Video Production – Game Trailer’s Evaluation

Task

Once we have required all the footage that we needed. My group was ready to edit the film. Since we need what we were editing, we started cropping the raw footage and start putting it in a sequence so that we can see how the film would look like during the draft version.

Even though we have filmed the footage at day, I had the knowledge of how to adjust the colour scheme in Premiere Pro and I was using the Lumeric Effect to go from day to night. I was making sure that I was changing the saturation of the colour to dark as that was the theme of the trailer. Then when I was doing the graph editor and since the colour blue links with the night time, I made sure that I tint the footage with the colour blue so that it looks very realistic. My group was very happy with the appearance of the trailer and when it gets to the tweaking stage, we can make the footage slightly darker.

When the Course Leader came around to check our work, he was very pleased with it, however, he mentions that if we get more footage, it will boost the quality of the trailer and will make an impact of the game itself. I was willing to do that but the cameraman and the art director were busy on the 30/1/19 so myself, the director and the actress will have to go and film on that day. I will have to be the cameraman as I had some experience from the last project.

For the role of actor, I felt like I have put the effort that was required for this trailer and the character that I was playing was sufficient and menacing towards others. When looking back at the footage, it was a shame that there was not enough screen time with the makeup applied to me as it was scary and bloody. The makeup was amazing and I really proud of myself and the makeup artist as it gave the confidence to play my role. If I were to do anything differently for the role of the actor, I would express my body expression more to give it a dramatic effect on the film. I know my role for the cameraman was short and I was for that role for one day, I believe that I used my time effectively and I made sure that I got the shots needed for the film. If I were to improve as a cameraman, I would make sure that I had different angles of the shots to enhance the quality of the film.

When everyone has reviewed the film, they all liked the film and said that it was very good.  The duration of the film was timed perfectly and how everything portrays was good. The soundtrack was spot on and felt like the intensity was suitable and you can tell how action starts to build up along the way. However, there are some errors that needed to be fixed, when Actor 2 (Euan) was on the floor with the bear trap, there was no sound effect so it would ruin the realism of the trailers. Also, when Actor 1 runs from her hiding spot where the Killer had checked the area, there was no sound effect when the girl was falling and hurt her leg which will leave the audience not understanding what has just happened to the girl. I do want to input that there is some of the footage that can be cut out as they’re too long and they are not needed for the film. Finally, the music for the trailer may have been too loud for the other sound effect to appear on the screen and it can be very difficult for the audience to notice these small details. Next time when I am part of a film project, I need to make sure that the sound has been implemented correctly and that it is double checked thoroughly and notice that if there is any footage that needs to be cut down early.

Conclusion

Once we have looked back at the film and once we are happy with it, we were ready to export the film. From my perspective, the way that I played the Killer was very realistic and since I know I can be a very serious person, I used that for my advantage and it really boosts the real-life version of the game. I was really happy with the group contribution and we planned everything for the game trailer and I would be happy to work in this group again. If I were to change anything about this film, I would make sure that I would get different angles to the footage to boost the quality of the film and make different storyboards so that we have a better chance of selecting a story that we can go along with the trailer.

 

Video Production – 30/1/19

Whilst we were editing, we show our teachers and presented a small teaser of our film. Our feedback was that it was good but it loses its momentum with some of the scenes and we needed to add an extra scene to boost our grades. This time, I was acting as the cameraman as the previous cameraman was busy on that day and we needed to get that footage as soon as possible. It was not going to take long to film the footage and apply the editing. When I was using the camera, I realise that I had to be careful with the surrounding and I had to ensure that the camera is still and the footage was clear to use.

These were the shots that were needed for the footage …

• New still establishing of sky shot
• Pov running shot
• Close up of euan distressed on the floor
• Bear trap close enough
• Extreme close up of leigh scared for her life with the killer.

Video Production – 19/1/19 & 20/1/19

Task

During the weekend, my group decided to film all the footage that we needed for the film. On the 19/1/19, we filmed the majority of the film without the killer scene as the makeup would take a long time to put on. Even though I was the actor, I helped guided where the camera should be and looked around the area where we could possibly film at. The director really liked the choices that I made for the camera position and I really felt like I have contributed to the group. For the next day, however, will be very painful as I will be shirtless in the cold and the temperature will most likely to be around -2 to 3 degrees.

On 20/1/19, the makeup artist has arrived and started to proceed to apply makeup on. The process took around 4 hours to make and if I were to redo the footage, it would mean that I would have to wait for the makeup and suffer in the cold. When I was acting, I would often do exercise to keep myself warm. I was encouraging the actors to keep their motivation up during the cold. Once it has reached 4 pm, we all went home and ensure that we have all the footage to a folder so that we can proceed to edit.

Video Production – 20/12/18

On this date, we decided to make the props in the director’s house. I managed to bring in the materials that we needed to make the props which were cardboard, newspaper, PVA glue and paints. First of all, we needed to make the shape of the props and we decided to do the cleaver and the bear trap.

