Module No: ARD504 - Creative Futures 2 - Outside client work

Family portraits

Recently I was asked by a close family friend Karen Garbett to take portrait shots of her with her five children.  This might sound an easy task but the children cover not only a wide age range but also quite a height difference too.  This set me an initial challenge as I didn't want to just do the typical all sat down pose, part of what the family jokes about is the difference in heights and I wanted to reflect this in a photograph.

When anyone says family portraits to me, I always have this picture of a family dressed in their Sunday best, in a very formal setup with fixed smiles on their faces.  I wanted these family portraits to break that traditional mould, my aim for these photographs was for the subjects to appear relaxed and happy, to endeavour to capture their personalities whether it was serious, thoughtful or cheeky.  I think I managed to achieve my aim, and I'm glad to say the family are happy with the results too.


I also wanted the opportunity to show the unique relationships between different members of the family, be it mother & daughter, mother & grandsons, siblings or boyfriend & girlfriend.  Once again, I endeavoured to capture their personalities, as well as the emotions/feelings within the relationship.

Module No: ARD504 – Creative Futures 2 - Outside Client Work

Ready for Prom


Recently I was asked by a family friend Jane Langford to take portrait shots of her daughter Hannah.  Hannah was due to attend her school prom, and her mum wanted me to take the photos as it was one of the few times her daughter would be all dressed up.  Due to timing constraints the photography shoot was taken at Langford family home.
 

With the bright sunny day we were fortunate to have, I used it to my advantage with having Hannah stood in the shadow of the house, whilst the sunlight created a bright backdrop to emphasize Hannah's dress.  Ensuring the focus was on Hannah the backdrop also became slightly blurry giving the photographs great contrast.

I also took a couple of photographs of Hannah inside, Although Hannah's dress was a simple plain design it did have an elaborate panel down her back, which set me the challenge of capturing this whilst still capturing Hannah's face, but I think I managed to achieve it.

Although a part of me would have liked the opportunity to work with Hannah in her prom dress in a photography studio, I felt I made the best use of the facilities available at Hannah's house.  I think this challenge has improved my photographers' eye for seeing the potential of location shots, as well as my versatility of working in restricted areas.

 
Hannah also requested that she would like an old fashioned style photograph, after questioning Hannah I discovered she meant a sepia version, this photography I think works well as even in sepia it hints at the colour of the lipstick.

Module No: ARD504 – Creative Futures 2 - Evaluation - A Compliment

A compliment I wasn’t expecting



Earlier this year in semester one, we were given the assignment AD502 - The Message, from which I chose to do “Illustrating a Feature – Fashion Magazine”.  Within this assignment I was challenged to come up with photographs under the heading of Dressed to Thrill. 

Lee Louise in Chester agreed to allow me to use their clothes, I then set up a photo studio in their shop after closing.  I used three models, Alex Burden, Emma Powell and Claire Dodds.









After the photo shoot, Emma and Claire asked me if they could use the photographs for their facebook profile pictures, I agreed to this as they both loved the photos I had taken.  Since they have done this both have received compliments about the photographs.  The comments for this photo of Claire have described her as sultry, sexy and stunning, which was the look I was trying to achieve when taking the photographs.

One of Claire’s facebook friends is an ex-student of Glyndwr University - Beckie Chadwick, who graduated in 2010 with a degree in Illustration.  Beckie liked the photograph so much has turned it into a drawing and has now published it on Deviant Art.   http://gyptianqueen.deviantart.com/#/d4wn365

Module No: ARD504 – Creative Futures 2 - Personal Investigation - Wedding Photography

Wedding Photography and the Photographer I want to be

Due to friends getting married, I have recently attended a couple weddings and it has given me the opportunity to observe wedding photographers in action.  This has given me the opportunity to learn techniques and strengthen my camera skills as I discovered, I was critically analyzing the photographers approaches and techniques, in the use of locations, arrangements of the subjects and interaction with the bridal party as well as other guests.

I think wedding photography is a challenging aspect of photography as until the day of the wedding there are a lot of unknowns – weather, number of guests, colour and style of outfits of the guests, do the extended bridal party like to be in front of the camera, how many other photographers will there be.

I believe preparation plays an important role – knowing the locations and exploring various camera angles and potential shot poses, discussing with the Bride and Groom what they would like from their wedding photographs, learning the set up of the Bridal party (number of bridesmaids, age of bridesmaids etc)

The wedding photographer has to be able to think on their feet, react to circumstances, remain calm and in control, and have great communication skills (to hopefully build a relationship with the guests).

