MDA1400 - Dre Beats Commercial

This is a commercial, advertising the well known headphones, Dre Beats. I was the director for this project and my partner produced it. My partner came up with the idea and i instantly recommended we use a friend of mine, he's a music producer. This way our advert can focus on one main type of audience, which would be music producers. The music in the video was made by the producer we used, and the studio we filmed in was the one in our university. Overall, we didn't encounter any major problems or set backs. Once we came up with a detailed idea, it was a smooth path from there. I believe i have increased my knowledge of the directing role, and feel that my skills are improving. I am beginning to feel more comfortable and confident when being a director, so watch out for my future projects. Enjoy

MDA1800 - Novelistic Narratives

On the 07:57 train, going from New cross gate to Croydon, a drunken man begins to cause a ruckus. Each carriage on the train can hold up to 50 passengers, but there were only 8 passengers at the time, due to the time of day. The drunken man was being aggressive and shouting out abusive language. The person sitting closest to this drunkard was a young woman, judging by her shaking hands and lack of eye contact she was very scared. The person sitting behind her amazingly was fast asleep with what seemed to be very expensive headphones on. The third person looked fearless and almost eager for the alcohol influenced man to start something with him so then he may release his rage and put a stop to all the noise. A ticket inspector was standing by the doors to go from carriage to carriage and seemed unsure whether to check the tickets in this carriage, instead he rushed to a different carriage once the drunken man’s voice had risen. There was also a couple on the train, which looked like they were a match made in heaven, as they took no notice of the disturbance and were engaged in the long kiss they had started since they got on the train. The last person, who was sitting at the end of the carriage, was a scruffy looking university student. He seemed to be documenting what was happening on the train, as he kept rising his head to observe, then dropped it back into his note book, simultaneously writing.

MDA1400 - Alcohol Awareness Campaign Video

As our next MDA1400 assignment we were asked to create a campaign video. We took a look at many different examples, whether it was smoking, health, exercise, and we decided to go with alcohol. Our reason for this is obviously the danger, and we can come from a perspective similar to regular drinkers as we are at that age. I learnt how to further the research & development process, as it's not only similar video's you can get ideas and information off, it's also poster advertisements, poems, songs, and even the advertisements in the shops/bars. This shoot would of gone better but we ran into some problems which will only act as advantages in our next project, as we have identified them and learned how to work around them.

Enjoy

MDA1400 - Observational Documentary

This is our completed video of our second assignment for MDA1400. We was asked to make an observational documentary and this is what me (Producer) and my partner Andreas (Director) came up with. This assignment was turned down at first as we discovered observational documentary's can't be edited in a way where the video is changed. For example, my partner and i made some scenes speed up, we also put a soundtrack on it. This made it more like a music video instead of an observational documentary. From this assignment i learnt that an observational documentary can be anything that observes live actions. This means the video would not have actors or staged actions in it, because this then takes out the realism of it. Our video is an observational documentary as we do not have any actors, also we are observing an everyday occurrences with a meaning to it, showing the viewers the reliability and problems with automatic doors.

Enjoy!

MDA1800 Assessment 2

The film i have chosen to analyse is 'Street Kings', directed by David Ayer. The film is about corrupt cops and how the protagonist Tom Ludlow (played by Keanu Reeves) tried to clear his name after being suspected of killing another cop. The question i have chosen to answer is 'Does the film have a three-act structure?' In answer to this question, my opinion is yes it does. A three act structure is a process in writting and evaluating stories which divides a movie into three parts, which i found out are the set up, the confrontation, and the resolution.

The first act of this structure aims to point out the protagonist, other main characters who will become an essential part of the film, and brief insights of how these people are living. In this act, which is at the begining of a film, an incident usually occurs relating to the protagonist, and he/she attempts to sort it out and fails, which leads to a more serious issue, this is reffered to as a turning point. It shows the audience that the first act is coming to an end and things will not be the same for the protagonist for the rest of the film. It also leaves room by fading the storyline a bit, which will leave the audiences questions unanswered until the climax of the film. In this case, Tom Ludlow gets into a bit of trouble within the first 30 minutes of the film, leaving at least three major paths, the rest of the film will take. The problem arises when Ludlow finds out his ex-partner has been talking to a higher officer about dishonest activities the two of them done when they were partners. Ludlow finds out and plans to fight his ex-partner, he follows him and prepares to fight when Ludlow's ex-partner is shot by robbers. This is the call to adventure, and the turning point at once, from this point in the film, the audience will be asking questions such as: Why did the robbers only shoot the ex-partner and not Ludlow or take the money from the till? Possibly, what will happen next to Ludlow. That is the first structure of the story.

