Introduction into editing

Today I was introduced to an editing software called Adobe Premiere Pro CC, a software that is used by professional editors in the film industry. I had used this program to edit the preliminary task, the whole layout of it becomes fairly basic and simple to use the more you use it and explore it in general. There is a large variety of things that you could do with this software, you could edit audio, add effects, cut snippets and lots more. 

Here is the overall layout of it:

There are different functions that Adobe Premiere Pro can do, for example, you would start off with uploading the material onto your computer and syncing it to Adobe. Then, you would go through the material and make a folder on the top left of the screen, called 'rushes'. This makes it easier for you to identify the snippets or cuts that you want to use, whereas, there was another folder called 'bin' that had all of the clips in. So, every clip that you would find, you would just drag it into the rushes folder. Afterwards, you would drag the clips that you are intending to use into the 'Timeline Panel', if it makes it easier for you, you could use different tabs to divide your story into different sections and then you could merge them altogether. When you are editing you will probably be using the plus and minus buttons a lot in order to zoom in or out of the sequence. You would use this in order to cut clips accurately and it would help focus on the different clips being used. 

You could also adjust audio files and add effects to the clips. There are two different types of tracks, there is standard tracks which means that you can use different types of audio tracks on the same audio track. Whereas, there are also adaptive tracks that could be something like multichannel mono audio tracks. 

Below is a website that has keyboard shortcuts that have helped my prelim group and I explore the program.

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/default-keyboard-shortcuts-cc.html

Camera Lesson 2

During our second lesson Matt gave us freedom on the type of action that we wanted to shoot. In the beginning he showed us quickly how to film an action sequence, this included him coming up to a chair, picking up a small motorcycle, putting it down and walking away. This was purely for us to get use to the different shots that we could use and how later on how to edit a quick sequence like that. After, we got split into groups of three and we started brainstorming ideas of what action we wanted.

My group and I ended up using the toy motorcycle as well, we had an actor, director and camera man. During the process we rotating the jobs in order for everyone to get a taste of each and overall we ended up finishing in about 30 minutes. The whole sequence consisted of an actor walking along as he spots a toy motorcycle, he then go's to pick it up and stares at it, then he puts it back and walks along. We assumed that if we edited it, that it would only be like 15 seconds. We used the 180 degree rule, as it is an essential tool for film and we had learnt that the previous lesson, so we were able to apply it to this small sequence.

First camera lesson

On Friday the 18th of September my class had our first professional camera lesson. We started off by setting up the tripod and making sure that the spirit levels were balanced on the top part of it, this is so that the angle of the camera isn't crooked when filming. After making sure that the tripod is in place and the locks on the legs are secure, we were able to go onto the camera work. In our lesson we used three different types of cameras the Canon 5D, Sony FS100 and Sony NX5. The Canon 5D is particularly good for shooting high quality movies or scenes. The Sony NX5 is used in news interviews and immediate filming, due to the fact that all you have to do is take it out of the case, turn it on and it will be ready for filming immediately. Whereas, with the two other cameras you need to put it together and make sure that it is set up for your using. After setting the cameras up on the tripod we were able to control the zooming, saturation and use the white balance.
I learnt that it is very important to use the white balance whilst filming from the inside to outside, as the colours of the trees and the surrounding don't get portrayed in the way we see them with our eyes. We do this by focusing the camera on a white balance and then we had to press the 'WHT BLNC' button, after this you start filing your scene. It was very useful to learn the basics of each of these camera's as it gave me knowledge and understanding on how to simply use a professional camera.

Dead Man's Shoes Review

In the Dead Man's Shoes the editing varied substantially. The scenes cross fade into the memories, or so called flashbacks, that the brothers had when they were children. The transition from reality to memory creates a longing suspense and arousal of interest. The memories were made like old home style videos and they made this by adding a grainy effect to them. This primarily contrasted with the filming of the two brothers walking into the distance, as we could see that the director wanted to focus the audiences’ attention on their journey together, and how they are inseparable. The title was enforced to be quite large as it is one of the key factors of the opening sequence, whereas the editors and producers names were less emphasised.

