Editing Process of Ostracised

Having some basic experience of editing in Premiere Pro, with my makeup tutorials on YouTube and working on my Year 2 film, I decided to take this on myself to extend my knowledge. My cameraman, Harrison, had shown some interest in helping me edit my film; however after experiencing how unreliable he was, I decided against that option so I could edit it whenever suited me best.

When I initially received the test shoot footage from Harrison, I was concerned that the colours looked muted and unrealistic. He said I would need to colour correct each clip individually which felt intimidating as I had never done that before; however after doing research on YouTube I discovered quick and easy ways to make adjustments to the exposure and saturation etc. I originally wanted to have the first two scenes in black and white film, to reflect her depression and anxiety, and then the final scene in colour, to reflect her freedom and grown confidence; however I realised this was too cliche and obvious. I also felt the black and white footage would not give me the opportunity to express my makeup and styling ability as I would feel limited. I therefore decided to keep the colouring of my film predominantly neutral and dark, but still allow me to add colour as emphasis, for example, the red around She's tired eyes.

I was already confident with many aspects of editing, including fading and blending footage, synchronising music and cutting clips to size. However during this process I learnt many new techniques, including how to make the footage shake, blending additional layers over my footage to create effects like electrical disturbance, adding credits and how to zoom in. I found YouTube tutorials extremely helpful when discovering new techniques. However, I found it frustrating when some tutorials only worked if you purchased their packages, as I was not willing to do this. I enjoyed researching methods and found I was able to implement these new skills within my own footage successfully and efficiently.

There were a couple of effects I wanted to include which did not have tutorials, so I booked a tutorial with Ken Stuart. He gave me footage of electrical interference that I would have to add sound effects to, which I was able to layer over my footage to create my desired effect. This is an example of the type of package I would have had to purchase from a business providing tutorials online for Premiere Pro. To create masks around a moving subject we studied an online tutorial together and my third query, achieving a more subtle shake on the screen, was unfortunately outside the abilities of the Premiere Pro programme.

An aspect of editing I particularly enjoyed was combining the music and sound effects I had created with the footage, especially the sound effects in scene 2, where they emphasise She's movement. I found it extremely rewarding to synchronise my model's movement to the accuracy of 0.01 of a second as I wanted to make them visually as realistic as possible and discovered that even 0.01 of a second could make a real difference to the final outcome.  When I first edited my original footage, I was pleased with the story I had created, but it was exciting to see the film develop by adding both sound and visual effects; it was very rewarding to see so many small adjustments work together to bring atmosphere and drama to the footage. For example, I thought adding the sound effect of electrical interference throughout my film was very effective in adding atmosphere, but adding shaking visuals as well emphasised the effect even further.

On a few occasions when I was editing on Premiere Pro it seemed to suddenly shut down and lose my work which was extremely frustrating! Thankfully Premiere Pro automatically saves your work periodically so I never lost all my work, but I lost edits I had been working on for the past 30 mins to an hour, which was demotivating. I was particularly worried because I was unsure why this was happening, so I just had to make sure I kept saving my work so I did not lose anything when it happened again. Another thing I found frustrating was that I couldn't keep my footage on an external hard drive because when I unplugged it, the programme would not be able to film the clips and would therefore not work. This meant I had to keep all the footage in specific folders and I could not move them from their location. This was frustrating because I did not have enough storage on my laptop to keep importing more footage; I therefore had to move the majority of my other work to an external hard drive.

Editing was one of the challenges of my project I found most enjoyable and rewarding. It was a time when I saw all aspects of my film, including lighting, makeup, model movement and sound effects, all work together cohesively to produce an outcome derived from months of planning and experimentation. I was delighted that my editing turned out successfully and how I had envisaged, as I felt it was vital in producing a professional and effective outcome. I enjoyed it so much that I am now considering applying to do a Masters in Film and have already been offered work experience in this field. I am grateful that this opportunity to edit my film has led me to pursue a possible career path that had not previously been obvious to me.

Final Tutorials with Sharon and Sebastiane

Prior to final submission, I had meetings with Sharon and Sebastiane for final feedback. Neither teacher had seen my final film, so I was anxious but excited to hear their thoughts and suggestions for improvement. I was very aware that I was working towards a deadline, however I would do my best to incorporate any suggestions where possible.


Sharon

I was delighted with Sharon's positive and enthusiastic feedback. She was pleased to see I had taken on and developed any previous suggestions, to push myself to achieve a film we were both proud of. I found it very motivating to hear that she felt I was talented in a variety of areas, including editing, styling and makeup, making me consider applying for a Masters in either Creative Direction or Film.

Sharon suggested I removed the clips representing She's flashbacks, because they looked very out of place, as they were the only clips filmed outside the studio, with bright lighting, and she didn't feel they complemented the studio's dramatic low lighting. I had initially wanted to include these to show She looking back at how incidents of discrimination in the past to fuel her frustration at her unfair treatment. However, I felt the bright lighting indicated they were positive flashbacks, which I was concerned the viewers would find confusing. I therefore decided to remove all the flashback clips.

