Ancillary Task - Poster - Development

I started this poster by selecting this image from several that I had taken after one filming session to use for this poster

After this I separated the image into two layers one containing the couple and the other containing the background. I then took the background layer and applied a combination of a paint brush filter and a glass filter to give the background a more blurred effect

Then I added the text into the poster starting with the main poster text

I experimented with both Black and White text both of which could have worked. However due to the darkness of the background when viewed from further away the black text was less visible. In addition to this the white text would mean that it was consistent with the text used in the film itself which would increase the similarities between the two products something that I wanted to do as much as possible to make sure they worked together

Finally I added the two cast members names underneith the text as this framed the couple nicely with the text. I then created a series of Awards for the poster one of which is too the left. Finally I added the billing block in a simple billing block text and kept it small so as to avoid it drawing focus from the main header of the poster containing the title

Ancillary Tasks - Two Page - Photos

Below are the photos that I decided to include in my double page spread as part of my ancillary tasks.

Ancillary Tasks - Two Page - Text

Audience Comments Final Edit

I showed the final edit of the film to a group of friends and they have several comments about the piece

Several of them had watched the earlier edits and commented on how much of a difference the colour grading made as it made the whole film feel cohesive as a whole which is definitely a plus.

Several people who had not seen the film before commented as many people have about how much they liked the chemistry between the two leads and this made the story seem more realalistic and helped to draw them into the story. In addition to this several people actually laughed at the moments of humour in the film which is great as I was nervous that the overall tone of the film would mean that these comedic moments wouldn't land

A number of people commented on the sound design in particular the final track before the credits which they said made the scenes much more emotional and gave an effective end to the film. Another person also said that they liked the way that the scenes transitioned from one another and particularly liked the sound bridge of the door slam.

One person did say that they felt that the script was a bit rushed. I believe that this was caused by the cuts that I made removing the other conversations between other couples that were present in the original script. These were removed due to time constraints and were meant to break up the action and provide a point of conflict between Sam and Danny but their removal did harm the piece slightly

Music Final Thoughts

Track 1
The opening track has been through a couple iterations and these iterations were used as other tracks throughout the piece namely the final end credits track. This development took place on electronic music software and it was this process that shaped the whole of the music used in the film which is something I definitely did not expect to happen

I am very happy with this track as I think it immediately draws the viewer into the world that the film takes place in and gives the opening a sense of energy and movement that is really useful in establishing the tone of the film.

Track 2

This track was designed to compliment the earlier track and to keep the party atmosphere going in the background of the scene and I think it did this well and gave a sense that the music was a part of the world being played from a speaker actually at the party which added to the realism of the piece

However it was also meant to increase the tension in  the piece somewhat as the ex couple begin fighting  and I think this wasn't as effective as I would have liked. This may be due to the fact that after sound mixing the music isn't as loud as initially planned or it might be due to the fact that there is no significant increase in tempo but time restraints meant that while it could have been better I think it worked to a limited degree.

Track 3

This track was the last track to be created and was inspired by audience comments made about the ending of the piece with people mentioning how it felt odd that the final scene was played out with no backing track when the earlier scenes had a continual beat. After creating the track this was definitely the right call as it heightened the emotional weight of the scene immensely

This is the one track of the four that is recorded using a live instrument in this case a simple piano. This was inspired by other movies and soundtracks that use similar instruments to create a sense of melancholy and sadness in the viewer. I think that this change of instrument gave the track a really nice bit of contrast from the other tracks and this helped to further highlight the change in tone in the third scene of the film

Track 4

This final track as shown from the inspiration I posted was originally designed to follow the influences of pop and rock music along the lines of bands like two door cinema club and the arctic monkeys. However unintentionally when working on the music for the first time. I began to experiment with some synth and electric bass work. I really liked the tune I was created and so explored it further eventually adding the loud drums into the mix to drive the beat forward and it is this track that I eventually decided would be good to play out over the end credits.

This track was always intended to create a feeling of nostalgia in the listener. Originally this was going to be a more youthful track with lots of energy and this sudden energy is what I planned would create the nostalgia. However when I began creating these tracks I moved away from an indie rock style and focused more on a synth based ending which I think worked very well

Second Background Music

Ending Music

Audio Notes

In order to create a effective sound track during the mixing phase of production I have made several changes to the tracks that play throughout the piece

Firstly I took the various soundtracks and made it so that whenever the main character portrayed by Ottilie got nearer to the source of the music in the geography of the scene then the music got louder. this was mostly succesful however due to the tracks being primarily computer created they didn't have the exact level of reverb to match the quality of sound that would have been realistic for the location that the film takes place in.

In addition to this I also carefully faded together the various clips of the background crowd music I had recorded and faded them in and out again depending on how close the main characters were to the people speaking. I think this added a really nice layer of realism to the piece while not requiring much effort at all

Colour Grading

Several of the scenes in the piece had to be colour graded to do this I used the colour correction tools in final cut which I had not used before so this was a new experience for me but I think the end results were very successful

The first scene that I had to grade was the opening of the fridge which I adjusted the colour and exposure of as Ottilie was overexposed due to the harsh white light of the fridge

The next scene I changed was the shot immediately after the fridge where Ottilie walks through the party I took the first half of the scene in the kitchen and applied and exposure and colour filter to bring the lighting closer to that in the living room which made the transition between the two less annoying. I then added a cross fade between these two scenes so that the colour changed gradually rather than snapping back which was noticeable and looked terrible

Finally I graded some re-shot shots as these were filmed on a different cameras which I did not set up correctly and therefore needed to grade the footage to match earlier shooting

All of these changes can be seen between the third and fourth edits although some additional grading was placed on some scenes after a round of audience feedback

Rough Cut 4

Reshoots

The reshoots were a great success today. I got all the shots that I wanted to get and we finished in good time although it was still a long session due to the required change in location.

One thing that I didn't mention in the planning post was the fact that I had also decided to film some continuity shots today of both Roddy and Ottilie leaving the room which made the transition between the indoor and outdoor scenes much better

Below are some clips from today's filming

Audience Feedback - Second Round

I recently showed the third  edit to a group of people and these were the comments that they had.

Those who had seen the first two edits commented that the story as a whole felt cohesive and well paced which is fantastic as some people had commented that they were interested to see how the piece concluded after seeing earlier edits and the fact that people were satisfied with the way it ended made me very happy.

People liked the outdoor scenes and the crowd scenes but commented that the outdoor scenes were shot from too close and needed to be mixed with wider shots something that I absolutely agree with and plan to fix in the reshoots. They also commented that the crowd scenes didn't quite mix correctly together and that the transition between the kitchen and the living room was confusing and so this will need to be fixed in post

Final Scene Music

Reshoots (Planning)

Reshoots

Equipment
Camera
All lenses
spare batteries
Tripod

Sound Recording Equipment

Actors Needed

Ottilie Nye
Roddie Thompson

Shots Planned

Reshooting the argument scene as ottilies shot is from the wrong angle

Same with Ottilies "piss off line"

Then outside need to reshoot from a wider angle and make sure all the shots are straight

Notes
Just got to be quick about this as it will involve a location change and we have a fair bit to reshoot.

Opening Track

Rough Cut 3