Filming & Editing Update (26th September)

Filming

Today we filmed scene 2 (when Alex visits his old school). Although we thought we had got the whole scene filmed, when editing we realised that we needed a few more shots. Therefore, although we are happy with what we did manage to film, we will need to reschedule and shoot a few more seconds to add into the scene.

Editing

We managed to get this scene edited in about half an hour, which was plenty of time for us to realise that we needed a few more shots. Additionally, there is a moment of silence at the start of the scene which does not look professional, however this is where the Voice of God will speak. We have not been able to add the VoG yet, as that will be recorded as a whole project after all of the filming has been done. We have chosen to upload the scene so far in order to show a work in progress.

The Scene Itself (Unfinished)

*Note: We chose to take out the corridor shots until we have re-filmed the extra shots. This is because not only did it not fit into the scene the way it is, but also because the clip of the students separating to let Alex through was corrupt, so we need to re-import it and edit it back in, which we will do when we edit in the extra shots.*

Production Schedule

We planned to film scene 2 at the same time as scene 1, on the 22nd and 24th. Due to difficulties involving actors, we were unable to film this scene until the 26th. 
However, because it is unfinished, we have not yet completed the editing process, but are still way ahead of schedule, as we did not intend to even start editing until the 8th October.

Amy's Interview - Script

'Yeah, he's amazing, yeah.

I was actually round his house the other day.

Yeah.

I mean he didn't know I was there but, yeah we bonded.

Well, he was asleep.

Yeah.

There's thing big tree outside his house and like, I climb it.

And sometimes the window is open...

So I go in.'

Filming & Editing Update (24th September)

Filming

Today we filmed two short interviews - one with super-fan Amy Durbin and one with Alex's old school teacher, Ben Phipps. We're really happy with what we managed to get filmed as we were worried that the scenes would not come out as we had hoped, but in the end we were able to shoot two scenes that we felt were as high a standard as the previous two. We did write a short script for Amy's interview, and this can be found on the post above this one.

Editing

The interview with Mr Phipps didn't need much editing, because his answer was smooth and looked very natural. We added his name in a title in the corner and added a few transitions to the beginning and end of the scene but other than that, hardly any was needed. The interview with Amy was quite smooth when we filmed it, but there were a lot of gaps between her lines, which I decided to cut out to make her seem more keen and slightly creepy (being the obsessed fan she is).

The Scenes Themselves

Production Schedule

On our production schedule, it says that we will also have filmed scene 1 today. Again, due to unavailability of actors (and also settings in this case), we were unable to film scene 1 and so instead filmed an interview with each of the characters we see above.
As with previous scenes, we are may ahead of schedule regarding editing, as we planned to edit this scene on the 7th/8th October.

Filming & Editing Update (22nd September)

Filming

Today we filmed Alex's initial interview. I think we are both very happy with the outcome, as we got the whole thing filmed quickly but efficiently, and re-filmed any shots that we felt were not up to standard.

Editing

The editing process was again done on Final Cut Pro X, and I think for this scene the sound was a major fault (with a lot of background noise and fuzz from the camera). After editing for about 20 minutes, we were able to produce another professional looking scene, and was also able to reduce the background noise significantly.

The Scene Itself

Production Schedule

In our production schedule, we planned to film scene 1 on the 22nd September. Due to the unavailability of some of our actors, we were not able to do this but instead managed to film this interview with Alex.
Once again we are ahead of schedule with editing as we did not plan to edit what we filmed today until 7th October.

First Shot List

Due to the fact that our documentary very much relies on editing to make it look professional, we do not yet have a precise and detailed shot list, however we do have a few shot ideas for each scene. We will update our shot list after the editing process in order to make it more accurate.

Scene 1

- Close up shot of Alex's bedroom door (handheld).

- Close up of Alex's head popping out of the door to tell the cameras he'll be ready in a moment (handheld).
- Tracking shot of Alex looking at his tie collection (starting with Alex in the frame, ending with the ties).

Scene 2

We have already filmed scene 2 (see above blog post) and so the shots we used were:

- Medium shot
-Medium long shot
-Low angle worm's eye view shot

We didn't use many different shot types, as we felt it would not be appropriate and wanted to maintain that professional look.


 Scene 3

-Handheld shots
-Over the shoulder shots
-Talking head interview with fans; medium shot

Scene 4

-Handheld and tripod shots
-Long shot
-Establishing shot
-Over the shoulder shots
-Close up and medium close up shots

Scene 5&6

-Close up shots
-Medium shots
-Worm's eye view shots

Additional Scene

-Medium shots
-Tripod only

Production Schedule

Title Development

Due to the fact that we do not yet have a title for our documentary (because we are waiting for Alex to say something iconic that we can use during filming), the titles so far only include the name of our production company - Sequester Studios.

