Green screen tutorial

 https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/www.its.ndsu.edu/tlc/spongepdfs/quickstarts/Remove_Background_in_Photoshop.pdf

Induction Editing Task

 For those classes doing some editing in the first few days.

The task is to take two different films and edit them into a different genre. Turn 'Ratatouille' into a horror, and 'Ex Machina' into a romance/rom-com.

Find the project files, clips and music here: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yJFO12ld-5P-DxOWjqRD6CudpPaU51Wi?usp=sharing

Develop Your Filmmaking from home with these 5 tips!

Developing your filmmaking - 5 things you might want to try in lockdown:

1. Take part in a Future Learn Course

Future Learn provides hundreds of free courses in partnership with universities.  

Some of the film ones include:

Explore Filmmaking: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/explore-filmmaking

Introduction to Screenwriting: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/screenwriting

1.  BFI Film Academy Labs

For next few months, the BFI Film Academy Labs events are going virtual! These free monthly online events are designed to support young, aspiring filmmakers and help develop skills and projects from home. There is also the opportunity to apply for individual mentoring and workshop sessions.

https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=bfifilmacademylabs&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=

1. Watch Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema

BBC 4 are running an excellent series on the conventions of different film genre.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bbn5pt/episodes/player

1. Read a book on film or by a filmmaker

There are lots of excellent and accessible film books. You may search to see if your favorite actor or director has written an autobiography, or look through the list of books about the production process.

https://bookauthority.org/books/best-filmmaking-books

 

1. Plan and shoot a 1 minute film on your phone

There are a number of apps you can download to edit films on your phone like Adobe Rush or I movie, or you can shoot footage on your phone and move them to your computer.  One exercise you can try is to plan 10 shots, each of a different length , try organising your clips in descending order 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 ,5 ,4 ,3 ,2 and 1 second or the other way round.  What is the impact of these shooting and editing decisions?

1. Write a script for a 5 minute lockdown film

This could be a documentary or a fiction script. Use Celtx Challenge yourself by only using the resources (locations, actors, props) available to you in lockdown. You could set it in one location or plan to film with a collaborator in more than one lockdown venue. Each page of script usually translates to about a minute of film - so aim to write five pages.  Try to  plan your narrative in three acts.  ACT 1: set up and complication, ACT 2, chain of events and rising action, ACT 3: Falling action and resolution.   Work out what you want to happen in each act before you start writing your script.  

As you’ll be aware these are very unusual times and it is normal to be worried.

At present we are working as usual – but remotely, and our expectation is that you will be able to do the same.

Please work during your normal lesson time if possible and do the work set.

If you can’t either work, or can’t work during the lesson time, be in contact so we know you are fine and able to study.

And if you still can’t, we will endeavour to help in any way we can.

Let us know!

The work will be on the blog and you should have access to a spreadsheet to let us know if you need something marked off.

Good luck!

Equipment Booking Update

To all students,

Please be aware that, because of the current global situation, the department is changing how long you can book equipment for.
Effective from today, you will not be able to take equipment any longer than overnight, and no weekend bookings. There are NO exceptions to this.
Efforts should be taken to ensure that you can return equipment the same day, but I understand that this may not be possible in some situations.
I will also have wipes available to sanitise equipment should you wish to do so.

Thanks,
Sam Gamble

What gets a D*?

Here are the tables you need to work out how many D/M etc. units you need to get an overall grade.

Here is the UCAS tariff calculator.