Again, memory loss has hit me, and hence I cannot quite express events as two seperate days. However, over the course of this week, I managed to shrink my film down to size using the techniques mentioned previously.
Ms Wong gave me some ideas concerning the editing, and what could be cut. Definitely, it allowed me to see that many clips that I viewed as necessary simply due to sentimental attachment were really unncessary - if they weren't there, nobody would notice or care.
We also added Chinese subtitles, and we were fortunate to have Mr Gao assist us in this endeavour, though my subtitles were sufficiently simple that his services were not required. It was mostly the film-specific terminology, which I have only studied and learned in English, that was hard to translate.
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
21 - 23 April 2009
It's been quite a rush, and really for no purpose, but I am grateful all the same. Assuming the deadline was on 23 April, Shun and I hobbled together, after staying after school for long hours, a quite long version of the film. We have been told, however, that more time must be cut, since there isn't enough time, and 30 seconds was in fact a strict deadline.
Hence, it was a pity to rush for nothing, but on the other hand, we are now on time and not rushing anymore. The editing process was quite interesting. Again exemplified was the difficulty that Shun faced trying to cut together his film, in relation to my difficulty. In fact, the things that Shun was trying to tell in his story led his film to be over 50 seconds, whereas mine is only 42 seconds.
On Thursday, after we were given the go-ahead to cut the film down to 30 seconds else face various forms of cruel chastisement, we did some work on cutting, but we are not yet done. Some tactics we have used is speeding up clips to the maximum extent possible, and cutting out anything that, if cut, does not serve to derail the story's flow.
I think the biggest problem is actually making up one's mind and making the cut. However, it's good in a way to have a short film. Because we can only include so much material, the material we do include will probably be very good.
Hence, it was a pity to rush for nothing, but on the other hand, we are now on time and not rushing anymore. The editing process was quite interesting. Again exemplified was the difficulty that Shun faced trying to cut together his film, in relation to my difficulty. In fact, the things that Shun was trying to tell in his story led his film to be over 50 seconds, whereas mine is only 42 seconds.
On Thursday, after we were given the go-ahead to cut the film down to 30 seconds else face various forms of cruel chastisement, we did some work on cutting, but we are not yet done. Some tactics we have used is speeding up clips to the maximum extent possible, and cutting out anything that, if cut, does not serve to derail the story's flow.
I think the biggest problem is actually making up one's mind and making the cut. However, it's good in a way to have a short film. Because we can only include so much material, the material we do include will probably be very good.
Monday, 18 May 2009
20 April 2009
I wrapped up the finishing touches to my film today. Noting that the film is only 30 seconds long, and that I have probably four times that much in story telling currently; and also that it was too inconvenient to film the police cars, I thought I would skip out the police chase and arrest scene. I did manage to film the photocopying scene, which was very close to how I envisioned it. The photocopying room had enough space and flexibility for me to craft a few angles and to pay some attention to cinematography.
However, today, we also managed to upload the footage that we shot. Immediately, a problem is clear, and that is that of the many minutes of footage, only 30 seconds may be utilised. I hope to be flexible, and I don't think it really matters that much if we are a few seconds off, or even quite a few. The deadline is drawing extremely near, and hence, we will have to stay back after school to finish this off.
However, today, we also managed to upload the footage that we shot. Immediately, a problem is clear, and that is that of the many minutes of footage, only 30 seconds may be utilised. I hope to be flexible, and I don't think it really matters that much if we are a few seconds off, or even quite a few. The deadline is drawing extremely near, and hence, we will have to stay back after school to finish this off.
13 April 2009
Today was the principle day of production. Shun came over to my place, and we basically shot the bulk of all the film. Shun went first, then me.
With Shun's film, the problem was that of angles and space. My room, my house, the corridor chosen for the case - they just weren't well lit enough, or spacious enoguh, to provide the flexibility needed for a good production set. And the setting just didn't look real. It looked more like the residence of a man being forclosed upon then an environment wherein intellectual property theft - or any theft, for that matter - would occur.
I want to shift focus to my film. My film ran more efficiently I think because it was an easier concept to grasp. It wasn't one continuous story, but was made of several elements. And hence, it was easier to break up and I didn't lose sight of the film. I filmed the various incidents of violation of intellectual property with plenty of different angles and with several takes to ensure that things would work out. Problems were met when I had to do the pirated DVDs purchasing scene.
The problem there was that we had no control over lighting as it was outdoors and both Shun and I were in the shot, leaving my sister to have to be cinematographer, and she not having been trained in such a profession, did not and could not deliver the best shots. However, we got some good insert shots and we got a good general shot.
Other problems, such as the jail scene, were solved - thank goodness - by the back staircase, the bottom of which had some rails that looked like jail bars. By crouching rather uncomfortably, and by ensuring the camera captured neither the stair handles nor the stairs, an illusion was well crafted.
The camera work was swift though, the problems were not unsurmmountable. Hence, things generally worked out.
With Shun's film, the problem was that of angles and space. My room, my house, the corridor chosen for the case - they just weren't well lit enough, or spacious enoguh, to provide the flexibility needed for a good production set. And the setting just didn't look real. It looked more like the residence of a man being forclosed upon then an environment wherein intellectual property theft - or any theft, for that matter - would occur.
I want to shift focus to my film. My film ran more efficiently I think because it was an easier concept to grasp. It wasn't one continuous story, but was made of several elements. And hence, it was easier to break up and I didn't lose sight of the film. I filmed the various incidents of violation of intellectual property with plenty of different angles and with several takes to ensure that things would work out. Problems were met when I had to do the pirated DVDs purchasing scene.
The problem there was that we had no control over lighting as it was outdoors and both Shun and I were in the shot, leaving my sister to have to be cinematographer, and she not having been trained in such a profession, did not and could not deliver the best shots. However, we got some good insert shots and we got a good general shot.
Other problems, such as the jail scene, were solved - thank goodness - by the back staircase, the bottom of which had some rails that looked like jail bars. By crouching rather uncomfortably, and by ensuring the camera captured neither the stair handles nor the stairs, an illusion was well crafted.
The camera work was swift though, the problems were not unsurmmountable. Hence, things generally worked out.
19 March - 8 April 2009
I confess to having been rather slack on reflections recently and have hence forgotten the exact dates of happenings, and the exact order of such happenings, during the pre-production of our intellectual property video. However, I can reflect on the process nonetheless.
Firstly, it was inefficient. I took several days to write a script and to produce a storyline. The maddening thing was how to create a 30 second film without making it a police commercial. However, that's how I started off. I had no other ideas, so I crafted a film wherein sinister examples of copyright infringement would be followed by a police chase, and then a clip of the infringer in jail (with big blood dripping letters saying 'Do not infringe intellectual property rights', or something like that). The shot list, and other parts of the script, did not move well. However, I was quite pleased with the script that I managed to come up with.
I think that it is important also to note that I am also very pleased with Shun's script, and the originality displayed in that script. So I plan to work with him on that.
Firstly, it was inefficient. I took several days to write a script and to produce a storyline. The maddening thing was how to create a 30 second film without making it a police commercial. However, that's how I started off. I had no other ideas, so I crafted a film wherein sinister examples of copyright infringement would be followed by a police chase, and then a clip of the infringer in jail (with big blood dripping letters saying 'Do not infringe intellectual property rights', or something like that). The shot list, and other parts of the script, did not move well. However, I was quite pleased with the script that I managed to come up with.
I think that it is important also to note that I am also very pleased with Shun's script, and the originality displayed in that script. So I plan to work with him on that.
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