MIDTERM - CR Post Two

        

        Planing the documentary project was simple as we had talked about the idea before.  We decided our topic to be students with part-time jobs. We went ahead and started planning  ad deciding the subjects. We decided on my sister and I, as we both have part-time jobs whilst being a full-time student. 

        Once the subjects were picked, we planned out the b-roll we wanted. For b-roll, we wanted to capture parts of their daily life. Waking up, getting ready, at school, at work, doing homework, etc... The purpose of the documentary is to know the in's and out's of being a student with a part-time job, thus we had to show the lives of the subjects.  

Next for planning was the interview questions. To express the life of the subjects we asked about their daily schedule, their work, the "why's" and "how's". 

MIDTERM - CR Post One

 

        For research, I watched op-docs and full documentaries. The first documentary being American promise following two boys from their childhood to freshman year collage. This documentary used both direct and indirect interviewing. The second documentary was Exit through the gift shop following popular artist, Thierry. This documentary is a major example of how opinion and perspective can form the audience's view on topics. I then watched episodic documentaries by ABSTRACT on Netflix. It showed different techniques including animation. 

I then watched two op-docs. The first I watched followed the locals of Norilsk, a heavily polluted city in Russia that is also very cold. The documentary had several interviews and engaging b-roll of the residents day-to-day life.  The op-doc was very raw, minimal technique and I believe that was its purpose. No animation or major music and sound effects, not even cinematic overlays. Just pure footage of the city slammed together over interviews. I really enjoyed this Op-doc.

The second Op-doc was close to home for me.  The familiar tongue of my home country. This op-doc was peculiar not because of the language but because it was pure interview footage, almost no b-roll. It was also silent. No music in the background just their words hanging in the air. There was use of both indirect and direct interviews. This allowed the slaughterhouse aspect to escape, and the topic of family to creep in.

I honestly enjoyed the op-docs and learned more of a minimalist technique.

Film Opening: CCR

 CCR

CCR 1

CCR 2

Film Opening: Final Video

 The final Product

Film Opening

Film Opening: Editing the CCR Part 2

 Editing the CCR

part two

    I put all the clips in the sequences and timed the questions and my script accordingly. I'm afraid that my CCR might run over time. Hopefully with the help of editing I can get it in just the right time. I ended up having to rush my script due to over time.

    After re-recording the script, I finally got the right time and put the clips in place. At the end, I added the "dip to black" effect to make sure the video doesn't just cut off randomly because it looks bad. I rewatched my work and I was ready to export. 

Film Opening: Recording the CCR Part 2

 Recording the CCR 

part two

Yesterday I recorded my friend, Akuna, asking me the questions according to the second and third CCR discussion questions. I then recorded our gameplay as we played a 1v1. Today I have to record myself answering the questions. I recorded using StreamLabs. I muted my mic and only allowed the game audio for the 1v1 that way our natural conversation wouldn't be heard. 

I wanted to record things separately to make it easier. I recorded him asking the questions. I then recorded just the game play. And then recorded the script. This way there doesn't have to be a million takes just to get things right. 

Film Opening: Going Back

 Going Back 

    Looking over my film there's still something missing. The main idea is not linking. It's not making sense. I asked my teacher for advice as to what I should do to help get the idea across to the audience. She told me to add dialogue and shots of me talking into the mic. 

    I got redressed in the costume and set up the lighting again. I then set up the camera in the right angle where it showed I was speaking into the mic but making sure the audience couldn't realize I wasn't actually saying the words they were hearing. After that, I pressed record. 

    I transferred the clips and added them into the sequence for editing. I then edited the audio. After some minor adjustments, I finally finished the opening. I exported it knowing I'd probably never open the project file again, with small smile on my face. I am filled with relief.

Film Opening: Editing CCR Part One

Editing the CCR 

part one 

Editing the first CCR was easy. Per usual, I used adobe premiere pro 2023. I put in the clips I needed and trimmed them down. The major editing part was to add text to the screen to make is seem like the chat was asking questions about the opening. 

Due to my experience with premiere, adding text was also a breeze. I created fake usernames and made sure the messages appeared at the right time. I then added transitions to the clips so it would look cleaner and less like it was scrapped together. 

Film Opening: Recording the CCR Part One

 

Recording the CCR

part one

Recording was stressful. I had to make sure, what I was saying was right and make sure I wasn't exceeding the time limit. In order to record I used StreamLabs software. This software allowed me to record my game as well as my camera. 

Though I messed up several times, I finally got the right parts down in a few recordings out of the many recordings. All that was left is editing. 

Film Opening: Planning the CCR Part 2

Planning the CCR

part two

    For the second pair of questions I want to do the same stream format. However, instead of chat asking me the questions I'll have my friend ask the questions. A popular thing with video game streamers is collaborating and playing with friends whilst streaming. To make my CCR appear to be a stream, I like to tackle the to main attractors of stream, aka the chat and the collabs. 

    My duo and I will be playing VALORANT in a custom game as we 1v1 each other. As he asks me questions I'll be looking all over to try and find him in game. This I will be recording and editing today as well. 

Film Opening: Planning the CCR Part 1

 Planning the CCR

part one

    Today I will film the CCR, starting with the first two questions. I wanted my CCR to match my theme of the film. I decided that I'm going to make my CCR in form of a stream where the chat is asking the questions I answer them while playing. For the first part of the CCR, I'll  be playing the same game as in the film, VALORANT.  Due to my multi-monitor setup, I'll be able to have the script on the other monitor to make sure I say the right answer.  

    Whilst editing I'll add the the questions in the chat section of the screen. This way it looks like I was streaming. The video will have my face in it companied by my gameplay that way, its not just a talking head.