CPR Final Film

Final Film

CPR Evaluation

Evaluation

The aim of this project was to explore the theme 'uncanny' and produce a set and the use special and visual effects to create a one minute piece. Our idea resembles Alice and Wonderland as it is about a tea party and plays with the idea of scaling and having people being different sizes in the same setting, creating an uneasy and unusual feeling for the viewer. 

After researching the uncanny and coming up with a lot of results that reminded me of horror films, my initial idea of what the uncanny was, was that it had to be dark and scary. I liked the idea of using the same person but as different people or as a mirror image that comes to life as I found the scene from the Shining with the twin girls very unnerving and would allow us to experiment with green screen and overlapping shots with the same person filmed on their own separately and then interacting with 'themselves'. I also liked the idea of having one of them completely normal and the other (possibly their reflection coming out of a mirror) being really unusual and behaving weirdly and having makeup on their face that was really weird, and would make the viewer uncomfortable. I had this idea after researching make up on Instagram and following some people such as Stephanie Fernadez and 'luvkat' who I have followed for a while and realised that they provided inspiration for this project. I love that they have a theme and then just over exaggerate their makeup and use special effects such as prosthetics so they can create a stitched effect and using contacts to make their eyes a different colour. This was something I wanted to use in the project, and would cover the special effect requirement.

After creating a group and sharing ideas, we decided to go with Amy's idea of a tea party with someone trapped inside a teapot and climbing out as Susannah was keen for us to experiment with scaling, and we as a group were keen to stray from the obvious idea of creating a dark and dingy set and this idea gave us the chance to create something pristine yet still fitting the uncanny brief. We initially tried to blend as many ideas we each had as possible (Dani wanted blood down the walls, I wanted to use makeup) but this changed along the way. We set about creating a Facebook group to share our ideas and thoughts about the set and possible props we could use, here are some of the screenshots I sent in of things I had researched;

This was my thought for the set after we first had a meeting and discussed that we wanted it to be very bright and colourful;

I liked the idea of using lots of clocks to confuse the viewer more, and painting a big one on one walk, on top of wallpaper as we had to combine both elements in the set design. I also thought we should make it look really girly and quaint but in a sickly-sweet kind of way to make the viewer feet weird.

The group liked the idea and we did end up creating something fairly similar, we incorporated the clocks and the stripes on one wall, and for the wallpaper I thought it would look good if we created the effect that whoever lived there got bored easily and changed things but was also very erratic and not completely sane, so they would wallpaper over and then Chang ether mind and rip patches off revealing old wallpaper underneath, and with the stripes we wanted to use lots of colour and have them different sizes again playing on the indecisiveness of the character who lived there and the changing behaviours they have. We incorporated the classic idea of a tea party with the cups and saucers but made sure we got ones that didn't match and weren't put together properly with their matching pair, and we bought fake flowers to attach to the walls to make it busy and we painted the clocks different colours and patterns as well as more saucers that were plain white and then hung them along with bird cages to create one big cluttered set that didn't have a focus point for the viewer so they were constantly looking around at the different elements of the set. 

We did want to add pictures of our own the the frames on the walls but found that we just ran out of time. I wanted to use the makeup side of things to add another thing for the viewer to look at and spent time practicing on myself and my friend and too. Pictures which Chris then edited in Photoshop to make they brighter and the colours more intense but we just didn't have the time in the end to use them in the set which was a shame. We also didn't get to do the makeup for the shoot properly which was annoying as I had done a lot of research into it and bought some face paint to use and we didn't get to make the most of it, and it would of improved the final film.

The process of filming went fairly smoothly, as did finishing off our set. We all worked together on different parts of the project so we all got to try the different elements of Art Direction which was good because none of us had tried it before and I feel like because we worked well as a team we were able to do this and not have specific roles. We also worked well together on the project because we were all behind the idea and liked working on it which is definitely important in creating something that is good in the end - if you don't like the project itself you won't put as much effort into the process. 

Dani ended up volunteering to actually be on camera in the film, we sort of failed to communicate as a group who was actually going to be in the film which was annoying! But it worked out in the end as Dani didn't mind being in it. Amy and I were behind the camera setting up the shots and directing Dani while Harry set up the lighting for the shots. We only got a few angles of the set itself with Dani in it which we probably should of made more use of as we took it down afterwards; we didn't actually storyboard the piece which was of detriment to us as we just made it up on the day what shots we would get, and we could have done with more cutaways to use in the edit. 

