Final: Meeting 5 (Minutes)

Today, we met up with the three parts of the videos, and split up the workload for the pre-production document.

Video 1: NUS MTV	In charge	Video 2: CNM Advertisement	In charge
Description of the project	Helen	Description of the project	Tiffany
Project Plans & Schedule	Daryl	Project Plans & Schedule	Daryl
Milestones (Completion of a specified set of activities)	Daryl	Milestones (Completion of a specified set of activities)	Daryl
Budget	Helen	Budget	Tiffany
Lyrics	Daryl
Script	Helen	Script	Tiffany
Storyboard	Helen	Storyboard	Tiffany
Resource requirements	Helen	Resource requirements	Tiffany
Others (e.g. assumptions, constrains and so on)	Helen	Others (e.g. assumptions, constrains and so on)	Tiffany

As the NUS MTV idea was more or less fixed, we focused on solving the problem of filming the video under different lightings. In the end, I thought of the idea of using stop motion and photography so as that we do not have to worry about the shaking of the camera nor the lighting!

However, the idea for the second video is still unfix, we thought of many ideas but were afraid being too ambitious and not having enough time to complete it in time.

** Updated (26 Feb 2011)

I decided to use the idea of Common Craft to make a video parody for CNM. Topic: How to identify a CNM student.

This will solve our problem with the lack of time and the filming is not affected by the time of the day. Moreover, all we need is a good script, great voice (ahem) and also good drawing!

See Final Chosen Ideas for more details

1. NM3208 2010/2011 Assignment Links

Credits to Eng Chye for helping me find everyone’s link!

Tan Jue Ying Sherilyn
Yit Hann
Esther Beh
Carol Teo
Carol Wee
Nguyen Hoang Lien, Helen
Violet Leong (Not accessible?)
Mcintyre Mark Daryl
Kenny Khek
Liu Danqing
Sim Jia Sheng
Huiyun
Jeremy Koh
Melissa Ng
Eng Chye
Lionel Lin
Terence
Fan Roufang
Goh Chong Sheng
Tiffany
Lau Ah Wing Kan Foong
Cheong Chee Jun
Chan Xin Yi
Jolene Ong

Something cool shared by Kenny~

Final: Meeting 4 (Minutes)

We met up for a pilot filming on Friday, after our Assignment 1’s deadline, but sad to say, it was kinda failure. Daryl fell asleep and did not wake up (Must be the website!). We realised that he still did not managed to upload the files at 3pm! Ahhhh… Ok, I kinda screamed and quickly helped him with it~

In the end, when we did like half hour of filming, it drizzled. And we were still at pgp. zzz… We decided to split up the work and have each of us covering certain areas and meet up on Thursday (24th) with the videos and do the discussion.

Daryl shared with us the idea he had for the second video, and it was about merging animations with real videography. So it will be a story about a mouse mother and kid, walking along CNM room, hearing some weird loud noises and being very scared, in the end, when the camera zoom out, it’s actually people designing the whole mouse mother and kid walking thing… It’s kinda complicated, but we realised that this only covers the graphic/animation design part of CNM and not others. Also, there is A LOT of post-production work which we may not have the time!

But it was a nice idea all the same, so we told Daryl that he can actually use it for his Ken Burns, which will be much easier for him.

Sigh… this means we’re still one idea down.

But today, I thought of an idea, inspired by NUS’s own ads. Their slogan for 201o was XXX. Be the change. Thus, I thought we can have different people walking in front of a green screen, and based on their careers, they will be the one who change the backdrop.

Eg. Architect. – Create. Be the change. (The backdrop may be an old building, and when he gave it a wave, the backdrop is changed to a new building)
Educator. – Motivate. Be the change. ( A group of bored children, and when he gave the backdrop a tap, the bored children become alert and active.)
So this is somewhat like an ad for NUS.

Hmmm, wonder if it will be good.

2d. Ken Burns Edited Storyboard

Photos needed:

1. Full shot of  two person shaking hand
Background: USP Cyber studio Screen/ Mini stage
Attire: 2 formal attire with shorts/ and pants
No. of people needed: 2 (Male preferable)

2. Bulletin board with Straits Times news clipping, media trends papers and person standing beside using clip board to write stuff, photo frame below bulletin.
Background: Wall with bulletin
Attire: semi-casual
Props needed: Media trends papers, Straits Times Clipping, Clipboard, Photoframe (green screen)
No. of people needed: 1 (Any gender; standing on the right)

3. Girl in jewelled shirt posing in front of camera man on a field (for portrait photoframe. Picture taken in landscape, include cameraman)
Background: field with trees (Lover’s Park?)
Attire: Jewelled shirt and shorts (girl), normal T-shirt for and pants (boy)
Props: DSLR Camera
No. of people needed: 2 (1 male, 1 female)
*** Jewelled shirt MUST BE clearly visible.