Sharon showed me an extract from the stop motion Alice by Jan Svankmajer (1988) to illustrate the use of sound effects to emphasise the movement of materials and objects. She felt this would complement the controlled and slow movement of the models in the final scene by adding an organic sound to contrast with the surrounding silence. I was excited to experiment with recording these sound effects to add to my film as I thought it would make my models come to life.

(Svankmajer, 1988)

Three other suggestions Sharon made were to add a subtle hum in the background of the opening scene to eliminate the stark silence; add a close-up of Natalie's face (She) in the slow initial dance scene to draw attention to her crisp and minimalist makeup; and increase the whispering to a crescendo in the very last clip of She, as she felt without this it was an anti-climax, as she was left waiting for something to happen. I could understand Sharon's rationale for all the changes and implemented these improvements.

Finally, Sharon gave me feedback on my 300 word descriptive statement. She suggested putting more emphasis on working with The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, explaining more clearly why I had chosen my age demographic and condensing my film synopsis, leaving the audience to discover more of the meaning for themselves.


Sebastiane

Sebastiane was particularly pleased with the strong imagery and the effective use of sound, including the clapping in the final scene, which he felt was reminiscent of Steve Reich's Clapping Music, and electrical interference in the first scene. He felt I should continue the use of electrical interference, through both visuals and sound, to continue the feeling of being watched by a camera and for an unsettling element to keep the viewers engaged and on edge. He suggested including these in the final scene, however this scene was intended to reflect She's freedom from being watched, as she feels accepted by a member of society, and I felt the absence of these electrical noises would mirror her more relaxed and unrestricted state. I did feel their inclusion would work in the second scene and also in the end clip of the final scene, when She reverts back to feeling judged and being watched, and added the interference to these sections.

Sebstiane was concerned the music in the second scene was too dominant, taking away from the scene's emotion and putting it in a music video context. He said he felt the strong regular beats in the music gave stability and would make the viewer feel more relaxed, losing the model's sense of frustration. He suggested I used the same technique of emphasising the sound of the model's movement, as it would give a more organic sound, as if it were coming directly from the footage rather than the music being artificially laid on top. I was concerned that only using sound effects throughout would not heighten the escalating sense of frustration in the scene. Therefore, after discussing with Sharon, I decided to lower the volume of the background music and reduce the strong beats to only leave the unsettling ticking and whining, and then layer exaggerated material sound effects on top to continue the avant-garde feel. I am excited to experiment with recording these sound effects and combining them with my updated music.

Sebastiane's final suggestion was including intermittent flashes of She in her final white caged styling in the second scene to help the viewers link the two characters as one. He said he felt the last scene was too separate and it wasn't clear enough that it was a progression of the same character, which I understood, and therefore will rectify. I also felt that quick flashes of She imagining herself as accepted and confident during her frustrated state led well to the subsequent final scene of her free and welcomed by society.

References:
SVANKMAJER, 1988. Alice [viewed 27th April 2017]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2y0Vu-Yq1U

Recording Sound Effects

I want to incorporate my own sound recordings into my film's soundtrack to give it an abstract, organic feel and to make it unique. I decided on recording whispering voices, heavy breathing, a quick inhale and electrical noise to complement the film's content. Tony (music technician) had suggested using sounds effects from Google to support my own recordings; however I didn't feel I needed these, as my sound effects sounded realistic and eery on their own. This was my first attempt at recording sound effects so I researched information online and gained an overall insight from The Sound Effects Bible by Ric Viers, which really caught my imagination and sparked an interest in the area.

I hired a rifle microphone from the university's photography hatch and was given clear instructions on how to use it. I was excited to use a new piece of equipment and found it easy and efficient to use. When researching I found that to minimise background noise you should surround yourself with soft furnishings, like pillows and blankets, so the image below shows me and my model surrounded by a blanket. I did not have a problem with background noise in the recordings, however I think if it was very faint it could have added an eery, ghostly effect. I chose to use my model for the heavy breathing and whispers to make it more realistic; however the breathing will not be synced with the footage. We recorded multiple recordings but I selected the most effective to show below.

Whispering Voices
My model and I found it easiest to have some writing in front of us so we could vaguely read it; however we had to be careful not to make our voices too clear as I wanted the voices to be very unclear and ambiguous. There were only two of us whispering; however if I wanted more voices I could ask the music technician to layer them. We made sure we recorded more than we needed incase some parts didn't sound as hoped or layering was necessary. When I played these back on my computer I made sure I removed any obvious words that might be picked up by the audience, as I want them to be very muffled and unclear.

https://soundcloud.com/user-600796940/mono-002


Heavy Breathing and Quick Inhale
We initially experimented with the model having shaking breathing to emphasise her anxiety; however it sounded too dramatic and we found it difficult to make it sound realistic and not theatrical. We therefore took inspiration from Screw by Nick Knight and recorded a more consistent heavy breathing. The more relaxed breathing allows the viewer to interpret it in different ways, is it the model breathing or someone watching her?  My model seemed to make quick gurgle noises when breathing and doing the quick inhale so I will have to ask my music technician to edit these out as they break the flow of the breathing. We found it easier to hear what was being recorded when wearing the attached headphones, meaning we didn't have to constantly download each file and listen to it on the laptop. We noticed we had to keep the microphone very still as it picked up any movement. I was pleased that we were able to create such a crisp sound with no background noise.

