Project Review

My final outcome is a short plot based fashion film. The story and theme are inspired by the spookiness of the cartoon series Scooby Doo. My film is very loosely linked to the original theme as during my research stage I sourced inspiration from many other points, this helped my film be more original and more my own than a direct homage to Scooby Doo. The project has come along way and developed itself almost naturally. Everything came to be almost instinctively and with the helpful guidance of tutors.

My Blog helps to show how my learning affected my project as I wrote down and reflected on the challenges and situations I had to overcome to progress and finish my project. I used my blog to critically think about my project, to evaluate the good and bad and fully dissect the ins and outs. My sketchbook was one of the most important places that showed my learning and my development in this project. I recorded everything that I was thinking visually in my sketchbook. This was a useful tool when it came to finally creating everything for my film and the actual film itself. It was also a useful planning tool as I could sample and sketch everything before the final creating. I also kept a personal notebook throughout the project where I would note down thoughts, ideas, things to research, and lists. This notebook was basically my brain, everything was recorded in it, including thoughts that did not end up having any use towards my project. This notebook helped to remind me of things I wanted to do and needed to do to help push my project further. This notebook was similar to my sketchbook in that it was a helpful way for me to plan every little detail of my project. 

One of my targets was to make an interesting visual film which I think I have successfully done by taking different mediums and putting them together. Another target of mine was to scout good locations that gave a good feeling to the film, I found some great locations that had really strong character and worked wonderfully in the film. I had another target to create props and sets for the film, this target I feel I have met very successfully, I put a lot of time and effort creating these details for the film. I had also planned for there to be more than just a film as the final outcome, I wanted to create some sort of promotional piece to go with it. I decided this promotional piece would be a poster so I set a target to create an interesting and fun poster to compliment the film.  Targets I added later revolved primarily around the editing process, I set a target to go through and make sure the film was under 10 minuets long. I did not want the film to be dragged out and dull rather have it be snappy and exciting.

I had a few developments that contributed to the final outcome. One of these was re-finding the director Michel Gondry and particularly the film ‘Be Kind Rewind.’ this film really inspired me a lot and really gave the direction for my film. Another development that contributed to the final outcome was on the shoot day realizing how much of a challenge shooting with a camera connected to the wall was. This changed the way I approached filming and changed the types of shots I got with the VHS camera and also led me to make the decision of including digital footage in my film. 

During one on one tutorials I received helpful advice from my tutors particularly with the actually filming elements and research pointers. There were a few scenes that did not look quite as good as I had wanted them too and I was given useful tips to make them look better. For example, I have a scene where a zombie is attacking one of the gang members, it was originally rather slow and dull. My tutor suggested that I play around with the edit a bit more, try and cut it up and add some more elements to it, he suggested I watch the murder scene in Psycho and this really helped inspire me.

One thing I would change about  my approach is that I would allow myself to delve deeper into research. I would collect and explore more than I did this time. I would also go into the directing position with a more confident attitude. I learned that if you are directing people and feel confident and assured about what you are doing they will feel the same, but if you go into something feeling timid and unsure the people you are leading can feel that too and it will effect their performance. I think these skills will affect my future course and career as they are things I need to improve so that I can make even better work. I would definitely keep exploring alternative methods such as using a VHS tape recorder and making props and sets myself, I found experimenting with such mediums exciting and interesting and would want to continue doing this further in my practices. I would also like to continue looking into the film side of promotion and learning as much as possible about techniques, editing, every little detail. Next year I will be attending London College of Fashion and studying creative direction. I think this will be an exciting opportunity to learn new things and begin developing my own knowledge and understanding of the fashion industry.

Green screens

I really wanted it to look like my characters were flying up into space during their abduction scene. I thought of a number of different ways to do this such as having them jump up on the trampoline, or using a clay model, and then I began thinking if only I could manipulate the background to make it look like space without having to make a background, at this point I began thinking about green screens. I have never before used a green screen so I knew it was going to be a learning point and something I would need to research. I found a few videos on youtube that explained the processes very clearly and it turns out it was much easier than I anticipated. I had my characters spin in front of the green screen and then put this footage into the software. To make it look as if space was the background I simply took an image of outer space and layered the spinning footage on top of it, then click the adjust icon which opens up a tab of other icons the icon furthest on the left gives you a selection of choices one of which is Green/Blue Screen and this will change the background. I used this technique a number of times throughout the film and it worked really well. If I had learned how to use this technique earlier on I may have used it even more throughout the film because I feel like it works well with the style and the aesthetic. One thing I could of done to improve the space background is if I had drawn or made it myself, this would of continued the homemade essence and feel of the whole film. 

