Psychoanalytical - Bin Labelling

During the production of my psychoanalytical film one thing I needed to do was label all of my footage so that it would be easily accessible during the editing process, as  would need to quickly locate and distinguish between different shots whilst editing.

All of these shots show the process of how I renamed all of my footage to something recognisable and easily accessible so that during the editing process I could quickly use the footage I needed during editing, also I kept all of the footage within a single folder so that I could easily find all of it and it would all be instantly available to me when editing, since I would not have to search through different bins on the editing software.

Recording Sounds with a Dictaphone

    For my Psychoanalytical film I decided that as part of it I would use exaggerated diegetic sounds within certain scenes to try and enhance the feeling that the visuals would be giving. In order to actually enhance the diegetic sound I would need to record the sounds I intended to enhance that are made by certain actions that would occur in the film e.g. a door opening, the sounds would then need to be enhanced or modified and added into the film. One method of obtaining these recorded sounds is to use a dictaphone, which can record sounds at close proximity. Once the sounds are recorded they can then be modified and enhanced then edited into the film at a later point to exaggerate the diegetic sound within the film. One problem with this however was that I had never used this piece of equipment before and it was rather awkward to use at first, even after reading the instructions on how to use it, the buttons were somewhat confusing and it took me a while to figure out how to begin recording sounds and playing them back, as I didn't realise that the record button needed to be pressed twice to actually record as pressing it just once only gives a preview of what the recording will sound like. I also had problems whilst recording as I was unaware that the volume on the dictaphone needed to be turned up quite high as it affected how loud the recording would be so that set me back trying to get the right volume as I had to constantly re-record sounds that were too quiet, as well as having trouble hearing the sounds unless the volume was turned up even while I was wearing headphones when using it.

 Even with the initial problems with using the equipment, after a few attempts and practice with it I quickly learned how to use it properly and I managed to record the majority of the sounds I required for my film, I will be using these sounds as enhanced diegetic sounds within my production as an aid to the visuals of the film. The use of the Dictaphone was actually quite easy once I figured out how to record the sounds and navigate the digital menu system, also once I knew about how to adjust the recording volume it made acquiring the sounds much easier and by using headphones I could hear what the sounds being recorded much clearer. Another issue with the Dictaphone I found however, was that the SD memory card that was provided with it was somewhat "defective" as it didn't register as being an SD card when inserted into the Dictaphone so I couldn't record anything onto the card as it didn't register that the card had even been inserted into the device. The issue was resolved however as I needed to simply replace the SD card with my own from a digital camera which ended up solving the problem as it registered the SD card this time and created a separate sound folder in the cards memory so I was able to record the sounds I needed.

Sound List

Sound List

This is a list of sounds that will need to be recorded for use in my psychoanalytical film; they will be used to exaggerate the diegetic sounds in order to enhance the audio of the film. These sounds will aid the visuals of the film by exaggerating the sound of the actions taking place during the film.

• Running water
• Water hitting metal
• A pen being used to scribble on paper
• A door being opened and closed
• A clock ticking
• The sound of a book being placed on a shelf
• Footsteps on carpet
•  Someone biting their nails
•  Plates/cutlery being placed on a draining board
• The sound of something being scrubbed
•  Sounds of objects being moved on a wooden surface
• Someone drumming their fingers
•  Someone washing their hands
•  Paper being ripped
•  A sticky note being placed on a surface
• Traffic
• Natural sounds e.g. birds/wind
• Sound of paper being shuffled
• The sound of a light being turned on
•  Sound of Coughing or scratching

Psychoanalytical Film - Production Log

Production Log

0-5 seconds: The initial first shot of the film will be of the sky will be used as an opening to the film. The shot will focus on the sky during daylight. There will be no non-diegetic sound during the start of this shot but there may be some exaggerated diegetic sounds that would seem natural such as birdsong or the wind. The camera will then proceed to tilt downwards into the next shot.

5-10 seconds: An Establishing long shot of the exterior of the characters house to show the general location of where the narrative will take place. This shows where the character lives before the character is actually introduced and where most of the narrative will occur. There will be no dialogue or voice over as of this point as the visuals will be introducing the scene; however there will likely be some exaggerated diegetic sounds such as traffic going by or natural sounds such as animals that will help the visuals tell the story. The mise en scene will be centered on the house/ building, focusing on the buildings appearance e.g. its parallel lines/ symmetrical features to try and express a notion of neatness/order as a slight introduction to the films themes.