One wedding I attended was my friend Nicola and Bruce Walker’s wedding and the photography was done by Vicki Blair and her co-worker (www.vickieblairphotography.com).  Vicki Blair Photography combines new and fresh ideas with the beauty of tradition.  They always use two photographers on the day, one to take all the formal shots whilst the other photographer takes candid reportage shots.

One of the first things I became aware of was their enthusiasm and enjoyment for this job, they acted like they were honoured to share this day with the Bride and Groom.  They set up the shots with patience, whilst ensuring the guests were where they wanted them to be.  A simple task of keeping the photo balanced – heights, gender, colour clashes all taken into account with the minimum of fuss.

They also worked with the other photographers to ensure everyone got the photographs they wanted, especially the Bride and Groom.  It was whilst they were interacting with the other photographers that they noticed I was using a Canon 500D, they soon discovered I was studying photography and film at Glyndwr University.  They then asked if they could see the photos I had taken, I’m glad to say they were impressed and ended up giving me their details and asking if they ever needed an extra photographer could they call me, of course I answered yes.

Another wedding I attended was a friend’s happy day, sadly this wasn’t such a positive experience.  I will not mention the name of my friend, the photographer or his company as this reflection is not designed to criticise anyone but to reflect on the knowledge and insight I have gained, and so I will ensure the anonymity of my reflection by ensuring nothing can lead the reader to know who I’m talking about or when or where this wedding took place.

The photographer seemed to have a completely different attitude to being a wedding photographer, he was quiet, serious and didn’t interact much with the guests.  One of the initial things that struck me was a member of the Bridal party held a list and was saying which shot would be taken next, to me this seemed strange as I thought the wedding photographer should have this responsibility (and would want it too).  The second thing to catch my photographer’s eye was how he arranged shots.  For instance, a shot of the Bride and Groom, with the Bride’s parents.  Both males were tall (6” plus) whilst the Bride and Bride’s mother were clearly alot shorter.  This photographer arranged the shot as shown below:

This to me gave a negative effect in two ways, one was the height distribution seemed to emphasise the difference in heights, and secondly the gender order.  In my opinion, the photograph would have looked alot better in this order:

This I feel would have not only reduced the impact of the men’s suits against the women’s dresses, but would have made the difference in heights less noticeable.

The other thing I noticed was in the grounds of where the wedding was being held, there was a beautiful monument that was just begging to be the setting for a series of photographs.  The monument would have been a focal point whilst still enabling the photograph to focus on the Bride and Groom.  To ensure the anonymity of the wedding and photographer, I will not illustrate this with a photograph as it would clearly give the location away, however I will bear it in mind for a possible location for a future photography shoot.

This photographer also appeared to feel threatened by other photographers taking photos.  Although none of the other photographers got close to the wedding photographer, none used flash photography, or interacted with the people being photographed.  The wedding photographer did snap at one of the other photographers without any real reason, as after all the wedding photographs were being taken in a public location with members of the general public still walking freely around.  Compared to the other wedding I mentioned before there seems a vast difference in the attitudes each wedding photographer brought to the wedding.

 In my opinion I would very much prefer to be like Vicki Blair, who seemed to cherish the day they were participating in.  My concern about becoming a professional photographer was that some photographers I have met have been filled with their own self importance, but I’m glad to say Vicki Blair have showed me the type of photographer I want to be.  A photographer that can work well with clients, who has the ability to put them at ease and importantly to smile, who has the ability to see the potential in locations and a eye for arrangements that set the subjects off to their best.  A photographer that gets repeat business and referrals because the people have enjoyed being in front of my camera as well as appreciating the photographs I have taken.

 






All Photographs shown are either courtesy of Vicki Blair Photography or my own photographs.

Module No: ARD504 – Creative Futures 2 - Influence Boards

“You are required to engage in the creation of six influence boards that provide meaning to you.  An influence board is a montage of images brought together that provide visual information and exploration on something, in this case, your montages are simply collections of images relating to your interests that may help steer your personal and professional development.”

When I was first given this assignment, I thought it looked fairly easy and the ideas quickly flowed.  As I got down to the actual task of creating these influence boards, I discovered the task was not as easy, as to restrict it to only six areas and to justify each one was harder than I expected.  The six areas I have chosen are Films, Television Programmes, Actors, Music, Anime and Cosplay.


