MDA1300 - Camera Brief

This was our first brief, based on the camera task in which we had to 'produce a single shot that presents a unity of action, and creates a sense of completeness'.

Unfortunately, we misunderstood and overcomplicated the brief.
The task could have been completed in one shot, as a 'story' can be told in a single, unmoving shot. By including characters, movement and props (the book) we raised too many questions, meaning that the 'single shot' wasn't simple enough; the shot needed to be a story within itself and the actions and characters meant there must be some sort of back-story; Who are theses people? What are they doing here? What is the book and why does she want to read it?

Regarding technical problems, there was a lot of accidental background sound (mainly because we used the camera mic, not the boom mics which we learned about in the sound workshop in the second week) and there were also framing issues (due to the floor surface, the shot was slanted).

Despite these issues, I enjoyed the fact that it was the first time I had worked in a group with new people, from the course, and it was a nice opportunity to get to know people and get more used to working in a team with others; something which I both enjoy and feel like I hadn't been able to do enough in my previous studies.

MDA1300 - Week One

For the practical part of the film course, we have had our editing and camera inductions (the latter of which was completed in Fridays workshop).

in the workshop we discussed the roles needed for a high-scale production (using the x factor as an example) and then we proceeded to assemble the camera and tripod, and go over the different techniques and settings needed to film good-quality footage, such as making sure the camera is level, rotating and tilting the cameras on teh tripod, getting the while balance, and other settings such as the image quality and frames per second correct.

We also watched a clip from the good, the bad and the ugly, and discussed how the camerawork and different shot types were used to build tension and add to the dramatic build-up in the stand-off scene. I found discussion of the different shot-types and camera movements useful revision which picked up efficiently on much of the work I have done in Media and Film Studies at A level.

For this weeks assignment, we have already assembled a group of four, discussed initial ideas and have booked out a camera with which to film and try out our different ideas tomorrow. I will post how this went when it has been completed.

MDA1800 - Week One

For the first Storytelling for the Screen seminar we looked at two different Creation Myths. One, from the ancient Persian Zoroastrian religion, and the other was the story of the fall of man which forms part of the Christian Bible.

When looking at the Zoroastrian creation Myth, we were put into groups and told to think of the different ways we would represent the myth visually in a film.

The result of my groups work were that it would be shown from the prophets eyes, and the gods would never be seen by the audience to add to their transcendental nature. The way in which the lands are perfect until the evil God taints them would be shown by long, aerial shots sweeping across the landscapes which are then visually shown becoming darker as the voice over narration recounts the story.

We were also thinking of using the visual element of Chess as a metaphor, as it could represent the ongoing conflict between the Good and Evil in the humans who are neutral and able to go either way, and it also would tie in with the fact it is a Persian creation myth, as Chess is a significant part of Persian/Iranian traditional culture, as I know from my father being Iranian.

We were then asked to think of a story idea which would place the idea of the fall of man into a modern context, in which a person has paradise, and loses it all by yielding to temptation. Our idea was one in which a  person has a happy family life, and then strives to advance their career, as they believe it is what they want, only to lose their family due to their new priorities and realise that the family life was the paradise they wanted when it was too late.

After the seminar we were given assignments to research creation myths and choose one in particular, and state why we found it interesting and post it on the forum which I have done at this link:

http://oasisplus.mdx.ac.uk/webct/urw/lc993279821011.tp993279842011/newMessageThread.dowebct?discussionaction=viewMessage&messageid=1068624644041&topicid=1064960719031&refreshPage=false&sourcePage=

I have also listened to the 'Fall of Man' podcast, which I think raised some interesting points about the fall story, including the idea of the fall as a metaphor for growing up and maturing, and the views different religions (such as Judaism) has on the fall as well.

I also found it interesting to hear about the origins of the story, including the names Adam and Eve, and the use of the 'Apple' and how they tie in with different ideas and languages of ancient cultures who have similar myths.

MDA1700 - Week One

In the week one lecture and seminar, we spent time looking at the different ways film can be studied from a theoretical point of view, and different ideas and studies which have had an effect on film theory.

Different ideas we looked at were Gestalt Psychology and the work of Hugo Munsterburg, the general indication of which are that film viewing is a dynamic activity in which the mind is actively piecing together and making sense of the information, which is supported by Russian Psychological experiments, in which one unrelated image was placed between a shot of a man looking off-screen, and audiences made deductions about the footage they had seen.

While some of the methods of film study I have studied before, (such as Genre, Auteurism, Historical/Cultural, Semiotics and Feminist,) several of the other types and theories we looked at i had never come across before, so I found understanding them interesting and challenging.

For the film screening part of the module, we viewed 'Modern Times' (Charlie Chaplain, 1936, U.S.).
I found the film very entertaining, and I found the social satire (of the industrial revolution, and the state of the economy and employment at that time,) very interesting, especially when considering the similar problems faced by today's economy, do I find it easier to pick upon and understand the messages Chaplain was trying to portray in the film.

Another point I found interesting was the use of sound in the film, as it was a predominantly silent film, which was made after the inclusion of sound in mainstream cinema (which I feel is also a comment on the technological advancement at that time, and perhaps Chaplain's feeling towards the technology).
For most of the film, the only spoken dialogue to be heard was the voice of the factory boss at the start, who is monitoring and communicating with his workers on the large screens, and the voice advertising the 'Lunch-Machine'. I found it interesting that the only characters with spoken dialogue (a technological advancement) at the start were those who were affiliated with technology and/or a position of power in the economy, and I feel this fits in well with the messages and satire behind the film.

BA Film: Personal Development Portfolo

Throughout the course of my BA Film degree, this blog will form my Personal Development Portfolio (PDP).
The purpose of this blog is to track my weekly progress throughout the different modules which make up the degree. The modules for the first year are:

MDA1700 - Communicating in Film: Styles and Movement
MDA1800 - Storytelling for the Screen
MDA1300 - Film Language and Production (1)
MDA1400 - Production Theory and Practise (2)

My posts will detail subjects and lesson content covered in the lectures, seminars and workshops involved in each of these modules, the work completed both in and out of seminars and workshops; and my evaluations of how I completed the task and what I think of my work and how it has progressed as I get further into the course.