Editing the Footage

Day 1: 

To start with we had to log and transfer all the files from the camera into our chosen software: Final Cut.

We chose this software because it can manipulate footage and allow to add sound in to a very high quality. After doing this we had to decide which shots were the best ones and sequence them onto the timeline, we do this by inputting "in's" and "out's" on each clip and dragging them into the sequence, this is particularly important for timing for the match on actions.

From studying the shots we have identified several problems:

• Significant camera wobble in the alarm shots, could signify first person narrative of Dave shuffling as he awakens. Or could re-shoot. 
• Continuity with the kitchen shot, in that the milk wasn't there and then it suddenly was, though this can be explained by the time lapse between the shots, and omitted events.
• It's too long.
• Lighting changes of different days of filming, this will be less evident due to the dulling filter.
• It is suddenly raining on the shot of Dave entering the office. Maybe re-shoot as just an establishing shot.

And have also identified many things that need doing:

• A filter needs to be placed over the shots.
• The soundtrack needs to be accurate and not contain the crew talking in the background, foley needs to be implemented, as well as ambient noise.
• Credits and ident needs to be created and put in.
• 5:30 it says "FAO Gemma" in the corner. There are also baby pictures in the back. An explanation for this point and the former is that Dave's life is so bad he doesn't even get his own desk.

After sequencing a large proportion of the film, we researched how to go about creating a "video filter", an effect of which we planned to use in our production. We also researched the connotations of colours.

Studying colorology, we found blue to be the least emotionally intact colour, as is states above it is more about intellect "as opposed to emotionally warm colours like red, orange and yellow." so we have decided to use a blue filter over our film, we also think that it should be less saturated so as to make his life appear monotonous and dull. Another idea we discussed was to have a hint of purple, as this is ironic for purples connotation of "royalty", in which Dave wishes he was rich, and this could connote his personality.

We researched how to place a filter in the film:

After putting the filter on we decided to finish sequencing the next day.

Day 2:

There were occasions when we had filmed the same shot a few times just in case and we had to decide which would be the best, this meant watching the shots and trialling them out in the sequence. 

After getting the whole film in order we gave it a silent preview (as we hadn't finished the sound) and checked things over,  we reconsidered the filter colour and slightly changed the hue so that it was less vivid, we prefer the newer colour as it looks dull and has a grey influence in it. 

Day 3:

To make the soundtrack we used software called "Soundtrack Pro".

A high proportion of the sound from the original film has been removed so we can place our own sound in, upon visiting locations we recorded ambience to use in the shots as background noise, and this is what we sequenced in first, making sure every scene that needs it has ambience, and that the transitions are well-timed.

After putting this layer down, we began applying foley to the film, the foley mostly includes typing, walking and sighing, and so by manipulating the automation we created a realistic foley track. Some sounds had to be salvaged from the original as we couldn't find relevant foley for it, and the original is always the most believable. We recorded sighs; phone alarms, and head-butting the table in using our sound recording kit to make it more realistic.

For the outdoor scenes and the house scenes, we went to the appropriate location and recorded ambience shots using the sound recording kit.

Day 4:

Today we edited the shot of the Dave wipe, the hand suddenly comes into shot due to the transition between shots, so we stretched the shot by 120% so the hand was out of shot. We also cut the length of several shots as they dragged on too much.

We made adjustments to the soundtrack by adding a heartbeat sound during the dream sequence as it makes a difference to the clock noise in the office shots, we also make the clock sounder louder in the office so as to emphasise the monotony of his life, the loud clock in the foreground resembles the simple and monotonous rhythm of his life.

Day 5:

As we have nearly finished, all we had to do today was minor adjustments to clip lengths and adjusting the sound so that it matches the film, for example the typing needed to be spliced and moved around to match his keystrokes. We clipped the end off some shots to make the morning scenes quicker as they dragged on too much.

We also created the ident for the film today and added sound to it, then placed it into the film.

Shooting on Location Diary

Day 1

On the first day of shooting we filmed in an office. We aimed to shoot all of the office scenes in this day, but this was surprisingly time-consuming, and we only managed to film the scenes of him at the desk. This went well and we didn't really encounter many problems. The lighting kit worked fine on it's own so we didn't need to use a reflector as we could clearly see Rio and it gave the effect of the bright fluorescent lights that are typical in offices. 

To be more productive we could have stayed on task more, and done the shots in a non-chronological order to allow us to not have to move the equipment so much.

The next time we shoot, we plan to finish all of the scenes in the office, which primarily consist of the scenes that take place in the office kitchen and the scenes of him printing off the money and leaving the office.

Day 2

A few days after shooting the first scenes in the office, we came back to complete the rest of the office scenes. It again was time consuming and took us all day, but we managed to finish. Because of the fact that the office is underground, it wasn't really an issue that filming carried on until it was dark, as the lighting kit was enough to make it look like daytime. Again we didn't encounter any major problems, the only difficulty we had was sometimes knowing where to place the camera for the best shot, but that was only minor and was easily solved. 

The next scenes will take place in Ryan's house and on a train, and they will be completed next week, which will also complete our filming.

Day 3 

In the time between this filming  and the last session, we found out that we had lost all of our footage from the first time we filmed. Our teacher purchased recovery software but unfortunately the data was corrupt, so we had to reshoot all of "Day 1"'s office shots. We booked the reshooting for the following Tuesday.

There were several difficulties on todays film agenda, though it went very smoothly. My job was to provide transport from train stations so I was not a part of the "getting on the train" and "on the train" shots, however I helped frame the scene of Dave walking to the train station, I then drove to the next station that they would end up at to pick the crew and cast up and return them to the next shooting location, the house.

A challenge that we faced was the positioning of the camera in the scenes where it was a close-up of the phone alarm. It was our intention to have a close up of the alarm, but it made it slightly more challenging as the tripod had to be placed on the bed and held, so that the shot wouldn't be tilted or shaky.

To improve on today's filming, we could have set out an hour earlier as unfortunately due to it being winter, the natural light faded very quickly and so we had to resume filming the next morning.

Day 4

Me and Rio (our actor) filmed the remaining few shots of entering the office, and leaving the house, one problem was the rain, however we decided that due to England's unpredictable weather this would be appropriate in our film, and also could reflect and foreshadow Dave to having a "bad day". The other problem was reflections in the glass and handle of our original idea of Dave leaving the house, therefore after due consideration we changed the shot to a close-up of Dave's foot leaving the house.

Day 5 (Re-shoot)

Today went very smooth, we planned every re-shot and sequenced them by order of rooms, this meant we could batch film the shots in non-chronological order and edit the footage after, we did however have to be really careful of continuity, fortunately Dave's costume does not change. 

We struggled with one scene of Dave walking out the front door with all the money, and also dropping a £10 note into the near-focus of the camera, after many shots we finally got the right one though it took up a lot of our time, we believe this creative decision will benefit our final product.

The next step will be to upload and edit the footage, adding in sound, transitions, and timing the match-on-actions.

Preparing for the Shoot

To prepare for the shoot we made sure we had to take with us:

• A printed risk assessment.
• Dave's Costume.
• The filming equipment; (A fully charged camera, tripod, tripod adapter, 3-point lighting kit, external monitoring kit, small and large reflector).
• Printed storyboard for reference.
• Laptop with animatic on.
• A printed script for the actor.
• All necessary props per location.
• Train timetable.

To ensure we could get the filming equipment we booked it out using the school's booking system.

Also we notified our actor in advance the days we would be shooting, so that he can make sure he is available. We have informed the owner of the office we will be filming in of the dates and times we plan to be there, as well as the house location.

We are now moving on to the shooting stage.