4. Picture of man sleeping in front of a laptop/computer with sketches of Bejeweled.
Background: USP Cyberstudio
Attire: Casual/ Any
Props: Laptop with Bejeweled screenshot, sketches of Bejeweled, colour pencils
No. of people needed: 1 (male)
*** Bejeweled screenshot has to be aligned with jewelled shirt

5. Picture of me smiling in front of a computer.
Background: USP Cyberstudio
Attire: Casual/ Any
Props: Laptop with ‘Green screen’ or After Effects screen
No. of people needed: 1 (me!)

Backup shots
A) Photos for (2) – 135 degrees of a female carrying board looking at computer screen. Not moving but picture on computer moves.
No. of shots. – 4-5.

1f. Final Work

This are the screenshots of my final website.

You may find some differences from the actual site pages, like less words or picture cuts due to the positioning of images in dreamweaver.

I learnt a lot from this assignment, thanks to Jia Xiang, my great dreamweaver free tutor, teaching me how to use the css codes and ‘forcing’ me to attempt myself (even though I still mess up in the end!)

Also, I managed to link up my resume pdf by myself! OK, that’s a SUPEr great achievement, considering the noob level I’m in~

To view the website, click here: http://www.tiffanys-webfolio.info

I will like to thank: Ng Jia Xiang for ALL his help- coding expert… Anyone who wants to build a site, please contact him! Kenny Khek for ‘forcing’ me to buy a domain at the very last moment, Eng Chye for calming me down and teaching me how to connect server and domain…

Final: Meeting 3 (Minutes)

We met today to discuss the script, outline of the video and we realised that each of us actually have a different concept of what’s going to be in the video!

We came up with a common consensus for the Promote NUS (MTV) video and draft out what we need for the video.

As for the CNM video, after considering Julian’s advice, we decided to put the video on hold first and concentrate on our website, and work on it during the reccess week.

Check out the script by clicking on the link!

We will meet on Friday after our website deadline to do a pilot video, and also plan our 2nd video!

iv. Promote NUS (MTV) script [draft]

Type: Promote NUS, MTV

Characters:

Boy
Girl
Business friend
Computing friend
FASS friend
Engineering friend
UCC male friend
Science friend
UCC female friend

Route:

_Girl: PGP -> Dentistry /Medicine -> Science -> University Hall -> SRC -> Yong Siew Toh -> UCC

_Boy: PGP -> Business -> Computing -> FASS -> SDE -> Engineering -> UCC

Where they start: a dot moving showing the way they run

1.

_ PGP hostel room: Day (Boy and Girl)

The girl and the boy wake up and come out of the room. -> Exchange balloons at main entrance, and both run in opposite route

2.

_ NUS Map showing 2 dots moving in opposite direction

3.

_ Mochtar Riady Building: Day (Boy)

Boy enters lift -> appear in business attire + blazer -> Catch 2^nd balloon from 1^st floor coming up from Business friend

4.

_ Dentistry or Medicine: Day (Girl)

Girl enters lift or LT -> change into lab coat and appear with 2^nd balloon -> skip pass Science, Science friend pass a pair of goggles to her and 3^rd balloon to girl

5.

_ NUS Map showing 2 dots continue moving

6.

_ School of Computing: Day (Boy)

Boy pass by SOC logo -> go in a com lab & close door -> appear in thick windbreaker, jeans and laptop -> (Pull out 3^rd balloon from screen?) if not, Computing friend passes the balloon)

7.

_ University Hall: Day (Girl)

Girl runs pass university hall.

8.

_ SRC: Day (Girl)

Girl enters dance studio and emerge in sports attire. Rock climbing to get the 4^th balloon?

9.

_ NUS Map showing 2 dots continue moving

10.

_ Central Forum: Day (Boy)

Boy run pass central forum, remove jacket and reveal FASS T-shirt -> FASS friend passes 4^th balloon to him -> crosses road to SDE

11.

