FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: EVULATION

Throughout this project I have had struggles and achievements. This experimental film is by far one of the most difficult projects I've attempted but I feel I've done exceptional for what I started with.

Pre-Production
During Pre-Production I struggled, having submitted a poor pitch I didn't have a solid idea and was starting to panic. However, I found a solution by going out and reading and researching into the Sonnet I had chosen. By doing so I was able to find out the story behind the Sonnet and rather than adapting the sonnet itself I took the story of how it was made and adapted the Sonnet into that. I was able to get a script together which meant I had a document to work off and develop. I did do a lot of independent work with the script which I managed well, looking to my fellow students and actors for advice on it so I could make the right choices. I broke down and planned out my entire shoot, shot for shot and broke down the sonnet and detailed what I could do for visual shots in relation to the sonnet's lines. I used visuals and my own research to help get this across. I also managed to get a constant theme across my film which I'm really happy with. I feel my biggest achievement in this is how quickly I turned this project around for myself. When I had my proposal meeting with Mike I had no idea and no story and then from researching I was not only able to get an idea, I was able to make a narrative which is something a few students didn't have but it meant I had a story I could tell. Casting my actors I feel is a strength I've improved on. Rather than just going off their experience, I looked into what sort of person they were as well and really thought through who would work well. My choice of Sophie and Carly was good because they have that Sister relationship that I needed by being actual sisters. I pulled in all my resources for this and used past projects are reference and research to help with this such as my practise with the Track during News Production and also my lighting practise I'd be lucky enough to get from Derek during an outside project which meant I knew the sort of lighting equipment I needed for the project. As well, my choice to change the character last minute I would say is a strength. As I looked into how someone would actually act with the loss of a child I tried to make the film as real as possible and believable as possible and ended u using the experience people have told me about to change the script and improve the story. Finally, throughout I stayed organised with all my paper work and when it came to the day before shooting I was able to send out a detailed call sheet to everyone which showed detailed plan for the shoot and all the needed information.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: EDITING

When it came time to edit the film. I started by adding all the clips to the timeline and sorting them from there, I straight away got around 7 minutes of a 'film' (no credits or titles and with a 5 minute restriction in the Unit handbook).

Since I started shooting late, this meant I had less time to edit the film together and it needs a lot of work. Once I'd assembled the rough cut I was able to see issues within the film, firstly the flow. It was boring to watch, I wasn't getting the emotion that I wanted my audience to get. I just felt bored throughout watching the rough cut. But I persisted and started getting up and cleaning the order. I wanted the flow of the film to be steady and calm.

I started editing together the audio once I'd gotten a cut together and added in the voice over. Once this was done I went and started on the Flash back scene. (Scene 4).

I edited this in a separate sequence so that I could find and fix it quicker than looking through an entire timeline. I put all the clips in together as well as the cut at the end of Stacey making the pinwheel spin then just the pin wheel on its own spinning.
How I achieved the effect I was aiming for, was by going onto the effect controls and creating a layer in the opacity option and then masking around it as best as I could, it wasn't 100% perfect when it was finished and it's as good as I can get it myself, but it's giving me the effect that I want and with colour grading I think I can clearly make this a 'flash back'. Audio wasn't any issue here either.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: SHOOTING

My shoot for 'Ribbons' took 3 days.

Day 1
From day 1 there was issues with the shoot. To start with I ended up being a crew member down which meant it was only myself and Jemma. Which meant Jemma was on Sound and I had to both Direct and Camera Operate which I hadn't done before. However, we pushed through this and worked through the shots we needed. We had Carly for 3 hours on her own before we got Sophie due to her work commitments so we went straight in with scene 5 where Stacey is walking along a road and then we go into filming the shot of the flowers. With only a crew of 2, setting up the tracking shot was more difficult than I thought it would be. While setting up the track we also set up the flower scene.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: SHOT LIST

After breaking down the script, I was able to write up my shot list and figure out what I needed to film.

Ribbons Shot List

When planning this I knew that I wanted 3 main camera techniques used throughout this film which is the classic locked off tripod, tracking shots and handheld movements as I feel these work best for the story. 

With Scenes 1 and 8 I had the movements very smooth or locked off to match with the seriousness and the calmness of the scene. Both are very emotional scenes and very important to the story so I wanted movement with the camera to match with that emotion. With the scenes in the street I chose to match with the actors walking and go handheld expect for the reveal of the flowers, I wanted a forward tracking shot to slowly reveal them to the audience. Other shots go with shot reverse shot on dialogue and a pointed down shot of 'Becky' in scene 3 when she lays down on the bed. 

As well as having cut aways of the ribbons and of the pinwheel to mix in with the film to help with visual narrative. 

With all this, I'm officially ready to go into production. 

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: NIGHT TIME LIGHTING

As I've got a scene in this film which I'm using as experemental is the night scene. What's experemental about this is the lighting. Not just the LED lights being used for the line "I am the soft star shine at night". But, I also need to create moon lighting for the night shoot, which can't be achieved with the Arri lighting that we have at UCA as they aren't white lighting.

A few months back I worked on a short film with a Director called Derek Boyes. It was a budget DIY Film which was all filmed at night. Derek had to recreate moon lighting for these scenes and he did so with only 3 lights and it worked really well. Below are some of the behind the scenes photos that I took:

Derek used 3 lights. All bought off Ebay and budget lighting but very effective and powerful lighting. Below are the lights that Derek used.

The Yongnuo YN216 Pro LED was the main light which was used for flooding the location. Then there was 2 of the YN006 lights used to bring detail into the background behind the characters. Taking this advice from Derek I've asked to borrow his lights so that I can recreate this effect and he's allowed me this.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: CHANGE OF CHARACTER & SCRIPT V2

After reviewing the script, I felt that the Mother character just didn't work. If the Mother had lost one of her daughters she wouldn't get over it as quickly as I've made out. Also, if the Mother was in this situation, I would assume that she would actually be getting closer to her daughter Becky. So, I decided to change this character.

Ribbons Script V2

I changed the character to the friend of 'Chelsea'. Although this means that I now have to find a new actor, I felt this would work better, if a friend who has lost someone is there, she could help more and it would work better as a Mother wouldn't get over the expereince. Ever. 