10-15 seconds: This will be a cutaway to the exterior of the characters room in order to lead into the characters introduction, this shot will be the starting point for the narrative as it will lead into the next shot, the interior of the room. As for sound there will still be the exaggerated diegetic sounds of animals/traffic. The mise en scene will be a still shot that includes the most part of a window frame, looking into the characters room; the camera will be placed to frame the window in the center of the camera, so it appears that the camera is essentially looking into this characters life.

15-20 seconds:  Interior shot, mid shot of characters room to show basic layout of the room. The camera will be focused upon the character, looking at them from behind, the camera will then cutaway to show they are writing on a scrap of paper at a desk, everything on the desk is neatly organized and placed, with the paper centered in the middle of the desk. The paper will have the title of the film scribbled on it in a very rough handwriting. There will be exaggerated diegetic sound of the pen writing on the paper during these shots to empathize the rapid scribbling on the paper.

20-25 seconds: Cutaway shot of some of the most prominent things in the characters room e.g. desk, bookshelves, TV, bed etc. These quick cutaways will only briefly show these items to show a greater depth of the characters room, and to also show the extent to the characters neatness/organization such as all of their books, DVDs and games being in alphabetical order for example. Also there will be no sound at this point, relying completely on visuals.

25-30 seconds: Close up shot that focuses on the objects in the characters room e.g. a bookshelf, the camera will focus on the object and will tilt and pan to cover every aspect of the object. However with the camera now focusing in more detail it will show small sticky notes attached to certain parts of the object with minute details about the object or where certain things should go on it e.g. the note has a reminder for where a book goes into a specific place on the shelf, showing the characters obsession with neatness/order. There will be no sound or dialogue, again focusing mainly on visuals for this shot. The mise en scene will show the entirety of the bookshelf but will then focus on certain aspects of it in more detail.

30-35 seconds: Close up shot of a different series of objects within the characters room, this shot will show perhaps there DVD collection in an alphabetical order, all of them placed neatly on a shelf or on a desk, the camera will tilt and pan downwards to see all of the titles in their alphabetical order, to finally tilt down and show another note detailing an allocation films in a certain section of the shelf/desk e.g. A-K and L-Z to further show the characters obsession. There is the possibility of using some faint diegetic music in order to begin aiding the visuals as this shot goes on. The mise en scene will be the desk/shelf where the objects e.g. DVDs are kept and they will all be placed in alphabetical order next to or piled up together, the camera will initially focus on the first title then will pan/tilt to reveal the rest of them until it reaches the note showing the exact order of the objects as a means of showing how far the character goes to be organized even with simple things.

35-40 seconds: Close up shots of more notes attached to the walls of the characters room, the camera will quickly cut between them to show the multitude of notes that are stuck to the walls and furniture of the room. Each of the notes will have something different written on them and include simple reminders and messages that the character has written for them.  During these shots the diegetic music in the background will still be playing, although it will be faint and quiet, to aid the visuals as the shot goes on. The mise en scene will include various amounts of notes attached to the walls and furniture in the characters room, and each one will include a different message or reminder.

40-45 seconds: Mid shot of the character getting up from their chair to walk out of the room, the camera is placed behind them to view them as they leave, the camera will then cut to a close up of them from either the side or front as they leave the room, the camera will pan and focus on them as they move. The camera will continue to focus on them until they have left the room

45-50 seconds: Close up of a note attached to a bookcase, detailing the name of a specific book, that the character is to purchase/read, the note will be complete with pricing details and reference numbers, the camera then cuts to a shot of a space on the shelf where It will be placed, the camera will then cut to a mid-shot showing the character return to the room, and they stand in front of the bookcase.

50-55 seconds: The camera will then focus on the character as they proceed to rearrange the shelf, constantly checking that everything is in order, tapping the lengths of the books to ensure they are all even and straight, making sure they are in line with one another. Quick cuts between these actions will be used to speed up the pace of it and the camera will constantly be close up to view these obsessive actions.