The long shots in this opening sequence portray isolation and loneliness, they show contrast from them being surrounded by their loved ones to complete empty casual scenes. There were a lot of very long shots used, as the producer wanted us to see the contrast between the two different types of scenes being used. The very long shots were used to show the landscape and their surroundings, evidently they also focused the audiences attention on the emptiness of the shot itself. Also, a couple of medium long shots were used, but throughout the whole current sequence we were unable to see the brothers' faces. The home footage included close ups, medium shots and medium close ups, it gave a very personal feel to the videos. This was very different to the shots that were set outside with the grown up brothers.

The music in the sequence is slow and sad, it juxtaposes one of the flashback scenes as in it the people are so happy and are enjoying each others company. The song itself is an acoustic western American song and it is non-diegetic. The song makes the audience sympathise as we see the contrast between the flashback footage and the current footage of them heading somewhere.

The mise en scene varies in the opening sequence; it starts off with a bright light that suggests that it's a new life. The lighting is gloomy so this implies that the movie could be a drama, as there are no bright colours attracting attention. Although, the old footage is primarily bright, which implies that life use to be alot more positive than the present. There were a couple of props used in the old footage; it suggests that the brothers could have come from a well-established family/household. Another juxtaposition was encountered when the establishing shots faded from the old footage to the current footage. We can clearly see through their facial expressions that life was alot happier and joyful in the old footage and in the current footage we see how the two men only have each other. As well, one of the brothers is always following the supposedly older one. In the home style videos we see the two boys together not leaving each other’s side and the exact same thing is portrayed in the current scene.

Overall, the opening leaves the audience with many hints and leading questions. The two brothers are unbreakable but we see how their family fizzled out of their lives. We assume that they are on a journey to some place forbidden or a place close to their hearts. It is difficult for the audience to be able to relate with the two brothers as we don't see their faces, but the music implies that it is very likely for this movie to end up being a drama.

Review for opening sequence of 'Sexy Beast'

Sexy Beast

We watched the opening of the Sexy Beast by Jonathan Glaze during our class session. I found that the opening sequence itself wasn't that interesting and it didn't exactly tie me in as a viewer. However, the sequence had a good portrayal of the main character, it showed some of his attitudes and the mise en scene added background information on the guys' status.

The whole scene started off with the guy narrating, we see this guy that is in his mid-forties that is lying on a sun bed all oiled up with sun tan lotion. We get this instant idea that he is a rich guy as he is laying down by such a large nice pool and is wearing speedos and a chain necklace. The whole situation that this guy is in gives us the impression that the movie is going to be based around his life. After the man sits up, they pan and show a clearer image of what is surrounding him, this includes the young boy that is cleaning the pool. This also indicates that the guy can afford to hire a person who could do all of his dirty work for him. In between getting shots of the guy laying on the sun bed and his summer mansion, there is a cut to a woman driving in a convertible. There is an assumption that she is driving to this guy. Towards the end of the sequence, when the titles were already finished, we get a POV of a huge rock that is tumbling down and nearly hits the man, but instead it ended up going into the pool. Personally, there is a mild disliking from what we've seen of the character and it makes me think that I wouldn't have minded if it hit the guy. This main character is so arrogant and up himself, that he managed to get hid servant/pool guy to jump into the pool and try and get the rock out. The sequence itself gives an inside into the attitude that this character has and also gives a bit of background information about his status and style of living.

Introduction

Hi my name is Dasha Amanda Koenig and I am half American and half  Ukrainian, currently living in Kyiv, Ukraine. I have a large family that consists of six members. I am currently taking A levels at Hurtwood House that specialize in psychology, media studies, sociology and business. I hope to go to the University of California, Los Angeles as it has outstanding facilities and business program. Over the summer of 2015 I worked as an intern for Ukraine’s Veterans Association as an assistant to my boss. It was really important for me to help my community as it has been in a really bad state for the past two years. There is a war happening right now in the east of Ukraine and it has effected a lot of people’s lives as the economy crashed and all the prices have risen. It has been a really tough two years for Ukraine. I was trying to give back to the community as much as I possibly could by working for the government and by setting up a plan for the reconstruction of the rehabilitation centres in Kyiv Oblast. Some of my hobbies are traveling, playing volleyball, water skiing, playing the guitar and singing. I enjoy listening to pop, indie rock, lounge and electronic music. I used to go to a dancing, singing and acting school and I think this probably led me to media studies as it is important for a musician and actress to know what exactly happens behind the scenes and because media is the future, I feel as if it is an important subject to have.