The reason our production company is called Sequester Studios is because the word sequester means to segregate or separate. We chose to use this word because we felt it would be appropriate due to the segregation between Alex himself and his fans, who are obviously below him in society.

UPDATES - Grouping

Due to much consideration, Amy Durbin and I have decided to join forces and work on our documentary together.

We will be keeping the idea of Alex Curtis and from now on will be editing, filming and planning each stage of the documentary together.

First Filming & Editing Session (15th September)

Filming

Today I filmed the talking head interview with Carlisle Winston-Smythe (Alex's manager). I'm really happy with how it went as we got the whole scene filmed and, although it's a relatively short scene, I think the mise en scene and framing of each shot looks professional.

 

Editing

I used Final Cut Pro X to edit this scene on, and I am very happy with the outcome. I was able to cut each clip very precisely and was also able to remove a lot of the background noise, which in my opinion makes the scene look more professional and clear. It also makes the scene easier to watch, as the viewer doesn't have to try and listen to what Carlisle is saying over the fuzzy background noise.

The Scene Itself

Production Schedule

We have kept to our production schedule and managed to film this scene on the 15th, like we intended to. However, we also edited this scene on the 15th and therefore we are ahead of schedule on the editing side.

Documentary Research

Brüno

Brüno was released in 2009 and was produced by Universal Pictures. It was aired in the USA originally and the filming locations were:

Amman, Jordan

Bethlehem, Palestine

Carrollton, Texas, USA

Jerusalem, Israel

Anniston, Alabama, USA

Bangaluu Club, Berlin, Germany

Bentonville Village Inn, Arkansas, USA

Berlin, Germany

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas, Texas, USA

Fort Smith, Arkansas, USA

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

I think the target audience for Brüno is young adults between the ages of 16 to 35 as some (if not most) of the humour is quite crude and therefore many teenagers under the age of 16 may not understand it and therefore wouldn't find it funny. I think the reason the target audience is up to 35 years old is again because of the crude humour. A lot of older people dislike crude humour as it is distasteful and often offensive.

"Brüno is a gay Austrian fashion guru. He has his own fashion based television show, Funkyzeit, the most popular German-language show of its kind outside of Germany. After he disgraces himself in front of his Funkyzeit fan base, he is ruined in German speaking Europe. He decides that in his quest for worldwide fame, he will move to Los Angeles and reinvent himself. Accompanying him to the US is Lutz, his former assistant's assistant. Lutz is the only person left in his circle that still believes in Brüno's greatness. Brüno goes through one reinvention of himself after another, ultimately straying to areas far removed from his own self. Perhaps when Brüno finds an activity that he truly does love, he will also find that über-fame he so desperately desires." - IMDb

Borat

Borat was released in 2006 and was produced by the same company who produced Brüno, although obviously Borat was produced first. Sacha Baron Cohen stars in both and played a main role in writing both of them.

The filming locations include:

Moroieni, Romania
Glod, Romania
Roanoke, Virginia, USA
California, USA
Virginia, USA
Adolphus Hotel, Dallas, Texas, USA
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Brandin' Iron Saloon, California, USA
Dallas, Texas, USA
Four Seasons Kosher Bed & Breakfast, Massachusetts, USA
Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, LA, California, USA
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Maryland, USA
Salem Civic Centre, Salem, Virginia, USA
South Carolina, USA
The Block At Orange, Orange, California, USA
Washington, District of Columbia, USA

I think the target audience for Borat is the same as that of Brüno, as they are both produced by the same company and written by the same man, which means the humour is very similar and so is the way in which it has been made.

'Kazakh TV talking head Borat is dispatched to the United States to report on the greatest country in the world. With a documentary crew in tow, Borat becomes more interested in locating and marrying Pamela Anderson.' - IMDb

Animatic

This animatic is quite basic and not very detailed. The reason for this is that, because Alex is quite a funny person, I didn't want to plan the scenes an excessive amount because I wanted it to feel more natural instead of looking rehearsed.

I have included a more detailed plan of each scene below.

Scene 1

In scene 1, the scene starts with the camera man knocking on Alex's bedroom door and him still being asleep. After this situation is sorted, Alex begins his morning routine, while explaining just how important the day ahead of him is.

Scene 2

Scene 2 is quite simply a talking head interview with Alex over a cup of coffee (either in a coffee shop or in his kitchen). 