Films
























As a Creative Media Student, there was no way I could create influence boards without including films.  I have found it hard to narrow down the list of films to include in this montage.  There are so many films I enjoy watching time and again, like Fast & Furious (all of them), Good Morning Vietnam, 50 First Dates,  Wayne’s World, Forrest Gump to name a few, all of these are iconic films but I realised I could go on forever so how could I reduce this list.  I decided to ask myself the question: “Which films have made me want to take some aspect of this film and reproduce it for myself?” and so here is my answer.

As a film maker I want to have the attention to detail and realism that Hero showed by sending a crew to wait in a location for the cherry trees to come into bloom just to record one scene in the film.  I want to develop the ability to merge reality with fiction as they do in What Dreams May Come where they story goes into the painting.  I would like the creation of my film to break the mould of expectations like Battle Royale did a dark film with an unexpected ending.  I want to make films that are different to a normal storyline like The Truman show.  I would like to have the ability to take an iconic film like Casino Royale and remake it with a modern theme that keeps the feel of the original but incorporates modern technologies.  I would like to develop the ability to create films like Fast Furious, where although it is a film about cars it has a strong storyline and the cars are a supporting role, whereas most car films are about the cars and the storyline supports them.  I would like to achieve the perfection of a action comedy film which I believe Rush Hour 3 achieves, I want the opportunity to incorporate special effects like those in the film Matrix which is referred to as bullet time where the film is slowed to enable the viewer to register all the information and suspense that this brings.

Finally, every film makers dream is to create a series of films that is watched and remembered by generations, films that you just have to watch no matter how many times they are repeated on Television.  Where people still dedicate days to watch the film series back to back, to know today’s children will grown up to watch this series.  Star Wars, even if you aren’t a science fiction fan, you know the storylines, to have a film that is this iconic, this remembered, that still has millions of fans 35 years after its first release – Who wouldn’t be inspired by this film?


Television Programmes

My second montage is Television Programmes, and although they are various programmes I could have included like Thomas the Tank Engine which I loved as a kid, I have endeavoured to have these montages reflect what has influenced me in later years and impacted on my creative knowledge.

Top Gear I enjoy because it’s factual and fun.  I have been watching Top Gear since 2002 and thoroughly enjoy the way they think of new ideas of portraying yet another new car.  The way they take the simple event of driving and create challenges to push the car and driver to the limit.  Although the programme is factual it is also entertaining and full of comedy.  The diversity between the presenters enables the programme to portray many viewpoints whilst the interaction between the presenters provides comedy.

Star Trek – The Next Generation, again I started watching in the early 2000’s and with the love of the storyline also came an appreciation of the attention to detail and the special effects used.  To pinpoint this to one special effect that I love would be like deciding your favourite chocolate bar, there is too many that I remember and for all different reasons.

Heroes, is a fictional American television series, which tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the characters' lives. The series is renowned for emulating the aesthetic style and storytelling of American comic books, using short, multi-episode stories that build upon a larger, more encompassing storyline.  Although I love this series, I found I was also interested in how it had been made, how they had created the special effects.  Heroes have also produced documentaries covering the making of the series, after watching these I found my enjoyment of the series had increased as I now watch an episode and appreciate the work that has gone into creating it.

Mythbusters is a factual programme which sets out to make learning fun whilst retaining the documentary style.  The programme uses unusual or different camera angles to illustrate a point.  A good example of this was when they placed a camera inside a building filled with C4 to watch it blow up from the inside most programmes would have only showed an outside angle.

Jmelo is a programme that reports on Japanese music (another passion of mine, but more on this later) in English for a worldwide audience.  A typical episode will feature the latest songs, excerpts from concerts and events, interviews with musicians as well as fans.  Although it features japans music as it broadcast worldwide and has a big international fan base, and even its own website (www.nhk.or.jp/j-melo/english/index.html).  On a creative view, what has influenced me from this programme is the way they not only report on music but also include cultural information, a prime example of this was an interview with JunJun from Morning Musume (aired on 11th April 2011) instead of sitting in a studio to undertake the interview, they accompanied JunJun on a shopping trip for clothes in Beijing, showed the latest Chinese fashions and ended up in a local restaurant eating and discussing the local delicacies.

One of my greatest enjoyments is comedy and I enjoy the way different genre of programmes can get this across to the viewing public.  As I mentioned earlier the interaction between the presenters on Top Gear adds to the enjoyment of the programme.  Whose line is it anyway does it in a different fashion, the programme has a UK version and an American version, both run on similar lines but I find the American version is much more humorous, where as the UK version seems to portray a much more serious nature.  The use of regular hosts with visiting guests enables the programme to be fresh and new each week, whilst having the ability to continue with a general theme.