55-60 seconds: The camera will use quick cuts between the previous shot and the characters face; they are nervously biting their lip and/or nails in frustration whilst rearranging the books. The camera will constantly keep cutting between the two shots to show the characters reaction to how they rearrange the shelves. This is to show their obsessive/compulsive tendencies towards maintaining their surroundings.  

1:00-1:05: The camera will then cut to a mid shot of the character kneeling/standing in-front of their bookcase, observing it quickly before standing up to walk away. The camera will be set at a low angle and will tilt upwards as they stand, proceeding to pan as they move away. The mise en scene will show the character at the side of the bookcase and everything in the background such as the characters TV and some more of the notes on the walls.

1:05-1:10: The camera will then show a mid-shot of the character as they begin to walk out of the door to their room and into the hallway, the camera will be facing the subject as they walk out of the room and just as the character is about to go out of the frame, it will cut to the next shot.

1:10-1:15: The camera cuts to outside the characters room in a narrow hallway and watches as the character proceeds to go downstairs. The camera will remain static as it watches the character walk away. There will not be any diegetic or non-diegetic sound during this point, relying on the visuals during the apparent change of location. The mise en scene will simply be an empty hallway that the character walks down

1:15-1:20: The camera moves to a high angle that watches as the character move down the stairs to the ground level, the camera remains at the top of the stairs until they reach the end of the stairs. Similar to the last shot there will be no sound present in the shot, only visuals as the character descends the stairs towards the next location.

1:20-1:25: The location has now changed to the characters kitchen, to show another aspect of the characters routine, the character will approach the sink where a single object is placed on the edge or within the sink, the camera will go to a close up of the object, and will cut to various parts of the sink. There will be exaggerated diegetic sounds as the character begins to use the sink such as the clatter of metal and water running.

1:25-1:30: The camera will then move to a close up of the character beginning to clean the objects within the sink, focusing on the process that they begin to work through to clean the object. There will be cuts between the character and the objects as they clean.

1:30-1:35: Close up of the characters hands as they constantly rub and wipe the object in their hands as they clean it repeatedly, showing their compulsive actions. The object and the characters hands will be placed in the center of the frame to make it clear of the characters movements and what they are cleaning.

1:35-1:40: The camera will then focus on the character as he sets the objects down once they have finished cleaning them, it will move into a close up as he places each object, in a very precise manner and keeping each object a certain distance away from each other and keeping them ordered. There will be enhanced diegetic sound as each object is set onto the counter to exaggerate each sound as the objects are placed.

1:40-1:45: it will then cut to a close up of the character as they then proceed to vigorously clean their own hands, constantly scrubbing each hand and finger, the camera will then cut to the characters face to show them performing the same anxious biting of their lip as in previous shots to show their frustration at performing certain actions.

1:45-1:50: The camera will then cut to a close up of a clock face to suggest a passing of time, the clock will be set at an exact hour at which the character will be standing in front of it, once they have checked the time they will turn and walk away from it. Close ups will be used to show the clock face and then cut to another close up of the character from the side as they check the time, which will then cut to a shot looking at the character as if from the clocks perspective.

1:50-1:55: The camera will cut back to the stairs and watch as the character ascends them, this time the camera will be at a low angle whilst they climb the stairs upwards and will then cut to the next shot. The camera will center the subject within the frame so they are set directly in-between the two walls running the length of the stairs.

1:55-2:00: Another shot of the character as they walk towards their room, this time the subject will be walking towards the camera, but the camera will still be placed at a low angle to the subject as they approach. The camera will remain focused on this shot until the character has moved out of the frame.

2:00-2:05: The camera cuts to yet more notes that are scattered along the rooms walls, except this time it will now focus on a particular note that the character then proceeds to cross out, the camera will cut to a close up as the character does this. The enhanced sound of the pen they use to mark out the note will be used as the character slowly does this.

2:05-2:10: The character will then go back to their desk and sit down, the camera being placed behind them for an over the shoulder shot whilst they are at the desk. The camera will then watch as they write out yet more notes to be attached to the wall, the camera will cut to close ups while they are writing these notes.

