Soundtrack Contents Page

SOUNDTRACK PRODUCTION CONTENTS PAGE

TASK 1. MOVING IMAGE SOUNDTRACK QUIZ

TASK 2. MOVING IMAGE SOUNDTRACK REPORT

TASK 3. FACTUAL TELEVISION ANALYSIS

TASK 8a V1: THE WORLD'S END PROPOSAL

TASK 8a V2: DJANGO UNCHAINED PROPOSAL

TASK 8b V1: WORLD'S END ACTION PLAN

TASK 8b V2: DJANGO UNCHAINED ACTION PLAN

TASK 8c: RECORDING (Done in workshop)

TASK 8d: EDITING (Done in workshop)

TASK 8e: SELF EVALUATION

Narrative Drama 'The Ambush' Evaluation

Tyree

'The Ambush'

Narrative Drama Evaluation

My role: Writer and performer

We screened our short action film, 'The Ambush' to the rest of the class, it received a mixed reception. The action scene and its editing was praised, whilst the lack of story, character development and dialogue were mentioned as weaknesses.

The film's setting was said to have been appropriately chosen for the genre of the film, as a woodland area is perfect for an execution (and the drama itself). The editing had a lot of quickly cut footage to recreate the hectic and fast paced tone of an actual action film. The overly dramatic music was also hailed as appropriate and added to the film's comedic and melodramatic tone. The use of the camera was also said to have been good, with the camera being hidden within the trees to make it seem that Jazz and Josue's characters' were being spied on by the men involved in the ambush.

The fast cut editing technique mimics many action films that use this, we were looking and researching films such as 'Machete' and 'The Expendables' as influence, I myself see the final shootout to be something along the lines of the shootout from the Western film, 'The Magnificent Seven', to further demonstrate the 'contemporary Western' influences of the film.

Regarding the criticisms about not enough story and dialogue, I can explain; I wrote a full 5 page story explaining why Jazz's character (Jack) was captured by Josue (Kit), and it ran through about 3 pages before I needed to write in the action. But when we were in the middle of filming, we realised that there was too much talking, and that it took too long, and that the action was the most important and crucial part. So, we re- evaluated it and decided to cut the dialogue, and in a way, leave it to the audience's imaginations. Besides, film is a visual art and you don't necessarily need words to explain what is going on, although, I do see why the class could have been confused as to what was happening.

Overall, though, I think we made a good, fun action film that it up to a professional standard, I do agree that there should have been a build up to the story, but you have to make compromises, creatively in order for things to work.

Bill Task 6- Narrative Genre Scenario Evaluation

Tyree Webster

Task 6
Narrative Genre Scenario Evaluation IMPROVED

Our narrative scenario was a small 'thriller- comedy' about 2 guys who steal a small drug lords' "drugs" (they were actually Skittles), he chases them down and all three get involved in a 'Mexican standoff'.

The small script that I wrote evolved into a loose parody of 'Breaking Bad', but not that much. We thought that it would be funny to create something that was attempting to be serious, but if we added in scenes that had 'wouldn't it be funny if...' scenarios and it became more like a Mel Brooks comedy. The scene we shot towards the end isn't funny because the 3 leads are making guns with their hands but because that they look as if they're going to do serious damage, which they all end up dead at the end.

Out of all of our genre scenarios we've done, this is the one that had most of the planning behind it. We decided on making a thriller very early and attempted to make it serious in tone during the writing stages, but decided that we'll make it a comedy- thriller hybrid that takes itself as seriously as possible.

When we filmed the actual video itself, we ran through very little trouble during production, it was a fairly simple shoot. We didn't run into many problems, in fact, we hardly ran into any. If there was perhaps one small problem we had though, is that on our first day of filming we were in one room where we filmed a shot that had to be specifically filmed there, so on our second day, we realised that we weren't going to be in that same room so we needed to rework our shooting and go against the script because we didn't (and couldn't) distract the other class. But, other than that very minor problem (which was easily fixed) we managed to shoot the scenario in a very short amount of time and it went very well.

The film is told in a non- linear way (which means that although the film has one clear narrative, there are points during the film that will go back to either bring up backstory or to set up the film). For our film, the ending is shown first (which can be considered quite unconventional for a film, but is used quite a lot), and then we flashback to the main story, telling the audience how we got to the Mexican standoff. This is also a film making technique called a 'cold open', and has been used in film's such as 'Pulp Fiction'.

I would compare our film to 'Pulp Fiction', they are both crime films but also have comedic scenes, too, and also shares some of the same themes, which helps with the narrative.

Soundtrack Production Self Assessment

Tyree

Soundtrack Production Self Assessment

'Django Unchained' & 'The World's End'

I think I did very well with my two soundtrack productions, but I could improve on them as there were a few mistakes that I didn't intend to make.

With the 'Django Unchained' clip, some of the dialogue didn't look as if it fit what the actors were saying, this is because when I was copying an extract from Quentin Tarantino's script, the written dialogue was different compared to that of the words spoken in the final film, of which I am more familiar. In the peer- assessment that was for my work, one person wrote that the character's voices (pitch, not volume) were too low, I knew this when it was played in class, but it wasn't my fault, it was a problem with the speakers, if played again on a computer of something, the pitch of the voices would be absolutely fine. Despite these sound and script problems, the feedback I was given said that the lip sync worked really well, I got this for both of my soundtrack productions.

