Indoor Interview
With this photo of the interviewee the image takes too much focus away from the subject. This is because the bannister of the stairs is shown more and you are visually attracted of the subject onto the setting. To improve this image we could have the camera closer to the subject in order to make sure they are in focus. For this type of shot the camera needs to be focused on the person. Also, both of these images break the rule of the thirds which is when the camera can't go beyond 180 degrees when filming. If you see it next to the other shot of the subject the camera switches over to the other side, this completely breaks the rule of thirds. Which wasn't what we were going for with this shot as it is not a typical convention within filming in a documentary style.
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This photo is positioned according to the rule of thirds, yet not only does this break the 180 degree rule, the subject being filmed is facing the wrong direction in the shot, with the leading room behind him instead of in front of him. On the other hand, due to the camera being close up to the subject you are attracted to look at them rather then the background (unlike the other shot) yet you still get the idea of the setting the interviewee is in. This could of been a good a good example of rule of thirds with the subjects eye nearest to the camera being in the last grid where the grid crosses over each other,
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Outdoor Interviews
Rule of thirds hasn't been taken into account in this shot as it isn't being shown, their is no rule of thirds as both the presenter and the interviewee are both in either corner of the grid and thus not illustrating rule of thirds.
We used the 180 degree rule by only filming on one side of the pair. To get this outdoor shot we had to take into account the weather, for example the suns direction, we positioned the camera and the interviewer with the perfect place to make sure no sun glares would appear in the shot or unnecessary shadows. This made sure the subjects being shot could see and allowed us to get the correct lighting for the shot to work effectively. Also, so that the interviewer wasn't squinting throughout the interview. We also, showed the a little bit of the setting in the background which can align with the focus of what the interview is about, yet it doesn't take the focus completely of the interview. We wanted the focus to be very subtle. When filming we would have to take into account sound for example the wind, to stop this we need to go to a sheltered place where the audio of the camera isn't effected. |
This is a long shot at a different location setting, we worked with the sun to our advantage by using it as light to make the image more sharp and defined. We also, wanted to have a visually pleasing backdrop so we used the building as a good focus point. However, due to the building and landscape taking up a large majority of the image the focus is drawn away from the interview. To improve this shot I would have the camera more zoomed into the people talking which will allow us to engage with them more. Also, this shot doesn't use the rule of thirds as due to both subjects who are being shot are slightly to the right of where the 'thirds' grids would be, this means this shot doesn't work with rule of thirds and doesn't look visually pleasing to the audience watching it. To improve this shot next time, I would position the pair slightly more central and not to the right of the camera in order for me to achieve the typical convention of rule of thirds
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In this shot the framing is off as the subject is closer to the camera is cut off with the left side of the frame, this makes the shot less visually pleasing.
This was a trying example of an over the shoulder shot from one person to another, we could use this amongst an interview with two people, interviewer and interviewee having a conversation. This shot has a goof depth of field (background is blurred) allowing us to focus on the interview at hand. Yet, we can still appreciate the background and gain an understanding about the setting and what type of interview will take place. We needed to stand on this side of the camera to make sure the light from the sun was shining not towards the camera as that will cause sun rays on the camera lens and disrupt the image viewed. |
This is another over the shoulder shot of the interview. Yet, I think this shot would look better if by using the rule of thirds. We could have the person being in the third grid with their eye closer to the camera and where the grids cross over. This will make the shot more visually pleasing. Also, the camera is too close to the person in the foreground. This could be fixed by zooming out a bit of the shot and the framing of the positioning of the subjects doesn't look correct. However, the background for this shot is suitable and visually pleasing to look at. The lighting in the shot works well, if we wanted more light targeted onto the subjects face we could use a reflector to direct the light where we wanted it.
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Practice Interview
YThe practice skills we learnt for example different shot types, rule of thirds and 180 degree rule, we tried to put into practice and filmed a practice interview. Yet we didn't execute the 180 degree rule correctly, as the camera switched from side to side and broke the rule completely, the outdoor may get away with it being a stylistic choice yet this isn't a typical documentary convention which wasn't the task. However, now from this we know how to perform the 180 degree successfully using equipment, We did it into two location one indoors (the media studio) and outdoors (by a creepy back of the building). Both locations had their challenges for example the outdoor we had to work with the natural light of the sun shinning into the camera of the person being interviewed, in order to get around this we filmed with the camera facing away from the sun and thus blocking it out. In the indoor interview we filmed in front of a green screen to allow us next time to add in a creepy background which relates to the topic of horror films. I may also add in other effects such as the interview being in black and white and having titles for each question being asked and finally add in B- roll footage to make the interview more engaging to the viewer watching it. . Other improvements could be sharpness and focus of the shots as some footage is blurred. Also, we could use another camera so we could get three angles instead of one and add in sound to create more impact. We also edited the two interview intertwined with each other in order for the sequence not to jolting and it to have good flow. We made sure the noise when filming was down to the minimum to get that typical convention of silence within the interview, yet we could use a microphone to make sure the voice recording is at the right volume and is clear enough. We made sure it was quiet by going to sheltered area where the wind could be stopped and cut out. To improve the sound, we could have used the audio from just the CU camera for the whole interview rather than cutting the audio along with the visuals. This would have given you a consistent audio track and given off a better effect, after this we could of used a sound score to help build tension and make the documentary better. One thing we did was well was picking a engaging setting which fit with the topic at hand, the woods related to the horror genre and thus was effective and the met the conventions of documentary's.