https://soundcloud.com/user-600796940/heavy-breathing-sound-effect


Electrical Noise
I wanted to incorporate an electrical noise into my film to reflect the feeling that someone is always watching you, so the electrical noise represents a malfunctioning security camera watching She in her cell. I found the most effective noise was tuning a radio in and out on an old fashioned record player. It created a crackling, buzzing noise that could be translated to a security camera. I only wanted to use sections of this music suddenly entering the footage; however I still recorded more sound than I needed so I could be selective in the editing process. I used different stations and frequencies to get a variety of electrical noises, ranging from quiet buzzing to loud crackling and beeping. I incorporated quick bursts of people talking from the radio to give an eery, unsettling sound, suggesting someone is watching and monitoring She. I used the rifle mic to record these sounds.

https://soundcloud.com/user-600796940/use-mostly-this


I will select all my favourite sound recordings, label them clearly and place them in a folder with the other music clips so Tony (music technician) can easily access them.

Image of equipment used.

Movement/Object Sound Effects

I wanted to record a sound effect for my models' movements as they brushed against their clothes. Initially I used my phone and experimented with a variety of materials, but found the results were very crackly and didn't seem realistic when played against the footage. Secondly I tried to use the computer's own microphone, but again the results were really crackly, particularly when using synthetic materials, and very quiet. I finally decided to rent out a rifle microphone again, but still had difficulty recording such a quiet sound and researched how best to use this microphone online. This confirmed the mic had to have its tip directed at the sound and that the sides of the mic were not designed to record; I had been mistakenly experimenting with recording via the side of the mic thinking this would pick up sounds from a wider area. Additionally I discovered the rear end of the mic being held by my assistant would also pick up any unintended noise, which we were careful to avoid. I also learnt more about using the appropriate input level for different sounds, trying to keep the level below 0 to achieve a good sound quality.

I therefore re-recorded all the necessary sound footage, moving on to scene 2 with my model anxiously scribbling seated at a table, making sure I checked the input level for each individual clip; for example, scribbling and hitting the table needed a much lower level to the quiet sounds of material brushing against material. I found it fun but stressful ensuring the sounds exactly matched my models' movements and kept re-recording sound clips until totally satisfied with the results.

This whole process was very time consuming, but I was determined to record sounds I felt worked with the footage and I am glad I continued to work on my recordings until I managed to achieve the desired effect. I was pleased how crisp and sharp the recordings sounded when matching the model's movements at the table and felt the sounds of the models' clothes being brushed by their arms or moving sounded realistic but at the same time quite eery, at times almost like someone else breathing whilst watching She.

Reference:
VIERS, R., 2008. The Sound Effects Bible. California: Michael Wiese Productions

Designing the Video Book Graphics

When designing the graphics for my video book, I knew that I wanted to use photography that incorporated all aspects of the project and the creative process which had been involved in developing my film.

I grouped the behind the scenes photos I felt were high quality, represented my styling/makeup accurately and reflected my film's concept, until I finalised the two images shown below.

This photo included so many components of the project, including the cameraman and his equipment, the studio space, all my models, and me, the director and producer, plus one of my statement styling pieces and a challenging hair and makeup design. I felt it was a team photo which gave a good indication of the collaborative aspects of the film. The quality is high, which was challenging to achieve, because the lighting in the studio was so dark, making many of the behind the scenes images slightly grainy. The composition works to put full emphasis on my main model, with myself and the cameraman framing her confident stance. It shows the team genuinely working on the scene, making the shot look candid with everyone relaxed, but concentrating on their roles. Looking at this image, I am so pleased that my photographer managed to capture the professional working atmosphere of the shoot, whilst giving an inclusive feel, almost as if the viewer is present in the studio and involved in the creative process.

I knew I wanted to include my 300 word project description on the back cover, including my logo and website link. Therefore I wanted an image that I could put on half the back cover, so that it could blend into darkness, for an appropriate background for my white text. As a makeup and hair student, I wanted a close up of one of my main character's designs. However to complement the front cover I wanted another behind the scenes image, rather than a more staged looking still of my film. I decided to take this image with the lighting set up and the model in her full styling to capture the atmosphere of the scene. I also wanted to incorporate the Sophie Lancaster wristbands to promote the Foundation and show my support. After discussing with my photographer, I therefore decided to have a shot of me actually applying her makeup, to showcase the wristbands, show work behind the scenes and give the appearance of a candid image.

(Sim, 2016).

I was initially inspired by this LUSH brochure design, because the bold black banner immediately pulls focus and contrasts with the stark white writing and brightly coloured background image. This inspired me to use one large image, so that there was one focus, with one bold statement, rather a number of less impactful images. Also, I felt having one bold image to represent the whole of my film would be a confident statement in my belief that it could encompass the essence of my film and that the image I have chosen would be an intriguing introduction to Ostracised, encouraging the viewer to delve deeper. 

I felt the white border surrounding the image made the image stand out and would be particularly effective against the black background of my chosen image. The inner white border acts as another frame to the written content, bringing the eye into the centre to focus on the brand name and softening the starkness of the image. 

