The Clip Club

Primary after-school club in East London, UK – we watch, talk about, shoot and edit short films and clips

18 Jun 2013

Run School Run! Shoot 1

photoWe manage to get 4 shots done in this session, which is great. First we discuss the plot to refresh our memories and look at the photo-storyboard on the blog. We run through a few filming techniques eg. the importance of camera position and angle and the various roles of the film crew. Everyone will have a go at each job. Let’s remember the order of events:

The Director thinks about the shots in this scene and where best to position the camera and the actors. (Is the camera fixed? Does the camera move? do the actors move? If so, how?)The Assistant Director (AD) gets everyone into position behind the camera and shouts: “All quiet!”
The Director positions the actors in the scene and where the camera should be placed
The Camera operative says: “Camera rolling!”
The Clapper says: “Scene 1, Take 1”
The Director says: “Action!” and then “Cut!” at the end of the shot

For example the first shot was allocated like this:

SCENE 1

Setting: Library
Close up shot of the computer on a table with iMovie opened on it. We see an image of Clara on the screen, the film is in the middle of being edited. Do a couple of shots from different angles. Important not to move the computer between takes.

Director: Leonardo

Assistant Director (AD): Dual2

Camera: Nimbus

Clapper: Cara

The others without a specific role are encouraged to watch, listen and learn so they know what they’re doing the next time.

SCENE 2

Setting: Library
Clone of Clara ‘comes out of’ the computer. This will be a series of shots done separately later (like the Alma sequence) but we need Clone Clara just after she has come out and walking towards the door. Take 2 or 3 different shots of the same scene from different angles

Director: Wizard23

AD: Leonardo

Camera: Dual2

Clapper: Gman

Scene 3

Setting: Around the School
Clone Clara wandering round school, looking at things, touching objects and looking scary. Take 3 different shots in different locations and angles.

Director: Nimbus

AD: Cara

Camera: Gman

Clapper: Wizard23

It was an excellent try at a first shoot, and here are a few bloopers – because it’s fun! and also, we can see what we can do a bit better next time.

Posted by Michelle Cannon in Sessions, Shooting the film and tagged | Leave a comment
21 May 2013
4 Comments

Storyline and shooting the storyboard

Here’s the storyline:

A Macbook is left on a table in the library with iMovie opened on a project. Footage of Clara is being edited.

Something happens and a clone of Clara comes out of the computer (the ‘Alma sequence’ of shots).

She goes off wandering round the school.

Wizard23 & Clara come back to the library and continue working on their film.

Clone Clara finally finds them.

Wizard23 hears something, turns round and sees both Claras.

Clone Clara reaches out to grab Wizard23 to get him out of the way.

Wizard23 and Clara are in shock and try to defend themselves. Wizard23 runs away.

Clone Clara doesn’t go after them, she touches the computer to get back into the iMovie programme to get ‘home’… (another ‘Alma sequence’ of shots).

Nimbus set up some nice shots and Gman used his photographic eye to take some great photos to capture the rough plot outline. There was some brilliant acting and great support from the rest of the team. Thanks guys!

Here’s a slideshow of the storyboard:

Here’s a test series of shots to show you how the ‘Alma sequence’ might work once the stills/effects/sounds are decided on.

Posted by Michelle Cannon in Clara, Sessions, Storyboard, Wizard23 and tagged
21 May 2013
2 Comments

Alma Chat

Here’s a recording (13 minutes) of a chat we had about the shots and sounds we remembered from the previous session, after watching the short Spanish animation called Alma:

The group were really good at remembering small details, especially about the sounds. We will probably use some of these ideas in our film.

I’m afraid the recording is really low (technical issue…) so needs to be listened to with head phones or big speakers…

Posted by Michelle Cannon in audio recordings, Sessions and tagged
12 May 2013

Alma Analysis Session

I’m still thinking about last week – analysing Rodrigo’s Blaas’ short animated film – Alma – almost frame by frame – it was an explosive session.

Bursting with great ideas and discussions about the intentions of the film maker, narrative, camera distance, positioning and movement, symbolism, sound, editing, artistry, mood and light…. Wizard23 and Dual2 wrote down many of the techniques used in Alma, some of which we may use in our own film to create drama and suspense.

