Videos and Photographs of My Work

Rough Cuts

Screenshots of Construction Process

This is a screenshot of me working on my soundtrack for my film 'In The Focus', the thing i enjoy about the program i worked from 'Garageband' is the variety sounds and the novelty of music offered to attend to the visuals you're producing. Also how you can and i did is slow the music down in 'Final Cut Express' to give the feeling of enigma and the disposition of distortion. Here had taken the actual sound and vision from 'Final Cut Express' and adapted the layering sound and rhythm to capture the edge suspenseful feel of my final trailer.

These images are of me working on my film poster, I learnt a lot from the program 'Adobe Photoshop' and was relatively impressed with the liberation of creativity it allows. I discovered the capability of layering image over image, and applying the same color scheme to fit the whole look of the poster. I cropped each image from my actual trailer by using the helpful program 'Grab' in my desktop, then cutting around the image in final cut pro and over layering the images. Also how font text has great effect to a poster by carefully choosing each font to look professional and producing a deep shadow to create the jumping off the page effect to capture the audiences attention.

Below are screenshots of my editing my trailer in the program "Final Cut Express' having already used the program and compared it others that have previously used like 'Ulead Studio', I understood that this was a big leap in technology and comprehension. I discovered its difference to 'Final Cut Pro' and how it offered more of a range. I Began my trailer with a shot of my production logo that crossfaded into the opening shot of a gun with non-diegetic soundtrack that i had imported from garage band.

The thing i found the most effective is that freedom of speed because in especially projects like the time is of the essence, the things i found of significance were how you could use the keyboard to cut, play and frame skip through the footage as opposed to using the mouse the you have to slowly drag across the screen. Also the liberty the take and whole selection of clip highlight them all drag them aside and include another scene before. I really enjoyed this experience of making this film trailer because i love the feeling of watching images, visuals and sound coming together and performing you predetermined imagination of the screen.

After editing this film trailer i enjoyed and realized how much of curtail and unsung part of the filmmaking industry this is so I looking into the history of editing and encountered an interesting documentary that reinforces my belief how every second of a frame counts...

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Shooting Scheduales

Photoshoot images on Set

These are pictures of me shooting the opening of my film, I taped a replica lighter gun to the left hand side of the camcoder. Then i got protagonist\central actor Ryan burt to run with the device into the nearest woods and burry it.

Skills Development

This video above is my media studies editing development, it was a media studies promotion advert that each student in the class had to edit. This was one of a few of my first documentary editing projects. It allowed me further time on Final Cut, it let me develop skills further on Garageband also as i created the sound track without comparison to the footage i just had to note down when i timed opposed to having the footage in garageband and editing to music to the visuals. I approached jump funky base to be timed with the jump cuts the create the feel and flow of continuity. Also including singular shots of items that are timed with what each things the media teachers are saying. By creating this video it demonstrated my capability with both programs Garageband and Final Cut but also how documentary footage allows you to be creative when opposed to a clear scripted narrative like a concept film.

This video called 'The Part' was part of my skill development corse for AS media studies, i filmed it during a trip to Teeside University trip with my class. We were give a camera during the morning that creative capability to go a shoot our own short film, so me and my friend Tom Pugh took into the streets of Middlesbrough and filmed this product. The narrative a basic idea of the protagonist finding a mobile phone i began with a Scorsese influenced three industrial shots, then i straight cut to the protagonist walking. This was extremely helpful because it allowed my to adjust to roving focus which was a particular favorite development. Another was being able to use a boom mike, which give the film a professional sound. I took this to advantage and recorded a working drill hammer of construction workers near by and included it on a connotation level to reinforce the danger when the protagonist discovers the phone. Also placing a boom in tight industrial places like a phone-booth and also surprisingly inside a production studio that allowed my to be extremely creative. I acted in this also so i allowed my friend to develop his camera skills and let the film have more character depth. This was an extremely helpful day as it allowed me to be introduced into Final Cut here i played with match cuts and the overlaying of sound. Not only introducing me into University life it showed me the professionalism of film making and the creative ambition it holds for me.

A young 13 year old teen gets kidnapped by Thomas Hewitt aka leatherface and gets tourtured a pice filmed in 2006.Staring Ryan Burt and Sean Usher. From this film I really developed my editing skills, when I was thirteen years old I was a huge fan of director Tobe Hooper and his work like ‘The Texas Chain Saw of Massacre’ and it was basically my first attempt at filming a short film. I comprehended that montage works to huge effect, so I edited a disturbing and fast paced opening monologue to grab the audience’s attention. Then when the film actually starts I learn the most curtail lesson when filming, framing and shot duration. My intention was to film it fast and leave the audience shocked, but when in editing I decided to create the impression of an old exploitation horror film. I wanted to make the audiences hang with the protagonist and watch him hang in a uncomforting pain, so they’re disgusted at the antagonist. This was a horror so i learned to have confidence to leave the audience with a sense of disbelief.