I experimented with a variety of layouts for the front and back cover, incorporating my chosen images and relevant text. I chose to only include the film's title on the front cover, to keep a simplistic design mirroring the raw emotion of my film. On the back cover I wanted to include a description of the film's context and concept to enable to viewers to discover the true meaning and purpose of Ostracised. I included the website URL to encourage viewers to explore more of my work and the background to the creation of Ostracised, so that the video book can in future be used as an easily accessible promotional tool for my abilities in furthering my career. Additionally I created a logo to be used in any promotional material which may be developed in relation to the film and any subsequent related educational films which I may go on to create, acting as an easily recognised brand. To complete the cover, I decided to print an additional logo and title on the spine to make it easily identifiable.

I found the designs above to be too complicated and fussy, drawing focus away from the main images. I wanted the design to be simple, stripped back to the basics, mirroring the film's style, especially as both images are already very detailed with their own story to tell. I felt the border worked with the more fun and energetic brand, LUSH, however, I felt it was an unnecessary distraction for the more sober educational message of my film. I thought the banner again took focus away from the main images and from their bold statements, as the banner was too dominant and demanding of attention. I therefore decided to simply have the photograph on the front cover with nothing layered over it and the title simply printed underneath. Similarly I decided to have the image on the back cover only across half the space so that the text could be clearly seen over the plain black background, with no distractions. 

I decided to make the photos black and white to convey the sombre nature and serious message of the film. Additionally, the front image contains a lot of colour, from the outfits of the cast to the lights on the equipment, which I felt was distracting from the image's overall focus of being present at the shoot. My final designs are shown below, in the format I sent them to the printers:

References:

SIM, M., 2016. LUSH Brochure School Project - Editorial Design [viewed 26th April 2017]. Available from: https://www.behance.net/gallery/34020738/LUSH-brochure-l-School-project-Editorial-Design

Evaluation of Scene 1 and 2 Final Looks

Scene 1

Makeup

I used very minimal product for this look, with no foundation or concealer, as I wanted the natural imperfections of her skin to show through. I used my supra colour palette to accentuate her dark circles and skin redness. I learned from practicing this look, that I needed to exaggerate each feature more than what looks appropriate in person because the lights and film camera washes the colours out. I think the eyes look swollen and red raw, as if She has been rubbing them or is lacking in sleep. The mix of purple, yellow and burgundy under the eyes creates a realistic look with depth, rather than just using one colour which would look flat and false. My model's skin is mostly clear of acne but she has slight blotchy patches of redness on her skin and the pores on her nose are visible, adding to her drained feeling of not accepting herself. I brought three options for the mouth piece to see which one gave the desired, distorted effect. The mouth piece was slightly uncomfortable as it was stretching her skin and lips so much; however she only wore it for short periods of time and I wanted that extreme stretched effect to reflect how uncomfortable and restricted she feels by society's rules. The black paint on the mouth piece kept flaking off when positioned in the mouth; however I was able to disguise this during filming. 

Hair

I used an excessive amount of hair oil and gel to make the model's hair look as slick and taught as possible; this helped me to tame the hairs when combing it into sections. I am pleased with how flat and taught the hair is to the head and how each bun looks like a knot because it emphasises her feeling of restriction. I decided to make the buns an even size, rather than the sections of hair used because I thought having different size buns would be more noticeable. The different tones and highlights in the hair make the details in the twisted buns more prominent, compared to the more one dimensional look of the buns in dark hair. The black spikes were accentuated by the light colour of the hair, making them look very aggressive, like barbed wire. If I did the hair look again I would concentrate more on the back of her hair at the neck because it does not look as neat and slick as the rest. The hair was slightly too short to be tightened into the bun so I used more gel and my tail comb to smooth it into place; however when the model moved it was not secure enough to keep its shape, so I should have constantly touched it up in every position to keep it looking neat. 

Styling 

I steamed the clothing to remove any unwanted creases; however I left the edges created by the packaging to give the impression it was a new set specifically for this model, suggesting she is in a cell/hospital room. I think the avant-garde hair and makeup are complemented by the more wearable styling because it makes the look more subtle and less theatrical. The dull colour and simple style of the pajamas reflect her depressive state and how she feels very restricted in how she portrays herself in society. The styling fit her loosely which was intended as in hospitals and asylums one size fits all patients. Overall I felt the styling reflected her loss of individuality and depression.


Scene 2

Look 1

Makeup

I layered many different colours, including purple, orange and pink, for the eye shadow to create the illusion her inner eye sockets were very sunken in. I used these tones to reflect a bruised and tired eye, however concentrated the colour on the inner part for an editorial look. I am pleased with how well the eye shadows blended into each other for a diffused look. The white around the lash lines accentuated that she has no mascara on which, together with the faint eye brows, gives an inhuman look, reflecting how she feels she does not belong to society. I initially wanted to use the colours on the eyes on the centre of the lips too; however I think that would have looked too heavy and not achieved the same drained and washed out look. 