I say this having spoken to 3 Mothers who have lost children, all of different ages and they are still upset about it. It's an unbearable pain that you can't get rid of and I didn't feel the script worked once I had learnt this. 

I got the friend to come in earlier when the Mother was meant to wake up Becky to establish the character. Then later she comes in and helps Becky to see things in a different light. I feel this works better for the script. I had to change actors so I contacted my friend Chelsea and asked her to come onboard and she was happy once she read the script. Chelsea has helped with a few UCA Productions and is a confident girl overall. She's happy in front of camera and she's got a kind and caring personality. 

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: PROPS

Props are needed for this film, most importantly the urn and the yellow ribbons which I have written into the script as these play a huge role in this experemental film. The list of props needed are:

- Photo of Stacey and Becky (So Carly and Sophie)
- Mobile phone
- Urn
- Pin Wheel
- Flowers
- Sympathy card for flowers
- Yellow Ribbon
- Photo of Stacey (Photo of Carly)
- Blanket
- Paper (folded to represent Poem)
- Fairy Lights
- "Ash" for Urn

With the 2 photos, I needed a photo of both actors playing Stacey and Becky and with them wearing yellow ribbons to relate into the script and story and the theme of the ribbons as well. However, due to availability on my actors this wasn't possible so I instead took a photo of my two actors together which they already had and photoshopped in the ribbon in below. The my actor Carly supplied a photo of herself for the props of the flowers. I also went out and bought 3 bunches of flowers from the local supermarket for the memorial part and a large golden ribbon which I could continually use for the ribbon parts.















I have my own fairy lights which I often use for Light Painting with Photography and also a blanket that we can use as well. The mobile phone we can supply on the day of shooting as all cast and crew will have mobile phones on them. The sympathy card I went over to the local florist and got one from there.

The 2 main props I had to go out and find was the urn and the pinwheel. With it being December, Pinwheels aren't really in fashion or being hugely sold. However, in a small charity shop in Rochester I was able to find this very colourful Pinwheel, it's ideal for the film, it's bright, different colours and only a little bit of wind and it's spinning.

In the same shop, I stumbled across the vas below. This looks like a classic urn and works nicely, simple pattern and easy to carry and open. This was ideal for what I needed so I got it at the same time.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: LOCATION CHOICE AND RECCES

As my script now only has 3 locations, I chose to keep them all in one place to make travel between sets easier. So I looked first into the field. This needed to be large and open and away from roads, looking like it's like a further field away. Somewhere that you'd maybe go to get away from the world, walk your dog, etc.

Snodhurst Farm
Snodhurst Farm is located in Chatham Medway. Just by here is a local gym and across from that is a large open field which is open to the pubic. It's a common place for people to walk their dogs and according to the Photography department at UCA Rochester, a lot of Students have used this location for photoshoots. So, I contacted the Medway council and asked them what the rules are with filming in this location. They told me as long as we had public liability insurance and our own means of transportation we are welcome to use the location as long as we don't do anything to damage the environment or block access to the public.

When I recced the location I found this the perfect place. You can't see any roads around here and it's not even that far away from the main road and access is nice and easy. The field is large and open and if we brought the track here it wouldn't cause any issues as there's so much room here. I also brought my own DSLR and microphone to see if there are any issues with noise as a road is close by. Thankfully this also wasn't an issue. The cars passing can't be heard further in the field and it's a lovely looking area. Perfect for my opening and ending scene.

15 Balfour Road (Chatham

When it came to looking for a street and a house to use, I contacted my friends over in Chatham and asked if I could use their student house. After talking with their landlord they were happy for me to do this as long as the filming didn't go past 6pm as then all the house mates are home from University. The house is a bit small but for what we need it for it's perfect. My friend Chelsea has happily allowed us to use her room. Chelsea has a really nice and cosy room, not too childish (meaning no bright childish colours or anything that would make you think this is a Childs room) but we have things here such as the book collections and Funko Collections which would make you believe this room belongs to someone between the age of 18-25 which is the age range I'm going for. The windows let in a decent amount of light when open but there's also room for additional lighting to be brought in as well. The bed is a decent size and access is nice and easy. Sound in here is nice as well, not too echoy and can't hear any noises from the kitchen or the living room.

Moving on to the garden, This is a nice open space, although not a nice green and colourful garden, it still works for what we need. It's got the fence on the side and some chairs for the actors to sit in for the scenes. I also like how it's not that green and colourful. I want to go with something different and also it helps when the character Stacey brings in the Pinwheel to "Bring some life to the place". There's plenty of room for us to get in the kit and also the lighting for the night shoots and the sound isn't an issue here either.

The street outside the house (Camera died so couldn't take recce photos) is a nice quiet street where not many cars drive past. Making it nice and easy for us to get clean wild track and footage without cars getting in the way. We did want the track and cheated this slightly by asking their neighbour if we could use their drive on the shoot day rather than filming on the road. I phoned the council to inform them of this and they were happy and also said we could film on the street as long as it was handheld. But filming on someones drive we can use a tripod/track as long as the owner has given permission.  

Below are my risk assessments for the 3 locations that I intend to use:

Balfour Road

15 Balfour Road (Student House)

Snodhurst Farm (Field)

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: SCRIPT

Here is the first version of my script:

Ribbons Script V1

I went with all my visual ideas that I had thought of, adding in the Ribbon in most of the locations to be in the background or somewhere in the scene. This to give the overall idea that Stacey is always around and always with us. I added in voice over throughout the script but added in Dialogue in for Stacey to actually say on camera as well. I wanted Becky to talk to Stacey even though she isn't there but have Stacey reply, showing the love and relationship between the sisters. With the addition of the Mother as a character, I needed a way for Becky to move forward and be able to scatter Stacey's ashes but I didn't know how to get her to that stage but introducing the mother character works. You don't question where this character has suddenly come from as she's her Mother, you almost expect her to turn up.  

I wrote the script so that you don't find out Stacey is a ghost until we finally see the flowers in the scene where Stacey is walking around and the voice over is being heard. I added in the flash back not only to add in the pinwheel but to also show the relationship between Stacey and Becky when Stacey was still alive. 

