Over the past few weeks during the Christmas holidays, we were told to choose an influential and/or director that we are fond of and use their style within our own project. For me, this was an easy choice as I have always been a big fan of Edgar Wright and had already outlined something that I can do where I can implement his fast-paced, comedic style.

As for my idea, I plan this to lead into my FMP so then I have more time to plan everything out in greater detail and make sure I have enough time to complete everything. 

My idea consists of two characters, both with “gimmicks'', competing in a board game tournament, possibly ranging from Chess to Operation. Over the week, I made a rough plan of the plot of the story, how some scenes could/should be shot and what music needledrops there should be - a staple in all of Wright’s films.

I also started my research with 3 moodboards for the colours that I’d want to use in my project as well as common colours that Wright uses, along with the book inspiration - Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life-  and potential song choices and inspiration. This was useful as it allowed me to compile colours, songs and book inspiration in an easy manner while also displaying examples on how I would want my project to look like. 

I spent the majority of this week continuing with my script. I feel this went well as I knew what I was planning to structure the story and had brief ideas on how it would reflect onto screen. Instead of using Google Docs to write the script, this time I used StudioBinder’s own script designer. This way has proved to be a lot easier and quicker due to the prior formatting that the designer automatically inputs. The quicker formatting also allowed me to quickly rearrange and edit parts of the script with ease. Therefore this is something that I will use for future projects.

On Friday, we were told to try and film some test footage. This meant playing around with the camera settings, lighting and shots. I was able to film in an empty classroom with a table in the centre - something similar to what I want within my story - and had a few people helping out. This could have gone a lot better for a lot of reasons. Where it went well was the camera framing of shots as they reflect on what I want. However, I couldn’t practise with different lighting as at the time, I had no access to external lighting. On top of that, it was difficult trying to get the shots as the people helping weren’t being entirely helpful and found themselves messing around or not listening. To combat this, I had to be a lot firmer with them, which is unlike me, in order to get the shots I needed. Moreover, I only had 3 people helping (One of them didn’t want to be one camera), which was difficult as for that specific scene, I would need around 6 people. 

This week I spent conducting research solely on Edgar Wright and his films. I researched himself,  the cinematography of his films via moodboards and the editing for which his films are most received for.

The research on Wright himself, enabled me to understand some of the personal context that’s used within the characters and themes of his films. I put together a basic profile listing his films, achievements and personal history. A good example of this would be finding out that his first heartbreak at 12 years old, has been instrumental in his career, using it for themes in films such as ‘Baby Driver’ and ‘Shaun of the Dead’.

Moving on with the cinematography, I put together moodboards of all his theatrical films. This has helped massively as it showcases a large range of different shots from each film and can easily give me inspiration for some that I can try to replicate within projects of my own. This idea has proved to be very useful as I have had two others “steal” the idea from me for their own work, something which I am perfectly fine with.

After that, I studied his editing. I found that he tends to use the same editors for his films, them being Chris Dickens and Paul Machliss, the latter being nominated for an academy award for ‘Baby Driver’. Through different articles and video essays I was able to put together the common and unique styles that Wright uses. This helped as I have decided that I want my project to be of a similar style to Scott Pilgrim, which happens to be my favourite out of Wright’s filmography.

I am personally happy with the research I’ve found as it allows me to have a good foundation for his style for this project, going on to my FMP.  

This week, I continued my research and by the end of the week completed it. I looked into some of the context behind Wright’s films and the sound design which is heavily prominent in all of them. 

Understanding these elements have greatly benefitted me as in my opinion, it creates more possibilities for stories and how I would want it to look like, as well as creating more meaning behind them. 

Furthermore, throughout the week, I’ve pondered around the idea of this leading into my FMP, and while I want to keep the research, I’ve thought differently about using this specific story. I feel that the story can be good, however I wonder about the practicality of it. This is due to it needing around 6-10 actors in total, plus an open area where the tournament would take place. Therefore, it may not be a suitable task for my final project and it also gives me time to plan another story where it is more practical for the time and space I have available. 

This week was spent on redoing my idea and planning it in a way that would make it more practical to film in a short time-frame.  I made sure that it is shorter and includes a majority of the elements that Wright uses such as the quick montages and the music fitting the action. Something else was that I planned out the story in a way so if I have little time to film, I can film only the main part (card game) while still making sense without the rest of the story.

In the meanwhile, one lesson was spent observing light readings and how we should use them within our stories. This was a helpful exercise as it has given me more insight on how to light films and the differences in light temperatures. I applied this to my project by creating a rough idea on how my set would be and the type of light I would try and work towards.

The majority of this week was spent on completing the storyboard and the shot list. This went well as I had a plan in mind on how it would be framed.   

In class, we were shown roughly the first half-hour of 1997s ‘Good Will Hunting’. I personally really enjoyed these 30 minutes as it has provided me with a greater insight into writing stories and how to structure them. What was interesting to me was the idea of having a prelude section where they introduced every character and the social backgrounds and ideologies.

Before finishing the film in my free time, I reckon that the film will become more of a heartfelt, inspirational film showing Will’s “redemption” arc and how sometimes the best people can come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Another film we were shown was ‘Roma’. This was much more of a “slow-burner” but the way the shots were framed and how the camera moves were particularly interesting. It uses techniques in ways that you wouldn’t expect in films of a similar genre. What I liked is the main focus was on a regular woman and her own personal issues even though we find out the story takes place during the Mexican ‘Dirty War’. The reason I enjoyed this is because generally in films of similar genres, the story would focus more on the war itself or the wife having to take care of her kids while her husband is away, but making the main focus a regular person, it subverts expectations and creates a greater sense of intimacy. 