Hair

The hair took longer than expected because I was trying to be as precise and neat as possible; however I expected this and so allowed extra time. I saturated the model's hair in oil to make it easier to tame the hair which definitely helped me to keep each plait neat and slick. I had a hair assistant help me to hold each strand of hair when I was creating the waterfall braids as I had found in my previous practices that when I let the strands relax on the face they got tangled and frizzy. I asked my assistant to apply gel to each strand of hair going into the next plait to make sure they were separated and crisp. I am pleased with how even and slick each plait looks and how they sit evenly distributed on the face. I am also pleased with how neat the sectioning looks, how flat the french plaits lay and how perfectly the hair extensions match the natural hair colour. I am happy with most of the strands of hair between each plait, because they are even and polished; however some of the strips of hair extensions were not pulled tight enough and so curved at the sides, distorting the caged effect. This was frustrating because I had pulled them tight and they sat straight when I first finished the hair design, but they must have been pulled out slightly whilst the model moved whilst filming. If I did this again I would ensure I constantly checked the hair whilst filming to ensure it was taught throughout. 

Styling 

After making all the adjustments needed for this styling I was anxious to see if it would fit the model as intended. I was pleased to find it fitted the model perfectly, with all the strands of elastic pulled tightly round her body and the neck piece feeling more comfortable for the model. The shoulder detail moved very easily with my model's movement so I made sure I repositioned it between every take. I think the styling gives the impression the model is restricted, with the high neck and taught material, accurately mirroring her emotions.

Look 2

Makeup, Hair and Styling

For the more simplified version of the previous look I kept the makeup exactly the same, with the dramatic shadowing in the inner socket and pale face. However I stripped the hair off the model's face by changing the direction of the french plaits to be going backwards away from her face instead of towards her face. I then used hair extensions and wrapped them round her neck for a simplistic visual of feeling restricted. I did not add gel to the hair extensions because they were shiny and easy to manage; however I think I would experiment with adding gel if I did this look again because it would match her hair texture and colour more accurately.

To mirror the hair I decided to dress the model in a simplified version of her previous black dress. I chose a basic black strappy top and tight black shorts to create a clean and crisp silhouette to contrast with the detailed black caged dress. I am pleased with how this look came together because the open neck draws attention to the strangling plaits and it clearly reflects the first outfit. 

Society - Look 1

Makeup and Hair

I did not apply any makeup to this model as I wanted his to look naturally intimidating and I felt that if it looked like he was wearing makeup then he wouldn't look like he was conforming to society's accepted views. I moisturiser his skin and brushed through his eye brows and mustache to make him look polished and presentable as he reflected hospital staff. I also decided to keep the hair very natural for an everyday look so I brushed it into a side parting for a neat look. 

Styling

The dark grey styling gave my model an authoritative look as it's recognised as a doctors or dentists uniform, with the classic v-neck, matching baggy top and trousers and black plain shoes. The styling fit my model well, making it look more realistic, and added to his threatening presence in the scene.

Society - Look 2

Styling

I was intrigued to see how this styling would look in the scene, paired with She's more simplistic styling, because Sebastiane had shown some concern that it would not be recognisable as a human figure; however I think it will be more clear as this figure will only be flashed up intermittently with the obvious human figure. I think the figure was successful in adding an exaggerated intimidating feeling to the society figure so I am pleased I decided to still use this design.

Making the Ostracised Logo

I decided to design a logo for my film to make it easily recognisable and to be used as branding on any future relevant educational projects. I wanted the logo to encompass Ostracised's concept and meaning and therefore somehow needed to incorporate identity with feeling outcast and alone.

I contacted a graphic design student to combine my inspiration and vision to create the logo. I sent her my project proposal so she could understand the film's concept, together with some logos for inspiration, as shown below.

http://www.kijkwijzer.nl/upload/download_pc/7.pdf

After researching many anti-discrimination and relevant logos, I discovered this Dutch logo portraying a very similar message to that of Ostracised. The central figure is shown clearly feeling intimidated and unwelcomed by the surrounding dominant figures. The body language was crucial in portraying this message, as adding too much detail, for example facial expressions, would not translate well as a small logo. However, I felt the body language of all the figures could be interpreted in contradicting ways; the solo figure could either be standing up for himself, as he looks inquisitive, or could be cowering, as he feels threatened and out of place. I want to ensure my logo's message is clear and strong. Another aspect that appealed to me was the simplistic use of black and white. I intend to put my logo on many backgrounds, including my website and video book, and don't want to use any bright colours in the logo which would distract from any media it is printed on.

http://www.kickitout.org/new-logo/

This logo, from Kick It Out, inspired the use of text in my logo. I feel that adding the title of my film to my logo automatically connects the two which I feel is important in creating an easily recognisable brand. This particular logo also includes a slogan, however, Ostracised will not have its own slogan, as it will be adopting The Sophie Lancaster Foundations's slogan, which will be displayed on the website and at the end of the film.

At this point I was also considering how I would write the word Ostracised in any promotional material, including my logo, to ensure recognisable consistency. I knew I didn't want an extreme font, because I wanted to keep it simplistic and easy to read, and avoid it looking tacky. Experimenting with different formats, upper case, lower case, italics, bold, etc, I finally decided to write Ostracised very simply in Helvetica in regular lettering but with a space between each letter, leaving each character isolated,  mirroring She's isolation in the film.