The second act is the rising action which puts the protagonist is a more serious issue than the previous. In Street Kings, Ludlow finds out that one of his bullets were found in his ex-partners shoulder, this makes Ludlow a possible suspect. He comes to realise that everyone is covering him and getting rid of evidence implicating him as part of the murder. The situation worsens as he finds out the people that were identified as the murderers, were dead from a long time ago, which means the real killers are still alive. This point of the sturcture occurs just before the final act, which is the resolution. Tom Ludlow begins to investigate alone and finds out things he wasn't meant to, which leads to the climax of the film. At this point he finds and kills the people responsible for his ex-partners death, and then finds out these people were undercover police. After this, Ludlow finds out his partners turn against him and plot to kill him, this would be the second turning point. It gets the audience on the edge of their seats and leads to the third act. From this point on, the rest of the film goes down one of two paths.

Finally, the third and final act of the stucture is the resolution, which is whether the film ends happily ever after, if the protagonist dies, or if the film is left on a cliff hanger. This part of the structure is aimed to answer all the questions and to resolve any unsolved subplots to the story. In Street Kings, Ludlow manages to find out who the person sending people out to kill him, and then kills that person. Then to find out the higher officer was purposly taking no action of his allegations so Ludlow will then get rid of all the corrupt cops in their unit. This was the resolution of the story, and left everything covered.

In conclusion, i believe this film worked well by following the three act structure, as it has the right storyline and wouldnt need any alteration. The hero's call to adventure, the refusal of the call, and the resolution are all taken and shown in depth during the course of this film and made it what it turned out to be. If the three act structure was not followed, i believe questions will remain unanswered, and the plot will not be shown as smooth as it is now.

MDA1400 - Space Video

This is our first assignment for our new module MDA1400 and we had to create a one minute video about space. MDA1400 is in groups of two's instead of 4, and i partnered up with Eddy (Producer) and i was the director. When we was given this assignment we instantly came up with ideas and make a final decision on one. Eddy suggested we do a videography, which i thought was a great idea as it's very visual and help to get information across. So, as my role as director, i wrote up a script and sent it to Eddy, where he reviewed it and we began editing. I like this video, not only because i made it, but because it looks professional to me, like something that would be seen on television or online advertisements. During the course of this project, i learned alot about the software used to make this video (after effects) and also, during research, i learned good ways to get a message across to an audience, and realized you don't always need camera shots and sound in a film.

Enjoy!

MDA1300 - The Annie Foundation (Short Film)

It's finally here people, the short film my team and i made. In one of my previous posts i explained what this video is about and who it is aimed at. The point and message of the film i think, was matched and pointed out clearly. My role in this production was Director of Photography and i worked alongside, Ahmed (Sound) Stephen (Lights & Editing) Diana (Producer) and Jessica (Director). I think our team was great and any problems that occurred we overcame and didn't let it effect us. Please watch and share with other people, this isn't just a film for entertainment, but it's a real cause and we would like more people to be aware and to get involved in resolving this terrible growing cause.

Enjoy!

MDA1300 - Antisocial Networking (Continuity Project)

This assignment was to show that we learnt the importance of continuity. We was asked to make a short video and make sure all the cuts are matched, each movement and any dialogue. My role was the cameraman and i was working alongside Yousef (producer), Ahmed (director), and Stephen (Audio). This shoot went really well, apart from the issue of the weather changing so we had to make a new idea and change location. The location we shot this video at, had alot of pedestrians walking past the camera or making noise nearby, so as you could imagine we had to re-shoot many scenes over and over. Overall i believe this task enabled us to understand the importance of continuity and how it effects a movie or video. Since we made this video, continuity has always been a thing for me to look out in future productions.

Enjoy

MDA1400 - Film Language & Production 2

In our workshop lesson we was introduced to our new module, entitled: MDA1400 - Film language & production 2. Personally i think it was one of the best lessons i've been to since i started uni. My reason for thinking that, is because we learned about the different kind of films there are. By saying different kind, i don't mean the genres, i mean type. Such as:

• Commercials
• Corporate 
• Documentary
• Music Videos

I was glad to finally be informed of all the other opportunities out there in the industry, instead of everyone's ambition to be on the same thing, which is most probably Hollywood. This lesson has surely motivated me alot and can't wait to get ideas and put them on the screen.