I spent the half term preparing for filming my project on Friday. I collected everything I needed and made sure I had the props etc. I managed to get three actors for the film, however had someone pull out later so that meant I would need to act within it. I was alright with this as it wouldn’t have been as much, but I would rather have another actor as it allows me fuller control of the shots and movements. One of my actors wanted to be a cameraman so it was difficult trying to get the shots I wanted as I struggle with directing.

On the day, I used a Sony A7C to shoot the film. As per the brief, I used LOG formatting. This didn’t prove much of an issue as it allows me to colour grade the film in more detail to fit my original vision. One issue was the audio on the mic connected to the camera was choppy and didn’t record very well. This is obviously an issue when it comes to dialogue and natural audio. When editing this would mean that I have to try and edit around the bad audio and perhaps try and mask it with sound effects and music. 

In terms of lighting, I had access to two lights, a warm ceiling light and an external light. To begin with I used the external light as it had a larger range of warmer temperatures so I was able to be more precise with it. Although towards the end, the light ran out of battery so we had to use the ceiling light.

In my opinion, the shots could have been a lot better and more alike to Wright’s style. There are some elements but not as many as I would have liked. I was able to film the main card game and matched actions to the song ‘Salute Your Solution’ by The Raconteurs. I was happy with some of the shots in the montage and feel like in the edit I will be able to cut it together so it fits my vision. 

Overall, I believe that I need to have more control over filming because similarly to other times, I haven’t been able to get the exact shots that I have previously envisioned within my storyboard and shot list. I feel like I am able to work with the footage I’ve gotten, but may not be fully in Wright’s style like I had planned. 

I began the editing process and found that I had a mix of suitable and unsuitable shots. This is due to issues I’ve mentioned before but also not showing my cameraman the exact type of shots I wanted. Upon reflecting, I would try to take more charge of shooting and perhaps have a better plan in place to make sure that everything I want can be filmed to the standard that I require. However, I am content with a majority of the shots available and I have managed to convey parts of my storyboard and shot list in the style of Wright. Wright’s quick style is not as prominent as I wanted but I was able to incorporate some common elements he uses within his work such as the rhythmic editing and turning dull scenes into fast action mock-off scenes. In certain areas, I have been able to imitate the editing and framing of Wright’s films, notably Scott Pilgrim vs The World where he uses a lot of split screens. 

As per the previous week, some of the audio has been of issue as it does sound “choppy” and uneven at times. I’ve attempted to work around this but it has proved to be difficult -especially when dialogue is spoken- to the point where I may have to make-do with the present audio unless I can find a fix/compromise within the next week. 

On the next day of editing, where I completed a majority of my video, the audio managed to fix itself as it randomly started “working” again. Obviously, this is of great benefit to me and it allowed me to go through the process much quicker. 

In terms of the story structure, there were times where I didn’t have enough or suitable shots to complete exactly what I laid out in my storyboard. I was able to edit around this for the first half, however in the second half, towards the end, the story suffers from a lack of build-up due to only filming the main card game. It also suffers from particular shots being not of the standard that I desire, therefore making the ending look cheap and ending at an awkward note. What I would do differently, would be after filming, making sure I check every shot in order to confirm that the shot is the best it can be. This can also be applied to the close-ups of the cards being slammed on the table. Another way I could have done this better is if I had another actor because that would also mean that I would be able to look at the shots as they were being filmed, rather than seeing them in hindsight without any time to refilm. 

In terms of utilising Wright’s style, I feel like I showed a variety of common elements used in his films such as the quick cuts, zooms and the rhythmic editing . One aspect I planned to use was the visual audio most commonly seen in Scott Pilgrim. I attempted this in after effects by following a tutorial, however a reason I’m unsure of, it didn’t link to the premiere pro sequence, causing it to not work. This meant that I had to scrap the idea. This was a shame to me as it is an aspect that I had really hoped to use but I understand my mistake by editing so late on in the project that I had little time to ask for help. 

One thing I was content with in the final product was the montage scene covering the many games in between. This is because I felt like the scenes matched the tone and energy of the song, resulting in a fast-paced “action-like” scene. 

When it came to the colour grading, I already had an idea on how I want the film to look like, which was helped by the lighting research we had done a few weeks prior. I wanted to achieve a warm, comfortable look to contrast the coldness of the characters and in the end, feel I was able to show this thoroughly. However upon editing, I initially planned to download an LUT to apply to my footage but found out quickly that it didn’t seem to work or when it did, didn’t achieve the look I was aiming for.

In these last few days, I spent them preparing everything for submission. Unlike previous times, I used images and videos on display on my website instead of pure text to liven it up. I feel like if I had full control of the image and text placements, I could create a unique website suited for me, although due to Google Sites’ strict placements, for some pages, the images and videos look out of place. On the other hand, some pages look better with images which complement the text well and reduce a lacklustre feel when viewing my work.

Overall upon reflecting on the project as a whole, I am content with my final video and the research that supports it. As I personally enjoy the pre-production and research, this stage was highly productive to the point where Atilla mentioned that it was “distinction level”. As my original and still current idea involves me carrying over this research into the FMP, this creates a good starting point to further develop and add to my research.

Moving on to the production stage, this is where the quality drops as I continue to struggle to convert my ideas into quality footage. This area is something which I definitely need to improve upon as it could affect my final grade come summertime. Although I was content with the footage I got, I know that it can and should be improved, meaning I need to take more time into production; which by carrying over research into the FMP, it can leave me more time to focus and prepare for filming.

Lastly, post-production went somewhat well with a few “hiccups”. A major area of what I did wrong, is that I left it too late, meaning that I didn’t have enough time to ask for feedback. Due to this problem happening previous times as well, I need to make sure that I create a schedule, showing roughly what and when things need to be done.