_ School of Design and Environment: Day (Boy)

Boy exits SDE in carrying paper scrolls in formal attire (without blazer) with 5^th balloon.

12.

_ Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music: Day (Girl)

Girl enters Yong Siew Toh and emerges in a dress with violin/cello/guitar, with the 5^th balloon.

13.

_ NUS Map showing 2 dots continue moving

14.

_ Engineering Block: Day (Boy)

Engineering friend puts the helmet on boy’s head, take away paper and passes 6^th balloon to boy.

15.

_ UCC: Day (Girl)

Girl hands over the musical instrument to UCC female friend.
Total of 5 balloons on hand.

16.

_ UCC: Day (Boy)

UCC male friend remove boy’s helmet and pass a heart-shaped balloon.
Total of 6 balloons + 1 heart-shaped balloon on hand.

17.

_UCC: Day (Boy and Girl)

Both run in and out of the I WAS HERE block and appear in couple T shirts. Girl hugs boy and let go of the balloon

Camera ANGLE up to soaring balloons.

1e. Drastic Changes

OK, even though I spent the whole Chinese New Year working on the layout of my website, but it did not come out the way I want it, and I’m simply not satisfied. So? I need to 大改革！

After reviewing my researched website again, I decided to use the layout of the website that I did not choose previously, partly because of it’s simplicty (NO TIME LEFT!). Partly because I can still use the photos I took previously using that layout.

http://duplos.org/

This website uses a lot of javascript, and for the theme of the website, I decided to make it like a chalkboard with these speech bubbles etc. When it clicked to go into my works, it will just be a display of myself with a big speech bubble and my work…

So the draft will be shown here shortly…

After effects of After Effects

Ok, now, for the first time, I’m wondering what I got myself into by getting into NM3208…

I get giddy after attending After Effects workshop. I’m starting to google for tutorials as the 2 hour workshop is SIMPLY not enough…. My attention span is getting shorter and I’m starting to be distracted… I think I need another round of workshop again… Or else, find Jia  Xiang… wahaha… he made a grave mistake by asking me if I need help… Going to pester him from now on liao… muahaha… If I can find him in the first place…

Here are some websites, for those who are lucky enough to see my blog article… If not, you may even get it easily from Google…

After Effects
1. Basic Training: http://www.videocopilot.net/basic/
2. 50+ effects: http://naldzgraphics.net/tutorials/50-most-amazing-adobe-after-effects-tutorials-you-need-to-learn/
3. 60+ Kickass effects: http://designrfix.com/tutorials/effects-tutorial-60-kick-ass-effects

NM3208 Presentation 3iii

II. Write the script for your assignment II (Ken Burns).

I’m not sure if I want any narration for my Ken Burns video, but if there is, this will be the script for it.

1. Opening

“Fun” and “Career” (APPEAR)
Can “Fun” = “Career” ?  (APPEAR)

FAD TO WHITE. IMAGE A CROSSFADE IN.

“Relations” (APPEAR)

IMAGE A ZOOM OUT

Advocator of “Relations”
PR Practitioner  (APPEAR)

IMAGE A PANS DOWN

 Buzz  (APPEAR)

IMAGE A ZOOM OUT

 Composer of “Buzz”
Journalist (APPEAR)

2.

ZOOM OUT AND PAN LEFT
IMAGE B CUT

 Media Trends & Statistics (APPEAR)

3.

IMAGE C CUT
IMAGE D CUT

Investigator of “Media Trends & Statistics”
Researcher (APPEAR)

4.

IMAGE E CUT. ZOOM IN.

 Beauty (APPEAR)

5.

IMAGE F CUT AND ZOOM OUT.

 Captor of “Beauty”
Photographer (APPEAR)

IMAGE F EXTREME ZOOM.
IMAGE G ZOOM OUT

Fun (APPEAR)

IMAGE G ZOOM OUT.

Creator or “Fun”
Game Designer (APPEAR)

6.

IMAGE G PANS TO IMAGE F TO IMAGE E TO IMAGE D TO IMAGE C TO IMAGE B TO IMAGE A. = IMAGE H

Creativity

7.

IMAGE H ZOOM OUT.

(Wo)man behind the “Creativity”
Videographer/ Video Editor (APPEAR)

8.

FADE TO WHITE

Communications and New Media
where work = fun in real life. (APPEAR)
(Narrates: Communications and New Media
where work equals to fun in real life. )

=====================================================================
III. What are the differences between scripts before production and scripts which are ready for production (if any)?