The last area of Television Programmes I want to write about is comedy sitcoms, Friends, Scrubs, The Big Bang Theory, and How I Met Your Mother have all become iconic with each programme having their own fan base and followers.  What I believe is the reason they are just so popular is because the viewer can relate to the events portrayed.  For an example of this I am using an episode of The Big Bang Theory – an entire episode was dedicated to Sheldon getting a cold, a simple every day occurrence but portrayed to emphasise people’s reactions, the stay away, the concerned but stay out of it, the unwilling nursemaid, not forgetting the patient at deaths door with a simple cold.  I believe each one of us knows someone who displays these characteristics even if only to a lesser extent.  People therefore relate to the characters and this is then included in their lives “Don’t be a Sheldon just cause you have a sniffle”.  The characters are brought to life and give the viewer enjoyment and memories, as a film maker this I think is one of the primary aims to take the viewer with you on your journey and make it fun!


Actors

As I thought about this montage, I discovered there are two main reasons why an actor appeared.  Firstly as a film maker I appreciate what the people bring to the role and character they portray.  When watching the film or television programme, it’s the fact they have made that character come alive, you forget you are watching Robin Williams when you watch Mrs Doubtfire.  The realism they bring to the character makes you forget it’s not reality, you feel like you are glimpsing a real person like Tom Hanks portraying Forrest in Forrest Gump.  This has influenced me that the choice of actor for a film can make such a difference to the finished result.

The other reason some of these actors have appeared in my montage is the qualities and skills they have as an individual, they are no longer just an actor.  They have gone on to become writers, directors and producers.  Their ability to in effect multitask, to draw on their initial knowledge as an actor, I feel has added so much more to the films they are involved with, for example Adam Sandler who portrays Henry Roth in 50 First Dates and is also Executive Producer on the film.


Music

Music I believe influences everybody’s lives, from the lyrics to the tune, to in recent years the videos and dance routines.   Music has the ability to lift you up when you are down, or relax you after a stressful day.  The music I love and enjoy crosses many genres, and depending on my mood and what I’m doing depends on what I choose to listen to at the time.  I get fascinated with the way musicians and singers portray themselves not only through their music but also their music videos, photography shoots to interviews.

The other way I am influenced by music is the way music, musicians and songs have become iconic, for example if you see four heads top lit it is always identified as Queen from the video of Bohemian Rhapsody, or  Gene Kelly with Singing in the Rain.  As a film maker I also appreciate how music can enhance or strengthen an effect in a film, the back ground music in Rocky and Jaws are iconic for this.

Music is unique to each person, one song can mean different things to different people, whilst at the same time it can become infectious.  The Blanks were asked to be the musical entertainment at the Christmas party of a American television show called Scrubs, the producers and directors enjoyed them so much they wrote the group into the series allocating each member a part, they now have a following as Ted’s Band or The Worthless Peons (the groups name in Scrubs) as well as The Blanks.


Anime

My love of anime started was I was young, and I feel like I have been watching anime all my life.  The graphics in the films and television programmes has captured my eye, as I found it interesting to see how they brought the manga to life.  Although I also love Disney which are also animated feature films, I really love the way the Japanese have brought manga to life in anime films, it truly is a movie manga.

As a film maker, anime has given me a lot on inspiration and influence, due to the way things are filmed.  Anime uses a certain film style to tell the story line which, even though it has the look of a child’s cartoon the storyline/genre has been designed for the more mature viewer.  Good examples of this are Deathnote and Devil May Cry both which have a storyline containing heavy violence and strong language.

Not only do I get inspired by this but other film makers have also been inspired to produce anime to live action for example M Night Shyamalan who did films like The Ring has recently produced the Last Airbender.  


Cosplay

Cosplay, for those of you who don’t know is short for costume play, it is when people dress up in costumes and accessories to represent a specific character from a film or anime, as I have heard it once said it can bring manga to life.  Cosplay is a growing culture, it has the ability to bring people together, not only is there an appreciation of the characters people are portraying, but also an appreciation of the work and dedication to detail that has gone into making the costumes.  What I like about Cosplay is the way it has the ability to give a shy person confidence, it’s as though the costume becomes a protective shield and people who wouldn’t normally interact, suddenly find a common ground to talk.

Cosplay photography is the reason it inspires and motivates me.  With normal photography it’s about the model, location and trying to gain an effect, Cosplay photography goes,  I feel one step further in endeavouring to capture the essence of the character the person is portraying, so finding the location and pose that best reflects the character whilst showing off their sometime elaborate costumes is really a challenge.  It is quite simply combining three into one - the character, the outfit and the setting making the photograph an effective representation of the character.

