To-do List (Short film)

The to-do list.

We have got 1 and half weeks left to complete our short film and it feels we have so much left to do. We have finally decided on our main soundtrack that we have selected as a group that I found searching online. But as a group we decided that the music would change between each character. The music that we have decided is for the first character but we have yet to decide 2 other soundtracks that would suit the atmosphere of the scenerio and the character. So we have still carry our search for a soundtrack for our short film. The soundtrack that I found is a instrumental that was made by a producer in America therefore I have to email and pay the producer for the leasing rights to assure the music we are using is legit.  Music is a important element of a short film therefore we want the perfect soundtrack to complement our voice over and the piece itself.

We also have to finish writing up our script and record the voice over for our short film which could be debated the most important element to help build the narrative. We have left the voice over late but watching our piece over and over again without no voiceover allowed us to get a real understanding of the structure the voice would have to carry inorder to bring the story to life and keep the audience engaged thoughout.

We have started our tiltles for our short film. We as a group have a clear vision what we want the title to look like so we are just editing titles to our desired look. We did try many different designs and prints before but felt the other designs looked ‘cheesy’ so we stuck with our original look.

Our sequence is complete and the editing of effects are completed so we need to add music, voiceover and completed titles. I think if we nail both music and voiceover than this short film could be very strong.

Our short film follows codes and conventions of a short film as the content and storyline of the film is very niche and everyday as short film normally are based on everyday situation. Our film takes a everday scenerio and objects and show a different way to look at that common everyday situation. The way we have filmed and the types of shots we have included are very experimental and wouldn’t be seen in a typical mainstream film.

Shooting process for our short film

The filming process went very well and we was all excited about filming our 1st short film. We had to get to work straightaway so we decided to all meet up early time as we knew we had to film everything one day. We got off to a slow start but we looked upon our storyboard for guidance. once we got started we wrapped up the 1st sequence quickly but we hit a obstacle as we needed to film in a news-agents and many of them said they wouldn't allow us to film, so on the search for one that would took a while which delayed our time. When we finally found one we got to work straight away and we managed to film everything in time. We planned to film more footage but we didn't get round to doing it so we decided to call it a day. We figured not to continue filming again as we knew the continuity wouldn't be the same. We also felt our footage was strong enough at the time.

Update on editing process

17-11-10 Lesson
This lesson we tried to fix a error that we found last lesson. Were our tramp scene has a section were there isn't continuity. Therefore we tried to fix our way around so this problem could be avoided. We tried numerous effects and countless methods but found it very hard. We picked the method that looked the best, we still have to show other and see whether they notice it. If people say it defiantly noticeable then we have to change or film again but at the moment we don't have a lot of time so filming is looking less likely.
Next week wednesday we have a lesson where everyone will show each other work so this will be a great opportunity for us to get feedback and see where we could improve or add.

Editing process - The update

After logging and capturing our footage. I am fairly happy with the footage we have gathered and I see potential in making a brilliant short film.
I feel we haven't filmed enough which is a problem that we always face. Despite this I feel we got the essential footage that was required. We have pieced together a sequence that I feel has both strong and weak points about it.
A problem we are facing now is selecting the music that would suit our work the most and getting the script together to tell the story effectively. We have browsed around for music but we all feel that each soundtrack is lacking something so we are still on the search.
We finally realize that the narrator has to be spot on for this piece to work so that our main focus. At the moment we have the full sequence that needs to be tightened so that the continuity is perfect. We have limited amount of footage so we are considering to film again.
Overall I'm happy with what we have so far and with a lot of work we can create something special.

Powerpoint for Short film