Sample script: not intended for production, but to showcase the screenwriting skills of the author, in hopes of attracting the attention of an agent or producer. Often a spec script which fails to sell goes on to be a sample script.
Spec script: aka (speculative screenplay) is a screenplay for a movie that is shopped or sold on the open market, as opposed to one commissioned by a studio or production company. It is written without being commissioned on the speculative hope that it will be sold.
    * for easier reading, often avoiding camera angles, editing directions, and technical intrusions
    * by writers who hope to have a script optioned and eventually purchased by producers or studios;
    * by writer/directors who want to direct a film themselves;
    * by amateur writers hoping to convince a literary agent to represent them or a producer to hire them.

Script: The blueprint or roadmap that outlines a movie story through visual descriptions, actions of characters and their dialogue.
Manuscript: a script before it has been published.
Master Scene Script: A script formatted without scene numbering (the usual format for a spec screenplay).
Shooting Script: A script that has been prepared to be put into production (used in production of motion picture). They make use of scene numbers (along with certain other formatting conventions described below), and they follow a well defined set of procedures specifying how script revisions should be implemented and circulated.
Production Script: A script in which no more major changes or rewrites is anticipated to occur, which is used day by day for filming on a movie set.

I did a simple mindmap of the difference made to a script at different stages of the production. Hopefully this will be clear enough…

NM3208 Presentation 3ii

I. Find 2 scripts of well-known films. Select minimum 5 pages (each) of the two scripts you selected and analyze them by answering the following questions: Which are the characters /roles in this script? Point out the voice over. Point out the camera movement Point out the transition How does it present place and time?

Film 2: Catch Me if You Can (2002)

Scene used 17-23 (See video clip)/ download pdf from the link below to see view the selected scenes.
http://www.4shared.com/document/HYA4KiPb/Catch_Me_If_You_can_script_ana.html

Which are the characters /roles in this script? (names in red)

Frank/ Mr. Abagnale – main character, fake relief teacher
Ms Glasser – teacher on medical leave
Girl – student in class
Teacher – Real relief teacher
Principal Evans – Principal of the school
Frank Senior – Frank’s Father
Paula, Mrs Abagnale – Frank’s mother
School Administrator
Joanna – New friend
Jack Wright – Paula’s affair, Frank Snr’s friend
Point out the voice over (highlighted in yellow): NIL

==============================================================================
Point out the camera movement (highlighted in magenta): NIL

=============================================================================
Point out the transition, How does it present place and time? (highlighted in cyan): Day and location were written at the start of every changed scene.

NM3208 Presentation 3i

Scripting

I. Find 2 scripts of well-known films. Select minimum 5 pages (each) of the two scripts you selected and analyze them by answering the following questions: Which are the characters /roles in this script? Point out the voice over. Point out the camera movement Point out the transition How does it present place and time?

Film 1: 17 Again (2007)

Scene used 37-43 (See video clip) / download pdf from the link below to see view the selected scenes.
http://www.4shared.com/document/v9XFBAtF/17_Again_Script_Analysis.html

Which are the characters /roles in this script? (names in red)

Mike/ Mark – main character
Alex – Mike’s son in real life
Samantha, Lauren, Jamie – the trio
Nicole – Alex’s crush
Stan – Maggie’s boyfriend
Maggie – Mike’s daughter
Miss Goodwin – School’s principal
Mrs Mencer – School counsellor
Scarlet – Mike’s wife, Alex and Maggie’s mother

Point out the voice over (highlighted in yellow): Written as (o.s)

==============================================================================
Point out the camera movement (highlighted in magenta): ANGLE

=============================================================================
Point out the transition, How does it present place and time? (highlighted in cyan): Day and location were written at the start of every changed scene.

Final: Initial Chosen Ideas

Video 1: NUS (MTV)
Mood: Cheerful

Adaptation from

Basically, we do not have money nor capability to do the video panning from the top like the video, but we like the concept of passing balloon around and the blocks of words, NUS have them too! Hahah… The famous “I WAS HERE” block…

So after a round of excited discussion, we modified, and included the elements from everyone’s ideas…

On the NUS map, there will be 2 starting point (effect like the marauder’s map from Harry Potter) and the 2 points will move from one faculty to another on the map… This effect will be cut and inserted in the video on and off.
One male and female will start our from a different faculty each, carrying a balloon that carries the faculty’s name and run to a different faculty, entering a iconic place of that faculty and come out in their dressing attire (eg. Medicine – white coat/stethoscope, Architecture – pencil and paper etc, Science – Come our of laboratory with a cylinder and goggles etc )
As the 2 person enters the place and appears in a different attire, they will also have more and more balloons, collecting one balloon from every faculty and they will finally arrive in UCC, and be dressed as graduates. In front of the “I WAS HERE” blocks, the 2 person are actually couple, so they will *kiss* and let go of the balloons which will soar into the air… We will end with NUS- a start for your career, friendships, and even… love.

woohoo, sooooo romantic…. hahah….

