1 Minute Short Film Also?

After asking my media teacher, I have been allowed to also create a 1 minute short film along side the rest of my class. I will post this short film onto my blog but also a short snippet of the Teacher Collaberation video I am currently working. Why? I feel both films show different strengths. My 1 minute short film shows how I can use my camera and build a short story board of shots which is key for a longer short film. The Teacher Collaberation video however shows my professionalism as an editor when given enough time. This contains transitions and layers, such as logos.

For my 1 minute short film, given the fact I have less time than my peers, I needed to create a simple yet interesting thing to film. The theme of these videos is 'A day in the life of...'. This could be a person, animal or even an inanimate object. I chose to film 4 kittens that have recently been tearing up the house. I thought this would make a good 1 minute short film as:

• Easy to go back and re-shoot if any problems occur
• The subject of filming can be entertaining
• Perfect opportunity

I created a small but effective story board for different camera shots (not of a story as 1 minute is far too short), and this included:

• Racking shot
• Multiple close ups
• Long shot
• Mid close up
• Match on action
• Birds eye view

These could easily be achieved with a hand held camera or DSLR. Next I needed to know what equipment I would need. Unlike the Teacher Collaberation I didn't have to have the best lighting or sound as that could easily be adjusted later, so I used a Sony 5N which was light but also excellent for close ups.

Editing was difficult. I decided to learn about FinalCut Pro and so editing my 1 minute film would be good practice. The application however kept crashing, therefore not saving work. This made a 15 minute task more like 1 hour. FinalCut Pro was very temperamental, maybe because my files where too big or because I had uploaded too many. This was a bad experience but through practice I can easily adjust to it as FinalCut Pro is far better in the style of editing than iMovie.

I also added my own music onto my 1 minute short film, something I didn't want to do on the Teachers Collaberation. For this short film I didn't know how my recorded ukulele would sound. As it turns out, it didn't sound too bad, but not professional enough to put on the Teachers Collaberation video or on my longer short film.

And so your probably wondering... where is this 1 minute short film and Teacher Collaberation? Well, just scroll down.

Analysing my videos will help me understand what I could add in and how to improve my own work. Camera work was used with varied angles and shots. A low long shot was used towards the beginning to show space around the kitten and place emphasis on the fact that the kitten is so small in a large world. This is also my establishing shot which enables the audience to understand that A - this film is a day in the life of a kitten and B - filming will take place within the household. Next, a slow racking shot was used to show that the kitten's focus is wandering else where. I also added in close ups of the kitten playing, this makes the audience focus on the kittens daily habits. Lastly, a high angle shot was used to represent again how small the kitten really is.

Next, editing shows match on action and towards the end a title. A match on action is shown twice, once when the kitten is beginning to pounce, and secondly when the kitten is climbing and finally reaches the top. This helped me gain different angles and add variety to my short film.

Mise en scene was used majorly through prop, location and lighting. Due to the shortness of the film and the subject being based on kittens, clothing was not needed in this short film and therefore cannot tell us anything about the characters. I picked this location within the house as it held the best natural light which is best when making a short film with limited budget. Without proper lighting even the best of films can look poor. Props used where the jumpsuit pile and the green stool. These where used to get the kittens to interact with their surroundings and make for a more interesting short film.

Finally, sound was used through the music. I didn't want background noise so muting the film became the best option, also no speaking was involved. This then gave me the opportunity to create my own music to fit over the top. After experimenting with a few instruments, the ukulele seemed to fit best as it was a light and cheerful instrument which matched the characteristics of the cats. I then layered this over the top before exporting the film.