Scene 3

After leaving the coffee shop (or his kitchen), he is attacked by fans and begins signing autographs for them. They all have a magazine open on the page of the article he featured in (see separate blog post).

Scene 4

In scene 4, Alex visits his old school, Chauncy, to invite his old head master to the announcement later that day. As he walks through the corridors, the year 7s cower away from him because of his shear power. The conversation with the head master is not shown as there is a 'no filming' sign on the door. Convenient.

Scene 5

Scene 5 shows Alex as he is preparing himself to go on stage. There is a voice of God and Alex does various warm up exercises.

Scene 6

This scene shows Alex taking a deep breath and walking on stage, and then the shot fades to black and the title 'End of Part One' fades in.

*Additional Scene To Be Added In Editing*

This scene is the talking head interview with Alex's father. I haven't allocated it a scene number because I wanted to wait until I began editing to see where it looked more natural.

UPDATES - Scene Outline & Characters

I have decided that I would like to include a talking head interview with Alex's father, between scenes 3 and 4, or between scenes 4 and 5, depending on where it looks more natural during editing. I think it would be fun to see how his Dad (actually played by my Dad, not his own) talks about him and also to hear about how Alex was as a child.

For example, I think if we heard an anecdote from Alex's childhood about how he used to march around the living room in his tiny shirt and tie and demand his little sister to get him juice and things, hence the start of a life full of power.

Alex's Dad's character is obviously a new edition to the character list and his costume can be found on the original character list, where I have added him onto the end.

Characters & Costumes

The Man Himself - Alexander Curtis

Alex will be wearing two different costumes due to the fact that the cameras will be following him all day. This means the first time we see Alex, he will be in his pyjamas and slippers and then after he gets up and begins his morning routine, he will be wearing a smart grey suit, a white shirt with an extraordinary tie and a large gold watch. All of this is to show that he is powerful within Ware and needs to look presentable for his adoring fans and, of course, the paparazzi. 

The Man's Babysitter - Alex's Manager (Played by Zac Meli)

Alex's manager, Carlisle Winston-Smythe, is a very intelligent and well spoken man and because of this he should also be well dressed. This will include black suit trousers, a grey suit jacket, a black shirt and a red tie. He will also be wearing glasses to make him look more official and more intelligent. He has known Alex since he was a young boy and therefore treats him like a sort of honorary nephew, even though they are not related at all. Carlisle is around 38 and enjoys golf, sudoku and the occasional stroll along the river with his wife, Leanne.

The Man's Eyes and Ears - Alex's Bodyguard (Played by Kayleigh Clancy)

Alex is a very important member of the community, and because of this, he needs a security guard. Although the security guard's full name is unknown, Alex often refers to him as Greg. We are unsure as to whether his name actually is Greg, however it pleases Alex so we haven't asked. This bodyguard will be in nearly every shot of Alex when he is out in the public eye as this is when he is most vulnerable to crazy fans. The security guard's costume is pretty basic, as we don't want to distract the attention of each shot away from Alex. The costume includes black trousers, a white shirt with a black tie, a black jacket (leather if possible) and black aviator sunglasses. The body guard does not speak unless spoken to. In fact, we are not even sure if he speaks English.

The Guy Upstairs - The Voice of God (Voiced by *insert name*)

The voice of God is very important in this documentary, as when Alex is out and about and trying to avoid excessive amounts of attention, he often cannot explain to the cameras what he is doing or why. For this reason, a voice of God will be used to explain to the viewer what Alex is doing and how he feels about the current situation he is in. The voice of God will ideally be a very British accent, from a male from between the ages of about 45 to 80. This is because the voice needs to sound intellectual without sounding like the voice of a teenager. I think this would make the documentary more professional overall. The voice of God will obviously not be wearing a costume.

The Crazies - Alex's Fans (Played by *insert names*)

Alex is adored by all sorts of people in and around Ware, and so when he is spotted in public, his fans often go crazy. Alex describes them as the 'crazies' but always has time for them, limited though it may be. These fans do not have specific costumes as they are just regular people. Throughout scene 3 (while Alex is signing autographs), I want to include a few talking head interviews with a couple of fans, just to get an idea of how they Alex has inspired them and how much they love him.

The Man's Inspiration - Alex's Father (Played by Tom Booth)

Alex's father has always been an inspiration to his son, contributing massively to Alex's huge success. Already retired at the early age of 49, Alex's father, David Curtis, was a successful man himself in his youth, but gave all of it up when he met his wife, Jessica, and decided that he wanted to start a family. Alex has followed in his father's footsteps since he was just 8 years old and has always aspired to be as successful as him. David Curtis is comfortably retired, and so his costume will be smart casual. This includes a Ralph Lauren polo (of any colour) and smart black trousers. He will also be wearing sunglasses, even though he will be inside, because he does not want to risk damaging his eye sight by exposing it to too much studio lighting.