A genuine mistake of mine (that I didn't even know about) was in my clip for 'The World's End', in this scene, Gary King is trying to make small talk with a teen in a pub toilets after being talked down to by his friends. He then gets into a fight with the teen. But, before the fight, the teen activates a hand dryer to block out the sound of the fight to pub patrons. In the actual film, the noise of the hand dryer is quite loud, and is played over the fight (accompanied by the films' score, of course), I tried to replicate this without the music, so that it felt more 'real'. I thought that I made sure that the volume levels were how I wanted them, but when it was screened, the hand dryer was way too quiet and I was very disappointed with how it turned out, and it is something that I intend to improve on in the future, as well as add in more sound effects when Gary is fighting.

All of the feedback I was given from peer assessment said that the recording was clear and synched to the visuals really well, so at least I know that I did well at the editing.

I think that for both of my soundtrack productions, I recreated the atmosphere and tone properly. I had to include my one sounds and original spin on things, but not let it get too over the top at the same time (in 'The World's End' clip, anyway).

Overall, I think the two clips, and the accompanying sound work well, but I have a few improvements and adjustments that I still need to make.

Social Action Documentary Report

Tyree Webster

Task 5
Researching your Issue in Detail

My potential documentary idea is based around the Council’s decision to move homeless families into the Tonbridge House retirement block on Penge Road in South Norwood. There is currently one out of Tonbridge’s 39 flats that is empty, which means that quite a lot of the current residents may have to move to free up space and make way for new residents. This will create friction between the older residents and the Council, and quite possibly the newer residents, but I’ll speak more of that later. This issue and decision can be seen as a good move as it helps with homelessness in the area, but it doesn’t help the fact that most of the residents (who are elderly and disabled) are going to be forced to move out and relocate to a new home, the Council are also giving each resident who moves £4,000 in resettlement costs.

Despite this decision by the Council, I think that this will definitely have some social factors on the area as well as Economical factors. This will create mass friction between the elderly residents of Tonbridge House, the new residents and perhaps, the Council, itself. The Council seem to think that they’re doing an honourable thing by helping those who are less fortunate, they’re also betraying those who have worked very hard in their lives for 40 years and want to live the remainder of their lives in peace and quiet. But, in all fairness, homeless people deserve to live in a warm home, too. It doesn’t matter if it is their fault that they’re homeless, it’s just a matter of ethics and basic human rights. Now, I know I sound like I’m 50/50 on this, but it’s only because I am. I can’t decide on whether I’m for or against the Council’s decision.

This could, and most likely will affect every single current living resident personally. They all have their personal belongings in their individual homes and a lot of them have lived there for over 18 years, and to potentially remove them from a place that is safe and familiar to them is just really wrong, you wouldn’t move a wild animal from its natural habitat, would you? All I'm saying is that these people have dedicated their lives to working and living in the UK, and going by the systems' rules, and this is the retirement they get? It seems that the Council need to sort out their priorities, because they may be helping the many homeless people, but they're creating more problems for the other people they're supposed to be helping at the same time.

Everybody else in the community probably feel the same way as they don't want the area to be affected negatively, even if it is helping people. Wider communities are very important as each and every single person have and/or share similar or opposing views on specific subject matters, be it bad or good. So when it comes to things like this when new people are being moved in a community without the community itself agreeing on it, it would cause some sort of debate amongst the people. It's not like the Council will listen to pleads, though, as at the end of the day if they do choose to move the people in, they'll still most likely get their £242, 000, regardless of what the current residents situation is. It's important that the Council listen to the people they're trying to help, as it would show that they're more competent than we all take them as and they'll actually help the two parties.

Researching the Issue Notes

Tyree Webster

Task 5

Researching the Issue in Detail

Council considering 11 retirement blocks to move homeless families in.
Council also want to free up space, there is 1 free flat out of 39 flats.

Residents occupied already don't have to move out if they don't want to.

It is unknown how much this will cost the Council.

Council are allowing this to happen because they believe this decision will in fact help people.
This will not cost the residents who want to move out any money.
The Council will give residents £4,000 in resettlement costs, if they choose to live somewhere else.
76% of the people disagree on the decision made by the Council.
The Council will help anyone who choose to move out.
Approximately 414 people in the area are homeless families.

Source: http://www.virtualnorwood.com/forum/

This forum features several online campaigns that deal with social and local issues in South Norwood. There are several conversations about this subject that date back to October 2012.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

1. How many new people are being moved in?

2. How many people are to be moved out?

3. How much will this cost the Council?

4. Why is this happening?

5. Will this cost the Residents any money?

6. Are the Council paying for their living conditions?

7. This has already happened in 3 other places, why do you think that the Council have made decisions like this?

8. Has this affected you in anyway possible?

9. Is there anything you can do to try to stop this?

10. Although you may not be all too happy about this situation, are you happy/glad that the Council are solving the problem of homelessness in the Community?