FMP - Techniques and processes - De-interlace Footage

I was forwarded this post by Faadil after I expressed concerns about using interlaced footag, I wanted the video to have an authentic film look to it, he suggested the technique could be just what I need to achieve this.

Firstly when your shooting, try to get hold of a film lens adapter system which fits on the end of the camera. I use a Letus Extreme, which is cheap and does the job well, it allows you to put on Manual SLR lens' from old school cameras, so immediately you get a more anamorphic view, i think you can hire them for around 40 pounds a day - well worth it.

Once you've finished your film, the first thing you want to do before compressing and burning to dvd or export to the net is to de-interlace the image. So in Final cut;

1. put your in and out points on your timeline sequence using the 'i - o' keyboard shortcuts - this selects the bit of the clip you want to export.
2. once highlighted, go to 'file' - 'export' - 'quicktime movie' - give it a name, make sure the box entitled 'make movie self contained' is left un-ticked, give it a destination and click ok.
3. once your film has finished exporting, make a new sequence in final cut.
4. reimport the clip into the sequence, twice, make sure both clips are in sync.
5. delete one of the audio tracks from one of the clips you imported.
6. so you should be looking at two identical video clips, one on top of each other in video channel 1 and 2, while audio just fills audio track 1 and 2.
7. in the effects window click on the 'video filters' tab, then 'video' tab, then click and drag the 'de-interlace' effect onto both video clips.
8. double click the top clip and in the viewer window select 'filter' tab, make sure field dominance on the top clip is set to 'upper' (i think that should be default).
9. double click the bottom clip and in the viewer window select 'filter' tab, and set the field dominance to 'lower'.
10. highlight your film in the timeline sequence using the 'i - o' keyboard shortcuts and export anyway you like.

Now your clips are de-interlaced but will need rendering, depending on the project this may take some time.

Now i havnt mentioned colour correction. before you de-interlace i always drag on the 'colour corrector 3 - way' video filter onto each clip and fiddle around with the settings untill the blacks are really crushed, while increasing the yellow tint in the image - this is really essential to do, but down to personal taste so just practice with it.

The final stage is to use adobe after effects. There's constantly new 'film look' filters coming out on the market, most you can download for free but they require researching online, have you used the 'creative cow' forum? most of the filters are simply variations on 'de-interlacing' and 'flicker control'. I won't go into the nitty gritty of using after effects but try searching for the 'magic bullet' effect on google, this should open the door to other such 'after effects' film filters.

FMP - Development - Captured Footage - Beginning First edit

I've spent from just gone nine in the morning right through to six in the evening merely just capturing footage, after this I began editing it from the start, this edit will purely be a means of sorting the useable footage from the not so usable, aiming to narrow it done to around and hours worth of footage in the first edit.

To be honest I am regretting not editing as I went through this project however it was difficult to motivate myself to do this after a stressful shoot. I still have over a month to get this completed and from past experience editing isn't much of a time consuming process in comparison to compositing. However, this is set to be a mammoth task, by setting a maximum of an hours worth of footage from nine hours I feel is a good place to start. 

My concern is that if I was shooting a two hour long feature length film I would probably have around this amount of footage, but trying to edit 9 hours of raw footage down to a 3 minute music video is going to be rather difficult.

I think the only reason we have ended up with so much footage is because the scene weren't properly planned out, this result in "on-the-fly," which is a nightmare to edit especially when the finished piece is meant to have clear narrative.

FMP - Shoot day 5 - Infinity Curve and Green Screen

The final schedueled shoot day had finally arrived, at first I thought things were going to run how they had done for the rest of the shoot, I arrived at college before 8.30AM because we were schedueled to start filming at 9.00AM. I was disappointed to find Kiran not there until around 9.30AM, although I couldn't start setting up until 9.00AM because I wasn't able to get the equipment of Matt before hand.

After this things went really well to be honest, everybody was in high spirits because it was a Friday with the added bonus of being the last time we had to film. We got a lot of good footage today, including photo's of the group in the infinty curve that I am going to make a CD cover with for the single release. I am a little apprehensive about how the footage shot in the infinity curve and in front of green screen will fit into rest of the video as it could lose all continuity. I will begin editing from Monday so I should have a better idea of how it is going to work some time next week.

