Overall thoughts

I think on the whole, at the end of the day, it's not about what you achieve at the end, but rather the journey towards the end. It's about the lessons learnt, the personal observations, and more importantly, the interaction between others during the course of the production.

Sure, the end product counts, and the grade counts, but I think that it is the learning journey that really makes the difference. And yes, not picking group mates might have been a good thing after all.

When outdoors, we are at the mercy of the weather, and even when indoors, we have to deal with many other factors such as people walking down the staircase. But we cant have everything, and I'm glad to know what we've done our best. This was my 2nd attempt working with an unfamilliar crew, so I didn't really know what to expect.

I guess that it is safe to say that everyone has learnt something over the past 4 weeks, and for me, its definitely more than just one thing.


This is Ben Poh, signing off.

Editing period: summary

I'm too tired to list out too much about the post production process, so I'll try to keep it as simple as I can.

Basically everything went well, Kym was really satisfied with the graphics and opening sequence that she did. Joshua feels a great sense of satisfaction upon finishing the final cut of the production. wesley... is just glad that P2 is over. guo xiang is mainly late for the entire duration of the post production process, not that it matters anyway.

I ended up making a dvd and polishing up the documentation of the project. I think documentation is important to show how much effort was put into the project, even if the production wasn't as fantastic as many would have hoped.

Personally, I am quite satisfied with the end product. I think we all deserve a round of applause for effort.


PS: Surprise audio room destruction is NOT funny in the morning

Utter Ruination

March 18th, all hell broke loose. Snapped this before I left for the day

Last production day

Everything went smoothly for the last day of production. We managed to finish the rest of the scenes as well as a few reshoots of previous scenes. We decided to begin the editing process the next day. Thankfully the weather did not result in any continuity errors.

We ended up doing a photoshoot for a poster and dvd cover immediately after wrapping the entire production. Somehow it felt strangely satisfying that we had finally completed production, but post production had just begun. I hoped that it would be an easy task to edit the video, but uncertainties of the final output format as well as the lack of the audio rooms slowly began to pressure us into working harder.

Well, most of us at least...

Production day 6

Amazingly productive, was going to wrap everything today but.... The weather didnt hold. Great.

We filmed a total of 6 scenes today, but ironically missed the climax.

Damn

Conclusion: highly productive but failed to complete.

Production Day 5

Time to make up for lost time. we shot the previously mentioned scene, things went well although there was rain. We tried our very best to be productive, and things went well.

Oddly enough there was this lady from the culinary school who is pissed about people using her toilets. Damn.

Conclusion: Alright i guess.

Production- day 4

Just when I thought things were going to progress smoothly, one of the actresses overslept and missed our production. Excellent, this meant we failed horribly to even do anything even though the weather was great. We'll do the same tomorrow.

Conclusion: epic FAIL

Production- day 3

No shooting today, further brushed up on location reckee so that we do NOT screw up. Did a lot more research on the location to ensure that annoyances are kept to a minimum. We're definitely behind schedule.

Conclusion: Adequate Progress.

Production- Day 2

We ended up spending the entire day fixing up the canteen scene. Thankfully all went well, although we may have offended the canteen auntie. Sound was a minor annoyance, as well as the talents availability (again), but they are practically volunteers, so I am in absolutely no position to complain.

Conclusion: successful day

Production- Day 1

We withdrew alot of equipment today, finally met the cast. But something tells me that I probably won't be liking the weather as it may create continuity errors. Nevertheless, production continued. Minor annoyances today included the availability of the cast as they are only available daily from 2.30 PM onwards. This meant that our schedule was completely thrown out of the window and into the trashcan.

Upon further investigation, it appears that we did screw up today as the canteen shot had many mistakes including boom/ boom shadow in shot, and lighting stands in shot.

Total scenes shot today: 3

Conclusion: moderately successful

Production Updates- Interim 1 comparisons to actual production

Things went generally well for the planning, but following a schedule would prove to be much harder than I thought. There are many factors to consider during production planning, most of which we have completely no control over. Such examples would include the weather, as well as communication problems within the cast and the crew, resulting in undesired consequences.

For something which I had planned to go smoothly through 2 days, I realised that no matter how much we can prepare, we will never be prepared for the changes brought about by the weather. For almost every single day that involved production, it rained.

The weather is serious business indeed.

Working with too many locations and cast proved to be a rather troublesome matter. I guess I will write more about this in the next few posts concerning production.

Initial concept storyboard

Split into individual PNG files. Took me quite a while to get it done.

Initial Ideas

Posted below were some of the ideas which I had chosen to work with, but ultimately did not make use of any of them.


The Ingenious Patriot


HAVING obtained an audience of the King an Ingenious Patriot pulled
a paper from his pocket, saying:

"May it please your Majesty, I have here a formula for constructing
armour-plating which no gun can pierce. If these plates are
adopted in the Royal Navy our warships will be invulnerable, and
therefore invincible. Here, also, are reports of your Majesty's
Ministers, attesting the value of the invention. I will part with
my right in it for a million tumtums."

After examining the papers, the King put them away and promised him
an order on the Lord High Treasurer of the Extortion Department for
a million tumtums.

"And here," said the Ingenious Patriot, pulling another paper from
another pocket, "are the working plans of a gun that I have
invented, which will pierce that armour. Your Majesty's Royal
Brother, the Emperor of Bang, is anxious to purchase it, but
loyalty to your Majesty's throne and person constrains me to offer
it first to your Majesty. The price is one million tumtums."

