P3/M1/D1: Storyboard & Anamatic (pre visualisation)

We started off by developing each idea that we had from out initial ideas grid. We decided on the action/thriller, government takeover inspired film. We finalised the story by taking minor parts from out other film developments.

The basic plot for our action/thriller film:
-Main antagonist is a girl on school trip to a goverment bulding
-She gets lost
-Overhears plans of an experiment on people, changing the way people look/behave in order to create the perfect human race. (The chanced of the experiment going wrong are very high)
- Take matters into her own hands and sides with a government agent against the plans and they set out to find an antidote to the experiment drugs.

Next we drew up a quick storyboard for our trailer to establish an idea of shots and where we can put in special effects.

Extra planning

We did some extra planning including script ideas, special effects and an initial list of what we would need for the trailer.

Script planning
-Child comes in with letter about school trip, asking permission from her mother
-Government agent speaking about the experiment
-Child trying to convince scientist to help her defeat the government

 Experiment results (prosthetic planning) 
-Peeling face/skin
-Cuts and bruises

Initial list of what we need
-Teenage female to play school girl
-Crazy scientist (male)
-Mother of school girl
-Government agents (3-5 male and female)
-Tour guide for government bulding
-2-3 experimentees (prosthetics)
-Scale model of government building
-Toy bus 

Anamatic (pre visualisation)

 

P2: Mood board & Technical proposal

Genre: Action/Thriller

Concept: Government performing experiments on people in an attempt to create the 'perfect' human race.

 This is the mood board that I have made for my film idea, it displays some of the special effects that we would plan on using. These effects include, Scale models, prosthetics, chemical reactions and possibly pyrotechnics.

What the effect is?

We would use a scale model of a government building (this could be either a real or fictional building). This building would be exploded in the film and we can do this by either using pyrotechnics or green screen.

Why is it need and how is it supposed to make the audience feel?

We need this effect in out film as the building would only be used in a very short shot so it is easier to film it as a miniature in a studio rather that finding a location and getting all the crew there. Also we are planning on exploding the model and if it is doesn't via pyrotechnics then obviously we cant set fire to a real building. Members of public might also get in the shot if its on location which would ruin the shot and potentially the mood and effect on the audience.

How does the effect work?

This effect would work by filming the miniature either outside or in front of a green screen. To be sure that the effects would work we need to get the angles and proportions of any surroundings perfect. In terms of exploding it, it would probably be safer to do it via green screen and add some dust and sound effects to it. Also depending on what the miniature is made from it might not burn in the same way as a real building therefore ruining the effect completely.

What materials you need?

The miniature itself can be made form anything, e.g. cardboard from scratch, a paper template from the internet, a model kit, or a shop bought toy building. We'd need to green screen to do the shot and things like dust could be done when filming or put in during the edit.

Proposed costs.

This shot would be fairly cheap to do, depending on what the miniature is made out of but scrap cardboard would work fine to keep the costs low. The costume that the actors would be wearing would just be normal clothes so we wouldn't need to buy anything especially for the shot.

Camera and stage directions.

This shot would be done with a wide camera angle with the entire front view of the building in the shot and a explosion would start from maybe one of the windows. This shot would only be a couple of seconds long and there wouldn't be any close ups of the building as it might give it away that it isn't real. 

Risks and how to make them safe.

The main risk with this would be if we were to use pyrotechnics the fire is an obvious hazard. This could be made safe by having a fire extinguisher or blankets on hand, however you would also need a trained professional and we probably cant get one of those. If we were to just stick to the green screen then the hazards would just be miniature models can cause trips and falls so make sure the actors aren't running near them.

P2: Ideas grid

Film idea 1
Genre: Action/Thriller
Concept: Government experimentation

Mechanised prop & stunt prop 
Government making random mutations on humans. Main character is a spy who chases the government agents that are trying to change people into robots. Big action chase with jumping from buildings, fire, explosions, and falling walls.

Scale model
Use miniatures of building so you wouldn't have to blow up real buildings.

Prosthetic makeup
For wounds and scars after the explosions and fake blood and people who support him (public as well). Also used for the mutations of the people to make them looks creepy. Possible knife fights.

Film idea 2
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Concept: Animals into pies

Mechanised prop & stunt prop
The machine that is supposed to crush animals gets used to crush up people (parents).

Scale model
The crushing machine

Prosthetic makeup
Old dead animal bodies and human remains after they've been through the crusher.

Film idea 3
Genre: Comedy & Adventure
Concept: Failed adventure

Mechanised prop & stunt prop
Man finds a map (bus map) and he goes on an adventure, include skydiving to get the 'treasure', running, jumping, some explosions.

Scale model
Skydiving, use miniature plane.

Prosthetic makeup
Cuts and bruises (not too serious to keep comedic).
 

P1: Star Wars teaser analysis

This is an analysis of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Abrams 2015) teaser trailer. We looked at the special and visual effects to see if we could recreate any of the special effects. 

P1: Analysis of Three Existing Special Effects

Scale Model (VFX with scale models)

In this tutorial, they show you how they used a miniature helicopter toy to create the effect of a real helicopter taking off in a desert. Film makers would use this effect as it is generally cheaper than hiring an actual helicopter and pilot for a very short shot, also it would be a lot safer and easier to carry out the shot using a miniature. This person started off the shot by creating a basic sky and layering some camera stills on top of each other to make a realistic background. After colour correcting the helicopter and placing it into the shot, they 3D animated the rotating blades. To finish, they added some heat haze for realism.