2:10-2:15: The camera will then go to a close up as the notes are attached to the wall, showing what the character has written on them. The camera will frame all of them in the center of the wall so that they are all clearly visible and what’s written on them is legible. The camera will then cut between a variety of notes on the wall to quickly show what is written on them before cutting to another.

2:15-2:20: It will then cut to an overhead shot of the desk, and then quickly cut to a close up of all of the objects on the surface, showing that a few of them are misplaced, in an awkward position or are just unorganized e.g. a book is slanted or there is a mass of pens in the middle of the desk, the characters laptop is taking up most of the desk etc. Close ups will be used on each individual object to outline the unorganized manner in which they are set on the desk which will lead onto the next shot.

2:20-2:25: The camera cuts to another close up of the characters face; again they are biting their lip/nails in frustration at the site of the unordered desk, this repeated action is to show the characters reactions to things that are unordered within their own environment, their obsessive/compulsive tendencies towards their room.

2:25-2:30: The camera will then cut to a shot of them rearranging their desk, straightening and placing the objects on the desk in order and ensuring that everything is neat and organized, the objects on the desk will include, dvds, pens, paper, their laptop, notes and messages. The camera will quickly cut between these objects as they rearrange them on the desk into a more organized placement.

2:30-2:35: This shot will again be showing the character rearranging the desk as they continue to organize the objects that occupy its surface, quick cuts being used to show the multitude of things that are being moved, the character is rearranging these objects into a neat and organized manner on the desk and they are constantly checking that everything is kept in order.

2:35-2:40: This will be another shot of the characters face showing their frustration again at the organization of the desk but will however change into the character smiling as they finish what they are doing; the camera will not move from its position and will focus mainly on the lower half of their face.

2:40-2:45: The camera will then cut to a shot of the desk with everything on it being arranged and adjusted neatly so the desk looks tidy. The camera will be at a mid-shot and will frame all of the objects on the desk within the shot, so that the assortment of objects is visible.

2:45-2:50: The next shot will be a mid-shot of the top of a set of drawers where more objects are arranged, this time they will be personal items and accessories such as the characters mobile phone, wallet and keys etc. that can all be placed in the characters pockets or on their body.  All the items will be neatly arranged and lined up with a note next to it labeling its position on the surface.

2:50-2:55: The camera will go to a close up of each object next to its label on the furniture’s surface, showing the precision of which the object has been aligned and ordered. The camera will go to a close up of the first object and will then either cut or pan towards the other objects.

2:55-3:00: This shot will still be showing the objects aligned on the drawers surface and will cut to each object in a specific order to show how the character has arranged them, the camera will then cut to a mid-shot of the character standing in front of this surface.

3:00-3:05: The camera will then cut to a close up of the character picking up these objects and placing them on their person in the order they are arranged on the surface e.g. the first object is their phone so they pick up that object first, the character will do this with each object in the order they are arranged.

3:05-3:10: The camera will keep cutting to close ups of the character picking up each object and placing it on their person, the camera will cut to a close up of the object and then the character placing it on them. This process will repeat until all of the objects have been picked up.

3:10-3:15: The camera will cut to a mid-shot looking at the character from behind after they have gathered the objects, they will turn towards the camera and walk towards it and then out of shot, leaving their room.

3:15-3:20: Another shot of the character walking down their stairs, again the camera will be placed at a high angle to watch them as they descend. This shot will center the character in the frame as they descend the stairs, it will then cut to the next shot.

3:20-3:25: This shot will show a close up of a line of hooks with coats hanging from them at the bottom of the stairs where the character just descended, the camera will pan the length of the line and will then show the characters hand reaching into the shot to take one from its hook.

3:25-3:30:  The camera will cut to a mid shot of the character as they begin to put on the coat they have just taken off from the hook, and as they put it on to leave through their front door, the camera will then quickly cut to a close up of the character as they leave through the door.

3:30-3:35: A close up of the character after they have left their house as they close their front door and begin to walk away from the house, they will close the door and will then begin walking down the path in front of the house which will then cut to the next shot.

3:35-3:40: A long shot of the character walking away from their house along the path leading out onto the road/street, the camera will stay focused on the character until they go out of shot and will then tilt upwards to look up at the sky to mirror the opening shot.