Having received the promise of another check, he thrust his hand
into still another pocket, remarking:

"The price of the irresistible gun would have been much greater,
your Majesty, but for the fact that its missiles can be so
effectively averted by my peculiar method of treating the armour
plates with a new- "

The King signed to the Great Head Factotum to approach.

"Search this man," he said, "and report how many pockets he has."

"Forty-three, Sire," said the Great Head Factotum, completing the
scrutiny.

"May it please your Majesty," cried the Ingenious Patriot, in
terror, "one of them contains tobacco."

"Hold him up by the ankles and shake him," said the King; "then
give him a check for forty-two million tumtums and put him to
death. Let a decree issue declaring ingenuity a capital offence."

Moral- Don’t be a smart ass.




The Thoughtful Warden


THE Warden of a Penitentiary was one day putting locks on the doors
of all the cells when a mechanic said to him:

"Those locks can all be opened from the inside - you are very
imprudent."

The Warden did not look up from his work, but said:

"If that is called imprudence, I wonder what would be called a
thoughtful provision against the vicissitudes of fortune."

Moral- Things might not be as silly as they seem.





The Man and the Lightning


A MAN Running for Office was overtaken by Lightning.

"You see," said the Lightning, as it crept past him inch by inch,
"I can travel considerably faster than you."

"Yes," the Man Running for Office replied, "but think how much
longer I keep going!"

Moral- Lasting on in the long run is better than being ahead for a short while.


The Wooden Guns


AN Artillery Regiment of a State Militia applied to the Governor
for wooden guns to practise with.

"Those," they explained, "will be cheaper than real ones."

"It shall not be said that I sacrificed efficiency to economy,"
said the Governor. "You shall have real guns."

"Thank you, thank you," cried the warriors, effusively. "We will
take good care of them, and in the event of war return them to the
arsenal."

Moral- You should ensure that things bought will be put to good use.




The Vixen and the Lioness


A Vixen who was taking her babies out for an airing one balmy
morning, came across a Lioness, with her cub in arms. "Why such
airs, haughty dame, over one solitary cub?" sneered the Vixen. "Look
at my healthy and numerous litter here, and imagine, if you are
able, how a proud mother should feel." The Lioness gave her a
squelching look, and lifting up her nose, walked away, saying
calmly, "Yes, just look at that beautiful collection. What are they?
Foxes! I've only one, but remember, that one is a Lion."

Moral- "Quality is better than quantity."





The Boy and the Filberts


A BOY put his hand into a pitcher full of filberts. He grasped
as many as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull out
his hand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the
pitcher. Unwilling to lose his filberts, and yet unable to
withdraw his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly lamented his
disappointment. A bystander said to him, "Be satisfied with half
the quantity, and you will readily draw out your hand."


Moral- Do not attempt too much at once.





The Cat and the Youth


A CAT fell in love with a handsome Young Man, and entreated Venus
to change her into a woman.

"I should think," said Venus, "you might make so trifling a change
without bothering me. However, be a woman."

Afterward, wishing to see if the change were complete, Venus caused
a mouse to approach, whereupon the woman shrieked and made such a
show of herself that the Young Man would not marry her.

Moral- Changing yourself for the sake of others will make you seem foolish.







Mercury and the Woodman


A Woodman was felling a tree on the bank of a river, when his axe,
glancing off the trunk, flew out of his hands and fell into the water.
As he stood by the water's edge lamenting his loss, Mercury appeared
and asked him the reason for his grief. On learning what had happened,
out of pity for his distress, Mercury dived into the river and,
bringing up a golden axe, asked him if that was the one he had lost.
The Woodman replied that it was not, and Mercury then dived a second
time, and, bringing up a silver axe, asked if that was his. "No,
that is not mine either," said the Woodman. Once more Mercury dived
into the river, and brought up the missing axe. The Woodman was
overjoyed at recovering his property, and thanked his benefactor
warmly; and the latter was so pleased with his honesty that he made
him a present of the other two axes. When the Woodman told the story
to his companions, one of these was filled with envy of his good
fortune and determined to try his luck for himself. So he went and
began to fell a tree at the edge of the river, and presently contrived
to let his axe drop into the water. Mercury appeared as before, and,
on learning that his axe had fallen in, he dived and brought up a
golden axe, as he had done on the previous occasion. Without waiting
to be asked whether it was his or not, the fellow cried, "That's mine,
that's mine," and stretched out his hand eagerly for the prize: but
Mercury was so disgusted at his dishonesty that he not only declined
to give him the golden axe, but also refused to recover for him the
one he had let fall into the stream.


Moral- "Honesty is the best policy."





The Mule


A MULE, frolicsome from lack of work and from too much corn,
galloped about in a very extravagant manner, and said to himself:
"My father surely was a high-mettled racer, and I am his own
child in speed and spirit." On the next day, being driven a long
journey, and feeling very wearied, he exclaimed in a disconsolate
tone: "I must have made a mistake; my father, after all, could
have been only an ass."

Moral- Cherish yourself for what you are.






The Oxen and the Axle-Trees


A HEAVY WAGON was being dragged along a country lane by a team of
Oxen. The Axle-trees groaned and creaked terribly; whereupon the
Oxen, turning round, thus addressed the wheels: "Hullo there! why
do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we, not
you, ought to cry out."


Those who suffer most cry out the least.



I was going to work on Mercury and The Woodman (honesty is the best policy), by making it a typical adaptation of why others should not lie, but I decided against it and ended up going with a fable called the Kings son and the lion painting.

Obligatory First Post

Well, its here. Project 2... Stay tuned for regular updates as developments arise...






PS: Lazy template, but simple. We're not graded for blog design are we?