Editing Log - Entry 2

Colour Correction

The camera that I have been using makes the colours of the footage really vibrant. As an artistic person I love seeing the bright colours that are produced as a result but unfortunately this doesn't always fit with the mood I am trying to convey. Since I am now producing a modern day silent film I am having to find ways of conveying the mood through alternative roots to narration and dialogue. The expressions on the actors faces is obviously a big clue but things such as what music you use and the colours of the footage also play a big part in the mood conveyed.

When I filmed the opening scene (Common room scene 1) it was a sunny day and so the colours came out really bright but the mood I want to convey at this point is of loneliness and isolation. To solve the juxtaposition this created, between the action going on and the colours used, I used colour correction to bring the brighter tones down giving the scene a more depressive feel.

colour of original footage

colour after I altered the saturation

To keep the continuity in my film I have made sure that every time I want to portray this mood I have used the same levels of saturation.

Filters

As I mentioned in a previous post one of the conventions of silent films I want to replicate in my film is the use of black and white. When silent films first came out they were completely black and white because colour technology hadn't yet been invented but I don't intend to use this technique throughout my film. My reasons for this are that it would defy what I said above about dulling the tones to create a sad mood and enhancing them for a happy one but also because I like the idea of mixing old and new together. This same mixture of old and new was used in the short silent film 'Colour Shift.'

Colour Shift

Here the creator has set out to make a silent film and has probably looked at the conventions like I have. However, they have played on the conventions modernising it by indicating the shift from an original black and white silent film to a modern day coloured silent film by implying that the characters can also see the change. I won't be using the black and white filter and colour in this way as my characters won't be affected by the change in colour but the idea behind using both to modernise a piece whilst still hinting towards it roots is my incentive for keeping with this convention.

I am going to use the  black and white filter in the climactic scene of the film. This is 'Park Scene 2' where the two friends meet so that Chloe can explain her actions to Lauren. Using complete black and white as opposed to just really dull colours here gives this scene more emotional effect which is why I have chosen this location for this effect.



original colour of footage

black and white filter


Other Influences

Sherlock

The hit TV series Sherlock frequently uses text graphics in episodes to illustrate text messages being sent or Sherlock's thought patterns.

Indicates what Sherlock is deducing from this evidence

Hit TV show Sherlock uses text graphics to show texts being sent and received 

I have also used this technique in several scenes of my film partly because I remembered how effective it was in Sherlock but also because I originally filmed the texts coming in on the phone but the camera was reflected in the screen and it was a really long and boring scene.

This is an article talking about this interesting use of text graphics. 

http://iheartsubtitles.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/sherlock-storytelling-through-visual-text/

In a similar way the show often layers information over the footage behind it as Sherlock is thinking. 

Map layered over the footage of Sherlock

Files layered over the footage of Sherlock

I intend to use a similar technique in my film in 'Text Scene 1.' Currently the audience gets the impression that the person she is texting is male so to solve this ambiguity I am going to layer a faded silhouette of Chloe over the footage of Lauren texting. This will show the audience that Lauren's friend is a girl but not who she is. I chose to do this instead of using a split screen because I want the audience to discover the identity of Lauren's 'text friend' at the same time as she does. 

Readings

My audience feedback has shown me that there are ways of reading my film that I hadn't thought about when coming up with the idea. For example, when showing my film to my target audience several people asked me if the person the main character was texting was going to be an old man pretending to be a teenage girl. It was the amount of people commenting this that prompted me to put the silhouette of the friend on-top of the footage of the main character texting on the bench.

This made me think more about the different readings of my film.

The preferred reading is that this girl who gets bullied has one best friend who she's never met but it turns out is one of the bullies so she stops talking to her and then they make up and have a happy ending.

One oppositional reading of my film could be that there's not enough dialogue in it. Obviously I have made the conscious decision to omit this and so haven't 'failed' in this way but if you prefer films with a lot of dialogue in then you would be within your rights to read my film in this way.

Editing Log - Entry 1

Text Graphics

My film has two scenes where the main characters, Lauren and Chloe, converse via text. My original idea was to film the phone screen as Lauren received the texts but I had to discard this idea when I realised you could see the camera reflected in the screen. To solve this problem I have decided to add the texts over the footage so that I can control the speed in which the texts are sent and received. The effect will be similar to in the hit TV series Sherlock where the same technique is used in this way. (See my post Other Influences) 

However, this isn’t the only way I intend to use text graphics in my film. During the editing process I found that the second park scene seemed to jar as it was the only scene where there was any dialogue. For this reason I am going to mute the sound on the scene and add the text separately. After completing my textual analysis of a silent film and identifying the conventions I said that I intended to use Intertitles as seen in many original silent films but when I put this into practice I found it hard to make it flow as seamlessly as I wanted it to. To solve both of these problems I have used the text effect 'racking focus' to write key parts of what they say over the footage. The overall affect is slightly confusing but I like this because when you are apologising to someone you tend to bable and this confusion replicates that. 

