Master Shot Sequence

Assignment 2a: Master Shot

FST 201 SPRING 2014

Who is in this group?

• Paige (Producer)
• Victoria (Director)
  
• Mike (Director of Photography)
• Alex (Sound)

Here is the list of ideas we brainstormed in class today:

• Prostitute and a Patron having awkward bed-talk. [comical]
• A kidnapped victim, in the trunk of a car, on the phone with a 911 dispatcher. [dramatic]
• A waiting room; a stranger having awkward conversation with a child whose mother is momentarily absent. [comical]
  
• Literally raisin bran and a park; inanimate objects conversing. [comical]
• Graveyard scene; someone mourning over a grave while a maintenance member tries to make conversation. [dramatic]
• Speed dating; an attractive girl and a "busted" man. [comical] --however, the speed dating approach has already been taken by another group.
• And maybe even a combination of these ideas in man's dream sequence while he tosses and turns in bed.
  

Our plan of action:
Once our director, Victoria, has chosen an idea for the Master Shot Sequence, we will continue on with the following tasks. Each person will choose one task and send the final PDF to the producer, Paige by Wednesday the 26th.

Tasks

1. Marked Shooting Script
   -utilize Celtx screenwriting software to download/develop skeleton script (Download Celtx Here)
   -send finalized script to the other crew members immediately after completion
   -print finalized script; mark for angles and ideas; scan into computer; save as PDF
   [-send final PDF to producer by Feb. 26th]
   
2. Storyboard
   -based on the finalized script, develop a story board (Create an Online Storyboard or check out Some Basic Tips)
   -remember: "You must include a: POV shot,  Match On Action shot, and Sight Line Shot"
   -scan completed storyboard into computer; save as PDF
   -send finalized storyboard to the crew member responsible for the overhead diagram immediately
   [-send final PDF to producer by Feb. 26th]
   
   
3. Overhead Diagram(s)
   -based on the finalized script and the finalized storyboard, create overhead diagram(s)
   - Click here for some really helpful tips! Also, check out the textbook.
   -scan completed overhead diagram(s) into computer; save as PDF
   [-send final PDF to producer by Feb. 26th]
   
4. Budget and Location; Shot List
   -I will take care of this task, since I'm the producer and I'm supposed to do this anyway.
   -based on completed script, storyboard, and overhead diagram, create a schedule/shot list
   [-combine all PDF's onto one source (flashdrive) by Feb. 27th]

For all of you: Check out this new App for digital story-boarding, overhead diagrams, shot lists, and more! It is so cool!

We are all very excited for this project, and I am confident it will go swell!

Documentary Assignment: Production

Reflection

Vox-Pops and B-roll

We shot our vox pops in the sunny, but windy downtown Wilmington on Saturday around 1pm. It was quite the adventure. We hopped right into shooting b-roll where we shot our first "documentary" assignment: the fountain in the intersection of 5th and Market. While we taught our DP how to utilize the tripod in order to gain the perfect pan, we also hoped to grab a few vox pops walking by. However, no one crossed our path in this location.
So we ventured further into downtown and decided to park at the very top of the parking garage. There, we got some great footage of downtown from above which, I must say, is beautiful! Then we got our exercise as descended the stairs into the streets. We walked a few blocks towards the boardwalk and decided it would be best to set up the sound and the camera in one place, then draw people in to be interviewed.
This decision proved to be successful.
I would lure people in, explaining to them what we were doing, then I would show them where to stand. Troy made sure they were in focus, Anthony handled sound, and Jacob, our producer, assisted both of them with the equipment. Then, when everything was ready, I interviewed them. It was a lot of fun; we got to meet new people and we got some very good answers that we can definitely use for the documentary.
Some challenges we faced:
It was kind of chilly because of the harsh winds, so a lot of people walking by were trying to get indoors and weren't very enthusiastic about standing outside any longer than they had to.
There were a lot of clouds, so we ran the risk of having shadows. We also had the sun in a lot of peoples' faces.
The camera, at some points, was out of focus because everyone moved to stand at a different distance or height from the camera.
We were surrounded by trucks, cars, trolleys, bikes, people talking, dogs barking, and children yelling. This was a challenge for sound, but, fortunately, we had a great mic and awesome sound guy, so it turned out in the end to not have been that big of a problem.
We ended up with five vox pops by the end of the day, and, being chilly ourselves, decided to wrap things up. We plan on getting a few more vox pops (better to have too much as opposed to not enough) and definitely some more b-roll. Shooting b-roll now will be much easier since we've already gotten our expert interview.