Cosplay is one of the reasons I enjoy going to the film and comic conventions, last year I attended the London Film and Comic Con and the Wales Comic Con, seeing the people in the various outfits has influenced me to put my own Cosplay outfit together for the Comic Cons I plan on attending this year.  The character I have chosen to Cosplay is Itachi Uchiha from Naruto, and I will also be planning a photo shoot to endeavour to capture his character with me obviously wearing the outfit.


Conclusion

In conclusion, I have found this assignment challenging and enlightening.  Challenging as to what to include or more importantly what not to include in my montages, enlightening to discover just how certain aspects have influenced my creative abilities and thirst for knowledge.  The influence boards have clearly given me an indication of where my love of film and photography has come from.  They have also provided me with goals  to gain the skills, and nowledge to put these aspects into my own work.

Module No: ARD504 – Creative Futures 2 - London Industrial Visit - Thursday and Conclusion

Thursday

The Moving Picture Company with Ben Owen


The Moving Picture Company (MPC) are a post production company, focussing in VFX for film, advertising, digital and television.  They have offices in London, Santa Monica in California, Yaletown in Vancouver, Bangalore in India and New York, all offices are networked with a dedicated digital infrastructure.

Their stunning visual treatments can be seen in some of today’s most memorable commercials.  At the same time, their integrated approach drives the use of existing or newly created assets across the whole range of today’s new media, from online to outdoor, hand-held to code-driven installations.

They have a dynamic team of fresh talent from various cultural backgrounds and different career paths, and therefore have a diverse and creative team.

www.moving-picture.com 

Sadly, this tour got cancelled but I took the opportunity to tour some of the famous landmarks of London instead.


I love this photo as it captures the feel of London, whether you are a tourist, breaking for lunch, on a trip or just shopping.  London is so many different things to different people.  Although I had been briefly to London once before I never got the chance to see the famous landmarks, and I wanted to try and capture not only the magnificence of the landmarks but the essence of London too.




Although I did also try an elusive challenge of catching Alex Burden smiling!! – I’m glad to say after a few attempts and even with Alex endeavouring to hide behind her camera I did achieve my goal.

Due to chance rather than timing I was also able to capture the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.



Of course, the duck had to come to London as he had visited Paris last year.

 Framestore CFC with Ben White

Framestore is the largest visual effects and computer animation studio in Europe, with over 20 years of experience in digital film and video technology.  Although I have checked out their website, I found it seems to promote the finished films rather than detail the effects and procedures they have the ability to offer potential clients.

www.framestore.com  


The tour was again a presentation of the work they do and the films they have been involved in.  The latest blockbuster film and the majority of their presentation was on Sherlock Holmes “A Game of Shadows”.  The majority of this film was created using DMP (Digital Matt Painting) used 2.5D which allows for more flexibility in processing the film.  They used Hybrid cameras to ensure quality was achieved.

To achieve these effects, Framestore initially started with set measurement and scanning, taking reference photographs and camera floor sheets.  They then went on to use lighting references, lens grids and grain samples to match the quality of the film.

 Framestore then went into detail on the production of the Train ambush scene.  This started with the creation of a CG train, CG steam (which took senior designers 8 weeks to create), and a 2D environment.  Then to add to the realism of the scene they created a CG environment and a digital doubles of the actors.

We then were taken into detail on the production of the Waterfall scene from the film.  This was recorded between 24 to 724 frames per second, depending on the action showing in the clip.  They use the Maya – 3D digital editing to merge the transitions between CG and real life i.e. for when they actors fall off the waterfall they are the digital characters but as the near the base of the waterfall it changes to the actual actors in free fall.  They then went on to explain they had used Nuke to create the waterfall for which many layers were used, much detail was included as this is one of the longest scenes to be created due to the detail of the water cascading when in close up shots.  Alot of the images had come originally from photographs in Photoshop.

We then took a break from the visual effects, for them to explain the application process for applying for a job at Framestore.  Again like the previous companies they wanted the applicant to create a show reel, detailing references, and short pieces of film/effects we had created.  They said to ensure the show reel demonstrates any additional knowledge you have gained that you can bring to your role in Framestore.  Try to make the show reel fun and entertaining with your creations as Framestore said they have found a person who enjoys and is passionate about their work achieves better results.

Framestore then explained that they run summer internships that last for 8 weeks, and they currently can only offer 8 places per year.  As you can imagine therefore it is highly competitive and they endeavour to focus on applicants’ quality of film production rather than academic qualifications.  They then stressed again how important our show reels would be, they recommended that the show reel is no longer than 1 minute (wow its getting shorter!), and needs to include all your best work.  They prefer your show reel to be submitted online rather than by DVD.

One thing I found interesting from the tour which I feel could benefit me in the degree work was Framestore’s ability to use digital and colour corrections to alter the effect they want for a scene, for example the train scene in Sherlock Holmes was shot during the day but using colour correction it appeared in the film as night time.

Framestore I feel specialise in the digital effects of post production, and a lot of films can benefit from these techniques.  Although this did seem to give them a blinkered focus on post production where as other companies still seem to value how the scenes were originally recorded.


Molinare with Tom Rogers

Molinare is a Film and Broadcast Post Production Facility based in London, and is well respected within the industry, as it has been around for nearly 40 years.
They provide state of the art Digital Intermediate, Visual Effects, Sound, Restoration, 2D-3D Conversion, Animation, Library & Data Management services, International Servicing and Post Production Project Management.

 

www.molinare.co.uk   

 



As this tour began at 7pm, most of the employees had left for the day, so this tour was a practical walkabout rather than a presentation of projects worked on.  It started with the introduction as to who Molinaire are and what they do.  We were taken initially into the second building where we started the tour on the top floor in what was simply the Noise Room – Foley Studio.  It reminded me of the behind scene look at radio station programmes, as the room had gravel pits to walk on, doors to open or slam, old fashioned telephones, bells, bottles, basically everything you could need to create authentic sound effects.  A piece of advice given to us was the it was the sad duty of the runner’s who get  the job of tidying the room up after a recording session and by all accounts it can get quite messy.

From there on, we visited the various editing rooms, again we visited an offline editing suite like that we had seen in Envy.  Interestingly all the studios are named after a planet in the solar system.  We then went on to see one of their visual effects rooms, sadly as all the staff had left for the day, we only got to see the layout and not it in operation.  We then got to view the DI theatre which is the largest and most technically advanced grading theatre available in the world with also having the ability for 3D viewing. 

Apart from this theatre they do have other viewing rooms around their complex to enable you to view the quality of the film and the ability to test the audio before it is aired, to ensure it meets the client’s specifications.  Sadly there were rooms we weren’t able to see as the equipment in them was too expensive to risk us damaging it.

This tour focussed on the quality of video and sound with an emphasis on sound effects.  As the other tours had focussed more on visual effects it was interesting to gain this perspective.  The knowledge I gained from this tour initially is to always check the real life sound of my films, to not just rely on the audio mixers in final cut but to play it back in a screening room situation before allowing it to be aired to the viewers. 

I felt Molinaire took as greater care on the television productions as they do on their film productions.  Their focus on attention to detail and quality reflects in the work they produce, although I enjoyed this tour, there is still a part of me that would have preferred to see the studios etc in use rather than being told what goes on in the room with nothing happening.


Conclusion

The benefit I gained from the London Industrial Visit was that I actually got to see the post production being undertaken.  The London Industrial visit enabled me to gain valuable connections within the companies, which could prove beneficial should I decide to apply for work experience or internships.  However sadly, upon reflection it has made realise that although I have the opportunity and skills to go into post production, I don’t feel this is the career path I will choose as I am more interested in the film production.

I did appreciate that all the companies focus on expanding and developing their companies, and the dedication and support they provide to all their employees.  I really appreciated the knowledge and views they imparted on creating show reels as this knowledge can be transferred to applications for vacancies in production as well.

Upon reflection, I am sad that I missed the tour of the BBC but acknowledge this was down in the end to circumstances beyond my control.  I do wish the London Industrial Visit had included the opportunity to visit more companies involved in the physical side of filming rather than just the post production side.

Module No: ARD504 – Creative Futures 2 - London Industrial Visit - Tuesday and Wednesday

Introduction

When we got offered the opportunity to travel to London for four days, to visit companies connected to the film and television industry, I saw it as an amazing opportunity.  Although I have no plans at present to relocate to London after I finish my degree, it was still a possibility I wanted to explore.  The other reason why I chose to go on the Industrial Visit was the opportunity it would give me to see London first hand, I have been to London once before but spent the time inside Earl’s Court at the London Comic Con in 2011.


Tuesday

After leaving Glyndwr University at 8.30 am we travelled by coach down to London.  We didn’t arrive till mid afternoon with just enough time to put our bags in the room before heading out to the BBC, after being cooped up in a coach for the day, Charlotte and I decided to walk to the studios after getting directions and ensuring we had plenty of time, we set off to get our first view of London on foot.

BBC Television Centre with Nick Davey


The BBC is the world's leading public service broadcaster. Its mission is to enrich people's lives with programmes that inform, educate and entertain.  Established by a Royal Charter, the BBC is a public service broadcaster funded by the licence fee paid by UK households.  The BBC uses income from the licence fee to provide services including 10 national TV channels plus regional programming, 10 national radio stations, 40 local radio stations and an extensive website.


BBC World Service broadcasts to the world on radio, on TV and online, providing news and information in 27 languages and world service English language.  The BBC also has a commercial arm, BBC Worldwide as well as a number of other commercial ventures. Profits from these activities are returned to the BBC for investment in new programming and services.


Although I was looking forward to this tour, unfortunately I was unable to attend as though we had  left in plenty of time to walk from our hotel to the BBC Centre, the directions we got given weren’t quite accurate, and sadly my childhood illness of asthma flared up, as Charlotte and I were walking to the studios.  Charlotte my Angel refused to leave my side though it meant she might not make the tour, and even though we arrived only 15 minutes late, and my fellow course mates had asked them to wait for us, Nick Davey insisted on starting the tour.  It was heartbreaking to see them on the roof as they began their tour.

The tour of the BBC Television Centre included the BBC News Studio, where my course mates met news presenter, George Alagiah immediately after transmission of the Six o’clock evening news.

After we discovered we were unable to join the tour, Charlotte and I slowly walked back to our hotel enjoying the sights of London.  After our return the photograph Stewart Edwards had taken at the BBC News Studio even appeared in the local paper as they reported on the Glyndwr University trip to London.

Wednesday

Double Negative with Alice Tuxford & Thom



Double Negative was established in 1998 with a team of 30 staff. Since then the company has grown to 1,000 people, making it Europe's largest provider of visual effects for Film. In 2009, Double Negative opened the doors to its Singapore office. Currently housing a team of 200, the Singapore office works closely with the Double Negative team in London, on selected productions. Through their steady and constant growth they have always sought to retain the creative drive and involvement of their artists through all projects, continuing to ensure that they have a close collaboration with clients. This approach ensures films both small and large receive the same high standard of creative and technical service and makes for a winning combination that has resulted in Double Negative being recognised with several Visual Effects Society awards for films such as Inception and Sherlock Holmes, BAFTA awards for Inception and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and an Academy Award for Inception.

Over the past 12 months, Double Negative has completed work on projects including; John Carter, Captain America: The First Avenger, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. They are currently in production on The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel, The Bourne Legacy, Skyfall, Snow White and the Huntsman, Rush, Battleship, Total Recall, Les Miserables and Captain's Duty.

www.dneg.com 

Captain America: The First Avenger was released in July 2011, it is set in the early days of the Marvel Universe, when Steve Rogers gets turned into a super soldier known as Captain America.  The making of the film was split between several visual effects companies, with Double Negative taking the lead and worked closely with Marvel’s visual effects department.

It took 13 years to create the film, 630 shots and 200 artists.  Double Negative had the challenge of building the series of vehicles used by the Hydra unit, creating the environments (Hydra Factory, Hangars & Runways, Alpine Mountains and Arctic Environments) as well as FX sequences – 8.

To begin the presentation they showed us a sequence of scenes Double Negative had been involved in with the Captain America film, these included the Crypt, Schmidt’s Office, the Hydra factory, Alpine sequence and the Commandos attack scene.  They then went on to show us how these scenes/environments had been created and developed.  The building phasing of the vehicles used in the film:  the Train, the Tank and the Bomber, including the scaling detail, they demonstrated this with the Landkreuzer LT17 Tank.  They briefly showed us the depth of research detail they went into to create the various effects.

They went on to explain that Double Negative used two different renders for Captain America, firstly they used detail and motion, this renders the film detail of the item and the motion it would use to move through a scene.  They then used Look Dev, this renders the lighting of the item in the situation.

They then went on to explain that Double Negative used Genesis cameras for the alpine scene, and that Research and Development had taken great care in the attention to detail to ensure the accuracy of the environment.  They then used Nuke to bring all those effects together in the film.

They explained they had used DN asset construction to create the Hydra Factory.  Instead of using artists to create the backdrop they had used a 3D digital background, as Double Negative explained that to use artists is a lot more expensive.  By doing this not only did they save time, but they also explained that one of their runners was responsible for the embers going across the scene in the film.