I feel the impact will be greater if the only sound is emotional non-diegetic music that sets the mood so I am pleased with this development.

Influential Silent Film

Cook Papa Cook

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OITJxh51z3Q

‘Cook Papa Cook’ is a short silent film from 1928. It is a comedy and it follows the Jenkins in their morning routine. After a brief water fight between Mr and Mrs Jenkins it is decided that Mr Jenkins will make breakfast this morning. He goes in the kitchen and quickly becomes apparent that he has absolutely no idea what he is doing. He can’t work the toaster and ends up putting it in the oven which causes a fire. At the same time he burns the bacon which also sets on fire and he ends up sitting in the burning pan. The films ends with him having resorted to tinned food that didn’t involve cooking. Whilst all of this is happening in the kitchen his wife is eating all sorts of sweet treats in her bed and ends up making herself sick as he brings her the breakfast he has just had great trouble making. Angry, he pretends to threaten her with a knife but it turns out it is his pipe which his wife secretly knows. For this reason as he leaves for work she throws the bowl of cold food he’s just given her at his back and the film ends. 

The aren't any similarities between the action in this film and my film but I intend to use other techniques from the film which can be seen in my post 'Silent Film Conventions'

Silent Film Conventions

Silent Films

Now that I am eliminating all dialogue from my production it has become a modern day silent film. Because of this I have decided to use some of the conventions of traditional silent films in my project. To identify this I am going to complete a textual analysis of the 1928 silent film 'Cook Papa Cook.'

Textual Analysis: 

Cook Papa Cook

Camera Angles
Camera angles are very important in 'Cook Papa Cook' and other silent films of the time due to there being no dialogue or audio narration. Silent film actors had to overact facial expressions or actions to truly express what they were feeling or doing. Camera angles are a key tool in helping them express this meaning. Close-ups or extreme close-ups were common because they can explicitly illustrate expressions or actions.

close up of action - man sat in pan on fire

close up of expression - face man pulls when he sits in pan on fire

The other camera shots used are mid-long shots, for instance where the husband and wife are throwing water across the room a mid-long shot is used to show the distance between them, and mid-shots, wife on the phone or husband attempting to cut bread in the kitchen. However these shots are less instrumental to showing exactly what is going on. All of the shots used are very basic as technology wasn't as advanced and so more complicated shots or shooting techniques such as high-angle shots or match-on-action shots would have been harder to execute.

mid-long shot

mid-shot

Editing Techniques
There are very few editing techniques used in this film as they didn't have the digital technology to create fancy effects. However this doesn't mean there aren't any. To start with silent films were filmed in parts just like modern day films and they weren't necessarily filmed in order. This meant that someone had to sit and physically piece together the film. Due to this you wouldn't expect the films to use any transitions but 'Cook Papa Cook' does use one transition right at the end to signify time passing. After we see the husband resorting to tinned food after failing at any other form of breakfast there is a cross dissolve into him fully dressed with his wife's makeshift breakfast on a tray in front of him. This technology will have been advanced for the time which is probably why there is only one transition in the piece.

cross dissolve 

Another common editing technique used in original silent films are Intertitles. This is the term used to describe the black screen that appears with dialogue or key information on it at relevant points in the film and they were created by filming a printed version of the text. Intertitles play a key role in silent films as they make the action explicit to the audience where it was impossible to convey the wanted meaning with out dialogue.

Intertitle

Both of these editing techniques were used in 'Cook Papa Cook' as well as other silent films of the era.

Mise en Scene
In all films mise en scene plays an important part in setting the scene and silent films are no different. In 'Cook Papa Cook' props like the beds and kitchen appliances show us we are in a family home. Also the fact that they are all in their pyjamas and begin the film in bed shows it is the morning.

In 'Cook Papa Cook' props play an important part in creating the overall comedic affect although they will have been used this way in all silent films as it is a way of portraying key information. For example, when the parents are throwing water at each other the little boy comes in from the bathroom carrying a bucket of water and an umbrella. The umbrella makes this scene funnier because it is highlighting the fact that the parents are acting like children and the child is acting more like an adult using a method of protection to avoid getting wet.

The boy carrying the umbrella creates a comedic effect

However, mise en scene can also be used as a way of showing a characters mood. For example, at the end of the kitchen scene the man gets so frustrated with the appliances that he resorts to using unconventional methods especially where opening the tins is concerned. He uses the same large knife he used earlier when cutting the bread so this suggests that the knife is a way of showing his frustration and anger because it is big, sharp and dangerous.

Highlighted - Large knife signifying frustration and anger

Sound
The sound used in this clip has been added when the film was recovered, restored and digitalised for Youtube. Originally the film will have been played in a movie theatre and been accompanied by a live pianist or sometimes an  orchestra. However the music used in the film is typical of silent films. It uses instruments like the organ, brass instruments, wind instruments and percussive instruments, like bells and horns, to create a comedic sound not dissimilar to the instruments and music you may expect to find accompanying an early circus.