Shoot Day 4 - D-Fusion

What a nightmare, today didn't go much better than the first days shoot. Luck was not on our side in the slightest, because as we arrived the van driver backed into a low hanging roof. I set up the all the track and equipment on my own, so much for being the just editor and assistant camera man. To make matters worse only about 15 people turned up for the shoot, so making it look like Stay Focus had a following was very difficult. On top of all of these issues Kiran did her signature directors move on calling it a wrap before we had all the footage, brilliant. 

I have a theory as to why my flyers have had no effect on getting people to turn up for the shoots. The other day when I was loading the kit into the back of Gareths car I noticed all the first load of flyers I had produce scattered in Gareths boot, I don't see why I bother sometimes.

FMP - Research - LGX - LGX Music Video

This is an example of the genre of music I am producing this Stay Focus remix in. It's not brilliant but it's an idea of what I can do with this green screen footage.

Case Study - Light Engine Films - How a music video production company works

1. Make a plan

First we would ask you to send us the track you want to make the vid for, also a brief synopsis of any ideas, storyboards, themes or concepts that you may have - don't worry if you've not thought about any of this as we can help you come up with the right idea for your track and your budget. The next stage is to either arrange a meet up or, depending on your location, have a chat over the phone about things such as locations and what your final budget will be.

2. Decide your budget

We're not trying to teach you how to suck eggs here, but your budget is one of the first things to decide as it dictates what is going to be possible in your video - there is no such thing as a one quote fits all price structure. Although we pride ourselves on being able to produce expensive looking videos for a fraction of what they can cost elsewhere, certain things will add to your production costs. For instance a heavily story boarded video will cost more than a simple performance vid especially if multiple locations are to be used (see our price structure page for details of packages we offer). One of the best ways to get something atmospheric and original on a low budget is to use an interesting location, of which we have many. The bottom line is that as with any kind of production, the higher the budget the better the production value and overall quality of your finished product. Once a budget is agreed we guarantee not to go over that budget, so long as your requirements and the logistics do not alter.

3. Choose a location.

The next thing to consider is the location for the shoot. We have an array of locations that are free to use, that not only look great but will significantly help keep your costs low. We have access to old abandoned churches, factories, farm houses, plane wrecks, old clock towers, power stations, railways and abandoned lunatic asylums as well as areas of stunning natural beauty.

You can see a selection of locations here.

4. Deposit

Once all the logistics have been discussed and finalised, we arrange a date for the shoot. At this point we ask for a 50% deposit of our agreed fee to confirm the shoot date.

5. The Shoot

The most important thing about the shoot for us, is that everyone enjoys themselves. People tend to be at their most creative when there's a good vibe in the air.

6. Editing

After the shoot we put together a rough edit with a time-code and preview it to you via Youtube so you can give feedback and have a creative input to the editing process. This process continues over several more edits until you're happy with the final cut.

>7. Masters

At this point we ask for the remainder of our payment, once this is received we release the master on DVCAM tape, data disc and DVD (other formats such as digibeta are available at extra cost). We can also help you with file conversion for Internet streaming via sites such as YouTube etc.

And it's fun!

Yes that's right- you wont need your blood pressure tablets or vallium on hand when you work with us! We believe that a good vibe on set is essential and so far everyone we've worked with has given us very positive feed back about the experience. We work quickly and efficiently on shoots and always strive to maintain energy and enthusiasm in both ourselves and those we work with.

http://www.lightenginefilms.co.uk/how.php

FMP - Shoot day 3 -

Today we shot footage in the lift at college, which will be use just before Gareths studio scene and footage of by the river near Clarence dock.

It went fairly smoothly apart from Kiran refusing to take advice when we were shooting the lift scene, the green door was in the reflection of the lift window, I said to film it from another angle or from the floor above so this wouldn't happen. I got a load of abuse, Gareth and Faadil have both picked up the way Kiran has been speaking to the production team and have congratulated me for not throwing in the towel. If only I could.

FMP - Invite for D-Fusion after party

I Forgot to mention that for the previous dancer recruitment flyer I had to reproduce the Stay Focus Logo because the only one was able to obtain was this small pixelated image found on the internet. This meant tracing the original image using the pen tool in Illustrator. I have applied some simple blending options in this one because I thought it looked better, as this is not how the original is I left the blending options of in the flyer production.