IMG_2460

Film techniques used in Alma to create drama and suspense

I particularly liked Clara’s suggestion that the front of the shop looked like a menacing face into which Alma was being drawn. Mr. P noticed that the ECU of the dolls’ head with Alma’s reflection inside it could symbolise her being inside the dolls’ head later. This idea comes back again seeing the inside of the shop out of Alma’s doll’s eyes when she’s sitting on the shelf.

The clipclubbers also made comments on the sound effects and the creepy music. Often sounds are heard before you see what’s making the sound. There’s a good point of view sequence of shots when Alma is looking for her doll and the camera moves quickly from left to right, as if it was her head searching this way and that. We noted that there were about 40 separate frames that made up the amazing 2 second sequence when Alma got ‘absorbed’ into the the doll. A couple of these frames reminded me of Gman’s flash photos of Wizard23 lying on the floor.

There are lots of activities we could follow up with here.. Some experimental scriptwriting/poetry: from the point of view of the next doll-victim? a conversation between the twin dolls when they see Alma coming in the shop? the thoughts of the little boy trying to escape? more on Alma’s confusion? something exploring the ‘thoughts’ of the shop itself.

If we had time we could also storyboard and film a reconstruction of a section of the film trying out camera shots, always bearing in mind that no shot must go to waste – there must always be a reason for a choice of shot. Another idea might be to improvise this – in silence – with them taking it in turns to be the director placing camera, people and props accordingly.

However, I think that the next session should be about discussing and starting to storyboard our film.

Posted by Michelle Cannon in Dual2, Film analysis, GMan, Mr. Peppard, Sessions, Wizard23 | Leave a comment
04 May 2013
1 Comment

BeFunky photo editor (oh yeah, and its free)

First, you need to go to: http:\\www.befunky.com and click ‘ start having fun ‘

startbefunkyor befunkyupload

You will then be taken to a page looking like this:

befunkywelcome

click ‘My Computer’ and upload your file!

Then: BEFUNKY!!!

Here is an example of what you can achieve:

Thisismeedit.jpg

Posted by inventor02 in Editing, Production stills, Stills and tagged , ,
04 May 2013
3 Comments

Alma on the shelf, a poem

I wonder how long I’ll be here?
Fear crawls over my stiff limbs
Pins hold me together.
Forever my eyes will roll around
No sound in this crowded shop.
Hope and loneliness in the lair,
Despair when I hear a skip and a song
Not long till the next victim.
Scram!

Posted by Michelle Cannon in poems
30 Apr 2013
3 Comments

Session 9 – Alma, editing and a little bit of blogging

In session 9 we started off by watching a clip called ‘Alma’:

This clip was an award winning animation by French (actually, Spanish) people and has won 4 competitions and several Oscars. Here is what Leonardo, GMan and DJess posted about it. I think that everyone who signs their name on the wall is the next victim of the evil, self-killing shop. Unluckily, Alma signed her name on the wall and the doll popped up in the window. Clara had an interesting idea on the fact that they monitor you through the window on the wall and pop up an appropriate doll.

After watching and discussing we continued editing our trailers while Michelle took us out, to teach us to post. I taught Leonardo.

A great session and expect to see some posts coming soon!

Posted by inventor02 in Blogging, DJess, Editing, GMan, Leonardo, Nimbus, Sessions and tagged , , , , ,
30 Apr 2013
2 Comments

Alma – the animation

We watched an animation called Alma. People thought it was quite scary but I didn’t. There was a bit where the girl disappeared into the doll which was quite good but it could have been better if there were more sound effects and more gruesomeness.

Posted by gman in GMan
30 Apr 2013
2 Comments

Alma-by Leonardo

Alma was an animation by French people with a girl who turned in to a doll. A shot I liked was when the the girl’s life flashed before her.

Posted by leonardo in Leonardo, Sessions
30 Apr 2013
2 Comments

Alma’s soul

When we all watched Alma everyone enjoyed it and I thought it was good as well. The part that I liked was when she touched the doll and her soul went into the doll.

Posted by Djess in DJess
26 Apr 2013

Film Planning

wizard23Looking forward to the next session. We will be planning our movie that the school will see. Here’s a cool edited still of Wizard23 that we could use at some point in our film/trailer or publicity.

Posted by inventor02 in Nimbus, Production stills, Wizard23 | Leave a comment
24 Apr 2013
3 Comments

Run School Run!

Run School Run!

Poster by Wizard 23 of clip clubs upcoming debut scary movie. Keep your eyes out around the school for more news!

Posted by wizard23 in Wizard23

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