O s t r a c i s e d

I was hesitant to collaborate with another student, as I have previously been let down in the project, however, I wanted to maintain a professional standard for my film and didn't feel confident in creating a logo on my own, which could have resulted in a very time consuming process without achieving a high enough standard in the outcome. I therefore decided to engage with a graphic design student, Bella Green. She accepted and understood my logo inspiration and did some experimentation, which resulted in the suggestion of a fingerprint to represent individual identity. I was delighted with this idea, as I felt it was easy to interpret, as fingerprints are accepted by law as a person's unique identity, and it lost none of its impact by being printed simply in black and white.

We were inspired to include a human figure by the Dutch logo above to portray She and needed to ensure her body language reflected the desired emotion of feeling ostracised.  Researching, we particularly liked this image, because the girl is hugging her knees in distress, sheltering herself from negativity. I felt this was reminiscent of She's body language in scene 1, where she is slumped on the bed.

We experimented with a number of ways of combining these two ideas, keeping in mind that I wanted a logo which could be easily inverted so it could be used on both a white and a black background, including the two shown below:

Design 1

Design 2

I didn't like the hard border on design 1, which had connotations of being an egg and separated the visual too much from the wording. I also didn't like design 2, because I felt the added border distracted from the detail in the fingerprint and made it look more like a zebra print.

I thought this design (shown with both a black and white background) encapsulated the message of Ostracised perfectly. The fingerprint was clear and the human figure clearly represented a girl in a depressed, introverted state. I was delighted that this collaboration was so successful and time efficient.

Developing and Completing Ostracised's Website

The prospect of creating a website was initially daunting because I had never made one before; however after attending all John's informative classes and watching many tutorials online, I began to enjoy designing and bringing my website to life.

I decided to add a useful links page to give viewers of my website the opportunity to visit charity websites if they either wanted more information about the effects of discrimination and bullying or if they were dealing with it themselves and needed someone to talk to. I chose a variety of charities, some which could give support to anybody dealing with a very wide variety of issues (The Samaritans and Victim Support) and some dealing more specifically with the problems of hate crimes (Stop Hate UK and National Bullying Helpline). I included a brief description of the charities together with contact details to make them easily accessible to people looking for help.

I decided to give each page a banner and position the menu bar at the top to maintain a consistent layout for a professional look. I placed a behind the scenes image into each banner space to constantly keep the viewer of the website intrigued by the production of my film. I ensured  my website was easy to navigate, as I find it frustrating when I visit websites and have to unnecessarily search for what I am looking for. I did this by not only keeping the menu bar at the top on each page, but also by having images identifying each page on the home page. I also made sure that whenever the viewer's mouse is hovering over a link, that link is visible with an effect, for example fading or changing colour.

The film is easy to find and takes you to a separate page where it is enlarged fully on the browser, to ensure the whole image is visible and that the viewer does not have to scroll up and down and therefore miss some of the footage. I had hoped that when the viewer clicked on my film it would be able to expand and cover the whole desktop; however John said this was not possible on Adobe Muse so I would have to think of an alternative (as explained above).

Below are more screenshots from www.ostracised.co.uk:

It is very exciting and satisfying to be able to search Ostracised and for it come up on my own website that I created from scratch! I am very pleased with my finished home page, with the silent short edit of my film playing automatically in the background. This is effective because it gives the viewer a taster of what the film will include, with only a sample of the styling, no sound and no final conclusion, encouraging them to want to know more. I am particularly proud of the link I have established with The Sophie Lancaster Foundation. Their slogan Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere quoted under my film title really emphasises the underlying purpose of my project and gives it a real sense of credibility and I feel honoured to be associated with an organisation fighting for such a worthwhile cause.

My Chosen Physical Submission

At my previous meeting with Sebastiane, he suggested that for my final physical hand-in I should give in a memory stick. However, I didn't feel that this showcased my final film and website as I had hoped. Therefore I decided to look into other options of physical items I could create that would complement my final outcome. I considered creating a photobook, including behind the scenes images and final makeup looks etc. However, I still felt that I needed a way to display my fashion film more creatively and wanted to do something more original.

Considering this challenge further and trying to come up further options of a physical representation of my film/website, I was inspired by the PR packages that are received by current bloggers. I have seen a couple of brands include video books in their promotional packages where the blogger opens the book and on the top cover a video/advert plays automatically. I thought this would be the perfect solution in portraying my film effectively. I was concerned by the price and availability of this technology. However, after emailing requesting quotes, I was excited to receive a reasonably priced option by TalkingPrint.

I chose an A4 sized video book, as I felt this would be big enough to showcase the detail in my film, but still be portable. The product arrived quickly and the instructions were surprisingly easy to follow to transfer my video from my laptop onto the device. The video book cover and interior were plain white, to allow me to personalise and add my own graphics. I was very excited by the prospect of actually putting my film onto a physical device rather than purely submitting a URL link as my final submission. I have been passionate throughout my project, creating my film and my website. Therefore I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to showcase my final outcome on such a unique and highly technical device.