The green screen I see was a simple little pop up one, the main struggle I had was getting it back into the tiny little bag that it came in. 

Editing: Changing the colours

I found while going through my footage that a lot of the digital footage was very cool toned. I compared the colours to that of the VHS footage and noticed theVHS footage colours were much warmer. I thought that It would be a good idea to try and warm up the colours in the digital footage by playing with the saturation and the contrast. I tried changing the colours around on one clip and noticed a big improvement, the footage instantly felt more alive and more exciting. The bright warmer colours suit my film more than the cooler tones as the warm colours have a funner and more playful essence. I decided that since it looked good on the one clip to go ahead and change the colours on all the digital footage. This was a rather tedious task as their were quite a few digital clips and I wanted to make sure the saturation and contrast were just right on each of them. I originally had not planned to mess about with the colours of the clips because I liked the VHS look and wanted to keep it exactly as it was. However once I decided to use another film type the colours and look changed so making it fit into my aesthetic and aimed for look was necessary. I am pleased with the look of the colors now after editing them .

Trailer

I thought it would be a good idea to create a mini teaser trailer for my film to show at the exhibition. Generally most films have trailers so I decided it would be ideal if mine did to, I can also post this trailer on all my social media to gain some intrest . To create the trailer I chose a few sections of clips that I thought gave off a strong message of whats in the film without giving away the entire plot. I also chose clips that were dramatic and had a good cinematic effect. I wanted the trailer to be fast and impactful the type of trailer that doesn't drag on and leave you bored. I chose to pair it with some dramatic music and an eerie sound for the very end when the title pops up. Everything I do has an element humor to it, all the decisions I make are for comedic purposes. I think fashion can be entertaining in a humorous way and that that is what I am to do with my film and project.

For the title I imagined the word spooky literally dribbling down the screen. To full this vision I created 4 different versions of the spooky type with the drops getting lower and lower each time and then edited them to show up of 0.4secs one after another. I made the letters green thinking that I could use this as a green screen and have some video playing behind the letters. I thought it would be interesting to have the letters be the static from the old VHS tapes that I recorded. This turned out really well and I am pleased with the final outcome. However if I were to do it again I would make the drips off the word spooky last longer.

Video and images all authors own

Poster part 2

I have spent two and a half hours creating the poster. It is not realistic like the work or Boris Vallejo who created the poster that inspired me, mine is more cartoon like. I enjoy the cartoon style because its fun and dramatic which matches the essence of the film. To create this poster I used a graphics tablet and the brush tool on photoshop. I have had practice doing this in a previous project so I felt confident when I began and did not have trouble whilst creating it.

After finishing the background I wanted to add the title of the film as most film posters have the title on them. I had been thinking about using a goosbumps type font, letters that seemed to ooze. The ideal font is one that is spooky itself. I couldn't find a font that suited my criteria in the fonts that photoshop provided, instead of downloading one from the internet I decided to just add drips to a font I already had. I did this so I could have a very personalized font and make it look exactly how I wanted. I chose the bright slime green because it is a classic spooky colour. Also a main spooky feature in my film is the green space aliens at the end so I wanted to incorporate that alien green throughout my film and project. Another reason why I chose this colour is because the band that features in my film is called Little Green Men so it all ties perfectly together.

Images all authors own

Poster

I decided to accompany my film I should make a poster. When I first began thinking of doing this I  had a vague idea of what I wanted to do. In a previous project I took my photographs and drew over them in photoshop to make them appear cartoon like and I thought that would be a fun way to present my film as a poster. I also looked at some other film posters for inspiration. One of the film posters I liked and thought was quite humorous was from a terrible film called 'National Lampoons Vacation.' This film is seriously worth avoiding but the cover art is exactly what I wanted for my film and is the main inspiration for mine. The artist who did the poster is a Peruvian artist called Boris Vallejo. Boris Vallejo is primarily a fantasy painter and creates intense and beautiful pieces. I love the drama and irony in the poster I find it very humorous. Another film poster that has inspired me to make my film poster is the poster for Star Wars A New Hope. Similarly to to the European Vacation film poster it is very dramatic, however it is also a dramatic film so it suits the film. My film is dramatic in more of a humorous way and that is what I want to get across in the poster.

