Fiction Adaptation: Brief

For our Fiction Adaptation unit we will need to produce a 2-3 minute film based on one of the 5 poems we have been provided with the choices are:

• Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
• The Listeners by Walter de la Mare
• The Burning of the Leaves by Laurence Binyon
• The Horses by Ted Hughes
• An Arundel Tomb by Philip Larkin

When we were first given these poems I got really frustrated as I could not understand any of them but after having a lecture today I know that the adaptation does not have to be literal which made me alot more settled. I'm now thinking of doing the "Jabberwocky" as I can be really creative with this poem and interpret it in alot of different ways.

We will also have to produce an essay answering the question:

"In adapting a novel the adaptor inevitably infringes the integrity of the original text - discuss with reference to at least one adaptation."

For this question we will have to know both the book and the adaptation really well so that we have alot to talk about.
I have started to think about what book I will use and I think I will either use Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" as I know that this has been made into 2 big budget films or I might choose to use Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" as I studied this play in depth at school and also know that it has been adapted many times.

'As Live' Brief

The Idea
IMPORTANT!!
Your idea should be for an As Live studio production.
It can take the form of whatever you want but you must be original!!
Your idea should be studio based and include the need for a live studio audience.

Your idea should include the need for 3 VT inserts (these are segments that are recorded and edited before the programme and then slotted in)

Your idea should include the need for a set, costumes and props. (These elements will be made by Creative Arts for Film & Theatre students at UCA Rochester)

The idea should include ideas for viral marketing and reaching an audience outside that of the live audience.

When pitching we must include:

The idea

Title

Format (ie As Live, 30 mins)

The Channel / broadcaster / target audience / schedule

Once we have all pitched an idea one will be chosen and the person whos idea it is will automatically become the producer and specific roles will be given out to all of the 2nd years and some of the 1st years.

This year we want the production to take on a bigger scope than the Pub Game did. So we will be looking for students to make:
A proper title sequence,
Compose music
Advertising material
Viral Marketing
And Making of documentary
All to be uploaded to a dedicated website.

Back to Work

So we're back at Uni now and we've got 2 projects this semester, the first is a fiction adaptation piece were we have to choose a poem out of the 5 we have been given and make a 2 minute video which introduces the poem to a new audience. We will have to make this into a series just like we did with the Direction unit where we all have to have the same title sequence. The second project is to produce an "As Live" show, we will each have to pitch our own ideas and then one will be chosen and we will each be given a specific role to play in making the production. I'm really looking forward to this unit as I had so much fun working on the pub game last year. We will also have to produce an essay for both projects answering a relevent question. But for now I've just got to start brainstorming some ideas for both projects.

Commission Unit: Final Documentary

Today we submitted our final cut of the documentary and here it is.



I really enjoyed this unit and it has made me want to film more documentaries. Having a subject like this was quite hard as I didn't know much about it in the beginning but from making this documentary I have learnt about apartheid and we have all worked hard to make sure the audience will understand it to. During the filming and research stages of our commission unit we all had certain jobs to do, but when it came to the editing stage it was quite hard for all 3 of us to edit at the same time but I did learnt a lot from doing my bit and observing Lauren and Jane when they were editing.

Commission Unit: Nearly There

We've filmed all of the reconstruction, re-recorded the commentary in a studio so that it doesn't sound echoy and we have also filmed another sequence which we have added in to set up the family. There are just a few changes to make now and then I think we will be ready to hand it in. 

It flows really well now and engages the audience.

Narrative and Genre: Finished!

Today I handed in my final essay and I'm so glad it's over. I enjoy the research behind the essays but I find it hard putting all the ideas together. I handed everything in on time and I was really happy with my final essay.

Commission Unit: Editing

We have began editing the documentary now and we are all doing our bit to make it look as good as possible, for it to flow and to make sense. We are using lots of archive footage which we have found on Youtube to explain what life was like in South Africa and also show the different presidents coming into power. We are using commentary which we are recording on Garage Band to help set up the different characters and to help move the story along. We have been adding sequences of the family where we have needed to and we have just filmed a reconstruction which we will put in so that Ari's speech about his kidnapping is chopped down considerably as at the moment it is 6 minutes long and is therefore taking up most of our 10 minutes of commissioned time.