This flyer was designed to get people to turn up to the penultimate scene at D-Fusion. The club is fairly but we need at least thirty people to this scene convincing. As we have not had any feedback from the the dancer recruitment flyer we are dependent on this other wise the club scene won't work very well. We have told the cast members to give these out to friends or family they can vouch for. Each person that get filmed will have to sign a release form as public liability is covered by D-Fusion, means Kiran won't have quite as much paper work to deal with.

FMP - Shoot Day 2 - Studio and Park

I was a little apprehensive about today, however the studio scene went quite smoothly apart from that Kiran asked me if I had all the footage I needed after only two takes, to which I replied no. I explained the shots I still wanted to shoot but Kiran said she didn't want to shoot any more footage in the studio. This was rather annoying as it took nearly an hour to set up that scene, being told to pack away after 5 minutes shooting was very irrating especially when I have expressed concern over the level of content we had filmed.

I understand that we had a scheduele to stick too as closely as possible, however when you are on location waiting for the cast to turn up it can be really frustrating thinking of how that extra half an hour could have been spent at the previous location. I think this can be put down to the fact we were working with kids rather than production management. I'm not happy with this footage in the slightest, it was getting dark and there were loads of random kids there that Kiran agreed could be in the video on the spot. Of course this meant they all needed to get a release form signed by their parents. I know Kiran and Gareth are both keen on this shot going in to the final edit but after seeing how the shoot went this evening I am not so sure.

I took behind the scenes photos at the studio, so you can get an idea of the setup we had, the studio was a fair mess before we started plus with very large windows there was lots of natural light, we didn't this so we had to put large pieces of material over all windows, these are the main reasons setup took so long. I didn't take pictures for the park scene because it's probably illegal.

FMP - Shoot Day 1 - Clarence Dock

Honestly... I don't where to start! Kiran, Jay and I were down at Clarence Dock by just after 10AM, despite the rehearsal at Kiran's on Saturday one of the singers wasn't aware that he was meant to be in the first few scenes, whilst we were waiting a couple of hours longer for the rest of the cast, therefore it was until after two, by

the time we started filming. By the time filming commenced it soon became clear to me that the shots hadn't yet been fully realized, as I already suggested to Kiran weeks before that by a having a clear and detailed storyboard and shot list makes life much easier when it comes to shooting and editing the footage. Unfortunately this advice had not been taken due to Kiran being to busy.

Despite the four hour setback in the morning, the scenes filmed in Clarence Dock ran fairly smoothly in comparison to the scenes shot at my mates flat. It was here that the lack of a detailed storyboard and shotlist became a strain on producing usable footage. First of all I must stress how sorry I am to Olly who's flat we used, this is mainly due to the amount of numbers that turned up. It was previously agreed that there would only be a few of Gareth's mates in this scene, instead at least half a dozen did. Due to the lack of understanding of what I was meant to be shooting and the numbers of people in there, when the lights had been on for a few minutes it soon became very hot and difficult to work in those conditions. Somehow we got through that scene but it was already about 11pm. We then had to rush the bedroom scene with Bianca in, I am a bit concerned as to the footage we got here as well, I don't know what Kiran
managed to get but I'm not too confident we have all the footage we need. I will find out shortly when I get a chance to edit this footage.

I picked up on Kiran saying a few harsh words to Jay, to be honest I didn't hear the whole conversation but from what I heard he was just trying to offer some advice. At the end of the day he's helping out as a favour.

I thought it was fairly unreasonable the way she spoke to him. I have a feeling today could set the scene for things to come, fortunately today was the longest shoot day scheduled so I think I will manage to get through.

I wasn't able to take as many behind the scene shots as I would have like to due to lack of spare available for each location.

A small word to Olly; Sorry Gareth dropped your hamster mate, I hope her leg gets better soon.

FMP - Stay Focus - Dancer Recruitment Flyer

After the original dancers we had arranged months ago announced they were either busy on tour in the states with T2 and Jody Aisha or had other commitments over the finalised shoot dates I decided to draft this flyer up, in an attempt to reel in some last minute dance acts. It's a bit late in the game to be doing this, it should have been sorted by the end of February to be honest but we only need a few more dancers so hopefully this should work. We will print 200 flyer today and get them handed out and posted up.

FMP - More Location Scouting

Kiran Wanted a graphitti wall to use for the background of the car scene, I said that I know of a few locations where we could find some good art work, so i took my camera out to get some samples for her to view. I chose locations on a cul-de-sac and a small back road leading to only a few houses, this means we should be able to get away without having to obtain permission to film there, seen as we don't have to block the road off.

