Documentary Unit -Workshop With DOP Peter LLoyd-Williams

So, we had a workshop with a DOP, which was really helpful towards the documentary unit, as I am really hands-on learner. The scenario is to make an interview with the resoruces around and with a five minute time minute, but make sure that we can get adequate coverage. So our group went with the three point lighting, and pulled one of the studio black curtains so that it can create a nice backdrop. we also hooked up a clip mic to the interviewee so we can get pure sound, and also a rode mic on top of the camera for atmos. The camera was place a little further away so we can achieve some nice depth of field. The three required shots were:

Shot of interviewee.

Interviewer noddies.

Wider shot of interviewee with shoulder in shot.

Here's a few snaps of the shoot, plus the settings on the camera

We were then set a task to film a short interview in 30 minutes in the exterior of the studios, making sure we used the same sort of coverage and any extra shorts that would cut, this is the final product, I found the overall day very useful to me about coverage as I was unsure going into it.

Documentary Unit - Using a disclaimer form

This is the disclaimer form that we will be using, just as the risk assessment, I will update it with the completed versions in a separate blog:

Documentary Unit -Mini Project

This is our video that we made for 'day in the life' brief given on Wednesday, the outline was simply get a shot list, script, film and edit of a short 'day in the life' of a student. For this, we used Mark playing a game, with all different shots making sure we have a lot of coverage. The sound isn't the greatest and the cuts aren't silky smooth, but I really enjoyed the small project and the cameras were nicely exposed.

Documentary Unit - Feedback from Initial Script

We have recently received some feedback for our basic documentary film piece script, which we submitted to our course mentor Helen earlier this week. The feedback can be seen here:

 A lot of the feedback we received mostly highlighted our lack of details when it comes to scripting exactly what the narrator and presenter will say during transitional segments. We also made a few amateur mistakes such as referring to the interviewees as "Interviewee A", "Interviewee B" etc, rather than actually highlighted what the interviewee will be. For example, are they part of the NoToMob that will be backing up their work, or will they be a council member talking about why the NoToMob aren't approaching the situation in the correct way? We will make proper changes to our script and make it easier to understand before our filming date.

Documentary Unit -Sound workshop with Ferg

We also had a sound workshop with fergus which helped me adjust the levels on the EXCAM and working with clipmics and the rode mic.

I had a really big problem with my previous projects with sound especially the overall levels so it was brilliant to learn how to control the levels so the sound is brilliant and crystal clear.

Documentary Unit -Using a risk assessment

This is the risk assessment that we will be using for the documentary, the blog will be updated with the signed versions when I have completed it:

Documentary Unit - Pitch

Today we had a pitch for our project, which was entitled Community Heroes: NoToMob. I overall thought it was a really productive session and I got a lot of feedback which I will use to support my project. Sorry about the camera postition, iPad doesn't have a good stand!




When we entered the board-room to present our pitch, the first thing we did was make sure each member of the commissioning body had a copy of our treatment document and that we introduced ourselves in an appropriate, business-like manor.
We began our pitch by simply explaining what our documentary was going to be about and what our intentions were while we are making it (AKA: What we want to learn, who we want to speak to and what kind of impression we want our documentary film piece to leave on the viewer when they have finished watching.)
Once we had established what our documentary was to be about,we began to explain more technical aspects of the project, such as what channel and time-slot our documentary would be shown in and appeal to. We explained that our documentary would be shown on BBC3, and we also explained that we would want our documentary to be shown in a time-slot where it would not have to compete with soap operas, which often monopolise the viewing habits of people. We also explained what our target audience would be and why we believed that appealing to this target audience would be the most appropriate thing to do.
We explained that our documentary would cater to many different age-groups and social statuses, but also that the main kind of audience we would be going for would be drivers and people who like the subject of organisations and individuals standing up against large corporate entities such as the government and other people in authority positions.
One thing that was noted from our treatment document that we handed in was that the suggested TV Listing description I created was very suggestive and biased in the way it was presented. Whilst I didn't think this when I first created the piece of writing, I began to understand as the commissioners explained to me that using the word "corrupt" in such a way pretty much makes it seem as though our documentary film piece has already decided to side with the NoToMob, instead of giving fair, impartial information.
Therefore, the newly updated TV listing description will read:
“An investigative look into the world of "corrupt" parking-law enforcement, and the vigilante group that battle against them on the streets of urban Medway.”
Quotation marks have been added around the word corrupt.
Throughout the pitch, many comments were made from the commissioning members, and a lot of them were helpful when it comes to making adjustments to our overall story development and how we plan to approach the creation of our documentary.