The film is accompanied by one continuous piece of music that illustrates the actions taking place. For example, at the beginning when the husband and wife are throwing water at each other the music is light hearted to illustrate the comedic action. The piece then uses more dotted rhythms and syncopation when the husband is annoyed at having to get out of the bath to answer the door. Next, once the husband has decided he will make breakfast and the couple have stopped arguing, the music is relatively calm. Then when he begins tackling the bread by cutting it in totally the wrong way, what sounds like, a trombone takes over the melody making it a lower pitch. This combined with the fact that it becomes faster and more staccato makes it sound clumsy because he doesn't know what he is doing. Then later as everything begins to set on fire high repeated staccato notes and discordant harmony is used to show the danger and panic the fire will have caused. Similar suspense techniques and discord iare used when the wife is being sick and the husband is angry about that fact. Finally the music resumes the same upbeat and light hearted feel it had at the beginning once everything has calmed down again and the film is rounding off. This is also signified by the music slowing down towards the end.

Finally, any sound affects like the alarm clock or the door bell are incorporated into the main score and their sounds are generated by instruments. E.g. bells and a flute trill for the alarm.

What conventions have I deduced from this?

From this textual analysis I have deduced the following conventions of silent films:

• Traditionally black and white mainly due to the era they were first created where colour technology wasn't as advanced although it wasn't non-existent just more complicated. 
• Use of Intertitles in places where the meaning can't be expressed in forms other than dialogue or narration
• All sound is non-diegetic - eg. uses music to drive the action and convey the mood
• Music tends to be one continuous piece with any sound effects incorporated into the main score and generated by instruments
• Use of camera angles, such as close ups, to show important facial expressions or pieces of action. 

I intend to replicate several of these conventions within my film:

• Black and white - there are some scenes in my film where a black and white filter might give a better effect
• Intertitles - I will use this in the second park scene where I am having trouble fitting each piece of dialogue on the screen typed out.
• Non-diegetic sound - Eradicating all dialogue will mean I will have to think carefully about how the music I use conveys the mood intended throughout my film.
• Camera angles - As most of my film was silent already I have already thought carefully about the camera angles I am using and how this helps to convey the mood of my piece.

For more information on silent films see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_film

Filming Log - Entry 4

Re-Filming

I have found that some of the longer scenes in my film tend to drag because I hadn't changed the camera angle in the scene. To solve this problem I have re-filmed these scenes. The first scene I have re-shot for this reason is 'Text Scene 1.' Similar to the way it dragged when I filmed the phone receiving the texts, re-shooting the scene with a straight shot of Lauren sat on the bench (so that I could add the text later) improved the pace of the scene only marginally. I therefore re-filmed the scene again this time from several different angles and it now looks a lot more visually interesting.

There are other shorter sections of the film which could do with being re-shot from different angles as well. For example, at the start of park scene 1 the shot of Lauren walking down corridors was a little long and so I have filmed it from different angles to make it more visually interesting. This has helped improved it and gives it an effect similar to the opening scenes of the film 'Snatch' where the camera tracks the group on the CCTV televisions as they travel around a building.

Snatch

I also intend to re-film the start of 'Park Scene 2'  as the long shot of Lauren walking around the corner is a little bit boring because of its length. To solve this I may not re-film it but instead edit in some shots of Lauren looking excited to break it up a little.

The other scene I intend to re-film is the corridor scene. This isn't because there is a problem with the pace or camera angles but because I feel I could make it flow better. The main issue is that I shot it in parts with only one camera and so it is slightly jarring on the eye. To resolve this I will film it with two cameras to ensure the transitions are less obvious.

Adding Film

After editing the main body of my film I decided there were areas where I could add in some more filming to illustrate more clearly some of the ideas key to the plot.

For example, I am going to add a section between 'Common Room Scene 1' and 'Text Scene 1' of Lauren walking down empty corridors or streets to truly highlight the fact that her pen-friend is her only friend.

Also in 'park scene 1' I am going to add in a flashback to solidly show the audience that Chloe is one of the bullies.

Similarly, at the very end, I will add a short clip of Chloe and Lauren doing a high five and smiling at each other to illustrate the fact they have made up and are best friends. 

Idea Development

When watching my short film as it stands I have found that the dialogue scene appears to jar as it is the only scene with dialogue in it. As a result I have decided to eliminate the dialogue from this scene making my film essentially a modern day silent film.

I intend to do this by filming the two friends clearly talking to each other and then syncing this with text that will appear on the screen. This will add an unusual element to my film whilst making it more cohesive as it will be as though they are still conversing via text even though they are face to face.

I will also add a section at the start of this scene of Lauren walking down corridors etc alone to highlight the fact that her 'pen-friend' is her only friend.

I am also going to slightly change 'text scene 2' to again make my film more cohesive. I will do this by again filming Lauren looking at her phone, as opposed to the phone screen, and then adding the texts over the footage. This means I have now filmed Lauren going to her locker then looking at her phone, where the texts appear on screen, before zooming in to a close-up of her face as she considers whether or not to meet Chloe.