This week, we was given the opportunity to recreate the opening sequence of the movie "Juno". We had four lessons to plan, film, edit and final check the project overall. I was paired with Jack Bezant throughout the duration of the movie and we produced a storyboard of each shot in the opening scene. Unfortunately, the paper copy of our storyboard was misplaced during the making of the movie but alternatively I will briefly describe each shot in a table format used on Microsoft Word.
Planning
Filming & Editing
This was the final outcome of our project. Overall the filming was pretty successful however there were a few flaws and issues in our opening sequence.
You are editing your own footage - how did the filming go? The filming was the most successful part of the project. We managed to find all suitable scenes and we mostly shot them in time with the original clip. Some of the issues we faced was that we forgot to shoot a scene on one of the days therefore I am wearing different clothing compared to the rest of the scene so it looked really odd compared to the rest of the clip. The editing process was also successful, I used a "find edges" effect on my clip to make the video look more similar to the opening scene. The cartoon effect was matching to the original successfully. My most triumphant editing measure was when the effect changed behind the tree. I managed to match the timings up perfectly which means that it didn't randomly cut in between shots, the flow was very even which I was proud of. One editing flaw was that my knowledge wasn't very adequate on transitions therefore I didn't know how to create a diagonal wipe. Alternatively, I used a horizontal wipe but this is not used in the original Juno Opening Scene.
Was your storyboard accurate? Overall, our storyboard remained accurate throughout the opening sequence. There wasn't many flaws in this part of the design apart from that some of the timings were a couple of seconds out with the original sequence. Besides that, all of the camera shots were correct and the majority of the timings were right so overall our storyboard was precise.
What were your strengths and weaknesses in the group?
There were only two of us in the group, one actress and one camera man which did limit our options on certain aspects of the sequence. For instance, we could not feature the second pair of feet in the background walking past the van because we was filming in further destinations and there were only two members of the group. However, there were no team based disagreements on who would hold each role as there was only me and Jack in the group.
Did you get all the footage you needed? There were no scenes missed in the opening sequence which means that we managed to collect all of the footage that was necessary for the task. However, we had to make some of them on different days which meant that I was wearing something slightly different on the guitar shot. Unfortunately, this was a flaw in our creation as this particular scene looks odd compared to the rest of the project. Apart from this minor mistake, the rest of the filming was successful.
What technical skills either camera or premiere did you learn? How does it compare to the original? I managed to pick up some camera key words including tracking shot and straight shot which was what the movie mostly consisted of. Since I was participating in the acting role, there wasn't many camera techniques I managed to pick up however, I developed my premiere skills further and I have improved massively on the software. The use of the sketchy effects enabled me to experiment with other types of effects which I am now informed on for my next tasks. As well as this, I have developed my cut and cropping skills which is why the transition from normal to the sketchy effect behind the tree was generally successful. Our sequence compared to the original does match similarly match. The only problem was that some of our shots were out of time since the duration of the filming was for one hour so we were pushed for time. However, I dedicated time and effort afterschool to complete the uploading and editing processes.
What went well - What I learnt - What I will take with me to the next production? Overall, the project went really well. Our first filming attempt ended up a success and we managed to produce everything we needed. I have learnt some more editing skills on premiere which will thoroughly assist me later on in my future coursework to produce a high quality film opening. I also learnt some acting skills along the way which ensures that it might be a good idea for me to star in my future coursework. I will make sure I take my editing and acting skills into my next production. I will further improve my camera skills by trying to film my next task so that I have more experience with the camera.