Suggestive questions
Introduction to Interview techniques- Suggestive
This interview followed typical conventions of the horror genre as we thought more about the props and the setting amongst the interview. We did this by showcasing our interview inside of a cinema, which is where films like horror are shown, this is good to engage the audience into the documentary and relate the scenery back to the topic at hand. We dressed our subject being interviewed into a horror film top with black clothes on to illustrate she is a fan of horror which thus further relates to the topic. However, we didn't execute the 180 degree rule correctly as the shot of our subject in the cinema keeps switching from side to side in a jumpy and non professional way, yet now I understand how to take this shot correctly. I understand how to do the rule as i want to follow the conventions of documentary by getting the filming of this shot correct. We again with the long shot showed rule of third, as the subjects eye goes through the overlapping section of where the left grid crosses one another. This helps to build a good framed shot which shows the background yet focuses on the subject. However, one of our shots on camera worked successfully on camera and the other didn't, the close up front facing of the interviewee is a very grainy shot which isn't positioned in the correct manner. This shot doesn't compliment the other and has no artificially light to brighten up the dark grainy shots. In the future we need to have both cameras on the same settings to get the same amount of exposure from both shots. On top of this the audio didn't work with the camera taking this shot reinforcing its trouble. To solve this problem we used the audio from the other camera shot and carried this along with the rest of the interview. Also, to improve I would add in a background sound score to add to the overall effect of the interview and make it more engaging and tense for the audience watching. Though this is just one interview the flow works well between shots and there isn't any jump cuts between the sequence, this makes the documentary to seem more professional and overall more pleasing.
Script and Location
I used many archive footage clips within my interview, such as:
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Horror film documentary
This is the final practice of the horror film documentary, we put all the conventions that go into the documentary into this final product. We used archive footage and b-roll and even had a presenter leading the whole of the documentary. Our presenter leading the documentary was very effective as she spoke clearly and got the message across to the audience watching it. The tracking moving shot we learnt prior to this worked effectively when shooting, especially considering we shot inside of a wood. We also created our own b-roll footage of the trees and our interviewer walking around the wood. However, in the interview we fell down the same tap with our footage not following the 180 degree rule. Our subject being filmed faced in the wrong direction as the shots changed. In the mid shot, she is placed on the wrong side of the screen for the direction she is facing and in the close up she is in the dead centre, not conforming to the rule of thirds. We now know how to make this error correct in filming and will be changing the camera set up to allow us to actually use the convention of the 180 degree rule. What worked effective in my documentary was the use of archive footage and horror films playing in the background due to green screen editing. To improve this further, I could make the clips more relevant to the subject I am talking about now for example when the subject talks about the 70s horror films I could show a clip of that. However, I did this at some point when talking about IT I showed an old clip of IT from the past to show the relevance of the clip. The conclusion was well presented by the presenter, next time I will use a sound bridge to tie it together- begin the audio of the presenter talking while the archive footage if still running and then cut back to the presenter at a key moment in the narration. This will create a better flow and make the cut less jarring. Overall, my first attempt to make a documentary using all the techniques I have learnt wasn't as successful as I wanted it to be, yet I know where my mistakes in filming and editing the documentary was, I can now work on this and make the documentary better for next time.
Evaluation
Here is my evaluation of how we put the horror documentary together, it talks about research, the equipment and technology we used and the key parts for filming indoors and outdoors to produce a high quality documentary.
How will this knowledge help you produce your first production for us?
I understand now the challenges that come from filing in different situations, for example indoor or outdoor. Outdoor you have the problem of the weather such as the sun being too bright and glaring up the screen with sun rays or effecting the narrator and you also have he wind which can effect the audio of your footage. All these factors you need to know about in order to avoid having problems when filming because you have already came up with a way to solve the problem. Also, having knowledge on conventions within documentaries is helpful as we need to know about rule of thirds and the 180 degree rule for our documentary to be successful and professional to watch. How has doing multiple interviews helped me to improve? By doing multiple interviews it gives me the chance to correct the mistakes that I have made in the last interview and keep re doing my work until its perfect. Every time I have re done the interview and documentary I have gained some more knowledge and understanding of the conventions such as rule of thirds and 180 degree rule that I need to use in my piece. |
Am I more confident in editing green screen?
I believe I am a lot more confident in editing green screens as before I even started doing the topic on documentary's I didn't know anything about green screen editing. Just by adding in a video background due to the green screen in my interview has made me very confident with the process as a whole and I now understand the steps you need to take in order to do it. It's one of those things that once you have it its really easy. How can I improve further? In my future documentary I really want to do the 180 degree rule correctly and effectively in the interview to cause an impact for the audience doing it. I know now how to do it correctly with just one person within the shot. this process took me a while to understand yet now I finally understand it. Also, in the future I want to improve my editing to be les mechanical and make the documentary flow more, I will do this by not changing shots within the interview every line, I will change when there is a suitable pause or when it seems correct. |
Narrator led Documentary |
Presenter led documentary |
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This is an example of a narrator led type of documentary, the narrator in this being Morgan Freeman. Narrators are usually used in historical or factual documentary to illustrate the information in a more informative way. This scientific documentary allows us to marvel at the cinematic shots and feel indulged in the documentary, it allows us to relax. The narrator in this, Morgan Freeman, we trust his judgement and has a lot of creditability. This makes the documentary more trusting as we listen to the 'voice of God'. This style is effective for this target audience due to it being engaging visually and trusting.
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This clip from 'Deadly 60' is an example of an presenter led style of documentary. This style is when the presenter addresses the camera and acts as if they are reaching out to the individual watching it (the audience). This makes the documentary more engaging and interactive towards the audience. We trust the presenter and believe everything what they saying is the truth. This is effective with this target audience due to the audience engaging with the audience and keeping them interested.
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