I spoke to Kall Kwik, who are a printing company in Farnham to discuss my initial ideas for the graphics. They said I would be unable to have a complete cover printed in one piece, as the video device had been stuck down securely to the back cover, not leaving enough room for the vinyl to be folded over securely. They suggested I designed a front cover, back cover, first page and strip down the side, to be printed on sticky white vinyl separately to then be smoothed down on the relevant pages for a professional look. I could choose between a shiny or matte finish, but after discussing it with the Kall Kwik team I decided to choose matte because shiny can look slightly tacky and reflects the light dramatically; whereas matte will look more professional and sleek. I was extremely excited that they were so co-operative about printing my designs and could not wait to start designing the pages! I needed to message my logo designer to ask if she had come up with any designs as I wanted to get this printed in enough time to order another video book and have it printed again, if anything goes wrong.

Having created a draft design, I returned to the printing company to discuss my idea further. On this occasion I spoke to the technicians directly and they advised they would in fact be able to apply one complete cover (front, side and spine), which we agreed would be a better option, as it would look more cohesive, rather than having visible edges. I therefore arranged for the cover to be completed as a test run so that I could see a printed example of the cover and decide if it would be appropriate. Additionally, at this stage any necessary setting up regarding sizing and scaling at the printers would already be done, so that when I submit my final design for printing there will be no need to worry about any set up details and therefore no delay in receiving my final print.

Why is Ostracised Relevant Today?

When considering the focus of my film, the current political situation in the UK, with the implications and consequences of the Brexit vote, and the increasingly high profile given to dealing with mental health and removing any unjustified stigma attached to sufferers, were both current issues which attracted my attention. Ostracised addresses the intolerance of society (with Brexit, of EU citizens living and working in the UK; but it could be any prejudice) and dealing with the unseen psychological effects of being a victim of discrimination (perhaps leading to depression or self-harming). I decided to make my fashion film an educational film to highlight both these issues. When researching the subject, I discovered The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, which campaigns to Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere (SOPHIE) and have subsequently been in contact with the founder, Sylvia Lancaster. When discussing the educational aspect of the charity with her, she felt that films were a powerful tool in helping "students to gain a greater understanding of the emotional torment discrimination can have on its victims", which reinforced my idea of creating an avant-garde anti-discrimination film.

As part of the government's efforts to create a tolerant society, people In the UK are protected against discrimination by the Equality Act 2010 (Gov.uk, 2015) and attacks against people for reasons such as their race, religion or sexual orientation are designated hate crimes by the police.  However, since the EU Referendum in June 2017, when the UK voted to leave the EU, there has been a reported increase in hate crime. 

Information released by The Home Office in October 2016 stated:-

'There was an increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated offences recorded in June 2016, followed by an even sharper increase in July 2016. The number of offences declined in August but remained at a level higher than prior to the referendum. The number of racially or religiously aggravated offences recorded by the police in July 2016 was 41% higher than in July 2015'

(True Vision, 2016).

There has been a similar increase in hate crime across the USA following their presidential election in 2016. Donald Trump became President having embarked on a campaign riddled with prejudice as he denigrated Mexicans, Muslims, women and people with disabilities. (SKYNews, 2016)

Both events appear to have signalled to some sections of society that prejudice is acceptable, highlighting the very real current need for education to reverse the trend of a rise in hate crimes and intolerance. With the increasing use of social media, victims can feel they cannot escape from such attacks, as they can be targeted wherever they are and at any time on their electronic devices through cyberbullying (NSPCC, 2017).

Mental health, and in particular the unjustified stigma attached to sufferers, has also become a prominent current issue. The Heads Together campaign promoted by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry has received significant publicity for its work with a number of partner charities to encourage people to talk about their mental health and feel comfortable asking for the help they need(Heads Together, 2017).

According to The Anti-Bullying Alliance 'There is a strong link between mental health and bullying. .... young people who have experienced bullying are more likely to experience mental health issues and those who have mental health issues are more likely to be bullied.' (Anti-Bullying Alliance, 2017).

Prejudice and intolerance at their extreme can lead to suicide. According to the Mental Health Foundation, over 90% of suicides and suicide attempts are connected with a psychiatric disorder, particularly depression (Mental Health, 2017). Research by Yale University shows victims of bullying are 2-9 times more likely to contemplate suicide than those who are not bullied and UK research shows that 50% plus of young people who commit suicide are victims of bullying (Bullying Statistics, n.d.).

Ostracised will have a target audience of young people, in education or working, to bring attention to these issues and try to educate against such discriminatory behaviour. 