Finally, the ending of the film, I wanted to show Becky moving on and letting Stacey go, I also wanted to reference the original Sonnet somehow. So, I decided to have the Mother give her the poem as a way that she moved on. Then with Becky scattering the ashes, is a way to have her moving on and for Stacey to become one with the world. The showing all the Ribbons at the end ties everything together and shows she's everywhere and always around. 

I'm happy with the script I've gotten. I wanted a story rather than just visuals. My experemental style for this is both with camera movement and with mixing in the visual styles and the dialogue. I wanted to actually make a story out of the sonnet rather than just visual storytelling, an actual narrative which I feel I've succeeded this with the story I've written. 

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: TORCHWOOD, SEASON 1, EPISODE 9 (RESEARCH)

During my proposal, I wrote about an episode of the BBC Series 'Torchwood' where a character called Eugene wakes up and finds he's been hit by a car and he walks around as a sort of 'ghost'. This was the inspiration for the main idea of having the ghost walking around and following her sister.
Below are some highlights from the episode:

What I didn't want from this style of making a ghost was the classic idea of being able to walk through walls, walk through people. I wanted to have the audience work out for themselves that the character Stacey was a ghost. What I did take from this episode of Torchwood was the way Eugene follows Gwen around and narrates as he goes along in the episode. With my idea of having a voice over from my research into the Shawshank redemption I think I've really got a story for this piece.  

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: YELLOW RIBBONS

During my planning for the script, I researched into the history of my sonnet (Blog about the sonnet) I found that the Sonnet is often read at Remembrance day services so I googled 'Remembrance day' to try and find some visuals that I could add into the film.

What came up was what I expected, the Poppy is a world symbol for remembrance for our fallen soldiers. It's known everywhere and comes with a great level of respect. However, this is so well know for the memory of our brave soldiers that it wouldn't work in my film. As this isn't the story of a soldier, it's the story of a young girl. I considered mixing the colours of the Poppy in, but the colour red is associated with Blood and this is what the fields of Poppies represent, blood spilt in battle so I don't think this would work for my film. 

I did remember, that when a relative of mine past away from Lung cancer, we all wore Yellow Ribbons on the day of his funeral, when I googled 'Lung Cancer logo' it came up as a Ribbon:

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION RESEARCH

When aiming to gain inspiration and also ideas I looked into some successful adaptations from short stories. One which everyone has always told me about is Frank Darabont's "The Shawshank Redemption". This has always been one of my favourite films for both story and style of Directing.

Released in 1994, The Shawshank Redemption is the story about Andy Dufresne (portrayed by Tim Robbins), a banker in America, who gets sentenced to Shawshank State Penitentiary after being wrongly accused of the murder of his wife and her lover. Andy throughout the film and during his trial pleads innocent and we discover during the film that he is innocent but this doesn't change his sentence. Andy ends up becoming friends with Ellis Redding, nicknamed 'Red' (Portrayed by Morgan Freeman). The film tells us about Andy's life in Prison and ends with him finally escaping from there.

When researching into this film, I learnt that it isn't actually adapted from a short story. The film is based off the novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" which was published back in 1982. The rights to adapt into a film were then purchased in 1987. However, this isn't a short story and I found the novella was actually adapted from a Russian short story "Bog pravdu vidit da ne skoro skazhet" which translates to "God see's the truth, but waits". The English translations of the story are titled "The Confessed Crime" and "Exiled to Siberia". So the film itself isn't actually fictionally adapted from a short story but it is still a Fictional Adaptation so I went on and watched it for inspiration.

What I took from this film mostly was the use of Voice Over. Below is a scene from the film as an example:

In this scene, Andy escapes Shawshank. It's a high climax in the film. Here we see an example of what is hear throughout the film. Morgan Freeman's voice over. This is the character Red telling the story. It's a classic film technique but what I love about this mostly is that the main character isn't Red, it's Andy. Red and telling us Andy's story rather than Andy telling us his. I think it's a fantastic add to the film, made all the more better by Morgan Freeman's well known voice. But this technique is something I feel I could use for my film. 

After watching this and seeing the impact the a voice over narrative has on the film I feel it's what my script needs. Have the character Stacey telling us and talking to us through the film. I feel this would seriously help with the idea that Stacey isn't dead but is always around us and I think the voice over would seriously help with the idea that she isn't dead. As well I think it would work better to get across what she is feeling other than having her speak since she can't really talk if she's a spirit. 

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: VISUAL IDEAS

When I had gone through and decided on the lines I wanted to use from the Sonnet. I began thinking of how I could visually show this. Although I don't find storyboards useful, I did find that drawing down a picture of what I wanted to use visually did.

I am a thousand winds that blow
This line I was focused on the word 'wind'. Something blowing in the wind which I could relate to the character Stacey. I thought of maybe one of her tops or a piece of clothing still on a washing line but as I plan for her to have been dead for over 7 months this wouldn't make a huge amount of sense without adding in context.

I toyed with the idea of using leafs, perhaps on a tree or a pile of leafs going down a windy street, I could have mixed in the street with that being the location of where Stacey was hit by a car and this is to symbol that she's still here. But this still didn't feel right to me. It also seemed very complex to get that done.

Finally, I thought about having something she has placed while she's alive and thought of the idea of adding in a flash back to when she was alive, so we see her and her sister Becky happy together and it brings more emotion to the character of Becky since we can see how close they once were. So I thought about her planting a flower and then cutting to it in the current time of the film and it's still healthy and alive and then it would symbolise Stacey is still here and blowing in the wind would work with the line as well.

Thinking through this idea, I didn't think a flower would look as good as there isn't much movement, So I thought of some other ideas for things I could use. Finally, I'd written down a pinwheel as one of the ideas as I remember having these when I was a child. They're bright, colourful and move with very little wind. These are seem sometimes in gardens as well and they're still popular today as they're sold in big brand shops such as Home Base and B&M. The pin wheel is also a bit more unique than a flower and would be kept there if it was put there by a family member that had died.