FMP - Research - STAY FOCUS FT WEEKSIE, G-DOUBLE AND M.D - BUMPA PON DAT

This is a good example of the level of production we need to be aiming for 

if not better. Ok so it's obvious this has been produced to a budget, 

however I think the shot composition and the editing works with the 

tune. Some scenes could have been colour corrected or graded to 

give the track more continuity but overall I think the video 

compliments the song well. It was filmed in part by one of the MC's 

on the track Zaadil (speedo.) Not sure who edited it, I'll look into 

and keep you posted.

FMP - Stay Focus - Script Development

Kiran's Script, edited and then expanded on by Haydn Robinson.

Scene 1

Location Ext: Day, Park/Street

Time-scale; 0.00-0.18 Minutes

Contents; Gareth and his mates are larking about, a lone girl approaches the group of lads and begins to flirt with Gareth, there is a clear connection between the two as Gareth makes no effort to refuse her.

Scene 2

Location Ext: Day, Park/Street

Time-scale; 0.19-0.30 Minutes

Contents; Gareth's girlfriend comes into frame in the background and notices her man to close for comfort with another girl. Gareth sees his girlfriend out the corner of his eye, he looks up, his face drop. Girlfriend looks at Gareth in disgust before turning to walk back where she came from, flirting girl reads between the lines, she isn't impressed, pushing Gareth she then makes a hasty exist from the scene. Gareth turns to his mates who are now in hysterics giving each other after just witnessing Gareth go from having two girls to none in a matter of seconds.

Scene 3

Location Int: Archway Studios & The Infinity Curve Studio

Time-scale; 0.31-0.55 Minutes

Contents; Gareth is isolated, all alone in the studio he is trying to write lyrics but with little success, Gareth is having trouble concentrating as his mind is on his ex. Cut with footage of Gareth and Speedo as they MC with dancers in the background, Filmed in front of the green screen in the photographic infinity curve studio.

Scene 4

Location Int: Girl's Bedroom

Time-scale; 0.31-0.55 Minutes

Contents; Gareth's ex girlfriend is sobbing reminiscing in her past with Gareth looking at photo's of the two where they were still happy together. She looks in the mirror wiping tears from her face, she looks lost in her thoughts as she walks of to the window.

Scene 5

Location Int: Gareth's Apartment

Time-scale; 0.55-1.22 Minutes

Contents; Gareth and his makes are drinking and laughing, on the surface things look fine, but it is clear from Gareth's body language that things aren't so good.

Scene 6

Location Ext: Evening, Street

Time-scale; 1.23-1.32 Minutes

Contents; Gareth's Ex and her mates are walking up the street, on the way to a club as they walk either side of the camera, the scene cuts to Gareth walking towards them, he goes to hand his Ex one of his CD's but she pushes past him, one of her mates grabs the CD and slighly puts it in the Ex's bag, as the other two mates walk past Gareth last they look at him flirtatiously.

Scene 7

Location Ext: Evening, Street

Time-scale; 1.33-1.36 Minutes

Contents; Gareth turns in time to see the girls walk around the corner, he stands in an isolated street to represent loneliness. Speedo, Gareth's mate observes all of this, he knows that things aren't right.

Scene 8

Location Int; Classroom or Infinity Curve Studio

Time-scale; 1.37-1.55 Minutes

Contents; Gareth at the front of the class teaching kids to MC. (I'm not so sure about this scene, as it seems of out of context with the rest of the script. I would personally replace this with MC-in' and dancers in front green screen or the infinity curve, to help the whole thing flow better.)

Scene 9

Location Int; Girl's Bedroom

Time-scale; 1.56-2.07 Minutes

Contents; Ex girlfriend finds the CD in her bag as she's getting ready to go out and puts it on. She soon realises it's Gareth and begins to cry.

Scene 10

Location Int; Club D-Fusion

Time-scale; 2.08-2.38 Minutes

Contents; Gareth and his crew are playing to a packed nightclub, Gareth's Ex girlfriend enters and sees him and the crew, she swallows her pride and dances over towards him. Gareth sees his ex coming his way as he tries to hide his smile, she get closer to him as they hold hands they look into each others eyes and smile.

Fin