Homme De La Montagne: Editing

Editing is a crucial procedure in the process of constructing an opening sequence. The term film editing is derived from the traditional process of working with film, but now it increasingly involves the use of digital technology following the digital revolution.

I edited from a mix between home and school using Final Cut Pro. This particular software allowed me more freedom to edit the footage the way I wanted rather than other editing programs like iMovie. Final Cut Pro X has often been described as the most superior editing program out there.

The colour-correction filters were enormously useful in grading the footage and compensating for any inconsistencies in the lighting as displayed with the shot of Tyler’s skis whilst he is on the slopes. In the original shot it was taken in the late afternoon so was too dark compared to the previous shots taken earlier in the day.

In terms of sound, all of the non-diegetic sound in my sequence was from the website findsounds.com which offers sound bytes for free such as wind and wheels spinning. In the pre-production stage of my sequence I had already decided upon having both a catchy soundtrack and one with a masculine appeal. The perfect fit seemed to be the world renowned 'Seven Nation Army' by The White Stripes. This is a soundtrack with a repetitive beat so one of the crucial elements in my film was timing the multiple cuts to this beat. To do this, I used the mark tool, which appears as a blue mark, on Final Cut Pro so I could line the transitions to different shots up with the many repetitions in the song.

Continuing on, I utilised two main effects in my sequence including Letterbox and Hard Light for varying purposes. The Letterbox effect made the sequence look more realistic by tightening the top and bottom of the shot to make the sequence look as if it was being displayed in a cinema. Lastly, hard light emphasis the vivid details in the sequence such as the montage of Tyler in action on the slopes.

Homme De La Montagne: Final Piece

After receiving feedback from the first draft, I have finished the post-production of my final piece and uploaded the final product to Vimeo. Please watch the video in HD and in fullscreen for the best viewing experience.

CLICK THE IMAGE TO WATCH THE FILM!

Homme De La Montagne: 1st Draft Feedback

Feedback is a key tool for any media student’s progress in the filmmaking area of the course. The constructive criticism and positive feedback serves to improve the quality of the filmmaking from pre to post production. In my case, it will assist me in improving my opening sequence from the first draft to the finished article.

Uploading the first draft of my opening sequence onto YouTube paved the way for users of the popular site to post their various thoughts on the sequence. I received a range of feedback from likes on the video to a broad range of comments.

As of this present minute this is what the views and likes section of my 1st draft looks like:

This is a montage created to view of all the comments posted on my video ranging from both constructive criticism and positive responses:

Homme De La Montagne: 1st Draft

I've finished the first draft of my final piece and uploaded the sequence to YouTube. Please watch the video in HD and in fullscreen for the best viewing experience.

CLICK PLAY TO WATCH THE FILM ON YOUTUBE!

Homme De La Montagne: Establishing Shot

An early start was necessary to ensure the lighting of the scene was appropriate. Getting up early also meant we avoided the large crowds of skiers who would have been been interfering with the process of capturing this shot.

In possession of one camera, the Nikon D7000, we travelled to a nearby bridge which had a view of the slopes, a chairlift and the main Gondola. The vast majority of my opening sequence takes place on the mountain in view, where Tyler plies his trade and shows off his talent.

I had enlisted my friend Hugo to take charge of the behind the scenes shoot with a handheld camera and to help with equipment allowing me to focus on acquiring the correct shot for the sequence.

Here is a short 45 second video I made summarising the events from before the shot to during it:

Homme De La Montagne: Soundtrack

"Seven Nation Army" is the first track on the album Elephant by American alternative rock band The White Stripes. It was released as a single in 2003 and is the band's best-known song. "Seven Nation Army" reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks for three weeks and won 2004's Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. It also became 3rd best performing alternative song of the decade on the same chart. The song is known for its underlying riff, which plays throughout most of the song. 




This underlying riff is a key reason as to why I chose this particular soundtrack. This meant that I could time the beat to a transition to a new shot. This was particularly effective when creating the collage shot of ski waxing. The beat is also known worldwide meaning it would appeal to a wider range of people rather than an unknown song.

Homme De La Montagne: Title Font Analysis

Bauhaus 93 is a variant of URW Blippo Black.

It is used in Microsoft Word. It is also used for the new Postman Pat logo.

I went with this font for the opening sequence in "Homme De La Montagne" as it has a European feel to it with the name Bauhaus. The tint of red on the font added the French feel that I was looking for on the white letters.

Homme De La Montagne: Storyboard

Homme De La Montagne: Planning

I have decided to use a Nikon D7000 for a host of reasons. Firstly, it features twin media card slots so there's less chance of going up on the slopes and having to come down due to getting caught short of storage. This feature will allow us to capture all the shots required without having to travel back and forth between slopes and hotel which is a long run down and a short bus back. 

The camera also fits into a lightweight bag so can be carried around the slopes easily. As some of the shots I have to take were on steep slopes where I had to be able to have a full range of motions without worrying about the heavy camera weighing me down or falling off my shoulder.

Manfrotto 190CX PRO4:

Well made, lightweight, pivoting centre column are just some of the new improvements to the new and improved Manfrotto which has been re-engineered to be 20% lighter which featured multi-layered 100% carbon fibre legs and centre column. The legs can be locked open at four different angles up to 90°.

Homme De La Montagne: Casting Photographs

TYLER HENNESSY

Homme de la Montagne: Costume

Costume

North Face Black Ski Jacket

Lindex Turquoise Ski Trousers





















Atomic LF Plus Boots

Volkl Orange Skis

Homme De La Montagne: Equipment Checklist

Homme De La Montagne: Script

My final piece: Homme De La Montagne, is the beginning of a captivating storyline about the adventures of a daring boy's transformation into a man experiencing all of his thrills and conquests on the way. My sequence chronicles the everyday routine in the life of the boy, who is displayed to be a brave, fearless and courageous.

My sequence is without dialogue. To view the finalised script in script format, as provided to the actors, click the link here.

Homme De La Montagne: Audience Profiling

Audience profiling provides insight into the social and economic make-up of viewers. Factors include income levels, car/home renting or ownership, location and hobbies. This tool helps companies centre advertising around certain demographics.

To aid me in my choice of genre and storyline I chose to combine two of my favourite films of all time. My aim was to capture the male centred storyline revolving around both Ferris Bueller and Rocky. Despite these two films being in completely different genres, they both utilise techniques to appeal to the male demographic.

I decided to take the sporting, champion essence from Rocky whilst taking the personality traits of Ferris Bueller into account for my main character. This would therefore put my target audience of males between the ages of 16-40.