For the cleaver, we drew out the form of the weapon and made sure it was a realistic size from the game. Even though the director said he wanted the weapon to be smaller, I would disagree as it would ruin the effect on the trailer and it wouldn’t be as scary if it was smaller.

Once we have cut out the shape of the cleaver, we apply the PVA glue and start using newspapers on the cleaver so that once it is dry, we can paint over it. During the process of making the cleaver, we starting to produce the bear trap and started by making different strips of length. Once we have made the strip, we have painted over without applying PVA glue and newspaper because it will be only hardly be seen on the camera and it will blend from the background.

 

Picture

Conclusion

Since we had to wait for the props to dry and it was getting late and we had to be home at a certain time. For the props, we had realised the handle was wobble and we needed to make it stronger. Next time that we meet up, we may use clay to cover one side so that the cleaver does not wobble. For the bear trap, we need to figure out one of the actor’s leg measurement to determine if we need to cut some part of the bear trap and also put it together.

Video production – 9/12/18

I was with my group during the weekend and we decided to scout an area that would be a suitable choice for our game trailer. Since Dead by Daylight was based on an exterior area and some would focus on a forest-based theme, we decided to look into parks and abanded places.

As we were searching into abanded places on the internet, we have come to the conclusion that it was not a good idea as some of the places was too far away and some of the places are public areas and we want an area that is public but not many people go towards that direction.

Instead of abandoned places,  we looked into parks that were close to our location and it has some forest area that we can film.  We decided we should check out Wimbledon Park as it is the middle where our crew members are and everyone can get there easily. Once we got there, we started scouting. The park has an open area which we could use for an establishing shot if we needed to. Once we got to the forest area, that’s when things get interesting.

In the forest area, there are so many opportunities that we can do which can be beneficial for our scene and maybe applying some effects. There is a downfall to the location. Originally, we were going to film it dark but the forest would be pitch black and we would not see the footage of the film. Therefore, we are planning to do it during the day.

Pictures

Conclusion

In the end, we have decided that we are going to film in Wimbledon Park and we thought it was a good decision, The only problem that we are going to have is the weather but we shall check it during the week if it alright to film or not.

Video Production – Ideas Development

The Wolf Among Us

A Wolf Among Us is a telltale game which introduces the big bad wolf, Bigby. Bigby was assigned to an investigation of a murder case in the town of Fables. Bigby must find the mystery in Fable of who has been killing mistresses.

Why I have chosen this game?

Whilst you are watching the trailer, the game does not have any overwhelming special effects and the actor seem like normal people expect with some modification on their facial expression but that does not apply to all the characters. I personally believe that it is easy to make as along as with we use the correct camera shots and make the actor create tension towards the audience so that they are interested in this mystery story. Also, it is similar to real life world so we do not have to use the special effect but if we chose to use some effect, we can make the character eye’s glow up to indicate that something is going to happen to that character.

Characters

 

Bigby

 

 

Bigby is a serious character who tends to get reckless and get into trouble. He always wears formal clothing but the way that he dresses shows that he does not care.

• Black tie
• White shirt
• Black trouser

Snow White

Snow is a caring woman but she is very serious about her job. She works with Bigby in the investigation of Faith’s Death.

• Formal clothing

Faith

Faith was killed at the beginning of the game and by that, she holds a mystery to this town. Her last encounter was with Bigby.

• Black Skirt
• A revealing dress ( In the production stage, I would rearrange the outfit for this character)

Use of Camera Shots

Medium shots – To captivate the actor’s movement and to see if there is any action towards this. The reason why I am saying as well is that in the game trailer, they use a lot of medium shots.

Close up – I believe it is important for the audience to see the facial expression of the actor so the audience has a better understanding of what is happening in each scene.

Wide Shot – To view where the actor is going and depending on the music can create a dramatic effect on the scene.

Lightening

Perhaps we shall have a light dimmed lightening for some of the scenes to give it a mysterious mood to or to give someone the highlight on that scene.

Soundtrack

In the soundtrack, it shows how dark the music is and the beat is very slow which could indicate that the story will take its time to understand. The ominous string instruments could suggest that there is a danger along of Bigby’s investigation.

A dark ominous that uses string instruments that will tell the audience that the game has a dark side of it but also mysterious. Perhaps later in the post-production, we can change the style of the music depending on the scene but only if we all decided that we want a change of music.

Special Effect

We might add some VFX applied on Bigby’s eyes as the game trailers showed that his eyes glowed up and we could implement it into our game trailer.

Props

• Fake hatchet
• Ciggerates
• Fake Gun

Location

• Street
• A dark room ( Someone could be investigating someone)
• Front of an apartment
• Library
• Alleyway

How am I going to make a trailer using that game?