References:
GOV.UK, 2015. Equality Act 2010: guidance [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance

TRUE VISION, 2017. Welcome to True Vision [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from: http://www.report-it.org.uk/home

TRUE VISION, 2016. Home Office Release Hate Crime Data for 2015/16 [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from: http://report-it.org.uk/home_office_release_hate_crime_data_for_201516

SKYNEWS, 2016. Donald Trump's extensive back catalogue of controversial comments [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from: http://news.sky.com/story/donald-trumps-extensive-back-catalogue-of-outrageous-gaffes-10609317

NSPCC, 2017. Bullying and Cyberbullying at a Glance [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/bullying-and-cyberbullying/

HEADS TOGETHER, 2017. About Heads Together [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
https://www.headstogether.org.uk/about-heads-together/

ANTI-BULLYING ALLIANCE, 2017. Mental Health [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/tools-information/all-about-bullying/mental-health\

MENTAL HEALTH, 2017. Suicide [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/suicide

BULLYINGSTATISTICS, n.d. Bullying and Suicide [viewed 17th April 2017]. Available from:
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html

Final Shoot Evaluation

I was extremely nervous to shoot the last two scenes because I was not sure if Harrison was going to turn up and I was concerned we had a lot to shoot in one day. However I was also excited that this was our last day of filming because I couldn't wait to start editing the footage together.

I arrived at the studio early with my assistant, model and behind the scenes photographer to make sure all the initial images of the preparation were complete and the makeup, hair and styling was finished before Harrison arrived to set up his equipment. My photographer, Fran, unfortunately could not take out the camera she wanted from the hatch so she said she would use her own camera and the try to book it out again later. However when she did try again, they said the cameras were booked out all day. This frustrated me because I had specifically asked a photographer to come and take the images and I had said to her that she needed to book a camera as it was such a busy time; however I was still happy with the quality of the images she was taking.

Apart from the fact Fran did not book a camera before the shoot, I was very impressed with how efficiently she worked. She made sure she took all the images I wanted and if she wanted the team to be in a specific shot, she would wait until an appropriate time to ask and then get the shot very quickly, for example she needed a closeup of me doing the model's makeup whilst clearly showing the SOPHIE wristbands. Fran offered to help when she was not working, for example she helped bring the bed downstairs which saved a lot of my time. I would definitely collaborate with Fran again because she acts very professionally and is very thorough with her work.

Behind the Scenes Image.

I was relieved when Harrison showed up because I was very concerned that if he didn't, I was going to have to do the filming and set up all the lights, which was very stressful and time consuming last time. From previous experience I was aware that he was slow at setting up his equipment; therefore I made sure there was more than enough time for him to set up so that we could start filming on time. This was the first time I had seen him after receiving the poor quality footage, so I was anxious to see how he would work when having to reshoot his previous work. I was concerned his attitude would not be as positive as before, possibly because he felt embarrassed by his mistakes. Although initially, it was slightly awkward I was pleasantly surprised how professional and co-operative he was. I ensured that I checked every clip that he filmed and I reminded him many times which specific part of the scene to focus on. I didn't want him to think I was patronising him; however, I was not prepared to put the quality of the footage at risk because I was worried about offending him.

Even though he is a film student, this doesn't necessarily mean that his suggestions are always effective, for example, I needed a close up of the bed where the camera was steady. He said it would be easier to get a close shot if he held the camera on his lap rather than it being on a tripod. This concerned me because I knew he wouldn't be able to hold the camera completely still, so I insisted he used a tripod. I compared the footage with and without a tripod and I was relieved I was so persistent because the footage without the tripod was shaky.

I had hoped this scene would be shot within two hours, because there were not many clips to film and the lighting set up was the same throughout. However, Harrison suggested moving the strip lighting to look effective in each individual clip rather than limiting us to one standard set up, which allowed us to move the model to the required positions and then alter the lighting to give the most effective footage, rather than adapting her positioning to suit the lighting. For example, a close up shot needed very different lighting to a wide shot to ensure the strip lighting still looked effective.

I was concerned that my set assistant was not able to attend this rescheduled photoshoot, as the bed was needed for this scene and would need to be carried down from storage and also assembled, both of which he had done previously. However, I made sure he talked me through exactly how to assemble the bed and I was relieved that I could assemble it efficiently on the day. Even though I brought spare white paint in case the paint on the bed was chipped, I decided to leave any damaged patches, to add a realistic aspect to the bed, as it would have been used many times by previous patients.

Behind the Scenes Image.

One of the problems which arose from having two shoots on one day was that when applying oil and gel to the first hairstyle, I realised I would need to wash the model's hair between shoots, as her next hairstyle was a relaxed ponytail. I was concerned this would take up a lot of time; however I made sure it was the first thing I did when I got home whilst my assistant was unloading the car, to make sure time was used efficiently.

I felt guilty that the models had to return to reshoot footage they had already done through no fault of their own. I was very appreciative of how willing they were to give up their time, even through they had their own university work to be completing. All models were extremely co-operative and worked with good humour. They took instruction efficiently and remembered most of the choreography from the previous shoot, meaning each clip was able to be reshot in good time.

Behind the Scenes Image.

Looking at the footage, I am extremely happy with the quality and lighting used. I think having to re-shoot made Harrison take these shoots more seriously because he obviously did not want to have to shoot them again. The lighting in the first scene looks effective as it covers the model in every clip, including any close ups. The lighting was a lot brighter in the dance scenes because I worked with Harrison to use more fill lights to make sure there were no shadows that were too dark as even though I wanted the footage to be dark and shadowed, I did not want to lose too much detail.

I was extremely pleased with how everyone in the team worked together to work through the heavy schedule and ensure the filming was completed in the time we had. I cannot wait to begin editing the footage.