A gripping story/music video of a teenager fixated by horror films. He then proceeds to an act of premeditated murder. Filmed during 24th of September 2007. Staring Ryan Burt, Scott Carter, Tom Pugh, John Newton and Reece Richardson. Written, directed and edited by Sean Usher

From this film i gained knowledge of how much effect using a non linear narrative has on an audience becuase it makes them use their minds and engage more in the story, as the anonymousness of the narrative creates engima. This was another film where i got to personal and polotically represent a issue or culture. This was about knife crime and how films when misrepresented can warp misunderstanding people and can phsycologically distort and disturb them. I learned the most basic and orginal imagery and ideas work to must sucessful effect. Additionally i found that communication skills come to a abundant advantage when filming, (especially with large groups) I found it hard try to keep the cast and crews moral and sprit up, occasionally humour is the most optimistic technique. When listening to the song ‘If You Were There Beware’ by ‘Arctic Monkeys’ I got the imagery of a circus, that is where the clown came from and I thought it could be a good idea to use to imagery of a clown when breaking the 4th dimension to get the audience more evolved with the horror, therefore they question this characters state of mind. I learnt that contrast is the greatest technique when dealing with an audience, making them feel a number of opposing emotions at once, to make them feel as if they’re being played with. As a director I used contrasting credits to lighten the mood, show characters alive and well and comical out takes.

RESPONSE VIDEO TO MAKING THE INTERTWINNING REFLECTION...


THE UNFINISHED INTERTWINNING...

Narrative Scripts

Call Sheets

ACTOR: Tom Pugh

CHARACTER: Don 'Lou' Carter

COSTUME: Pale blue top that allows blood to be seen and stands out on the frame, also in earier scenes should be seen wearing school uniforms to represent the youth of today.

ACTOR: Ryan Burt

CHARACTER: Brain Hurt

COSTUME: Blue hoody that dominates the screen and the 8mm camera will capture because i wanted blue to stand out on the screen to fit the color scheme of the poster and items through out. Also he wears a thin pale blue t-shirt during the end of the film to show that he's been rapped up most of the film but when stripped bear he's a different more psychological and dangerous character. Also should be seen wearing a school uniform for when they discover the body because it represents the youngman hood in contemporary society.

ACTOR: Chris Iceton

CHARACTER: Brad Thomas

COSTUME: Basic sports wear clothing, he also wears a pale blue t-shirt to represent he's on the same mind level of each of the characters.

ACTOR: Michael Gatiss

CHARACTER: Dead Body in hall way

COSTUME: Wears black tracksuit, this iconography of the color black and whole body costume represents otherness that the audience distinguish from the protangonist, almost as if he's the antangonist who brings this evil money and hand gun into there lives.

Recce

This room is of my bathroom, i will film this scene from the perspective of the bath but will hold the camera upside down and later rotate the image during post production to achieve the high angled look so the audience can view the toilet lid and understand clearly that the protagonist has hidden the gun like a scene from 'The Godfather'. The difficulties i could have during this scene is the gun could to tape the toilet lid and destroy my idea, to ensure this doesn't happen i will have to include strong stick-able tape like duck or gaffer tape and asses that i have mass amounts of it. The technical difficulties i could have maybe possibly be the contrast issues, i will need to position my actors in front of the window and shoot from the direction of the light or either make sure the lights hits them in a clear and effective way the shows the characters interactions.

This is the bedroom i am going to be shooting the final gun conflict sequence, my main issues are the light shines through the left hand side of the room, i will position the innocent Don on the bed and the crazed Brain holding the gun in front of him. I will have to place more posters and DVD's on the walls and shelves to create the sense of cultured people the characters are and the artistic motivations. The posters will be of gangsters holding guns and demonstrating the rise and fall of the american dream, on a connotation level i could stress the impact and influence the media and other art forms like films determine and glamorize the roles of my characters. Also i will have to change the color of the bed sheets to a more lighter blue so the blood will be reinforced through the mise-en-scene.

For this shot, my protagonist will be walking up the stairs during a progressive dutch angle. My main focus will be the color scheme trying to create a black and white imagery referencing to suspenseful film noir classics of the late 1940's and 1950's. I will distort the contrast to ensure that the light looks powerful at the top of the stairs and the character is in shadows, almost creating this edge of suspense with powerful lighting almost he is entering the unknown.

Video Animatic

Flatplans

This is a sketch of my film magazine that i've entitled 'Film Fananza', it's an independent film magazine aimed at a niche audience for those interested in alternative to the mainstream and independent cinema. I used both of the main characters from my film with the protagonist appearing upset and vexed whilst loading a gun, then in the foreground the other character looking suspectingly cycnical. The bold greens of the text and money fit the colour scheme matching with its opposing colour yellow and on a poylsemic level green represents the colour jealously and paranioa which matches the films themes. I also included other side stories that match around the issues of independent film making, in which i will have to go out a shoot photographs of the newcastle bridge and an anxious looking character covered in blood. I themed the magazine around social realism to show the importance of the new realise which is my film, this states the genres ellements and motifs.


'In The Centre' was my initial and orginal name for my film because i wanted to use the Faithless song 'Liontammer' and the monologue at the beginning. I've included the title strong and with a fine shadow to reinforce it significance. I Then listed to cast and crew across the page to demonstrate who's in the film and to make it look proffesional. Moreover I've used a made up critical quotation to show the audience feed back and the rating of a the film therefore audiences go and see my film. I used strong reds of the blood to make it eye catching because its such a blood colours and its almost provocative as the blood red is such a threatening colour to use. Another divice is the actract to the money, because almost everyone can distinguse money and is draw into it because of its value, then covering it in blood states its jepoardy and on a connotational level represent my films themes, narrative and ideology in an iconographical form.

Storyboards