For the greenscreen shoot, we managed (with Susannah's help) to recreate the 'spout' of the teapot for Dani to climb up, and we got the right shots to use, the only problem in the edit was that her legs moved rather than being straight as she was supposed to be sliding out and so it made it difficult to mask in the edit, and we didn't have a shot of her falling into the cup - although i'm not sure how we would have actually got this in the greenscreen room, but we should have planned for this and come up with an alternative option. Another issue was with the GoPro, the first time we were meant to use it to film in the teapot it had no charge, and then when we charged it and used it we didn't cover up a red flashing light it had on the front so it was visable on the ceramic and showed up in the footage; we would have seen this if the app for it was working on my phone but for some reason the camera wouldn't sync. We did, however film it again and we were able to use the footage as we covered up the light with bluetac and made sure we got a few shots to choose between.

Editing was difficult as none of us (apart form Chris) was familiar with editing greenscreen footage and that whole process, but Harry seemed to pick it up pretty quick, and although we all got to try it in the session with Susannah, Harry seemed the most competent so he took over that technical side of things while we all sat around and told him what we wanted to achieve.

Overall, I am happy with the project because we were all so new to the whole process of set building and editing on after effects and none of us had tried to do scaling etc so based on that I thought we did really well and worked well as a team. There are things I would change such as make-up, and the edit could have been smoother and we could have got better greenscreen footage, but considering the level we are at with the software, I think we did the best we could and I am proud of our groups efforts and final project.

CPR Examples of Scaling

Examples of Scaling

Alice In Wonderland

This is an obvious example as our project is similar because of the Mad Hatter's tea party and that she goes really small and really big but it wasn't a concsious connection when Amy had the original idea, it was only when I said it was like Alice she realised the similarity. This story has been recreated in cartoon and film and show the difference in her size after she eats the cake and drinks the potion;

Honey I Shrunk the Kids

Again an example of scaling in film;

Grampa in My Pocket

This is a childrens television prgramme but uses the same idea;

CPR Editing

Editing

Editing was difficult as only Chris was familiar with the programme and the process of masking and greenscree etc so it was a learning curve for the whole group to go through the different aspects of how to use it. Harry seemed to understand it well so he took a lead in actually using the software. 

Heres an example of what I managed to acheive in the session with Susannah's help and the notes I made about the buttons and changes I made;

CPR Green Screen Session

Green Screen Session

Today we were back in the workstation but in the greenscreen room and we needed to film Dani as if she was inside the teapot and then her falling out and then her standing up in the cup she had 'fell in'.

We started with a wide shot of Dani asleep on the floor and the standing up as if she didn't know where she was and was exploring her surroundings trying to climb up the sides and then seeing the light (the spout) and climbing towards it. We managed to fashion a slope out of stairs and lots of cushioning so Dani could climb up it without it obviously looking like stairs, and it wasn't high so she could fall off the end as if she was leaving the spout. 

We then spun the stairsa round and filmed on a side angle so we could use it against the wide shot of the set and make it look like she was coming out of the spout from the outside. 

The last shot we got was on her standing up and looking round and the focusing on one point and looking up and scared. This was so we could use it with a mask in front of a cup and make it look like she had fell in and was standing and surveying the set and then realising she was seeing a big version of herself.

CPR First Filming Session

First Filming Session

We were first to film so we realised that since we had some final dressing of the set to do we didn't really leave ourselves enough time for the application of the makeup and we didn't actually decide who was going to be in it so Dani volunteered and Amy put some makeup on her while Harry, Chris and I added the flowers to the walls and used the small saucers that had been painted in a sort of mobile, tieing them with string and hanging them front a piece of wood over the corner of the set. Again, this was all to make the audience not know where to look because there would be so much going on and so much to look at. 

Harry set up the lights while Amy and I positioned the camera. We only wanted to get a couple of wide shots from one angle and hold it for a long amount of time to make it easier in the edit to use because we would be adding the smaller version of Dani. We got a couple of close-up shots of Dani's face, in hindsight this would have really emphasised the makeup had we had the time to really do it properly, and we got a couple of cloe-up shots around the set that we could use as cutaways.

We also had to use a Go Pro to film inside the teapot so we could use it in the edit to add to the greenscreen footage we will film next week. We put it in a teacup too and filmed Dani in the set from that angle so as to give the effect little Dani was looking at her and that was what was being captured but after reviewing the footage not only was it too low but there was a red flashing light on the front on the GoPro that you could see reflected on the ceramic. We plan to refilm inside the teapot again next week when we film the greenscreen stuff and just tape up the light. 

CPR Second Set Session

Second Set Session

During the second session in the workstation we decided to add more lines in more colours to the stripes wall and Amy and Dany started to paint the clocks in lots of colour and patterns, and Harry and I went to Wilkinsons where we bought 4 teacups and saucers as well as lots of fake flowers in different colours to use somewhere around the set. I had material at home that i brought to use on the table. When we got back from the shop we helped painting some clocks and picture frames and then decided where to put them on the wall and added nails ready for when the paint was dry.   

Here are some photos from the day;