One of the main things aside from the photograph and the drawings on top of it that I need to focus on iss the type. I need to choose a font that I think will best represent the film and its style. The font is almost like a logo and a logo is basically a brands symbol so I want to create something that is perfectly symbolic for my film and project.

National Lamppons European Vacation art work taken from google.

Sound

The soundtrack and sounds of a film can change the whole thing. The sound and music help to tell the story, they help to convey the feelings and mood of certain scenes, the sounds tell the audience what they should be feeling. Because of this I have decided to spend quite a bit of time collecting curating sound effects and noises for my film. I have asked one of my musician friends if he would mind creating the soundtrack and he kindly agreed. This makes me very excited as I will have an original soundtrack for my film and won't have to stress over using other music that may be copy righted or finding royalty free music.

There are a number of instances in the film that need noises and effects to heighten it and give it more depth. I also can use these sound effects for comical purposes. For example when the gang are running I sourced a cartoon running sound effect form youtube. I sourced a bang sound effect for when Mike zombie hits the window. I decided it was definitely necessary to have a sound effect at that moment because otherwise it wouldn't be shocking. I also added ambient sound effects like wind blowing for out door scenes and cafe chattering during the dinner scene. This way I can completely must the videos sound that may have background noise and it still feel real. Because I am muting the sound from the clips I am going to voice over the dialogue between the characters. Having a voice over has a very low-fi B-movie feel to it and thats why I want to do it. 

Editing

I have already put together a rough draft of the film. I think it is very important to get feedback and criticisms to see how I can improve on it so I have showed it to a number of people including my tutors. I have gotten some interesting feedback form my tutors which has encouraged me and inspired me. One of my tutors wrote notes down while watching the film of points he think could be improved and points that were good but could be improved further. This was incredibly helpful as it gave me another view and more ideas of how to take this film as far as I possibly could. Some of the pointers he had were to think about the type and consider the fonts I use very carefully.  In my film I had a brief scene which was of an alien spaceship I made out of plasticine, he really liked this and thought it was very effective and encouraged me to do a similar style clip for another part of the film. I had been thinking of doing this but wasn't sure if I should make it a priority but after hearing him say that I decided to definitely do it.

I used iMovie to edit this film and I know I should've used premier pro or some more advanced software but I didn't want to give myself the extra stress of figuring a new program out. I know my way around iMovie and I feel very confident in using it to create my film and make it look how I want.

I edited the clips so they would be faster as I thought that it would look more like they were being abducted it they were spinning fast. 

Behind the scenes

On my shoot days I had a friend record some of the behind the scenes for me. I asked him to do this so that I could have a visual reflection of the day and of the way I work. In the video clips you will see me directing the actors and setting up scenes. Shooting this film was a very hands on experience. I realized how many different details I was responsible for and had to be in control of. Some of these include having the actors be in the right positions, making sure they know their lines and know the tone of what they're supposed to be saying. Another detail I had to be aware and responsible for was the set up of the shots, the framing, and the details within the shots such as if I needed smoke, or to fix the lighting. 

I learned a lot from choosing to shoot with such a large cast. Usually I only have one or two models, but this time I had six models. I had to be responsible for everyone and making sure they knew what they were doing and wearing the right thing and had the right make up on for every scene. It was a little overwhelming at the beginning, as I did not realize how much I control I needed to have. Once I got to grips with being dictatorial over all of my cast things got done quicker, better, and we began to have a whole lot of fun while working. 

The following video is a collection of these behind the scenes videos put together by myself. The footage was taken by Conor Langton. 

Second shoot day

Todays shoot ran smoother than smooth. I had made a schedule of what scenes I would film at what time and where I'd need to be and what camera I will use for each. This helped the day go by with such ease unlike last week which felt a little chaotic.

My goal for this shoot day was to finish the shooting the scenes I hadn't yet done and try and reshoot a few scenes to try and get some different angels. One of the angels I thought would be really interesting to try and shoot from is a birds eye view. To try and achieve this I climbed on top of my shed and precariously held my camera above the actors below. This shot turned out to be very effective and looks good. One director who is known for using this type of shot is Quentin Tarantino. 

