Photography Excersise [Plane Crash]

To help us improve our camera operating skills and photography ability, we were given the opportunity of working in small groups to produce a animation by taking pictures of a moving object to create as video.

This was a great exercise to carry out as it allowed us to improve our experience with the equipment and also to experiment using different lighting settings, camera angels, either low angle or high angle shots. But also to encourage good team working skills. At the end of the task we watched the animations and gave feedback in areas in which the group did well as well as areas in which they could improve.

Likes and Loves [Football]

We were given the task of carrying out Vox Pops to a interviewee on their likes and their loves which in this case was football. We asked why they were passionate about the topic and how they were introduced to it. Also we asked the interviewee if there were any highlights or specific moments that was important and stood out for them, for example goals they scored, any injuries they sustained.

This exercise was good because it encouraged team working skills by the use of someone being the interviewer and someone being the interviewee, also known as a 1+1, also someone was in charge of the equipment, making sure that the piece was recording by carrying out frequent sport checks. This was also good as it allowed us to have more experience with using the equipment and also to gain more confidence when speaking in front of an audience.

Star Trek

Since the introduction of the television series, 1987's Star Trek Generation, followed by Deep Space Nine, and Finally Starship Enterprise. Fans have grown and have been loyal to the franchise. But it wasn't until 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis that failed at the box office and received poor reviews from critics and fans alike the franchise then went into hibernation. It wasn't until J.J Abrams [Lost, Alias, Mission:Impossible 3 and Cloverfield], decided to come on board and try to rediscover and try to give the franchise the revamp it needed.

J.J Abrams vision sees the birth of the Starship Enterprise and how the crew met for the first time and who come face-to-face with the Romulan Nero played by Eric Bana [Funny People, Hulk, Chopper]. Chris Pine plays Kirk and brings to the character a fresh sense of emotion and comedy to the role, but it is Zachary Quinto's [Hero's Sylar] Spock, that impresses and stands out as the characters battle- the logic versus the emotion, the human versus the alien [half human, half Vulcan], which is the main focus of the film. Other characters include, Chechov [played by Anton Yelchin [Alpha Dog, Terminator Salvation], there is comedy relief, Scotty [played by Simon Pegg [Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz], karl Urban's [The Lord of the Rings, Doom], McCoy, Sulu John Cho [Flashforward], and Zoe Saldana as Uhura.

J.J Abram's new vision is both cool and exciting and focuses on the concept of teamwork and friendship and for those who have never seen Star Trek are in for a treat as it is a fantastic introduction to the franchise and the characters [from the cool, classic blue starfleet uniform that Spock wears not seen since the 1960s]. There is also breathtaking action that is thrilling and will leave the audience wanting more. for hardcore fans of the franchise this is the welcome back they have been waiting for and the franchise receives the revamp it needs and deserves.

Friday 13th Edit

We were given the task of editing film to music by using the software final cut. This was a useful exercise as it allowed me to have more practice using the software and allow me to experiment with effects, for example speeding up certain scenes and copying and pasting images.

I changed the speed in some cases during the edit that allowed me to either speed up or slow down specific parts of the video as I wanted to create an atmosphere of anxiety. I was also able to copy images more than once that allowed me to repeat the process, for example if there was a certain moment which I thought would be effective. I was also able to create subclips which was usueful in the sense that I was able to choose and separate specific clips that I wanted to use into folders.

Untitled from Ross Weir on Vimeo.

Vox Pop Activity

We were given the task of working in groups and carrying out a series of Vox Pop questions about poetry to a variety of people that needed to last for 90 seconds.

We were all given the same question and therefore we had to record different people to get a variety of responses. I felt that doing this activity was good as it helped us to work well as a team and improve team working skills, also it helped us to feel more confident when approaching people and asking questions.

Soviet Montage

Dziga Vertov

Dziga vertov [born 2 January 1896, died February 1954] was a soviet pioneer documaentary film, newsreel director and cinema theorist. His filmmaking practicies and theories paved the way to Cinema style of documentary moviemaking.

vertov's brothers Boris Kaufman and Mikhail Kaufman wee also notable filmmakers, as was his wife, Elizaveta Svilova. After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, at the age of 22, Vertov began editing for Kino-Nedelya [Moscow Cinema Communities film series, and the first newereel series in Russia]. He bagan as an editor and an assisstant co-director for films such as Man with a Movie camera [1929], and Three songs About Lenin.

Kuleshov

The Kuleshov Effect is a film editing [montage] effect demonstated by russian filmmaker lev Kuleshov in the 1910's and 1920s.

Kuleshov edited together a short film in which he shot of the expressionless face of Tsarist matinee idol Ivan Moozzhukin was alternated with various other shots that included, a plate of soup,a girl and a litle girl's coffin.