Also, we got our first assignment for this module, and it is to create a 1 minute video, about our interpretation of the word 'space' and what it means to us. Sounds pretty challenging as the topic requires alot of thought, but i think whatever my partner and i produce, will be great. This module is going to be in groups of two, instead of a larger group like the previous module. This will be a bit harder but, it's preparing us for the real world and we will learn alot about the different roles and responsibilities in film. 

MDA1300 - Three Point Lighting

In one of our earlier workshop lessons, we was introduced to lighting. Lighting is an essential part of movie making as it not only to light the set, but to also add a certain effect to match the genre of the movie. For example in a horror movie, lighting will be used to darken images, and create shadows and much more, this builds up suspense and all you have to do is adjust a couple lights.


This image shows the basic 3 point lighting set up. By looking at the image alone you can kind of get a basic understanding of how and why these 3 lights are in the position they are, and what they are used for. 


The key light, is what lights your subject, or the action happening in the scene, to not just make it visible but to also stand out a point of interest. This light, alongside the fill light, creates depth, and gives the audience a well lit, and clear shot of whatever is happening on screen. The back light makes the actor/point of action stand out from the background, to make it clear what should be visual to the audience first. It also in some way blocks out any shadows which may be unwanted. 


The key & fill light are big lights which have an adjustable light control, which is beneficial as the person on lights, when on a gig, can increase or decrease the amount of light, to get a perfect image on camera in the different surroundings they may be in. Both of these are white light, where as the back light is a sort of orange light which cannot be dimmed. This can cause a bit of a problem, because if the lights are not positioned and set right, you could have a shot that looks too white, or too orange.  

MDA1300 - Short Film Project

Our last assignment for MDA1300 was to make a short film no more than 5 minutes, my group and i did so, and personally, i think it was a great success. We managed to do all of the filming over 2 day, editing it took a bit longer. Our story was basically about a young girl, who was kidnapped from her country, and brought to the U.K to work as a slave for a wealthy family. A neighbor notices the young girl always doing housework for the family and never goes to school or socializes, so she begins to investigate and find out her story. In doing so, the young girl told her everything, and the neighbor said she will get help, and by the time the help arrives, the young girl commits suicide. Sad i know, but this makes our film more serious and emotional towards everyone really, as the point of our movie is to raise awareness about child slavery in the U.K, and that it needs to be brought to a stop.

My role on this project was the camera man, i have been the camera man on previous projects aswell but i feel this one went much better than the others. Reason being i think of myself to be more experienced and motivated to produce good work. I had a great team and everyone put in all their effort and made the film shoots exciting and straight forward. We used actors we found off a website which advertises actors that are looking for work in short films, to give them experience and to go in their port folio. These actors made our film superb, as their acting skills were really good and they helped portray the genre of the film really well.

This project could not of gone any better, it has brought me and the team together and deepened our relationship. We have all walked away with new experiences, and inspiration to continue making masterpieces.

P.S - The editing is going through some final stages, so once completed, i will have the finished film, on a post on my page very soon.

MDA1800 - Macbeth Retelling

Mac Williams was an employee at a well known law firm in the city of London. After coming out of a meeting, him and his executive assistant, (also close friend, Benny Quill) recieved an e-mail from what seemed to be a defendant in need of legal aid, asking the pair to meet with him so they may discuss the details of his court case. Mac and Benny arrive at the coffee shop they'd agreed to meet at, and they saw a man standing up waving them over. The man had a suspicious look about him, and he was also accompanied by 2 other gentlemen, that instantly gave Mac the impression this meeting wasnt what he had been led to believe.

Mac and Benny sit down and introduce themselves to the three gormless looking men, where they were then silenced by one of the three mens rude hand gesture. The man sitting in the middle began to talk about how he has forseen Mac being promoted in his line of work, and then becoming leader of the law firm. Also that his close companion Benny, would also move up in the line of business. The man told Mac that to make these events take action, he must kill the current leader of the law firm, instantly, that struck Mac with many thoughts. Being that the current leader is old and in Mac's eyes is useless, so killing him would mean no great deal. The three men, then get up and leave, nothing but confused eyes on Mac and Benny's faces.