I ended up drawing out a storyboard for this scene, although basic it does show what it is I want to do. Having the sisters seen together happy will help show how close they were and then a close up on Stacey blowing on the pin wheel and making it spin to then cut to the same shot of the pin wheel, still spinning in the modern day with no one there. The pinwheel is still there as Stacey will always be there and it's still spinning in the wind to indicate she's the wind blowing it.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: ACTORS

My cast is a fully female cast. This was a genuine choice as I haven't made a film with a fully female cast and I think a story of 2 sisters with their Mother works for this adaptation. Although this could have easily be done with 2 Brothers and a Father it just felt right to have it the other way.

Carly Harding

Carly Harding is a 24 year old Drama and Musical Theatre graduate from the University of Cumbria. Having just graduated this year and has a range of Theatre acting experience, she is looking to get into films more. She contacted me a while ago asking me to keep her in mind for any projects so we met and she read through the script and was very interested in the character Stacey. I've seen her acting and she's very talented and found that I wanted her for Stacey's character more and there is more on the visuals with that character than the dialogue. 

Spotlight: https://www.spotlight.com/2296-3424-9780

Sophie Harding

Sophie was one of the first people I met when I moved to Kent. Although she isn't an actor, Sophie is a very confident girl and never hides away. She is also the sister to Carly so they have similarities and the bond of being sisters so I asked her to play the character of Becky. She was slightly hesitant at first but after reading the script she was interested and agreed. 

Helen Gaston (Awaiting confirmation)

When it came to finding an actor for the character of the Mother, I knew I'd need to search further than the people I knew already so I went to Mandy.com to find an actress. When searching I was looking for an actor who could play an age role between 30-45. I was also looking for someone who's had experience playing a Mother previously. I found an actress called Helen Gaston who has had expereince playing a Mother on 2 television adverts and once in a theatre performance. From the 2 video files on her profile I can see she is a very confident and talented actress. She's also based in Kent which is very helpful. I've emailed her asking if she'd be interested in the project and I'm just awaiting confirmation. 

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: CHANGE OF IDEA

My original proposal for Mike wasn't very clear and didn't have a structured narrative for a story. After Mike told me to research into the poem I found it was written to comfort a friend after they lost someone. The poem is to show that when you die, you're never really gone and you're always around people you love. Mike suggested to me that I show this with visuals and this is where my idea began to change and finally develop.

After looking through the sonnet, I decided to cut some lines and not use then in my adaptation.

1. "I am the diamond glints on snow"
I don't intend to use this because I won't be using snow in the film. Although this is looking at this line seriously and not looking in deeper I don't feel it's needed for the film and I can be more creative with the remaining sonnet.

2. "I am the sun on ripened grain"
This line I won't be using because I have a line for the line regarding morning hush which almost mixes them in together.

3. "Of quiet birds in circling flight"
I have tried to decide on ideas for this line but can't think of how I could do it. I had considered having people around the character Stacey but didn't see it working well enough.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: SONNET RESEARCH

Origins of the Sonnet
Looking online I found that the sonnet was written back in 1932 by American Poet, Mary Elizabeth Frye, she wrote it for her young house guest, who was a German Jewish Woman called Margaret Schwarzkopf.  The young woman was really worried because her Mother was very ill but she was unable to go and look after her Mother due to the events which were taking place, later to be known as the Holocaust. Her Mother past away alone and Margaret turned to Mary for comfort, what upset Margaret most is that she was never able to stand at her Mother's Grave. This is what inspired the opening line and inspired Mary to write the poem.

So the reason the poem was written was to comfort her friend and to open her mind and show that death isn't something to be upset about and that when they die, they become one with the world and they're always watching over us and they're all around us.

Source of information

Readings of the Sonnet
After speaking to an Air Cadet, Paige Hudson, she told me that the sonnet is often read out on Remembrance Days each year. It's also one of the most read poems at funerals and days of remembrance as it brings comfort and ease to people who have lost someone and reminds us that they're always watching over us and they're always with us. One of the most well known readings was from 1995 when a soldier's Father read the poem on BBC Radio in remembrance of his son. The Father had found the poem in an envelope which was addressed "To all my loved ones" in his son's personal possessions.

From this, I think I've been taking this sonnet far too seriously and reading into it too seriously. I've been trying to write a story around the sonnet and literally make the lines of the sonnet into the script but I think after reading the meaning behind this sonnet and what it's been used for, I'm starting to see this as more of a blue print for the story. I agree with what Mike said now, that I need to really think about visuals but I think I can adapt this now so that we get this story of a wondering spirit but we focus on her moving on and showing that.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: PROPOSAL FEEDBACK

I received my feedback from my proposal from Mike in a one-to-one session.

Mike explained that he found my proposal very broad and that there was a lot of 'maybe' or 'possibly' and I didn't have a solid idea for this adaptation. He explained that I clearly haven't researched into the meaning of the adaptation and the history behind it. He also explained that I haven't thought enough about the visuals I could get out of the sonnet. Mike explained that if I want to show that this girl hasn't died, maybe showing a graveyard isn't the best idea because a graveyard symbolises death. Which isn't what I want to do within this adaptation.

Mike suggested that to get a real idea and inspiration for the adaptation by researching into the author and the origins of the sonnet as well. Mike did say it was originally written for the authors friend who and lost someone. As well, he recommended that I research into when the sonnet is often read and what events it is often used at.

I also want to research into other adaptations it's been made using this sonnet so that I can see what has already been done and try and come up with something more original.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: STORYBOARDS AND IDEA DEVELOPMENT

My idea currently stands that a 20 year old girl has died and she is still wondering around, watching over her family and friends. By the end of the film we find out that she is okay that she's past on and that she's okay with her death. The idea is to adapt the lines from the sonnet into scenes or shots which can symbolise what they say and adapt the entire sonnet from there.
Thinking about what the sonnet is about I see it as talking about someone who has past on and they've become one with the world.

