Final!!

Finally its Finished. I think my final piece is up to standard and meets the brief. My video matched the specifications of the brief. Unfortunately however i did not manage to make my video long enough to match the brief so i will have to do a new video in the new term to make up the time. My video was exported as MPEG2 DVD and FLV formats at a suitable bit rate. My video was edited and changed depending on what matched my storyboards. It took a long time to synchronise the audio with the visual and this was made worse by the fact that i had to add more layers to add the throne. I believe that my video suits my chosen target audience of young children as it has been done in a similar style to Jackanory junior which i researched. The illustrations are clear and easy to understand. If i had more time i would have made the images move using premier pro. Next time i will make sure i have given myself enough time to enable this to be possible.

The files of my final

illustration research

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/images/jackanoryjunior/header_noflash.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/jackanory/%3Fid%3D8225&usg=__xbpVFqc6a9WGf6Vs8UCypJiytyU=&h=175&w=620&sz=71&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=NYeUKw9ExMprIM:&tbnh=38&tbnw=136&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djackanory%2Bjunior%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b007968t/b006zc6z/Jackanory_Junior_Figs_Giant
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00790yg/b00g50sk/Big_Cook_Little_Cook_Series_3_Butterfly

After viewing these videos i have got some more ideas for illustrating my images. I will produce most of the images in illustrator to get a clear image. I will then create the parts of my illustration i want to move in a seperate illustrator file so that i can move them once they are put into premier pro. I believe this is how these programmes did their illustrations.

FILMING!!!

Friday i did all my filming with Dan. I was fortunate as the blue screen and lighting had all been set up for me. However one problem i came across was finding a suitable place for a sound recording device so i had to improvise and stuck it to one of the lights with masking tape. I did however have to alter the set-up a little by adding more height to the blue screen so that i could fit dan in when filming him walking across the blue screen. The filmig itself went pretty painlessly with dan performing well and he seemed to understand what i was after once he had seen my storyboards. Another problem we came across during filming is that dan would sometimes forget his lines. To solve this i taped his lines just beneath the camera so that he could read them but it looked like he was looking into the camera. The footage and sound recordings were then synchronised in premier pro and i edited the scenes so that i only had the footage i wanted to use. I then chromakeyed each scene to get rid of the blue. However, whilst doing this i discovered that at one point the chair dan sits on couldn't be keyed out without also keying out dan. To solve this i used a sixteen point garbage mat that i keyframed so that i could cut out the chair from th video at the points i needed it to not be there.

Schedule Sheet

This sheet allowed me to plan for filming so that i knew where i would be filming and each scene and what equipment i would need for filming each scene. I found this very helpful as it allowed me to be more organised so that when it comes to filming i will be well prepared.

Call Sheet

I did a call sheet so that Dan knew when and where he needed to be for when i was filming. It worked effectively as it allowed me to add notes that told Dan that he needed to be clean shaven and also that he must not wear any blue. This is because if he wore blue he would disappear when it came to chromakeying the blue screen out of the shot.

Script

The Script was the first thing i completed as it gave me the basic outline about what the story was about and which parts could be illustrated to help viewers understand and in which parts i could film Dan. Doing the script first also allowed me to produce my storyboards more easily as well and prepare me for filming with Dan.

Time plan

i thought that it was a good time to make a time plan. This is useful as it allows me to manage my time well and gives me several mini-deadlines in which to have certain parts of the project done by.
Thursday 11 Dec- Call sheets, Schedule sheets, Thumbnails, Storyboards- will need pencil for storyboards and thumbnails.

Friday 12 Dec- Filming Scenes with Dan- will need SDDV Camera, Soft lights, Spot light, Blue Screen and a Sound recorder.

Monday 15 Dec- Produce Illustractions- will need pencil for basic planning and illustrator to produce them.

Tuesday 16 Dec- Plan and Make 3D set- will need pencil for the planning stage and Carrara to make to set.

Wednesday 17 Dec- Make opening scene- will need pencil for planning and Carrara/Illustrator for making it

Thursday 18 Dec- Final Piece and Evaluation- Will need Premier Pro to edit it all together. Evaluation will be done as a blog.