Documentary Unit -Selecting Appropriate Video, Audio

For the documentary piece, instead of my usual DSLR Canon 7D that i used on my previous shoot, I will be using one of the Sony EXCAMs, This is because of a few different factors that will affect this shoot for definite.

The first example is the shallow depth of field. Canon and DSLR's in general are known to have this shallow depth of field. Given the nature of the shoot, taking actuality into account, this will make our lives harder because it will be too blurry to use for a documentary piece if there is a lot of motion, which I imagine will be present during an actuality shoot as we are not warned beforehand what is going on. Even though the EXCAMS are big and can strain your shoulder, it is ideal for documentaries because of the settings on the camera and the versatility of the options. I'll still be using a 7D for non factual shoots though :')

The second is sound. The onboard sound is AWFUL on the 7D. This means at the very least i'll have to use a fostex recorder to get decent sound, which may be impractical on my shoot as there is only two of us, and one of us is the presenter. Plus the fact that I'm not trained on a fostex and don't want to take any chances, and matching it up in FCP can be a pain. The best part of the EXCAMS is that it has XLR inputs and you can easily control the input volumes so that you can have one channel for atmos sound and one for the clip mic etc. I like this setup and will use it. However, if I want a secondary cameraman, I may ask one of my classmates Andrei to bring along his 7D and Rodemic attachment to get as much coverage as possible, but this is just a maybe.

Documentary Unit -Identifying the Audience and Timeslot

Today we have been making some important decisions about what our target audience would be for our documentary film piece as well as what kind of time-slot we would be looking for if we were to have our program shown on television.
It is important for us to know this information in preparation for our pitch so that when the day of the actual presentation comes, we have some kind of basis for us to compare our documentary and also a talking point for us to discuss what exactly we want our documentary film piece to appeal to and be made for.

Documentary Unit - Exploring Camera Styles

Recently we have been exploring the various different potential styles that we could film our documentary film piece in, and also what kind of tone our film piece could have. 

Something we have discovered from watching such documentary film pieces as "the boy whose skin fell off" and the "educating Yorkshire" and "7up" series is that the sudden change from guerrilla film-making to film that has been recorded using a tripod and steady cam can be quite off putting for the viewer.

Guerrilla film making has a very rugged, almost shaky look to it and so it can sometimes seem like a lot of action is happening on the screen even when it isn't due to the erratic camera movements. This of course would make no sense in slow paced scenes and sit-down interview segments, but would be perfect for scenes where there is a lot going on, such as action scenes (like if we were to attend a no-to movement rally where there would be a lot going on).

Guerrilla film making would also be very convenient for us in terms of having to carry equipment as we would not have to worry about carrying a tripod around with us when we are out and about filming. This means we could potentially take other pieces of equipment instead, such as light reflectors or sound equipment.

Documentary Unit - Contacting the Movement

Here is an e-mail that myself and Mark have sent the NoToMob that I extracted from their website.

"Hello,

We are writing as students from the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester. We have been given the task of creating a documentary film piece as part of our commission unit, and we are writing today to ask if you would allow us to make our documentary film piece on the work of the NoToMob and their activities in Medway. Off the record the work of the NoToMob is something that we find very interesting and we think it sends a positive message to correctly deal with corrupt money-driven system. 

The brief for our unit is called My Hero, where we have to produce a documentary relating to a person or group of people that inspire others. After seeing your work online and word of mouth, what you do for the community is something that we think would be suitable for this brief. If you could provide us with more information about your group and its philosophy, we could potentially arrange interviews with a member or members of your movement and give you the opportunity to spread the message of your movement in front of a camera. If you do not feel comfortable appearing in front of a camera, we would be more than happy to accept a written statement, providing that you give permission for us to broadcast it as part of our documentary. 