Although I haven't gotten a script written up yet, I have begun drawing up storyboards. Starting with the beginning, I want to introduce the characters and tell the audience the basics of the story:
- A girl has died
- The family is mourning
- The girl's spirit is still following

Below is the storyboard I've drawn up for the opening scene:

I thought to have the scene in 3 shots with a cut away. A jig down to a mid shot, a mid track to the left and a wide shot with a cut away of the grave. What I want most out of this experemental film is to see if I can show the character Stacey as a ghost/spirit, without any of the cheesy "walking through walls" or having her say or comment on the fact she is. As well I wanted to use some different camera techniques which I haven't used yet such as the the jig.

I currently plan on having 5 locations:
- Graveyard
- House
- Garden
- Street
- Bedroom

Within all of these, the majority of the story will take place in the bedroom and graveyard. I want to use the lines of the sonnet and literally turn them into visuals. One of my ideas is to have the ex-boyfriend sitting in the garden at night, around where they would sit and missing her. As Stacey watches him, he looks to the lights around the garden and smiles, thinking to himself that she is still with him and looks to the sky and knows she's looking down at him. This is how I feel I could achieve adapting the line "I am the soft starshine at night".

These are some of my ideas so far, I also think I'm going to cut the line "I am the diamond glints on snow" as I can't see how I can visualise that in this adaptation since I don't have this set at winter time and I feel it isn't needed for my adaptation.

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: ADAPTATION PROPOSAL

Sonnet Adaptation Proposal

When writing up my proposal, I still didn't have a completely clear idea. But I did know that the story I wanted to tell was about a young girl who and died but isn't upset by it. She's embraced it and has become one with the world. Although, my issues here are that I don't have a full story yet. Or even a script. So, this was a very broad proposal but I am hoping the feedback from Mike can help me shape the story and finalise my idea. 

I knew the look I was going for and the colours as well as I wrote up in the Visual Statement. I found that a sort of cold and greyish coloured look would be a good experiment, almost going for the Tim Burton style of having dark and scary to contrast with the happy and nice story.  I feel this would work really well and I'd like to experiment with this. This is also why I added in my mood board. I've already got 1 actor and location finished but I think I need Mike's feedback first to finalise my idea and really got a structure and story out of this.  

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: EXPEREMENTAL FILM

When choosing the style of 'Fear' I wanted to use the techniques we had learned in the camera workshop. I wanted to use the techniques to show fear rather than create it. So rather than creating tension and putting the audience on edge, I wanted to have the footage match with the fear of the character. So, if the character is calm and no action is occurring, the footage is either steady with locked off tripod or on a jib/steadicam set up. If it was needed for a fight/action scene I'd go with handheld, shoulder mount of action cam for the footage. Although, this is a very basic and classic rule for filming and camera techniques. I've never really tried it myself and I wanted to see if this works.

I also wanted to try very close up and awkward framing on the characters to create a sense of unease and make it uncomfortable to watch. Finally, I wanted to try and test the effect where you move the camera in but zoom out to give the effect of the world changing around and a sort of 'awakening' sense given by it. Below is my experemental film:

I feel this film worked. I used it as more of a test for certain camera techniques and it let me test my skills of using less dialogue and more visuals. Low lighting with my choice of camera is a serious issue (Canon 60D was the camera) and this would be the same with the DSLR's at University due to their sensor size. I didn't like the close ups I used in the end because they didn't work with the footage. It's all been moving in some way throughout the film and then suddenly it's locked off and just doesn't look right. The zoom track shot sort of worked but I think I need a lot of work on this. 

Overall I think it's a success on what I set out for it to be and it's allowing me to start thinking what sort of shots I would now need to mix in with a mood. Something which I'll need to do for my adaptation. 

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: CAMERA TECHNIQUES & PRACTICE TASK

We started this workshop with Mike walking us through different camera techniques. After watching through different videos to show us the different equipment you can use such as a Shoulder Mount, Steadicam, Jig, Crane, Track and Slider. We were given the diagram below which showed us the simple and basic camera movements:

We were told that the movement listed as "Roll" is actually a Dutch Angle, this was actually the only one I hadn't heard off, however I could see this being very effective in music videos with a performance from the band, giving a different view and with a steadicam attached moving in and out I feel this would be really effective.

After doing this, we were sent into groups and given all the different camera equipment that we have available at University. I teamed up with Jemma and we went and used the Jib first. We found this was very time consuming and took a long time to set. However, this is worth it with the effect it can give and the shots we can get from it. We found it's really good for shots of actors walking away and gives a good effect. As well, I thought this would be ideal for establishing shots as well for my adaptation for outside shots. We were told we were just experimenting with the equipment today. We moved over and starting using the Panasonic cameras as hand held and then over to the track to get a final shot. I tried to put together a walking sequence just to show the different techniques we have as options and also to see what would and wouldn't work. Below is the edit I put together:

After doing this, Mike gave us the task of creating a 2-3 minute sequence following one of the following themes:

1. Fear

2. Hope

3. Despair

4. Joy

I've always loved writing horror scripts and love the idea of creating a short sequence based on fear. I like the idea of having shaky footage mixed in with fast cuts and changes to give this idea of fear and horror. I've decided to try and do it on this but more than likely I'll go with only a few different techniques rather than all of them. I'm think of using:

- Steadicam

- Tripod (pans and tilts)

- Shoulder rig

I also want to try and make this without any dialogue, as to increase the fear side with sound effects and audio. 

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: CHOSEN SONNET

When looking through the Sonnets, I found a lot of them slightly confusing and didn't understand many of them. However, the second sonnet, by Mary Elizabeth Frye, stood out and interested me. The sonnet is:

"Do not stand at my grave and weep: I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starshine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry:

I am not there; I did not die."

FICTIONAL ADAPTATION: INTRODUCTION

Out of 2 units we get to choose which we follow through with. Professional Practice, which is where we either find our own work placement or take on a commission from a company, or Fictional Adaptation which is where we choose one of ten sonnets and we adapt that into a short film between 5-6 minutes long.
I chose to go with Fictional Adaptation. My reason for this is because I currently want to go into the camera department and down the rout of a Cinematographer, I found that some of the Professional Practice option that were given forward didn't give me as much creativity. However, Fictional Adaptation allows me to experiment with camera techniques and really test and develop my skills. This would also benefit my show reel better I feel.