Initial Ideas Pitch & Feedback

My Initial Ideas Pitch

Feedback

Positives: 

Nice ideas in terms of style.

Good sense of humour coming through already.

Research also suggests the comedic tone of the documentary.

Negatives:

1. In need of a title.

2. Boost scene 4 content - does it link to him going on stage?

3. What is the use of the priory as a location?

My Response To The Feedback

1. In need of a title. The reason I have not chosen a title is because I wanted to wait until after I had filmed the majority of my footage. This is because I wanted to name my documentary after something Alex says during the actual feature. I think this would not only generate a random but also relevant title, but would reinforce the idea that the documentary is completely based on Alex.

2. Boost scene 4 content - does it link to him going on stage? Scene 4 is all about how he got to where he was. the reason he visits his school on this particular day is because he wants to personally invite his old Head Master to his announcement later on in the day. While Alex is at his old school, he interacts with old teachers, adoring fans and year 7s who have been taught about his importance.

3. What is the use of the priory as a location? I would like to use the priory as the location for the announcement itself. This is because the old priory building has a hall that we could possibly use and this would be quite easy to fill with people, or create the effect that it was full of people. I also think a short interview with Alex before he goes on stage about how he is feeling etc would be good and I want to film this in front of the old priory building.

Initial Research Write Up

As a class, we watched four documentaries of different genres.

March Of The Penguins

Directed and written by Luc Jacquet, March Of The Penguins was released in 2005 and was produced by National Geographic Films and Wild Bunch.

March Of The Penguins follows a group of Emperor penguins as they march to their traditional breeding ground. They make this journey every single year, and this documentary depicts them facing the dangers of their environment while trying to look after an egg and survive themselves.

I think the target audience for this documentary is quite large, as many people enjoy watching programmes about animals however are not necessarily 'animal lovers'. This production is appealing to both adults and children, as although it is factual, it is also entertaining and isn't completely lifeless. On the other hand, it also appeals to animal lovers, as it includes very high level language and many incredible shots of the penguins' environment.

Throughout the documentary, a voice of God (Morgan Freeman) was used in order to explain to the viewer what they were watching and also to provide an insight into just how hard the penguins' annual journey is. March Of The Penguins is a factual nature documentary and because of this, lots of shots of scenery (ice, snow etc) were included and gives the audience more of an idea of just how vast the ice is. This also shows the extent of the penguins' journey.

Music was also used to enhance the viewing experience and make the whole production more emotive. For example, during the harsh storms of the arctic when the father penguins were huddled to keep their eggs warm, dramatic music was used in order to make the audience even more aware of the danger that the penguins were in. Contrastingly, when the baby penguins were taking their first steps, a sort of bouncy soundtrack was used in order to make the scene more fun to watch.

I think all of these techniques are very effective as they make what could be a boring documentary into a fun, family-friendly production which makes the viewer feel all sorts of different emotions. I think the voice of God was effective as without it, the viewer would not have any idea as to what was happening or why.

1D One Direction: This Is Us

This Is Us was released in 2013 and was directed by Morgan Spurlock. It was produced by Tristar Pictures and made a gross profit of $28,873,374.

The documentary is about Harry, Niall, Liam, Zayn and Louis (the members of one direction) and their rise to fame, starting from their success on the hit show 'The X Factor'. It follows the boys as they travel from gig to gig, meeting fans and having a good time while on the road.

The target audience for this film is the same as the target audience for the band itself - this being young girls between the ages of probably 7 to 16. I think This Is Us presents the 1D boys as 'teenage heartthrobs' and because of this, the logical target audience for the production would be teenage girls.

The production includes many different narrative, representation and editing techniques and all of these help to enhance the viewer's experience and also to reflect the boys' personalities.

For example, a lot of compilation footage was used from various different gigs and this was to engage the viewer as each shot was different. There were also many different 'backstage' shots used to make the viewer feel more like the boys were talking directly the them. These shots give the documentary a more personal feel as opposed to being just one big advertisement for One Direction.

Additionally, while the boys were on stage, editing was used to make them look like they were wearing cartoon-style super hero outfits. This reinforced the idea that the One Direction boys are fun and down to earth. They want to portray themselves as 'just normal guys having a great time'.

I think all of these things were effective as overall the documentary was easy to watch and made the life of 'fame and fortune' look really fun and silly.