Sergi Eisenstein

Sergi Mikhailovich Eisenstein [born 23rd january, 1898 and died 11th Feruary, 1948], he was a revolutionary film director and film theorist. He was noted in particular for his silent films that included, Strike, Battleship Potemkin , and October. As well as historicaal epics Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible. His work was influenced early filmmakers owing to his use of and writings about montage.

Public Enemies

Michael Mann turns up the "Heat" in Public Enemies

Michael mann has directed a number of action thrillers over the years that include, Heat, Collateral, Miami vice and now Public Enemies which has to be his best movie to date. As with Ridley Scotts American Gangster, Public Enemies is a character piece.

As with Heat the film features the concept of good and bad and explores the last few months of the life of the infamous American outlaw John Dillinger [played by Johnny Depp], who carries out a highly publicised eight week crime spree and who is hunted down ruthlessly by FBI Agent Melvin Purvis [played by Christain Bale.

The film's main success are the explicit and compelling actions scenes that make you feel like you are in the middle of the action. Michael mann's choice of using digital cameras to show a gritty and realistic feel to it. Another one of the film's highlights are the performances btween stars Johnny Depp and Chritian Bale who share fantastic on screen chemistry [see the confrontation scene between Dillinger and Pulvis.

This is one of Michael mann's most compelling and accomplished films to date which shares both in the way of intellengence as it does action.

Drag me to Hell

After watching the pre-credits opening of Sam Raimi's Drag me to Hell the use of the old Universal Studios logo, reference to old horror movies, Like Dracula and The Wolfman, you will find yourself on the edge of your seat, biting the end of your fingernails and welcoming back the director of th Evil Dead Trilogy and Spiderman to the schlock-comedy genre that he created.

The story sees Christine Brown played by Alison Lohan [Gamer], a normal, decent person hoping to get a promotion at work and further her career. She has a wonderful husband Professor Clay Dalton played by Justin Long [Jeepers Creepers, Dodgeball, Die Hard 4.0]. But when an old lady called Mrs. Ganush played by Lorna Raver, asks for an extension on her loan, Christine refuses as she wants to prove to her boss that she can make the tough decisions, all hell breaks loose as she is cursed and will be tormented for three days before she is literally dragged to hell.

Sam Raimi does not have the usuall case of jumping cats, or doors slaming shut. Instead he focuses more on shadows and images that would be hard to forget [see the shadow on the wall as it a homage to Nosferatu which is Murnan's silent classic].

The film itself is fantastic and looks like a classic. It cleary refers Alfred Hitchcock by the use of shadow and camera angles that are low angles shots and the use of tilted frames. But the films main success is the use of sound that is absolutely exquisite, from creaking floorboards, to blown fuses and bilowing curtains. Raimi cranks up the tension with music to allow the audience to engage with the characters and feel like they are going along for the ride.

The film mixes a fantastic blend of comedy and horror, where as most of the scary monents are compensated by the use of comedy and cartoonish action that suggests that after directing the Spiderman Triology, Sam Raimi has not forgotton how to do cult.

Its a refreshing take on the genre and is the best horror film I have seen for a long time that has an original story and has an original feel to it. It is not just another remake. Future horror fimakers should watch this film to see how it is done. A must see for any horror fan.

Assignment Montage Portfolio

31st October- I had to create a montage as one of my assignments on final cut. The theme for my montage assignment and our portfolio , is the theme of water. I will take around 20 pictures which I will then add to a piece of music of my choice that match the mood of the pictures. The music that has influenced my piece is the group Klannad see http://www.moyabrennan.com. I wanted to create an atmosphere that was low key and haunting.

I felt that the music went well with the pictures as it suited the tone and the mood that I wanted to create which was a calm atmosphere then I wanted to build up the tension. I used fade out shots to create transitions to different parts of the music that would bring the pictures back on the screen on the beat, for example there was quiet instrumental music that that I wanted to show with the image of trickling water.

Ross's Water Montage from Ross Weir on Vimeo.

Assignment Radio Station

27th October-We were sorted into our groups where we explored differnt ideas that we thought would make a good radio staion programme that would interest the audience. We explored the idea of What it is like to be Fresher whilst participating in their first week at University. It will be aimed at Bath Spa Students.

3rd November-We discussed with a panel about our idea and they decided if it was good or notwe all took it in turns to pitch our ideas, this was good as it allowed us to build up our confidence both within ourselves and our idea. We talked about the treatment of the radio station what we were going to include and use, for example "Vox Pops" and interviews and how we will start and end the show.