Our lecturer Mike Rymer is taking this unit. We've been given the Sonnets and now need to read through them and decide which we want to adapt. All of which we have clearance to use and adapt.

DIGITAL NEWS: EVALUATION

This unit has really taught be a lot that I can take forward. Although, we did have many issues and struggles along the way, I feel I've learnt from these and developed my skills much more.

I feel my strengths for this unit were my problem solving. When a problem occurred such as when we had to re-film, nurse dropped out, none of our contacts got back, I always looked for the solution and not dwell on the problem. When reshooting, I ensured that I planned out what it is we needed to reshoot and made sure everything was set up on time, we worked through it all and got everything filmed and edited before the deadline. I would also say that our turn around of the edit was handled very well and the team work me and George had when editing the production together. Our communication as a team worked really good as we all communicated and contributed towards the final video and the planning and design of the branding and the logo with all giving input and feedback to ensure we got the best quality which would sell our channel. I would say the promo video is a big strength of ours as we found a way to be creative and we thought outside the box, I was also able to bring in aspects which I'd learnt from previous units to make a short but effective video to sell the channel and help brand NewsGrad. I think I did very well with the design of the background as I made a simple but effective studio which worked for both selling the channel and being suitable for us. The amount of work I took on as well I was about to handle it well, considering I did the script, a large amount of research, creation of the website, YouTube channel, majority of the filming process and a large amount of the editing as well. I would say I got these done to a high quality as well considering at some points we were rushed for time.
I feel our final video has turned out really well. Even though it has changed from the initial idea, it still follows what NewsGrad do and the content they bring out and still works with the promo we produced for the channel.

I feel there are quite a few weaknesses for this unit however, although George did make it better in post production, the Live interview does let our project down. Organisation wasn't great here. We should have set a date where we all could have been there and we should have worked through the camera movement and sound set up together as this is what got to Jack and George on the day of filming. As well, we should have looked around the location to try and find a more quiet part as the audio from the cars really drowns out Emma in the interview. I think this could have been done much better and we weren't as organised as the rest of the shoot which I feel you can see from the footage and quality of the pre-recorded sections. Another issue I feel we had was with the script, considering we ended up adding in another section (5 top tips) which we didn't even need at the end and took an entire day to film, I think this was really bad organisation. This can also be said for the review of the green screen footage as we didn't notice that Jack was getting cut off and needed to go back and reshoot. This could have been avoided if we had been more organised and if we reviewed the footage before going into the edit which we should have been doing. Our weakness in the edit was with the audio and with the colour from some of the green screen. Most of which we reshot and this took up too much time from the edit.

DIGITAL NEWS: EDITING STAGE

Rough Cut
When assembling the rough cut, we saw issues straight away. Mostly with how many jokes we had tried to add into the footage. They just weren't working and with the entire cut together, was more boring than funny which was really effecting the video. I think going back to what Steve Coombs said on script writing. He said you either have to have 1 swear word or a million swear words in a script. But not when it comes to jokes. Comedy is hard to write and thankfully, we were able to cut out a lot of the jokes we had added into the edit and smooth it out. By this point we had also gotten Simon to create Idents, (Simon's blog post on Graphics) We spoke together on making these and we wanted some funny idents which could work in with the branding. We ended up agreeing on having one of the little characters being chased by a Pac man which is actually student loans. We also agreed on having an ident where it looks like a disco with the graduates.

Below is our rough cut:

The main feedback on this edit was the Live interview. The audio just isn't good enough, we're losing Emma's answers which is lowering the quality of the interview. Helen also pointed out that the cut aways don't work because this is meant to be live so we need to change this. It needs to be smoother and she suggested having a pre-recorded bit at the beginning which would have George pointing out the traffic as it would let us get away with the issues of the sound slightly. 

Helen also pointed out we've got 3 packages. A live broadcast and 2 pre-recorded sections where as we only needed 1 pre-recorded section. Which did help as the Top Tips wasn't flowing as fast and as nicely as we wanted it to. Meaning it was dragging. We ended up agreeing to cut the entire section which also frustrating due to the level of work it took to get the footage, was better for the edit.

Helen also found that the structure of the programme didn't work. But she liked the idea of putting George's 'graduation photo shoot' as the opening which would actually work as he introduces the programme and the DIY section. It would all work there together but it did mean we needed to reshoot Jack's Green screen to make sure it worked and flowed together. 

Fine Cut

With this section, George took on the live interview and worked through it with Fergus and managed to get the audio to a much better quality. We added in the voice over with George which does help with the interview. This is all we can do to improve the edit now so next we just need to add in the graphics. We also did the new structure and it does make the production move much more smoothly. I had to add in some music to make the DIY and LED light sections work and bright up the brightness on the LED disco and the Projector section. I also added in a cover of The Lion King Song so that we weren't breaking copyright. I also worked in all the backgrounds for this edit and I feel it's all working well now.

After adding in some music and sound effects it's coming together. Although it all still needs work I can see the parts I need to fix.

DIGITAL NEWS: PROMO VIDEO PLANNING AND PRODUCING

When it came to planning and shooting the promo video, we knew we wanted something short and snappy. We didn't want a promo for this episode, we wanted a promo video for the channel. Our pitch is a weekly YouTube series to help students and each week would be different and we wanted that to come across in the promo. But, we also needed to keep up with the branding. So this meant we needed a slight amount of comedy and a way to keep it lively and fun.
For this, I referred back to my Directions Unit and my favourite Director, Edgar Wright and his style of directing: Edgar's Directional Style
He uses the camera and the editing to his advantage. With fast cuts and whip pans to make it fast and exciting. This is where we found our idea.

We decided to go with the idea of having George and Jack simply tell us what NewsGrad is. These are our presenters, who we would be watching so they should tell us. But whip pan and cut between them. Quick and snappy to keep it excited. George says one bit, Jack another and then bring them together and welcome them to NewsGrad.
But then George had the idea, to have them sitting bored in a lecture and then we cut to the fun they have with the channel.