Story boards

Today i have been working on and completed my story boards for my project. I have been able to show clearly what i want in each shot so that when i come to filming i will be able to get the camera angle correct especially when filming Dan. In doing this i have killed 2 birds with one stone as i have also been able to show the basic layout of the illustrations i will be using in the making of the story. To add to this i have been able to show the types of shots (e.g mid-shot) i will be using when filming Dan and where i will want him to move to when filming. I used a blue pencil crayon and an ordinary 2b pencil when illustrating as this allowed me to effectively draw the basic layout lightly with the blue and then add more detail with the darker pencil.

My script

INT. Children's playroom
Wide shot as camera moves closer to center of the room slowly where there is a seat as Dan WALKS into the shot STANDS with hands on the back of the seat.
Dan
Hello children and welcome to Dan's Story Time. Today's story is called 'The Princess and the pea'.
Dan SITS down on the seat.
DAN
Once upon a time there a lived a prince who wanted to marry a princess, but she had to be a real princess.
Shot of story scene showing the prince in different places with all different princesses.
CLOSE UP:princes face when Dan says 'was sad,...'
DAN
(voice over)He traveled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.
MID SHOT PANNING of Dan WALKING around the background and up a step to a window in the background and LOOKS out window.
Dan
One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the door, and the old king went to open it.
Graphic shot of picture showing the princess in the doorway with the king inside the room with the queen looking suspicious.
DAN
(voice over)It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious! what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess.
CLOSE UP: queen's face looking suspicious.
DAN
(voice over(Old Queen voice))we'll soon find that out thought the old Queen.
MID SHOT of Dan facing the camera holding a single pea and showing it to the audience as he says 'laid a pea..'
DAN
The Old Queen went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty quilts on top of the mattresses.
Pan on graphic going from the bottom of the bed all the way up the twenty mattresses and the twenty quilts with the princess on the top.
Dan
(voice over)On this the princess had to lie all night.
MID SHOT of Dan sat down in a seat facing the camera.
DAN
In the morning the Old Queen asked the princess how she slept. (Princess voice) "Oh, very badly!" said she. "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It's horrible!"
GRAPHIC SHOT of princess bent over holding her back and the king, queen and prince looking happy.
DAN
Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty quilts.Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.
MID SHOT of Dan talking to the camera.
Dan
So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess.
MID SIDE SHOT as Dan turns to face the camera.
Dan
And that's all from Dan's story time....goodbye.
Dan fades and disappears.

Children's TV Stories Brainstorm

• Scenes of story to help explain the plot


• Cartoon drawn stories using illustrator


• One person presenter telling the story- does different voices for each character


• Jackanory type set up- celebrities telling stories- cartoon graphic- moving using premier pro


• Emotional empahasis- facial expressions


• Story must be easy to understand due to young target audience


• 3D background graphics- Story set, Toy room, House


• Story book prop


• Presenter walking around, sitting down and interacting with background

The Princess and the Pea

For my story i was going to use a story called 'The Cat and the Mouse' from a punlic domain library. However, i came across some copyright issues which meant that i could not edit the story. So instead i decided to go to http://www.gutenberg.org/ and had a look at stories by H.C. Andersen. These are copyright free so i could change and edit them at my will. This is the chosen storythat i may edit.

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA
Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.
One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.
It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious! what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess.
"Well, we'll soon find that out," thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses.
On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.
"Oh, very badly!" said she. "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It's horrible!"
Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.
Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.
So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.
There, that is a true story.

My Proposal

For my tv programme i intend to create a children's story telling programme in which my presenter will read a story to the viewers. My target audiences include young children aged around 1- 7 years old. I intend to use Carrara to create a 3d studio in which my presenter will be able to walk around whilst telling the story with the help of Premier. I will also create my story and design the characters in different scenes for the story and use them throughout the screening to help explain the story.