One of the main things aside from the photograph and the drawings on top of it that I need to focus on is the type. I need to choose a font that I think will best represent the film and its style. The font is almost like a logo and a logo is basically a brands symbol so I want to create something that is perfectly symbolic for my film and project.

screen shot taken from here

First shoot and analyzing the footage

I spent sunday shooting my film. I planned for all my actors to show up at 12 so we could spend the entire afternoon shooting, however some showed up as late as 3 and one did not show up at all. This meant I had to work quite fast to get some footage and make do with the people who did turn up. The one actor who did not show up had a primary role so instead of writing him out I printed a picture of his face and taped it to another guys face. I thought this would be acceptable for my film since it has a cut and paste aesthetic. I also think it is quite comical. 

As I went through the footage I noticed a lot of improvements that I could make. I have analyzed these by taking screenshots and writing notes on them  of what could be improved. Some of these notes are not all improvements to make but things I liked and to continue doing. 

During my midterm review my tutuor suggested experimenting with a green screen. This idea really appealed to me so I would like to experiment with one and see if I can utilize it for my film. I have never used a green screen before so this could be a good opportunity to learn something new. 

One of the things I thought could be improved was the guts and blood that come spewing out of the bodies being attacked by the zombies. I mixed water and ketchup to make my blood concoction but on film it is more of an orange colour than red and is too watery. I want to make the blood more dramatic. My tutor suggested looking into getting chain linked sausages and mixing that with red poster paint to be guts and blood. I had originally stuffed skin tone tights with cotton but I like the idea of chain linked sausages a lot more. I think it could be hilarious and disgusting. 

Another thing I noticed was that I did not have many close ups, I think this is because my camera has to be connected to power and is hard to move. I am less afraid of mixing digital film videos and the VHS film videos and think next time I shoot I will use my digital camera as well because it is more practical for some of the shots I want to get.

Camera Drama

DRAMA 1 

I really really really wanted to film my film on an old VHS camera. It would complete my home made 'Be Kind Rewind' style film. I found one on ebay for and ordered it, when it came I tried to work it and then suddenly a really weird smell came out of it and it would not turn on again!!! I was so upset. I really did not want to stress about getting a new one and run around like a headless chicken so I decided to just use my digital one. I was at a gig a few days later getting footage of some bands playing and watching how they act and behave. I was talking to a friend of mine about my project and he tells me he has an old VHS camera that hasn't been touched in years and I could borrow . The angels began singing a chorus of hallelujah at that moment, the midnight sky tuned bright blue and the the stars shone brighter. I was so happy. My low-fi dreams seem a little more real now.

DRAMA 2 

 I go to collect this camera and find out that it is operated by power mains. So the camera only works when connected to a box that holds the VHS tape which is connected to the battery which is the size of a loaf of bread which is then connected to a socket in the wall. This basically means I can't run around and film, I can only really get still shots or panning shots. Also, shooting on locations is going to take a whole lot of effort. It is going to take at least three people to move it around while shooting. I am thinking that I may use my digital camera for some shots and just mix the digital in with the VHS videos. 

Although shooting this way has a lot of challenges including transferring the footage from VHS to digital, I think it will be worth it. It is also really fun to experiment with new mediums and expand my horizons a little bit. 

This is the camera.

I have also gone ahead and figured out how to digitalize the videos. There is a special software and chord that you connect to the computer and you record them straight from the machine onto your computer. 

(All images authors own) 

Make up

I sourced the images from various magazine. I just chose images that inspired me and I thought would look good. I particularly liked the idea of having braids or Farrah Fawcett hair. 

My film's whole aesthetic is low-fi, low budget, and home made. I decided to go with a funner colorful version of zombie make up. Trying to get realistic zombie make up would take a lot of practice and a lot of time and I personally really liked the idea of a colorful zombie more than a realistic one.  

The day before I was shooting I had a friend come over so I could practice the zombie make up instead of just winging it on the day. This helped me to know what I was doing on the day better.

The following mood boards and illustrations were the make up inspiration for my models...

Zombie Look 1

(Image authors own)

There were a few things i did not like about his make up. One was the green patch by the lip, it looked more like a leaf  than a scar so I decided I would change this on the actually day. She also look way more like a weird Alice Cooper wannabe than a zombie.

Zombie look 2

(Image authors own) 

The make up on the actual day is not done justice by this photo the flash washed it out. It looked a whole lot better than the first look and was way more zombie like. I think if I could do it over I would of painted her whole face like green or purple or something like that. 