We could have the main character interrogating someone and each time they asked a question, it goes back to a flashback to what is happening in this situation.

Until Dawn

Until Dawn is a horror adventure game which allows the player to select their choices carefully. A bunch of friends decided to go on a little reunion after the year of their friend’s death. Once they get there, they knew that something weird was happening. They need to get out of there but someone is there waiting to kill them.

Why I have chosen this game?

The reason why I have chosen this game as the game uses motion capture to record real-life expression on people and since they are using real-life people, we could use that to our advantage to our game trailer. Also, we could use any forest area as the game is based around a cabin and a forest. Finally, when we are making the game trailer, we do not need to have the exact people because if you see the live action trailer, you do not see any of the characters which are from the game.

Characters

They are a bunch of character that many people are used for the trailer. The characters are:

Josh

Jessica

Ashley

Mike

Sam

Emily#

Beth

Matt

Chris

All seems to be wearing casual clothing and some has even accessories to identify themselves.

Use of Camera Shots

Longshot  – This could be very effective as you could be watching from the killer’s perspective and the victims do not realise where the killer is. It can also show that the victim feels alone in the forest which can bring tension if the camera is heading towards the victim.

Close up – We can see the killer before it kills the victims and it can suggest on the appearance of the killer that people should be scared of.

POV – Depending on the movement of the camera, we can tell how the person is feeling without seeing their facial or body expression but how are viewing the world from their perspective.

Lightening

We might need to use low key lighting to show that the mood is dark and the scene can be powerful if the lightning is used correctly.

Soundtrack

In the live action trailer, it played a low whistle following up by a minor scale piano piece. It starts to build up whenever there is tension and it restarts again when the girl is choosing her path. The way they did this made sure that the audience feels unease and be aware of their surrounding.

I want to create that same effect on the game trailer. Perhaps I should produce some minor scale and put them into Logic Pro X so that the soundtrack is original and it does not get any copyright.

Special Effect

We may not use any special effect for this trailer.

Props

• Killer’s mask
• Knife
• Flashlight

Location

• Forest
• Someone’s house

How am I going to make a trailer using that game?

We could have one actor that is in the same scene and repeating the action but with a different approach. To show how your action can have consequences in the story.

 

Single Camera Video

Role

Camera Operator

Task

When my group was given scene 2 of the Film Noir, we started to thought shower some ideas on where the location would be, what camera shots to use, what props to use and why would we consider using these options. For the location, the storylines indicate that the murderer just killed or brutally injured someone and is taking a phone call whilst looking at a construction site. The idea of the outside part of Kingston College was already set for us as there was already a construction site to use and record. Now I just need to work on the position of the actor and the camera movement.

In the storyboard, the worm eyeshot and the extreme close up will play an important role as they would truly captivate the tension and the mystery of what makes a Film Noir good. In order for these scenes to work, Sophie, who is the makeup artist, would make sure that the bruised hand becomes the key highlight for the scene and blends into real life to give it a realistic effect.

For the Camera Operator, I need to make sure that each scene is worth taking and I would attempt to make 3 copies of the exact same shot so that whilst we are editing for the video, we can pick the one that looks the best rather than retaking the scene again. The shots of which I am the proudest are the medium shot and the extreme close shot because they show how serious the situation is and that type of tension is most wanted for the audience and it is very awarding when the mood is set correctly. If I were to change my role as the operator, I would like to improve on the worm eyeshot and the long shot as I consider them to be difficult. The reason why I am saying it is difficult to make that shot is that for the worm eyeshot, I need the actor to be higher than the actual actor’s height and I need to make sure that the camera is at a low angle to show the blood dripping from his fist which creates a powerful message to the audience on what has happened to the victim. For the long shot, it will be difficult to lift the camera up without making it shake as this requires a lot of patience and steadiness.

Editing

I edited the video in Premiere Pro which I was comfortable with and with the guidance of my partner, I was able to position scenes with the others scenes and applied some effect to make it, even more, look like Film Noir. The tint effect and the monochrome fade was implemented into the film. When looking through each scene, some of them had unwanted time so I would crop and ensure that the film looked more interesting. The good aspect with the film is that the opening starts with the gentle piano soundtrack but has a mystery mood within the scene that makes it more interesting and the effect helps enchant the mystery mood of the film. If I were to improve with the editing process, I would make sure that I would use a different camera shot for the scene to show the setting for the mood and try different effects on Premiere Pro to show the style of the film flows and try different mood setting of the scene.

Video

I later found out that “la fin” was not meant to be in the film and the correct term would have been simply “Fin”. Perhaps next time I am making the credits scene, I will double check that each text is spelt correctly. Also, I need to point out that some of the other scenes were slow and it can be irritating to watch so I would understand why some people get frustrated. If I were to do this again, I would make sure that the genre that I am doing is suitable for the editing for example, for an action film, I would use a large amount of quick cuts shots.