Challenge: The balloons with Helium are quite costly, so ahem, yup… and also the planning of the route around NUS.
Another bigger challenge will be to come up with the music and if possible song, for this video, it has to be super cheerfuly like the MV, different from the past NUS slow slow music…

==============================================

Video 2: CNM (Advertisement)

Inspiration from:

I’ve shared this video with the class during my photo story critique session, so yup, I think this will be quite challenging as a video compared to the photostory. So I’m thinking if we can do something like a handshake with different people of different league etc… We haven’t really covered this video yet… so wonder how we can work on the filming…

Final: Meeting 2 [Minutes]

We had a meeting today after receiving the requirements for our final project.

===========================================================

Title: Our University and/or CNM Department
Medium: 2 Videos (.mov)

Design of movies to showcase the various interesting/distinguished aspects of CNM/NUS.

Format:
Maximum 3 mins each

Deliverable:
1. Two different genres/style clips, for instance:
___* NUS and CNM
___* NUS (MTV) and NUS (Documentary)
___* NUS (Advertisment) and NUS (Documentary)
___and so on

2. Both clips should be rendered into
___* low resolution in AVI with no lesser than 320*240
___* high resolution in MOV above 720*480

• Deadline: Monday, 4rd April 2010 (12:00 noon). Submit the final project to the server, youtube, and give the URL in IVLE.

For preproduction documentation, the deadline is Monday, 28st Feb 2011, 12:00 noon)
Styles: Narration, Commercial, Footages, Documentation, MTV and/or Interview

Other requirement: Please see the OAD slides

Objectives:

• Basic digital audio and video production skills
• Optimal use of video compression algorithm
• Basic cinematic skills

===========================================================

We shared our ideas from the previous discussion and this was what my groupmates came up with…

Helen’s Ideas:

1. Have you watched Forrest Gump? I imagine the first scene of the clip will  be a white feather flying freely in the sky. The feather represents our fate, which is unknown and depends so much on the people and environment around us
2. In the next scene, the feather softly falls into a girl’s hand during the first day she comes to NUS
3. The girl meets 3 friends (I really like Tiffany’s idea that in NUS we can meet many different kinds of people): 1 becomes her dear husband, 1 becomes her best friends and neighbor, the other becomes her competitor from another company in the future. Thus the conclusion is that NUS helps define our future as it brings us not only knowledge and skills but also all kinds of people that will shape our life.

 

============================================
Daryl’s Ideas

1. Nostalgia – NUS is where memories are made. We could model our transitions after a yearbook ala Ken Burns, zooming in and out of the stills our footage, panning across pages. Think this would work nicely with the friends theme the two of you mentioned. Our opening setting could be a couple or a group of friends reminiscing over a yearbook, and our video revisits their memories.

2. Random – We could shoot something totally out of the context or location of NUS and tie it in at the end with a creative catch phrase, something like the example Julien showed in class where a crazy chase through alleyways and parks turns out to be a overzealous headhunt. An idea I had is maybe we could explore the horror theme, something like a student is treading carefully through darkened hallways and a shadow follows him. The suspense continues until he’s cornered. Then it turns out to be his friends throwing a surprise party – again, the friendship theme.

3. Faculty specific – We could focus on a single student at work, showing the passion and fulfillment he gets from his studies. For example, a life science student doing field work would make for great footage.

4.

Think gives a nice combination of the ideas we’ve be leaning towards.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

After deciding on our 2 video genres, we decided to meet up on Saturday evening and work on the storyboards, hopefully getting them out by the next lesson.

2c. Ken Burns Storyboard

After hours of planning… this is the story board I came up with….

Few things to improve:

More Panning, Less Zooming…

Feedback from class:

Ok, by the time it reaches my turn, I think everyone was super exhausted, including me. There wasn’t any suggestions at all, but hmmm, I think I can work on the video and see how it goes…