They then depart and Mac goes home. When he walks through the front door, he gets a earfull from his unsatisfied, and purposly annoying wife. The reason for this is because she wants to have kids, and Mac told her from the first time she asked that he wants to wait until he's at a comfortable position in his job before he plans to have new borns. He tells her about the strange meeting and what the three men had said to him. She then tells him to go through with it and murder his boss so then he can achieve more and set things right at home. She demmands he does it instantly as it's better than doing it early, than waiting till the boss dies from natural causes.

Later that night, Mac comes home, looking frieghtened and full of anger. He told his wife what he had done and how he done it. He had suffocated the old man and then cleaned the scene to leave no trace of his own pressence. Within a matter of days, the man's predication came true and Mac had gotten a call informing him of his promotion, but also recieved bad news about the death of his close friend Benny, he had unfortuneatly been able to overcome a heart attack. Mac then starts seeing ghosts, so straight away he e-mails the man from the coffee shop and demands to talk to him again.

The man told him that he must beware, fellow co-worker Morris, the one man who had objections regarding Macs promotion. Also the man told him that he cannot be harmed by any man born to woman, that made Mac feel relieved and superior. Mac had heard a rumour in the office that Morris had moved away to USA, he had remembered what the man told him so he had Morris's wife and child assasinated by a trained hitman. Morris heard the news and swears vengence on Mac, knowing he had a hand in this from all the hate messages regarding his objection to Macs promotion. Marlon, (Macs bosses son) had heard this news and had arranged to meet with Morris and for them to kill Mac and his wife.

Mac phones his wife and tells her the news, instructs her to lock the doors and stay inside, and that he will be home shortly. By the time he reaches home, he finds his wifes dead body and a bottle of prescription pills. It seemed she could not cope with all the death and death to come. Mac then is struck with sadness and heartbreak. Then, the front door bursts into pieces, followed by Morris and Marlon, they approach Mac, and with no talking at all, Morris shoots him in the head. Marlon is then given leadership over his fathers law firm.

Fin

*HAPPY NEW YEAR*

MDA1800 Assignment 8 - Plautus' Aulularia or The Pot of Gold

Every morning Emilliano wakes up, and before he goes to sleep at night, he gazes upon a ring, protected by a shiny black case, which sits upon an old wooden dressing table in the corner of his dark, humid room. It obviously poses some strong meaningful attachment to him, but what that is remains unknown. He had caught his daughter, Pamela, holding it in her hands, staring at it as if it were a movie screen a few times, and he acts very protective and takes it back instantly.

Emilliano thought it was about time his daughter got married, so he arranged it with his rich, elderly neighbor Marvin. Marvin was a good man and had a very beautiful house, with an indoor and outdoor swimming pool. His garage was soo full of expensive cars, he had to park them in Emilliano's garage aswell as his own. Emilliano was unaware that his daughter was 3 months pregnant, and she hated the idea she had to get married to another guy and leave her soon to be baby father.

Pamela told her boyfriend Lewis about the arranged marrige and how her father was strict and is going to make sure this marrige will happen. She told Lewis about the man she is due to marry and it came as a shock to Lewis as the man was his uncle. His wife recently left him as she fell in love with another man and moved to Australlia with him. Pamela arranged dinner with the 2 of them and Emilliano where they would break the news to him. Lewis came to the house with his friend just incase Emilliano went furious and lashed out on Lewis.

Lewis, well mannered, and respectfully sat down and told Pamela's father the situation they were in. It appears both Pamela and Lewis were mistaken to how Emilliano would react, he did exactly the opposite of what they thought he would do, as he jumped up with excitement and hugged them both. Emilliano ran upstairs to get the ring he cared so much about, only to discover it had dissappeared, and so did Lewis's friend. Later that day Lewis tracked down his un-trustworthy friend and confronted him about the ring. His friend apologized and gave it back straight away. Lewis gives it back to Emilliano, and then it's given back to him to put on Pamela's finger at their wedding.

The End

MDA1300 - Paranormal Activity Scene Recreation

In this assignment we had to choose a scene from a film, up to 3 minutes long, and shoot an identical version. This included finding all the identical props, same actors, same dialogue, and further more. Personally i think this shoot went rather well, considering we was shooting till 1 in the morning as one location did not work so we had to go on a recky and find a new location.

Enjoy