10th November-We discussed Team working and how to record minutes where one person from the group is assigned to keep a record of meetings of who is there and who is not, key points of the meeting and the time and location, also to monitor progress and decide action points of the meeting. To finsih we decided on agreeing a date and location for our next meeting to carry out Vox Pops and editing.

24th November-Group meeting – Radio Programme project

Present: Annie and Ross.
Absent: Harry and Rachel.

Action Points:

Waiting to hear of progress from absent members of the group. If vox pops have not been completed by Friday 27th November we will have to record some of our own and use them as Plan B. Currently unable to take an active editing role due to a lack of things to edit. Next definite meeting will be Tuesday 1st December, however if we hear back from the group in the meantime then we may arrange to work on the project over the next few days.

1st December-
Action Points:

Rachel and Harry in Wednesday to edit Vox Pops at 10.00
Have to email Student President.
Interview Mike after lecture.
All in Thursday 3rd December-Rachel, Annie, Harry and Ross.
-Recording Voice-Annie
have to request and book microphone for Thursday.
-Arrange the Vox Pops
-Research Music-Ross

Assignment Soundscape

27th October-I Had meeting with Mike to discuss my options for my soundscape location which was to be filmed at Bristol Airport. We decided that he idea worked well, although it did have its limitations as their was a limit to how much sound I was allowed to record due to security restrictions. We also discussed what I could record e.g. the sound of the engine from the planes or passengers.

31st October-I emailed Bristol Airport requesting for me to film sound in and around the airport.

15th November-Carried out recording soundscape at Bristol Airport and recorded sounds of people, ,footsteps, the engines from the planes and restaurants.

Beatsystem Photos

I was given the task of taking a series of photos that matched a downloaded piece of music of my choice and the task was to match the pictures with the music.

Soundscapes

A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an environment. The idea of soundscape refers to both the natural acoustic environment, consisiting of natural sounds, including animal vocalisation and, for instance, the sounds of weather and other natural elements.

Also environmental sounds, created by humans, through musical composition, sound design and other ordinary human activivites, including conservation work and sounds of mechnical origin resulting from industrial techologies.

The term soundscape can also refer to an audio recording or performance of sounds that create the sensation of experiencing particular environment, or compositions of an acoustic envionment either exclusively or in conjunction with musical performance.

Deconstructing a Radio Station

"Heart Bristol"

-Introduction [introducting the show through the use of the theme song]

-Music [pop songs and 80s songs]

-News Coverage [includes stories that are every 20 minutes that cover controversial subjects that are in the interest of the public. For exmaple The Royal Mail strike.

-Ends for a break for adverts with the radio theme song

-Music pop song countdown [50 top UK albums]

-Celebrity News, for example new Madona Video.

-Theme song and advertising

-News and weather, repeats news for people who hav missed it earlier, for example The Royal Mail strike, Student Tuition fees [students leaving Universiy with debt] and celebrities that are going to be performing on "The X Factor" e.g. Michael Buble'.

Treatment for Do I Really Need...

The documentary programme will start off with arcive material from "Slumdog Millionaire", and will show the scene where the main character Jamal Maik [played by Dev Patel], wins 20 million rupees. The audience will experience a documentary that starts off by showing you how wealthy the character is and will describe his life before that.

The documentary will take the audience throught his life through the use of a live interview where he will discuss his previous life as an orphan who lived on the streets of london and who is how a young wealthy person due to his knowledge of entering a gameshow.

Reconstructions will be used to show his plan to change his life for him and his family and to give thm a better life as he was given the chance appear on a gameshow. It will explore his day-to-day life by the use of "Vox Pops" asking him what it is like? and How does he cope?.

This will create synpathy and empathy from the audience who will feel for the character and will want him to successed and change his life. Photographs will be used to show him winning the show, for example having photgraphs with the host and his family.

The documentary willshow the audience thew steps he took to appear on the game show and the effects that the winnings have had on his life, for example archive material showing him helping other people who are not as fortunate e.g. offering food, shelter.

There will be interview with members of his family on how proud they are and how it has changed his life, for example interiews with his mum and dad and the way that earning money before was difficult.

There will also be interviews and "Vox Pops" with celebrity hosts such as Chris Tarrant who hosts "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and how he is astonished on how much the winnings have changed the character's life compared to his life before by the use of archive material.

Proposal for Do I Reallly Need....

I intend to make a documentary that will feature the theme of gameshows. The programme will discuss why people choose to watch particular shows like "The Weakest Link", "Deal or No Deal" and "The X Factor". The programme will also discuss the effect that these gameshows have on the public and why they think there are so many types of gameshows being made on television now.

I will tell the story through the use of positive and negative sides of gameshows and the story will be told through the eyes of a boy who has been brought up from a poor backgroud and seeking a way of earning money for him and his family to get them out of poverty. It is the british version and is based on 2008's Oscar Winning film "Slumdog Millionaire".

