAD 476 classmates, instructor, personal friends, talent, and anyone wishing to view it on YouTube. This use of this video is not specific, it can be viewed as uninformative (it will not provide particular usefulness) and as a comedy that can be viewed to entice a smile on a person’s face. The talent included will be classmates in other courses in the College of Education, all under the age of 30 and all having multiple funny bones in their bodies.          
The materials that I would need would include: a digital SLR camera (something with a good zoom as the videoing will be done farther from the acting talent), blue-tooth device, cards with talent’s acting information, lavalier microphone (to pick up the audio of the talent and audience member), and a smaller portable camera, such as a GoPro, to capture the audience members reactions and audio. This smaller camera would need to be mounted onto the talents backpack or in another undisclosed location, possibly within their jacket depending on the season. I would also need a second camera, tripod, and monopod. The second camera would be on the tripod facing the talent who are not doing the activity/dare and/or are prompting the talent. It would capture their reactions to what the other is doing. The monopod would be used for the first camera, allowing easy movement and stability of the camera (stability is important as it may be zoomed in a lot).  
The shooting schedule for this video would be every Monday, from 1pm until 4:30pm, during February 23rd until March 23rd. Extra days, other than Mondays, can be scheduled to complete the shooting if certain talent cannot make the scheduled shoot dates. Post-production would begin after March 23rd and last until April 3rd and would include adding sound clips, meshing audio and video, and creating the final version for audience viewing.    


Post #1 Assignment #1, Group Project: Shot Types and Camera Angles


Video Made by Lane, Michael, Chad, and Lynnea 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpQgGVJIB34