My Show-reel; Digital vs Physical

The differences between the digital and physical copy of my show-reel.

My show-reel was exported as a Quicktime Movie (.mov), with the projects current video settings. The video setting were; aspect ratio: 1440 x 1080 at 25 FPS. The field dominance was set as upper (odd). The audio was set to a rate of 48 KHz at 16 bits. I compressed the mov to a H.264 using, a free video converter, MPEG Steamclip so I could uploaded it on YouTube. Since YouTube uses a Adobe Flash Player plug-in for playback, files like H.264/ MPEG are used to

By uploading your show-reel to a digital streaming site like YouTube, or Vimeo you instantly widen the range of audience that can access your content. Also sites like You Tube and Vimeo can also support HD formats like 1080p/i, 720p/i. The down side to uploading your content onto streaming sites it hard to protect copyright, since their are lots of programs that can download content from these sites it's hard to project your content.

DVDs are more personal format then streaming sites, since you can only give out your DVD to limited number of people. DVD are compressed into VOB, which stands for Video Object, and compress the video, audio, subtitles, and the menus into one file. DVDs can only output 360p without the use of High definition cables such as HDMI. DVDs also encrypt the DVD against directly coping the contents on the disc, although the encryption doesn't stop people from using programs to decrypt the encryption.

DVD Menu Analysis.

Futurama Season 4 DVD Menu.

(Left to Right) Futurama Season One & Four DVD Menus

Throughout Futurama's journey to the DVD format has always been shaky process. The first two seasons didn't have 'Play All' options, and having to go through two menus to get to the 'play feature' button was unnecessary. The menu's where also static with some diegetic sounds but after the release of third season they started to change up the design.

From season three onwards they finally added a 'Play all' feature to go along side the individual episode selection. Also in season four there were still static menu's with diegetic sound, although they add a random little animation. It usually comes down to an image siding a cross screen.

There are commentary for more or less all the episodes with the creator 'Matt Groening'. Which is a letdown since that most of the creators aren't involved in production. It would of been insightful to hear the cast talk about there time on the production, although some of the commentaries with Groening are interesting but I would of preferred two different commentaries so you could hear both the pre-production, & production of Futurama.

The DVDs do have 'Deleted Scene', which is the only thing they did right durning first two season. The deleted scenes are the pretty much what you would expect. The deleted scene's menu listed all the scenes that also has a 'Play all' function. But beyond the 'Standard' features, such as 'Scene selection', 'Play all, & etc... there isn't many features such as 'Directors Cut' and 'Behind the scene' stuff. Which is a shame since most DVDs come with this a standard, and with a show like this it shame there isn't any behind the scenes.

All the Futurama DVDs have had some sort of 'Easter Eggs' hidden within the menus. Most of the 'Easter Eggs' can be found when clicking on different objects in the background, for example on one of the Easter eggs is activated by clicking on one of the finishes in the background. Although all the Easter eggs are character bios of actors and writers, which isn't something people would want to continually go back and find. Since there isn't any 'Behind the scene' stuff this is a shame that the Easter eggs are bios.

My Involment on Snow Queen.

Just before Christmas our group was given the task of publicizing the Egg's production of Snow Queen. They wanted us to create a website, Mini-Documentary, 90sec promo, and film the last dress rehearsal. I was originally involved in designing the website but after some break down in communication I didn't have the resources to finish the website in time, so I was move on to the production side of Snow Queen.

It was my job to film the both of the dress rehearsals so that all of the actors have something to put on there show reel. The week leading up to the last dress rehearsals was a little disorganized, because the rehearsals where on the week we came back from the Christmas. So we weren't really ready for the rehearsals, we didn't have any of the equipment and we haven't seen the stage. On the day we booked out the equipment, and we got to the Egg at 4:00 and starter to setup the cameras. We used a three camera set-up, two cameras would sit level with the stage and focus on mid-shots and close ups. While the third would sit above the other cameras in the balcony focusing on a wide shoot of the stage. We film both play-through.

Things I learnt on Black Box.

Hi,

long time no see... Actually a very long time, anyway here's six things I learnt during the time I work on Black Box. Black box is a series of episodes set on, the most unlike of places, a plane. Each episode tells an original story written by students. Oh! and just to add I wrote episode four, which was name "Worst episode", so yeah.

Number 6 - Timing & planing;
Yeah, working on Black Box we only had half a day (9am - 12pm) to come up with an idea, write a 'finished' script before we had to start planing the actual shoot. Planing wouldn't go to deep, planing wouldn't get much farther after the story boarding stage, and by that stage when would have our Actors, and props but that it. Then on the day of the shoot we only had the room for two hours. So in the end we started to cut less important shoots and scenes just to able to the footage we need.

We will always run into time constants and I know in that situation that we have to start drop what isn't absolutely necessary to the film.

Number 5 - Giving up your control;
During Black Box we shared the roles out each week to mimic a real production, which I have done before. In the past I've work on independent films, and group projects so I have worked in these conditions before but I've never written a script then never been apart of production at all.

I know that in real video productions that once the writer has written the script then that's his job done. But I can't stand giving up my creative control over to someone else and hoping for the best I would much prefer to be in control every step of the way but again this is something I'm going to have to get uses too.

Number 4 - Working in a small space;
Since the plane set wasn't all that big, and even with all the equipment there was less room, we had to adapt to the space quickly. We started to dump the tripod if we were in small spaces for hand held, we also tried to fold some on the chairs so that we could have the camera on a tripod.

Number 3 - Lighting;
Since the plane set only really had two light sources so most shoots look natural because we didn't (well for most of them) use the Redhead. The mean reason the we didn't use the Redhead because most of the group haven't use them, and those who have knew that by the time we set up the lights we would of wasted precious time while we teaching the others individually. Although when we did use the lights, Black Box's production values went through the roof.

Number 2 - Sound Mixing;
Throughout the entire series of Black Box most of the first edits had problems with the sound levels when viewed through the projector. In some the dialog was drowned out by the music or the dialog was to quiet. All this was easy fixed by copying the audio into the other channels and then normalizing them.

And...(Side note this ISN'T a countdown. It's the final countdown.)

Number 1 - Editing;
One of the biggest problems we had on the first few episodes where there wasn't a storyboard or a time-code sheet, so we captured everything and throughout editing we had to manually go though all the clips until we found the usable clips. This was only a small set back but I would of made sure that there was a sheet.

And if YOU want to watch Black Box below is a link to its You Tube channel. So enjoy.

Thank you,
Simon.

Link Dump
Black Box's You Tube