Expert Interview

We can use the interview to build a visual story and plan what sort of shots we need for b-roll. I'm definitely glad we got in the interview this early in the game.
We interviewed a man named Buckley that has been working in the Wilmington film industry for 18 years now. He let us borrow his camera to shoot the interview from two angles.
We shot the interview at Buckley's quaint little home, where I bonded with his adorable dog, Basil. It was nice to meet someone who has been in this area for so long and has plenty of knowledge about how the industry works. He had a lot to say, and we were all ears.
Since our DP couldn't make it to the shoot, Jacob and I acted as sub-DP's. I framed the primary shot, Jacob set it up, I threw out a couple options for the secondhand angle, and Jacob filmed that on handheld throughout the interview. We did the shoot in Buckley's living room, which had good natural lighting. So we only needed one of our two boxlights.
Some challenges we faced:
Buckley and his family live in an older home, meaning there were a lot of strange noises. The sink would make random sounds, the house would hum, and then there were wind chimes outside that are definitely audible. Anthony struggled with all of the ambiance, but he got the best sound that he could. And Buckley certainly helped by pausing and restarting his sentences when his sink would gurgle.

Overall

Overall, this has been a successful group project, but we still have a lot of work to do. I am very grateful for my team and can't wait to see the finished product that we're going to create together.

Doc. Assign. Pre-Production

Our Shooting Schedule

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday
Continue Editing B Roll footage	Shoot A roll and possibly more B roll Get Vox-Pops Video Editing	More A roll Expert Interview Start matching sound with picture	Video Editing	*Video Editing Finalizing	*Video Editing Finalizing

Documentary Assignment: Brainstorming

Brain Storming our Documentary

Coming Soon:

A Documentary on the struggles and successes of jobs in the Wilmington film industry.

Who will be working on this assignment?

Director/Assistant Editor: Paige
Director of Photography/Lead Editor: Troy
Sound/Sound Editor: Anthony
Producer/Assistant Sound Editor: Jacob

Interview Plan

Our approach is: "Film=Jobs in the Wilmington area."
Our vox-pops will take place in touristy downtown Wilmington on 5th and Market, next to the old fountain we shot for our last assignment.
"vox-pop:" Voice of the People (people on the street interviews)
So, What kind of questions will we ask our vox-pops?


Ice Breaker: What movies or shows do you associate with Wilmington?
1. Have you ever been involved in a shoot here in Wilmington? (If not, which one do you wish you had been a part of?)
2. Do you have any friends/family in the film industry? (What do they do/have they done?)
3. How do you feel about the film industry being a resource for jobs in the Wilmington/New Hanover area? Would you say jobs in film are a waste of time, or that film offers a lot of opportunities for jobs?

Our expert interviewer is not yet confirmed, but Jacob knows someone that would be perfect for this documentary.
For our expert, we want someone who has credentials and that is capable of providing a direct point of view on the material in our documentary. We also want someone whom we can research previous to the interview in order to ask more personal questions. So, What are we going to be asking our expert?


1. What is your name; Where did you study; What company are you a part of?
Ice Breaker: What made you want to pursue a career in film? (Tell us a story!)
2. What exactly is your job? Do you have an array of jobs, or is there an area of expertise in the industry that you find yourself fixed in? (Example: Someone who is known for his sound editing is often brought into films to be a sound editor.)
3. What part of preproduction is most important when it comes to Wilmington specifically? (Example: Location, Weather, Traffic, etc...)
4. How many applicants do you get in a month? (Or, how common are job inquiries within your company?)
5. What is the biggest challenge when finding a job in the Wilmington film industry?
6. What incentives are there to work in the Wilmington region? (What makes this area so special?)
7. What sort of resources does Wilmington have that makes it stand out in the industry?
Questions 8-9 are reserved for more personal questions that we will develop once we have our expert confirmed and we can do some research on him/her.
10. Can you tell us any horror stories, or a funny anecdote, in relation to your time working in the Wilmington film industry? (A time when all things went wrong, or an unforgettable moment in your career.)

We plan to shoot our vox-pops on Saturday, and meet with our expert on Sunday.