My Storyboard

Below I have displayed a storyboard of how I want my captions to appear in my documentary. In my first caption I will display the Facebook logo with music in the background in order for the audience to have an idea of what the documentary is about. The second caption will also have music/ voice over playing as a user is looking at their Facebook, here the audience will see the notifications etc... The third caption is the users privacy settings and the options the users have on what they want to keep private or public. This is then followed by the interviews (captions 4 and 5), the questions will be displayed on screen with either a voice over saying the question or music playing. This is then followed by the interviewee answering the question with their own privacy setting displayed as a background. I will have several people being interviewed in order to obtain different opinions. In the sixth caption I will have a user on their Facebook but this time showing an example on how to block a person/post etc... More interviews will be carried out in the structure I explained previously. Caption 7 and 8 will display an example of a private and pubic Facebook profile with a voice over them. Caption 9 will be another set of answers from and interview this time instead of having the interviewee in focus they are out of focus and the background is in focus. 

Caption 10 will be showing the users information page and how much personal information they expose on their profile, this will have a voice over running in the background. Caption 11 will be the interviewees making a statement in order to make people aware of privacy on Facebook. Caption 12 will have the Facebook logo with a bold statement displayed. 

Planning

After looking at storyboards I looked at planning and the things I should consider before actually filming my documentary.


Below is a list of elements that will be essential to include in my documentary:

• Title
• Names
• Credits
• Copyright
• Graphics
• Video footage- long shot, close up's etc...
• Lighting- 3 point lighting, bcd light etc...
• Audio- voice over's, sound effects, music, different microphone techniques

Tips when filming 

Below I have displayed tips and methods I found which will guide me in making my documentary look more interesting and appealing to viewers. 

Camera Focusing

Focusing on several aspects of the subject matter will make your documentary look more interesting to the audience. Areas with a lot of detail (i.e. eyes) should be focused on using the zoom option. Avoid using the auto focus in cameras as it gives you less control on what you would like to focus on as instead on focusing on your subject the auto focus seems to focus on other areas of the shot. Macro setting in cameras are useful for focusing on objects up close or even small objects or areas. Also shooting out of focus will cause a blurry effect and this can result in the subject coming across as mysterious as you can't see the full detail of the caption (i.e. facial features). 

White Balance

White balance is important as it analyses the colour temperature of the light and then finds the right balance for producing the best result. If a caption, image etc has not been white balanced properly will result in an image not having the right shade of colour and light. 

Keeping your camera steady

Avoiding movements in the camera (i.e.shaking) is essential as movements in footage will distort images and make it seem unprofessional and amateur. A tripod is an ideal method for placing a camera and producing a steady shot throughout. 

Resources

http://www.sotherden.com/video101/storyboard.htm

Storyboard

What is a story board?

A storyboard is a group of images (also known as illustrations) which are displayed one after the other in order of how a caption/animation will appear once it's been created. This is a form of seeing how a project will progress and it's a plan of how things will be shot (i.e. use of lighting, zoom etc...). Disney films are know for their story boards as the Walt Disney Studio developed it in the 1930's, this method is very useful and therefore still used today. 

Planning a story board

When creating a storyboard its best to consider and include what is known as the 5 W's (who, when, what, where and why). This will make it easier to come up with a storyboard especially the main section. Apart from these elements you also need to consider the plot, setting, introduction, dialogue, narration, any points of view, the protagonist and antagonist. 

Plot

A plot is a group of events which provide information/idea it is not a story even though many people refer to it as a story. It is also known as the "spine" without a plot there are no actions in a story. A story portrays emotions therefore combining a plot with a story adds actions and emotions. Plots tend to be actions or choices that the characters have made which leads into events occurring. In linear plots there is a beginning, middle and end which was first set by Aristotle. Even though there is a linear structure plots don't need to be linear nowadays many films have the end of the film at the beginning and then travel back in time to the rest of the film. Plots tend to be set using a timeline this is to help see where events occur. 

Below are 5 important aspects of a plot:

• Introduction: This is the start of any plot where the situation is introduced and the audience are given an idea of what the film, play etc is about. 
• Rising Action: This refers to events just before the climax, here you can see the struggles and problems of the character(s) (mainly the protagonist)
• Climax: It is mainly the most interesting section of a narrative as the protagonist changes their point of view and decides to do something about the situation. It also makes the audience wonder what the outcome will be in the end. 
• Falling Action: This is where the end result is doubted mainly because the protagonist and antagonist confront each other and resulting in one of them winning. 
• Denouement: This is the end of the film with the events of how the plot ends. 

Setting

Setting is the time and location in which the events of the plot occur. It is an essential part of a plot as it determines the atmosphere of the event taking place. Within setting aspects such as the weather or any social conditions are also important. 

Points of view

This refers to the way a narrative is portrayed and how it is seen by the audience. There are points of view used in films, plays etc...

• Protagonist (first person): The narrative is told either by the protagonist which the story is told through their eyes and we see what they are feeling thinking etc...
• Stream of consciousness: The narrative is portrayed in such a way that it makes the audience feel like they are in a characters head (they can experience and see their thoughts and reactions, opinions etc...).
• Omniscient Limited: The narrative is told using the third person with pronouns, this form of point of view only tells the audience what the character knows and nothing else. The audience will be able to see the characters thoughts, feelings, actions etc..(only if the author allows the character to do so).
• Omniscient Objective: The narrative is told using the third person the camera only records what the character sees or hears. The are no comments or voice overs explaining what is occurring therefore the audience interprets what they are seeing in their own way.
• Innocent Eye: The narrative is told by someone innocent normally a child as their opinion and judgements would differ to an adult. 

Examples of storyboards

Below I have displayed examples of storyboards used for films, TV series, adverts etc...

Resources

http://illustrations.greghigh.com/nosecond_storyboard.jpg
http://business901.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/kiaboard.jpg
http://www.sotherden.com/video101/storyboard.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard
http://www.tameri.com/write/plotnstory.html
http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/engramja/elements.html
http://contemporarylit.about.com/cs/literaryterms/g/risingAction.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climax_(narrative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_structure

Practise

Practise of Lighting in the studio

In order to be well prepared for when it comes to shooting my documentary I used some of my study time to practise lighting in the studio. As a group we practised 3 point lighting with the use of blondes and reds, one of my classmates stood in the middle of the lighting to allow us to then use reflectors to bounce the lighting and create a soft effect and remove any sharp edges or shadows. We also practised other styles of lighting to create different moods i.e. mysterious.

Practise of Green Screen

In a group last week we practised carrying out interviews in the studio using the green screen in order to have an idea when it comes to filming our documentaries. We also practised our lighting skills and the use of reflectors as we needed good lighting in order to record our interviewee's.