Below is our finished Promo:

So in post, we added in a black and white effect to the first footage. Make it look dull and boring with the music to create the atmosphere. Then with the whip ban we bring in the colour and we add in the sound effect and it creates a fun video. I added in the bloopers at the end as a joke originally but found that they really helped make some fun and laughter. It shows that these are students making the content and that they are relatable. So, we kept them in and brought the green screen background in to help with branding and uploaded this to the website and YouTube channel.

Top line
When making the promo we also decided on our top line for our channel and it's the ending of the promo video. "Sit back, relax, push your course work aside and tune into NewsGrad". The key words here being relax and push your course work aside, making the students wonder why they should do this. Adding in the name to make them question who we are but with the name telling them it's something to do with News. We went with this as it worked, it flows nicely in the video and rolls off the tongue and fits nicely with the branding for students.

DIGITAL NEWS: SHOOTING

Live interview
I wasn't able to make it to the Live interview due to work commitments. However, I had the feedback from my team mates. From what I've been told, the shoot did have a few issues. Due to getting the risk assessment signed off and getting kit, George and Jack arrived at the location late and because of this only had 20 minutes to get the interview done. However, Simon was also unavailable due to work so they were two team members down. They had technical difficulties with the clip microphone and could only get one as well. As well, with it being 12pm when they arrived it was rush hour and there was a large amount of noise and members of the public at the location so noise was an issue. However, they got the filming done. When we reviewed the footage, we found that the sound was an issue. The camera was very shaky and the vary of the shot was too much. Framing was off and our interviewee's audio was quite low.
However, we aren't able to re-film this due to the day she is next available is the day of our hand in. So, we know why this issue occurred and it is our own fault. We clearly weren't as prepared as we could have been. With 2 crew members down this seriously effected the interview. However, we may be able to save this in the edit.

DIGITAL NEWS: FILM RIOT (CHANNEL RESEARCH)

Our main form of inspiration for this project was Film Riot. This is the YouTube channel that made us decide to go for a Social Media channel, rather than try and create a formal and 'traditional' news channel and try and brand it towards students.

Film Riot is a Film Makers heaven. They are a How-to-Guide to filmmaking. Each week giving new guides and tutorials for filming as well as kit reviews, on set advice and much more. For someone studying film, Film Riot is classed as the one YouTube channel you need to subscribe to. The channel was set up back in 2006 by Inspired Film Makers Ryan Connolly (Presenter of Film Riot) and Josh Connolly (co-founder of Film Riot) who wanted to give DIY filming techniques and basic filming guides to people of the internet. 12 years later and Ryan Connolly has worked for Adobe and now left and set up his own Production Company 'Triune Films'. Film Riot has over 1 Million Subscribers and is classed as one of the best ways to learn filming techniques.

Film Riot is a purely internet based programme and uploads every Monday and Thursday. The fact that they are purely internet is what led us to look at them for inspiration. Students don't tend to watch a lot of TV but are on Social Media a lot so an online channel is the best way to reach them. Also, the regular 'BBC Style' (very formal) presenting isn't something that will interest students. This is where Film Riot again helped us. Watch a recent video bellow:

DIGITAL NEWS: CREATING BACKGROUND FOR GREEN SCREEN (AFTER EFFECTS WORKSHOPS)

When it came to designing the background for our 'studio' sections with the Green screen. After having inspiration from Film Riot and one of the UCA Digital News Projects "Student Yak" I contacted Joshua Jones from the 3rd TV Production. I asked him how he created his Studio Background for this unit and he told me that rather than using After Effects, a very complicated piece of Adobe Software. He had used a 3D Model software called 'Sweet Home 3D'.
This software allows you to create a 3D Model of a home (so originally decided for home planning) and then allows you to turn this 3D Model into a picture which you can stick behind and use with Green Screen. Josh told me that the software is free to use and also offered to give me some 3D Models he used in the set for 'Student Yak'.



Josh put a large amount of time into designing his set for Student Yak and really understood the software and how to create his own textures and models. I still found this very complicated and could only do the basics with Sweet Home 3D. So, rather than spending weeks learning the software and trying to decide on what design to go with. I decided to use the branding we had come up with to my advantage. Since our logo and our website was a very simple branding, I chose to keep the studio like this. So, when designing I kept the walls to the basic 2 colours we're using, yellow and blue. I made the set colourful and simple. I lucky, found a large graduation cap 3D Model online and was able to add this in as a sort of table which works really well. The set I made was intended to look a little like a chat show. From the angle we're at in the photo above, it doesn't look that affective. Below is the photo version of the set.

Again, still doesn't look hugely effective. I also added in the light brackets and dart board and clapper on the wall to give it a very student and informal feel. Once I put it into Premiere with the green screen footage...

With a slight blur added, it gives a really good effect and works with our branding as well. Although, a very basic set and I feel I could have done a much better job given I knew and understood the software better. I feel like I've really captured the branding across with this and I think it works really well as our set.

DIGITAL NEWS: S4C NEWS (WELSH NEWS RESEARCH)

As part of my research for this project. I looked into some different 'news' programmes. One I looked into is one from home and that is the Welsh News Channel 'Newyddion' broadcasted on S4C at 9pm each night. The opening to each programme is like a classic and formal News channel, with the presenter giving their tag line, only telling the juicy bits, getting the audience interested. In the episode I watch the tagline translated to "the man who's story and courage warmed our hearts. Tribute paid to Irfon Williams" But to show what sort of title sequence this channel has I found this clip on Youtube:

Although some might not be able to understand the language, you can clearly see from the pictures on screen and the interactions of the interviews that this is a tagline and the start to the programme to get the audience hooked. 

Since this news programme is only on once a day and only covers Wales, it's a very broad News programme. It will focus on 4 topics, Political/current affairs effecting Wales, a heart warming/popular story which will interest people across Wales, Sports (often about the Welsh Rugby/Football team and finally the Weather. You can also see from the channels branding as soon as your watch it. Purple. A very eye grabbing colour, the set, logo and title sequence is all purple and it's a very clear branding. As well as the title sequence very much branding the channel as 'Welsh News' having the classic sites for Wales such as Country side, wind turbines but also making it a bit more personal by showing shots of people working, children at school and of course showing the iconic Cardiff Millennium centre, located in the capital of Wales.