Super Size Me

Super Size Me was written and produced by Morgan Spurlock, who is also the subject (if not 'main character') of the documentary. It was released in 2004 and Spurlock had the help of Tartan Video to produce this feature.


At first glance, the documentary is about a man (Morgan Spurlock) who eats too much McDonald's. However, after watching the documentary, I found out that it actually records each day of an experiment he has come up with. Spurlock decided that for 30 days straight, he would eat nothing but McDonald's for breakfast, lunch and dinner in order to find out the answer to the question 'why is Amercia so fat?'.

It follows him through various appointments with three different doctors, who each tell him that his experiment is going to cause harm to his body. Before he begins he takes numerous tests and all three doctors state that his health is pretty much perfect. However, throughout the documentary, we see a change in not only his health, but his attitude and emotions.

The documentary also includes other parts, such as interviewing people on the street about how often one should eat fast food etc. There are also parts about what really goes into McDonald's McNuggets and about the use of McD's advertising to almost 'brainwash' children from an early age.

I think the target audience for this feature could be anyone, as almost everyone (not so much in the UK but definitely in America) eats fast food, in the US 1 in 4 people are affected by obesity and 1 in 20 people suffer from diabetes due to being overweight. I also think that although some parts are uncomfortable to watch (the throwing up out of the car window being the one that stands out in my mind), it is a very interesting and enlightening documentary.

In this documentary, many techniques are used that make it more effective. For example, the talking head interviews with lawyers suing McDonald's, people off of the street who eat fast food and Morgan's own girlfriend help make the feature more hard-hitting, as many people won't believe certain things unless it comes from a professional's mouth. The interview with Morgan's girlfriend was also important, as it gave the viewer an insight into an extreme version of how obesity can affect not only the person eating the fast food, but their loved ones also.

TT Closer To The Edge

TT Closer To The Edge was released in 2011 and was directed by Richard De Aragues. It made a gross profit of $917,491 and was produced by Isle of Man Film and CinemaNX.

This production is about the annual TT races which take place in the Isle of Man. It also follows a number of bikers set to take place in the TT races, including Guy Martin, who is the main focus of the feature. Not only does it show an exhilarating view of the races themselves, but it also gives the viewer an insight into the build up of the TT races and also the dedication of it's racers.

The target audience for Closer To The Edge is mostly male bike enthusiasts, however I personally found it interesting, so it may also be targeted at young adults/teenagers of both genders. Although it is a documentary about bikes and the TT races, it is also quite humorous in parts, as Guy Martin is quite a character.

Although there were not many extraordinary techniques used in this feature, there was still many ways in which the documentary was enhanced. For example, there was talking head interviews with each of the spotlighted racers and this made the documentary feel more personal and almost brought it to reality. By this I mean that I think by interviewing the racers and seeing them explain how much they've prepared for the TT etc, it gave the viewer an insight into just how important it was to them, which made it less boring and more interesting.

The cinematography in this production was amazing, as during the races themselves there  was a variety of different shots of the road, the bikes with their riders and also the beautiful scenery that surrounds the Isle of Man TT race courses. Slow motion was also used very subtly while shooting the racers on their bikes, and this made them look more graceful but at the same time more dangerous, which helped the viewers get to grips on how deadly the TT races can be.

I think all of these techniques were highly successful in making this documentary exciting, as all of them were relevant and worked well with each shot type.

Main Production Review

Production Group:

I have chosen to work independently.

Chosen Production Task:

I will produce a 5 minute extract from an original documentary.

Consideration For Two Ancillary Tasks Required:

I have chosen to produce a double-paged spread from a listing magazine based on my documentary and a newspaper advertisement for my documentary.

Finalised Ideas So Far:

So far, I have decided that the subject of my documentary is going to be my good friend Alex Curtis. This is because I think he has a great personality and is quite the character and so I thought it would be interesting to follow him (or an exaggerated version of him) for a day, as sort of a 'day in the life' feature.

I had the idea of making the day an important one in order to add some sort of structure to the documentary. Then I decided that the day the 'film crew' will follow Alex will be the same day on which he will make a special announcement to the people of Ware (or his adoring fans as his character will refer to them as).

Work Produced So Far:

Over the summer holidays, I did manage to film a few short shots of the town of Ware (where my documentary will be set) and also a few including Alex. However, I intend to re-film these, as after I had converted them on my laptop, the video quality of the clips was drastically decreased.

I have also been working on a script for the voice over of the production but also on what Alex is going to say during each scene. I have chosen not to write Alex himself a full script, as I want it to feel and look natural, not as if he has simply learnt his lines and filmed them. I want my documentary to look professional and the more comfortable Alex looks, the better.