Research

For my research i decided to look at programmes that were similar to what i would be creating. An example of this is Jackanory junior on the Cbeebies channel. It is a story telling programme. They use many different camera techniques when filming the story teller such as dollying and zooming in. they also move the camera from the background to the presenter. The background of the video seems to fit the theme of the story. e.g. the princess is royalty so there is a throne in the video. Story scenes are shown to help tell the story. The characters move, this is probably done using flash or premier pro. There are also scenes that show the storyteller in the same view as the story character, this is achieved through using a blue/green screen and then chroma keyed and layered into the video. There are many mid shots and head shots of the story teller. Also the story teller walks around the set whilst telling the story. The storyteller interacts with the story characters by looking at them and moving near them. The background moves behind the storyteller such as doors closing behind them. The storyteller is very over exaggerated when telling the story and makes different expressions with their face.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00795xv/b006xjrw/Jackanory_Junior_The_Princess_and_the_Unicorn/


Big cook little cook- For this show they tell a story about a character who comes into their cafe. The story is told with the storyteller on the same background each time, they do not move around except for their upper body and head. It is possible that they have simply took a photograph of the background and then layered the storyteller on top using premier pro. There is a close up of the hands as they open the book to emphasise the story beginning. The whole story had been drawn but little cook has been created using something that makes him look less iconic. There is also a graphic between each page to show that the story is continuing onto its next part. To help tell the story the camera zooms in on parts of the page where the person who is talking in the story is stood. As in jackanory some parts of the drawings in the story move to help explain what is going on.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00790mv/Big_Cook_Little_Cook_Series_3_The_Old_Lady_Who_Lived_in_a_Shoe/

The Fimbles has a story time section in which the story is told by a puppet mole. The story is a series of moving pictures with a voice over telling the story. Its a very basic idea that could have been done using illustrator to create the images and then move them using premier pro.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8113196228716115824

3DTV with signer

We have been informed by our tutor that our programmes that are going on our TV station will be played twice. Once as an ordinary TV station and then again with a signer for the hard of hearing. For this i will have to add a signer in the corner of the video.
To do this i added another layer on top of my previous 3D video studio production. I then scaled down the video a little to give the signer their own room in the corner. The signer was keyed out using the chromakey tool and blended a little to stop the pixelated edges from shaking about too much. This time i used a backlight when filming my signer. This made them easier to key out and gave a more proffesional finish. However, my signer was nervous as she is only a fellow colleague and kept swivelling round on the chair when she should have kept still. To prevent this happening in the future i will use non-swivel chairs.
Another problem i came across was that my signer started signing before the presenter started talking and that if i moved the track in premier the signer would just pop out of nowhere suddenly. To amend this i used the additive dissolve to gradually blend the signer into the video as the presentr starts to talk. I also used a cross dissolve to gradually fade out the signer once they had finished signing.

On my second attempt i did everything the same as the first time but i used a different signer. However this signer was a little too enthusiastic and their arms kept going out of frame when i was filming. To prevent this from happening again i will stand further back with the camera even if it means i have to garbage matt the equipment.

Cheeseville

Hello, and welcome to cheesevilee tv station. Today we learnt about long distance video editing. This was harder as we had to use the garbage tool alot because the desks and lighting equipment got in the frame of the lens. This was easy enough to use as i had used it previously. I couldn't use myself this time as my blue jeans would have been chromakeyed out.

Using fireworks i was able to create a news set and desk. I then recorded footage of my self sitting down at a table. By chromakeying i was able to make the blue screen and table disappear. i then layered myself ontop of the desk and set background that i was able to export from fireworks. By using the eightpoint garbage tool i was able to get rid of some of the blue flickering parts that appeared on the desk. However, some still show around my elbows. I could correct this by using a second chromakey.

Adobe premier pro

chroma keying

worked on chroma keying which allows the user to layer a video onto another video or image and in effect allows the user to place someone or something onto something else. My example of me being an idiot on a lord of the rings background.
Using the chroma key effect i was able to use similarity and blending to get rid of the background blue screen, however this was made difficult by the fact that i was wearing white which gave me a thin line before my body began to disappear. At parts in the vid the background's roof kept coming into the frame and so i had to use the (keyframed) garbage tool to get rid of these bits as they appeared in the video. However, this left me with a shadowed part on my video layer and this was gotten rid of by using the threshold tool.

TV STATION!!!

Today we have been mind mapping to plan out our classes interactive TV station. We decided on many programmes and i volunteered to do 'Dan's bedtime story'. We also decided on the name of our TV station to be called 'DGTV- Dead Good! Television'
Also i have learnt how to use shooting schedule sheets and call sheets in the run up to filming for our TV programmes.

cutie foxy

he's so cute and all alone......

Setting up my blog

boy that was fun,
started off by putting in my username as 'fishbones' and entered my personal email address and chose the most difficult password in the world. YEA!!! This was all accomplished after a very tiring lesson learning about how to clean a computer tower.