If you are not willing to appear on our documentary or provide a written statement, could you please give us some further information on what kind of direction we could take in finding out more on your movement.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you, we have a contact number if you would rather a verbal chat instead of e-mail, 07787697290

Mark Cooper and Andrew Cox"

Now it's time for the waiting game, hopefully they get back to us soon. 

Documentary Unit - Filtering My Idea

Based upon a small tutorial I had with Helen, I filtered my original idea of anonymous to make it a more foreseeable and vaibility of the story. I found a local revolutionist group that don the Guy Fawkes mask, which peacefully protest in the local arera in a very interesting way. Essentially, the CCTV cars that drive around and fine drivers for parking illegally, essentially they make the public aware of where they are, as the cars are often incognito due to their cars being small and agile.

Relating this back to the BBC brief of my hero, these guys are heroes in many peoples eyes, because of their courage to stand up against the corporate machine. They have costed the local council thousands because of this method, but peacefully so it will be interesting to see how they overcome this. But to understand why they do this, you. Must understand the broader picture. So the next stage will be pre production and researching for my doc.

With this in mind, here are the details that I have come across and some articles online based on this group:

Article from the courier about Masked Bikers that make the public 'aware' of the CCTV smart cars
http://www.courier.co.uk/Masked-bikers-CCTV-cars-streets/story-12020116-detail/story.html

Their official Social Media accounts:
https://twitter.com/NoToMob
https://www.facebook.com/NoToMob

Their official forum:
http://notomob.co.uk/discussions/index.php?board=13.0

Blog post about the mob:
http://percyweller.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/no-to-mob/

BBC 'inside out' on the mob:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=06x0gYgaBbA

Isn't it amazing what you can find online? Anyway, the main port of call is to find out if they are prepared to feature in a documentary about them. 

Documentary Unit - Introduction to the Unit and Initial Thoughts

So we've got a new unit to do, and I'm really excited about the project! It seems so far that we've focussed on fictional works, now that we get to focus on factual works and researching on a different level, I can't wait to see how I translate from fictional to factual works. Firstly, here's the brief:

•Conceive, develop, script, shoot and edit an original 10’ documentary which fits either :
–BBC3 –  ‘My Hero’ – stories of heroism
–Or
–Canterbury Cathedral – film for their YouTube channel about the artists and artisans work to keep the beauty of the cathedral alive

To be honest, I think I'm gonna go for the 'My Hero' one, out of pure honesty I think that i feel more connected to the concept, I'm not really an arty person and don't feel that I could use my abilities better in the second than the first. 

So, before I start, I would like to show you something I did whilst studying at college. It was meant to be a fully fledged documentary but I never got to fully finish it, it follows 9/11 and the terror attacks, which I feel very passionate about for a variety of different reasons. Here's the video, it's around four minutes long so sit tight :')

I like the style I was going for in this piece, something about it just works, however it does have its flaws. I think there is far too much black framing in the film, I think it links into the style but it is far too prominant, so I can work on it in this project. The sound is also a bit off in my opinon, something I can focus on in this project as there is many sound workshops to do in this unit. 

My initial ideas are all going off in my head! But I have narrowed it down to two ideas really.

Anonymous

After hearing a quote in a lecture by Helen, it went along the lines of 'truth is the strongest weapon' or something like that, I immediately thought of this. Anonymous are a revolutionist group that are activists and 'hackivists'. The beauty of anonymous is that anyone can be in anonymous, hence the name, which makes it very easy to find out their philosophy, which goes as follows (wikipedia)

We [Anonymous] just happen to be a group of people on the internet who need—just kind of an outlet to do as we wish, that we wouldn't be able to do in regular society. ...That's more or less the point of it. Do as you wish. ... There's a common phrase: 'we are doing it for the lulz.'	”
—Trent Peacock. Search Engine: The face of Anonymous, February 7, 2008.[15] Anonymous to me are heroes in their own right. They essentially are a revolutionist group that fights for the good of free speech against the authorities in any way they want and can't be stopped. They are iconised by the famous 'V for Vendetta' masks.