One Minute Film Challenge

Analysis of the imitation imitation game

Plot

We decided to make the trailer as a culmination of key scenes in the real film, as well as filming one or two transitional scenes. The transitional scenes were used so we did not have too many important sequences placed one after the other, they also allowed us to show the change in setting more smoothly.

Filming Techniques

The majority of the filming was done using a tripod, although it was not necessary to use a tripod at all times I decided it best represented Alan Turing’s personality as he is often calm and collected. We also filmed a pan shot where the camera was secured to the tripod and placed inside of the basket on a bicycle. However, because of the glass between the camera and the subject the scene had to be scrapped due to the extremely visible reflection.

Editing

During the editing process I had to carefully select scenes based on both film and sound quality. We did not take into account microphone pickup volume during filming and I was forced to choose one or two of the less well shot scenes purely because the sound was more clear. In one instance none of the takes picked up the sound, and increasing the volume only brought out the interference, here I had to record a new sound bite and cut it to fit the length of the scene.

What to do differently

In future it would be beneficial to invest in a microphone, either to attach to the camera or to be held above the actors. I would also try to use a camera with better auto focus to create a more seamless and immersive experience. Another solution would to use a camera with a shorter focal length so that it can capture acceptable detail in both close ups and extreme close ups without an obnoxiously visible blur. In future projects I would also pay much closer attention to mis-en-scene as there is one sequence in the video where an object disappears from the scene completely.

­­­­­­What I gained from this

Filming the one-minute film challenge I think I have gained some experience in the use of different cinematographic skills to create a desired effect on the audience. I have also learnt how using pre-recorded voices over the scene can also help to draw attention to that scene in particular. It has also taught me how crucial editing and scene order is to the final product.

The Heat Cinematography

Tracking Close Up One of the initial shots of the scene. This is used to set the tone early on. By having a close up and tracking shot on his feet it firstly disconnects the audience from the character which supports the idea that the heist was a stealthily set up as the thieves were not identified by the security. It also shows a “calm before the storm”, although it is not silent in the seen all you see is the feet which in effects silences everything else.

 High Angle Shot Used to set the scene. Shows how outnumbered they are but by panning from the thief to the office it shows that they have total view and control of the situation. Also shows any potential problems that they will face.

 Long Shot Gives another overview of the area. Shows one of the thieves getting into position and reveals another guard. Around him it is business as usual, once again showing how incognito the thieves are. 

 Over The Shoulder/Two Shot The over the shoulder camera angle shows that either the security guard or the thief will be restrained. However it can also be seen that the thief is the one at a disadvantage as he has his back turned to the guard. 

 Mid Shot Shows the guard as another target who is oblivious to what is about to happen. As the main man guarding the safe this shows why the robbers were able to infiltrate the bank so quickly. 

 Shaky Cam As the action begins this shows the erratic behaviour of the civilians who are frightened for their lives. Coming after the guard is beaten unconscious it also works as his view of the situation as he is knocked around. 

 High Angle Longshot Shows that the thieves have taken over the bank without trouble. In the previous High angle shot exits were shown clearly however now it shows that the bank is in a lockdown situation. The subdued bankers also show the power the thieves have even though they are severely outnumbered. 

 Two Shot This is the first shot that shows a clear view of how heavily armed the robbers are. It also shows that although they have guns they are need to remain discreet as to not alert anyone of the heist. It only shows the torso of the man which takes up half of the screen. This continues to show how powerful he is.

Neon Text In After Effects

I want to use neon in film title scenes mainly, however i do intend to use it just to add gravitas to posters or anything else that I could use it in. I originally intended to use it in the one minute film challenge, however I could not figure out that i was missing a black solid behind the pre-comp, which was stopping the glow colour to change.

The first step is to insert some text, for simplicity's sake I used NEON. It is best to choose a large & bold font, as a thinner font will suffer from some blur and will not look as crisp.

To get started create a mask from the text. This will create a white text outline.

Now you should pre-comp the mask. Be sure to move all the attributes to the new composition just to make it easier.

From here you should create a new solid and place it in the background. It can be any colour but black means you can create a visible glow in most colours. This is where I got held up, because the background is black anyway it is easy to forget about adding the solid. Without it the glow will not change colour later in process.

Add a "fast blur" effect.

Now copy the outline as many times as you feel you need. I normally make 4 copies.

Do not add a blur to the first outline, skip straight to the second. I start with 5 so it doesn't make it extremely blurry.

For the second, third and fourth I choose 20, 100 and 150 respectively.

End result of the fast blur.

Now return to the original composition, I change the mode of the pre-comp to add. Then add a "colour balance" effect.

Now you can edit the colour of the glow.

To colour the text move the text layer on top, then use the "Change Colour To" tool to match the colours.