Category: Research

Edit Workflow / Research on After Effects

The rough cut is in place. The next step now is working on the screen recording and putting it into after effects to create the “zooming in effect”.

The initial idea for “Disconnected” was to use the “full screen” screen recording but I realised that with so many things going on the screen, it might be distracting. So instead, it would work better in terms of narrative , to direct the audience’s attention to parts of the screen using the technique above.

Reference – http://www.vice.com/en_us/read/step-inside-the-computer-screen-of-noah

“Noah” // Research on Screen Recording Technique.

At the initial stage of “Disconnected”, I was largely inspired by this short film, “Noah“, that did storytelling entirely based off a screen recording.

I wrote to the director and editor a couple of days ago asking if they could share the technique of how they did “Noah”. They just wrote back to me and introduced me to the screen recording program as well as the workflow.

I will attempt to try out their technique as part of my “Little test 3”.

A Little Test

So, today I took the interface of Omegle and made it into “The Strangers Network”.

Thereafter, I tested on screen recording as well as photobooth recording. The little test can be view here- https://vimeo.com/185019035/6a57678f3e

Photobooth recording was the top video, and the screen recording was the bottom video. Photobooth recording allows for audio recording as well, as such we’ll be using photobooth recording for our shoot.

After the test, we’ve concluded on the work flow for the actual day shoot, which have been added to the shot list document here –  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HLPjO18CkeZIGf5b2zhRbr1SoNvB-CnPzUPD_64CP6Y/edit?usp=sharing

 

Research – Online Suicide

Screen Shot 2016-09-11 at 9.14.57 PM

More here – http://www.oddee.com/item_98907.aspx

Read More here – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3497263/Teenager-commits-suicide-live-on-internet-as-1500-watch.html

Comments / 

A bulk of the script was inspired by Abraham’s suicide in order to achieve realism.

Abraham’s reason for committing suicide – “The suicide note stated that he had hurt other people and hated himself for being a failure.”

In this instance, it is a broadcast website, where many people had the opportunity to encouraged him and egged him on to killing himself.

Unlike the premise of “Disconnected”, the suicide that takes place, also an overdosed, is not broadcast to the public but only to the person who is connected.

This creates an opportunity in creating drama and dilemmas as now only one person can make a difference and in that sense, shoulder the responsibility of whether the stranger lives or dies.

In my script, Amelia, the stranger who overdosed does not scream “I am killing myself”, but rather, she just ODs. I chose the script to play out this way because then Joe does not have the opportunity to convince Amelia not to kill herself, but rather, it now becomes a race against time for Joe, who is the unfortunate witness of this episode.

He is forced to think on his feet. Recall things that they spoke about / little details that may help find Amelia’s whereabouts. This creates frustrations perhaps.

In the script maybe it was too easy that Joe finds her details and saves her. Perhaps an alternative could be that he doesn’t find out anything and now he is watching her die.