They then carried on to explain that for the Pod fighter sequence, they had had to research and create an aerial environment, but after the scene had been set, they had to add in extra CG clouds to allow the CG podfighters to have a more realistic effect when flying.  Double Negative then confirmed that directors are more interested in the telling of the story than the realism of the scene.

Next they briefly filled us in on Double Negative’s history, how they started and where they are today, most of this I already knew as I had researched Double Negative before visiting London.  It was interesting to note that most of the original employees in 1998 are still with the company today, its gives a good indication how good a company is when people stay for 14 years.

They then briefly detailed the projects they have recently been involved in.  This included the independent movies and box office blockbusters, and the successful and upcoming directors they had worked with on these films.

•    John Carter (Pixar)
•    Dark Knight Rises (Nolan)
•    Total Recall (Len Wiseman)
•    Man of Steel
•    Skyfall
•    The Bourne Legacy
•    Snow White and the Huntsman
•    Rush (to be released 2013)

They then went on to explain how starting as a runner at Double Negative gives you the opportunity to decide which area to specialise in, the following diagram illustrates this.

They then confirmed how all vacancies at Double Negative both in the UK and Singapore are advertised on the job section of their website (www.Dneg.com/jobs) and the application form to initially apply with is also on their website too.  They advised us we would need to put together a show reel of our achievements and films, preferable this needs to be no longer than two minutes, ensure we put our best work first.  We need to include a shot breakdown, and a CV and covering letter which when they receive, they will match to our online application.

Double Negative has a twitter account to follow their recent achievements and latest news, their twitter user name is @dneg.  Since attending the tour in London, I have found this interview on You Tube with Gavin Graham (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgxOV58rtMo) talking about Double Negative’s involvement with Captain America.

This visit gave me my first real insight as to what goes on in the post production industry.  Although I enjoyed learning about how to create special effects, at this present time for my current assignments I don’t have a practical application for it, however I am sure in my future I will have cause to draw on the knowledge I have gained from this visit.  Another point that I found interesting was the focus Double Negative place on the role of runners, the care and knowledge they take to ensure the runners take the career path best suited to them and the encouragement and support both physically and in training they give to each runner.  As one of the leading companies in visual effects, I feel the awards they have won have been justified, and look forward to seeing future films they have been involved with.


Envy Post Production with Josh Moore & Mat Appleton



Envy Post Production is a leading post production house based in London.  They work on programmes including Factual, Drama, Comedy, Documentaries and Light Entertainment and they collaborate on design, branding and commercials.
 www.envypost.co.uk 

They started off the tour in their Offline building.  The Offline buildings are not linked to external material, so directors bring the material with them to Envy to have it go through the post production stage.  Envy explained to us they do more work in this offline environment, as directors seem to prefer this method in production when producing films.

Envy explained on behalf of their clients they deal with various productions, from broadcasts, promotions, commercials to documentaries.  Envy seeks to meet what the industry wants, they use a variety of editing programmes for example Autodesk, Nuke and Adobe suites, to meet the clients specifications.

Envy has three grading suites in each Offline building they own, to ensure that have enough facilities for their own and external clients when required.  Like Double Negative, Envy also have the role of runners to enable them through a course of challenges to think about their individual vocations and to determine their future career paths.  Envy believes in continuous training to enable the individual to reach the next step on their career ladder.  Envy encourages their runners to discover the things they do not know, to strive always for development as Envy is a constantly expanding company.  Envy works on a pyramid structure with the aim that everyone wants to achieve and reach higher. 

We were advised that should we wish to apply for a job at Envy that our application show reel should be between 90 seconds and 120 seconds (yes this sounds very short and sweet).  We should use any clips we have created, even if they have appeared on Vimeo, You Tube or on our own Website.  We can also use professional clips, which we have altered using digital effects.  We can also add background music to our show reel for atmosphere effect but this is not hugely important.   Envy explained they have their own show reel on their website should we wish to view it as an example.  Envy explained that an Overall show reel is longer and contains much more detail, but should be tailored to a company’s specific aims.

joshm@envypost.co.uk

I felt Envy was more of a Television based production company, rather than Double Negative which had been a film based Production Company, and therefore felt the effects were more down to earth like creating rain on a dry day, than block buster special effects.  However I should add that Envy are looking to expand into film based production, and after looking round Envy I felt this was a company striving to become a bigger fish in the pond of post production.  Envy are still in the business of creating the everyday special effects that would be more useful to me on my degree course, as the effects are more achievable.

I appreciated the journey Envy has been on to get to where it is in the post productions leagues but acknowledge their dedication to expansion in the future, shows they are not a company prepared to stand still.