 Scale models have also been in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The city of Minas Tirith is approximately 14 feet tall and is often used in conjunction with a CGI landscape in the film.

Prosthetics (Rambo "First Blood" Special Effects : FX Reboot)

This video explains how Rambo sewed up his wound when he fell through a tree in 'First Blood'. The wound was created with nose putty, liquid latex, vaseline, red food colouring, and corn syrup. The fake wound was connected to a tube with an air pump hidden in the actors armpit, and when squeezed, fake blood would come out of the cut in his arm. Film makers use effects like these in their films as is done properly, they can create an extremely realistic effect without actually hurting any actors. Others aspects of this effects that are very important would be the colour of the skin, if the putty wasn't painted to match the actors skin tone then the entire effect would fail. Also the actor must show pain to match the seriousness of the wound or it wouldn't be believable. 

 Prosthetics are also used to make other effects on the body, not just wounds. For example in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films, the large hobbit feet are created by gluing the actors feet into pre-made rubber feet and airbrushing the seems.

Knife Throw (Knife Throw Effect : BFX)

This effect is fairly simple to create. All that is necessary is two fake knives (one to be cut in half). The first step is to film the actor throwing the knife and pan quickly away from them. Next,  film the shot again but with another actor with the knife in their head. Simply blend both shots when editing and it's finished. Similarly to the prosthetics, film makers will use this effects to create a very realistic shot without harming any actors. To make the shot more realistic, fake blood can be used where the knife hits the person, also sound effects can be very useful here too.

This effect is used during a sword fight in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, except the sword is thrown into a wooden door instead of a persons head.

 

P4: Test video: Twin Effect

We created a twin effect by cropping shots over the top of another one in Adobe Premiere. A strength of this film is that we stuck to the 180 degree rule so it makes sense. Also the editing is well done. A prominent weakness of this film is that in one of the shots that we cropped, the lighting changed which makes the between each shot visible so if we were to shoot this again, we'd use artificial lighting as it it more reliable, especially for a film like this.

P4: Test video: Green Screen

Using a green screen to create a background of snowy mountains, and an avalanche. Sounds taken from youtube. Made with Adobe Premiere. I'd say a strength of this video is the snow, it looks pretty realistic as we layered some in front of Will and some behind him. Although some of it looks a bit blurry. I also think the sounds that we used in this film work well. In terms of weakness of this video, I think we could've made the avalanche itself look more realistic if maybe we found one that was better suited to the background and possibly smaller. If we were to make this film again, we would probably try and find a better avalanche green screen or maybe make one ourselves.

P4: Test video: Scale model

We used a placed a toy digger close to the camera with the actor further away to create the effect that the digger was life size. Made with Adobe Premiere. A strength of this video would be all of the shots that don't have the miniature model in. The smoke coming of the digger looks realistic to an extent however we had difficulty adding this into the video and making it look ok as it was a green screen clip off of YouTube. A definite weakness of this video would be the scale miniature shot as the length of the grass kind of ruins the effects also i think i was probably too close to the miniature. When we next use this effect we will think more about where were using the model and the distance and proportion on the model and actor.

P4: Test video: Knife throw

We made this effect by using a fake knife and panning the camera quickly between the two actors. Put together in Adobe Premiere. I'd say a strength of this film is the way that it is edited, both shots are very quick and so I think it's quite believable. A weakness would be that when we filmed it, one of the shots broke the rule of continuity rule of 180° so we had to flip it in post production. Having made this mistake, we will be a lot more aware of continuity in future filming.

Caterpillar animation

First attempt at using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere to create a basic animation of a caterpillar. I think a strength of this animation is the movement of the caterpillar, i think it looks quite realistic and works well with the background. However a weakness would be that the clouds move at the same speed as the rest of the background so it doesn't look so good.

P3 I-J: Health and Safety review

When working on the set of the trailer my jobs include, Camera & Grips, Editing, Directing, Working on Location, and Office & Production Support. This means i must follow the health and safety advice provided for these roles from the BECTU.

Camera & Grips 
Plan for the amount of electricity that is required.
Cover any cables that are being used to avoid trips or falls. Keep cable runs as short as possible and run them around the set rather than through it. Don't overheat cables by using them when they're coiled or tied up.
Provide crew with ear protection if prolonged loud noises are being used.
Take regular breaks form production, never work for longer than 12 hours a day.
Weigh down any lightweight tripods to avoid damage to the camera.

Editing
Take breaks every half hour, during the break, stretch legs, look at natural light.
If possible work on alternate screens placed at different distances to allow eyes to refocus.
Working long hours can cause you to be more prone to errors.
Work in a comfortable environment with suitable seating, air and light.
Maintain a good posture when editing.

Directing
Take care when lifting any heavy equipment, get help if an item is too heavy to avoid injury.
If working at heights, provide stable platforms and barriers to avoid falls.
Ensure everyone on set knows procedures should any accident occurs.
Carry out a full risk assessment on set to minimise the risk of accidents.

Working on Location
Carry out a full risk assessment before working on derelict or contaminated sites, theses hazards could include broken glass, unstable walls etc.
Working close to any body of water provides risks of drowning, electric shocks Therefore keep cast, crew and equipment as far away as practical.
Weather conditions should be checked, avoid working in extreme heat or cold.
Ensure the cast, crew and equipment have a safe and reliable way of getting to the location

Office and Production Support
Work in a safe and comfortable environment.
Take regular breaks and avoid straining any part of the body due to over working it.
Working alone can allow someone to become vulnerable to assault.

General health and safety include first aid being available at all times and not working overtime as this can cause stress, fatigue and errors.