DIGITAL NEWS: 25 WORD PITCH

We were told that we needed to create a short, 25 word pitch which would sell our channel to a Producer. Considering what it is we are working towards and who we are aiming at, Students. Ou channel is set to give out weekly content for students who are looking to be both entertained but informed and given advice to help them in University. The biggest issue which we would be looking at would be saving money which we would most likely cover each week as being a student isn't cheap. Even this week, we have shown budget gadgets and DIY builds rather than spending out and wasting money you don't have. As well, we want to bring students news that could be effecting them. News about tuition fees, the NUS, anything that could be effecting them. So, with that in mind, our pitch is:

"Student life isn't cheap but here at News Grad we can show you how to save money and live the lifestyle you crave, with insightful news"

We feel this sells our channel. It sums up who we are and what we do. It grabs your attention with the point of being a student not being cheap and then telling them we can help. The word 'insightful' for news works to get them interested and keen. With the name thrown in their it's a great pitch.

DIGITAL NEWS: SCRIPT (FINAL VERSION) AND QUESTIONS FOR NURSE

After discussing the change of the Top 5 Tips and the drop out of our Presenter, we needed to up date the script and also think of new scenes for the top tips section.

Script V2

With the top tips, we had already decided on them and wrote up the new ones but tried to do it at a face paced speed, so that they could be quick and snappy. Since the tips are now about living at halls we agreed we should try and get a halls room. However, when I called Debby (Head of the Accommodation at UCA) she told me we wouldn't be able to organise this at such a short notice and we agreed that we would have to go with a simpler option. Thankfully, we had the option of George Wing's house as a backup. 

This was the main change to the script. Other than a few different corrections. I wanted simple but effective footage to go with the footage. Such as when George is at the room decorating for tip 5, we have him putting up some photos while talking. When Jack explains about joining a club or Society, we have him walking through a corridor and then into a 'club'. When we showed our tutor this version she was pleased and enjoyed the new script and gave us the go ahead.
When it came to us planning out the shots, I had already written in the shots for the project in the script, even though I hadn't described the shot shot sizes. Since I'm the one on camera I'll be able to make sense of the script so I didn't feel I needed to write up a shot list as I work better without it. 

DIGITAL NEWS: LIVE INTERVIEW FINALISED

Having no response from any of our contacts that we emailed or called regarding student nurses. Our tutor had suggested finding a different story however, the only current one that we could do is about the Prime Minister announcing that the current price for Tuition Fee's (£9,250 per year) will be frozen on that and will not rise and that they intend to rise the amount you have to earn before paying back your student loan.

However, Jack came back and told us about a family friend of his called Emma Sturba. She's a Second Year Student Nurse and has placement in the Medway Maritime Hospital, the location that we have planned to film our interview so this works to our advantage. Jack has confirmed to film Emma on Monday 16th October at 12pm on her lunch break. However, the issue that I've come to is that I won't be available for this shoot due to work commitments. However, my team agreed that they could handle the shoot and we agreed to go ahead with it.

DIGITAL NEWS: 5 TIPS CHANGE!

When we showed our script to Helen, her main point of feedback was that the 5 Top Tips were very obvious and she felt that Students would already know this. Helen said that we should do something which was less obvious and something which Students wouldn't have heard before. By trying to find out more I contacted the UCA Student Union and simply asked them "What advice would you give students at University?" a lot of them did say Budgeting but I then asked if there was anything else and a few suggested advice about moving away from home.

I then contacted former UCA Student President Tasmin Brindley and asked her what I should talk about with the top tips and moving out. Tasmin suggested focusing on Moving into accommodation as this will often be students first times living alone. Tasmin explained that she told students to unpack their belongings themselves and not when their parents are there. This way they have something to keep themselves occupied and they can get use to this new environment.
She also explained that joining a Club or Society really helps you meet new people and make friends. You can do this early as you often move into accommodation a few weeks before the course starts. Finally, Tasmin told me that often, students don't decorate their Uni Halls room. This was one of the first things I did when I moved into Halls and it made my room feel like my own.

So, this was 3 tips. We still needed 2 more. There are 2 that I came up with and that was using a door stop. I used these with all my flat mates last year in accommodation and it made us all socialise much more and brought us closer as a flat. The other one was that I made a family group chat on Whatsapp when I went to Uni and this helped me stay in touch with my family and friends and it really helped me feel better whenever I got home sick and kept us all in touch.

These are the tips we're going to use instead of the budgeting ones.

DIGITAL NEWS: LOCATION RECCE

While we're waiting for our contacts to get back in contact to book a student nurse for the live interview, we went out and recce'd our locations for the shoot.

Maidstone Studios - Base Room
In our base room we want to use the corner where the sofas are for the tech review so the focus can be on the speaker and it can be a chilled environment. As well as this we want to use one of the lecture rooms to set up the fake photo shoot for George as this location would be best to set up a back drop for a 'photoshoot'. We would also have the set up for making the projector here. We do have to request these locations through Laura which I have emailed ahead and requested.

Bower Street - Gavin's House

At my student house in Maidstone, I have my own 'Green screen studio' set up in my basement. This is where we'll film all the green screen footage because we can use this area anytime and for as long as we like. I also have the lighting needed to light the green screen correctly so this helps us in this area as well. I checked with my landlord and he was more than happy for us to use this basement as a make shift Green Screen Studio.

Rochester - George Wing's Student House
For the majority of the filming, we'll be using George Wing's student house. This is because his room looks like a student room, his kitchen is small and a good size for the LED light set up, the bathroom is a good size and there is also a corner section with couches which we can use for the projector 'being used' at the end of the DIY building. George has checked with his landlord and other flatmates and they're all happy for him to film at this location.

Gillingham - Medway Maritime Hospital
For the 'live interview' we want to film the nurse at a location that is relevant. One of the most well known hospitals is Medway Maritime which the BBC and ITV use often for news broadcasts (according to their press office.), Jack also tells us that one of the nurses that he contacted works at this hospital so it would be the ideal location if we got her to be the interviewee. Jack has contacted the press office and they've informed him that we just need to give a date and they can give us filming permission for the location.