The story will be narrated and will involve the audience through his life and the conditions, it will also describe how he will enter the game show as this is in the interest of the audience as they are familiar with the film and also it will involve them in game shows in todays society as television nowadays is governed by game shows and this documentary will discuss both sides of the spectrum.

The celebity side of it why people go on to improve their self image and therefoe progress onto further career projetct and members of the public earning money as we live in a time of recession.

Vox Pops

Vox Pop is a latin phrase that means the voice of the people that is a term often used in abradcasting with members of the "general public".

Usually the interviewees are shwon in public places and supposed to ive spontanteous opinions ina chance to encounter unrehearsed persons, not selected in any way. As such broadcasts journalists almost always refer to them as the abbriviated vox pop.

In U.S broadcast journalism it is often referred to as a "man on the street interview" or M.O.T.S. Results of such an interview are unpredictable. Vox Pop material is editied downvery tightly. A Vox Pop is not a form or survey, each person is asked the same question and the aim is to get a variety of answers and opinions on any given subject.

Journalists are usually instructed to approach a wide range of people to get varied answers from differnt points of view. The interviewees should be of various ages, gendres, classes and communities so tht the diverse views and reactions of the general public will be known.

Vox Pop questions will be asked in differnt parts of streets or public places in any specific topic or situation not concerned by the general public.

The question can be asked only in a specific group to know the perception and reaction is of that group to the specific topic or issue. A question can be asked to a group of students about the quality of education. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vox_populi

How University Academic Study is different from usuall every day discussion about media

How University academic study is different from everyday discussion about media is that with every day discussion about media people are not educated into the effects that the media can have as they are not open to different texts and contexts of the media as opposed to students studying at university who are introduced to this than people just sitting in a pub and discussing the subject as there is a limit as to what you can discuss, for example the variety of texts that people watch, for example films or soap operas on television.

People studying at university in a lecture theatre can explore the different types of media communication and how these texts are produced, published and are recieved by an audience. Also they can explore the different ways in which the media is produced and displayed, for example Barack Obama using websites like utube to promote and communicate to a wide audience of supporters than just limiting himself to television broadcasting.

Also everyday discussion about media, people are not familiar with the diffrent theories and theorists, for example, Marshall Mcluhan as students can learn about these theories and can learn about their views and thoughts about the media to see how much the media has changed and therefore come to their own conclusion about the media.

Also studing at University enables students to lean about the different media technology, for example what they are and how diffrerent media technologies hve different outcomes. Studying at University offers new ideas and introduces people to new technologies that they didn't know before, for example Web 2.0, that includes Facebook, Utube, Blogger, Twitter and Wikipedia.

Also it enables people to learn about the pst and how the media and media communications have changed since the 1960s to present day and it therefore enables people to compare how and why these changes have occured and to take into account what are the changes that are occuring in the world of media communication today and how it is changing aroung us.

A privilege of studying at University is the use of books and resources that are available to students as opposed to people discussing media as an everyday subject. Although, people who are not studying at University are open to books and can study the media they do not have the privilege of having direct resources to theorist like Marshall Mcluhan.http://www.marshallmcluhan.com/main.html

The Atmosphere of a Location

we were set the task of carrying out an activity that involved taking three photographs of viewpoints of a specific location or a place that was significant to us or somewhere that was place of interest. I chose the location of a train station to show a story. For example at the begining you have the rush as there is a lot of energy, for example a queue of people waiting to get tickets and people arriving and departing the train. I also wanted to capture the train station when it was empty to create an eerie atmosphere, to show the early morning mist and fog. I also wanted to capture trains arriving and departing from the platform.

Do I really need?....

Do I really need?....

The show could explore the need for gameshows and people's need and obsession with gameshows.

For example personal idenitity with the contestant players on gameshows like "Deal or No Deal" or "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" who go on the show to win money, as today we live in a time of the credit crunch and recession, these gameshows provide an escapism for the audience and diversion and entertainment as it is an easy way of making money.

Other gameshows that people are interested in are talent shows such as "Strictly Come Dancing" and "The X Factor", this is also diversion and entertainment as it sees people living their dreams of becoming professional dancers and pop singers.

It inspires the audience and they therefore have a need for them as these types of gameshows interpellates the audience into the feel good narrative of the show, the message of self confidence or in some cases by winning or participating in a gameshow improves the contestants or celebrity's self image and progression into fame.

Also gameshows like "Stictly Come Dancing" is a way of introducing and encouraging people to become more healthy by watching the show they can be inspired and dance with their own partners.

Pictures of Photomarathon