              

(Images all authors own)

Back Drop, Car, other props

I really wanted to have a cool backdrop for the first scene of my film when the band is playing and going crazy. I got these two sheets and hung them in front of my shed and taped them down. I then bought some spray paint and painted the bands name on it. 

(Images all authors own) 

I will be the first to admit that it definitely looks home made and like something a 12 year old made but I kind of like that. I think if I were to make it again I would try and center the word 'little' better and make sure that there is more room for the word 'men' so it wouldn't be so squished. When I come to film I will crop in so that you only see the sheet and not the tree and all the other stuff. I chose to place this sheet here because there would be enough space to shoot and since it is outside the natural lighting will help make the images look better. 

I also got to finally make my cardboard car...

I used duct tape to hold all the pieces of cardboard together. I also used the duct tape to make handles to hold the car up. 

(All images authors own) 

This is what the car looked like before I spray painted it. It was a lot easier to make than I had thought it was going to be. I imagined it would take me at least a whole day but it ended up only taking an hour or less. I had wanted to make it 3D so that the models would actually be inside a car shaped box like creation. However as I layer out the cardboard and began working I realized that was super ambitious. 

I used the leftover cardboard to create little gravestones to make my own little graveyard. 

I taped little kebab roasting stick on the back of them to stick int he ground and hold the grave stones up. I am nervous about my film looking bad but at the same time hopeful that the charm of it's cheapness and homemade feel will shine through. 

Script

I was talking to one of the guys who is going to be acting in my film and he asked me if there was a script or any lines he needed to memorize. This got me thinking that I probably should write up a script. I usually just have my plan/script in my head and just boss my actors and models around. Having a script will actually help me a lot in knowing what I need to do and how I need to do. It is a good way for me to get super organized. It will also hopefully help my cast know what they're doing instead of me just assuming they know what is in my brain. I began loosely writing my script and then went through it again a second time and added a few things. I also made lots of notes for about what I want the shots to look like and some stage directions as well just for extra guidance.  The script is not particularly that well written as it was not one of my primary and main concerns. Admittedly I could of probably spent a little extra time on the script and this probably could of helped my film to be more directed and interesting. In the future I plan to remember that script writing really did help and to keep doing it as I continue to make fashion film especially if there is going to be any dialogue.


The following is an extract from the script I wrote.

Primary Research

I have collected a bunch of primary research of different bands, graveyards, and other locations. I am using the research to help inspire the little details of my film. Since my mystery gang are going to be a band instead of mystery solvers I decided to try and see as many bands live as possible and take note on their behaviors and how they perform and also how they dress.  I've been to a gig almost every week for the last month. I have two sets of friends who are both in bands and their gigs keep me pretty occupied. Loads of other bands play with them including some pretty cool girl bands which inspired me a lot I love the idea of girl power it is exciting and intresting. I love to watch the passion as the musicians play and see the way the music makes people react. This research is particularly important for the first scene of film which is of a band performing. The band I asked to act this scene for me is one that I frequently go to see so I knew what they would be like performing. I find them engaging and enthralling and thought they'd be the perfect fit.

I went to the church up the road from me to take some pictures of the graveyard. I found some really beautiful ones covered in moss. I went there to get inspiration for the grave yard scene in my film. I wanted to feel that spooky feeling and figure how I could recreate that on screen. I had originally intended to shoot a scene at this graveyard, however because the camera I am going to use needs a power supply it will not be possible as there is no power socket. However It is also kind of convenient that I won't be able to use the location as I must think of a way to create my own little graveyard. This way my graveyard will be a homemade one which begins to the everything together. I will use these images to inspire the graveyard I am going to make. 

I went back to this graveyard a few weeks later at midnight with some of my friends. I brought along a sheet to turn one of my friends into a ghost. This experience was fun and enchanting. This got me in the perfect spooky mood to inspire my film. 

Crystal seaguls

Penney Dreadfuls

Little Green Men (Who are also the stars of my film) 

(All images authors own) 

Video by Conor Langton

A video that has also inspired me for the first scene of my film is this music video for Nirvana. 

I also looked around at places that I would potentially like to shoot. This included the golf course behind my house and a dinner pretty called Starvin Marvin's.

(Following images all authors own) 

(All images authors own)