A2, Possible soundtracks

Just as a warning...this is going to be a BIG post...

Proof that some degree of progress is being made:
I am now scouting the Internet and other areas for ideal soundtracks to accompany my final piece, what I am looking for is something that either builds suspense or drama, or just a straight forward epic...the following are a few clips of possible tracks from popular films.

Whether I actually use these or a totally different piece is yet to be determined, currently I am carrying out a preliminary search...

This is the main score from the well known Pirates of the Caribbean and is one of the most recognisable scores out there:

Now, this sort of thing would be perfect for my piece, it is fast paced, dramatic and well arranged, but the reason I will NOT be using this or indeed any others from this film is simply because they are so iconic and I am creating an unique piece. My trailer would simply not be taken seriously with such a familiar score.

Equally dramatic but not quite as well known, the next track is from the film Stardust. The track is called 'Corronation' and creates a perfect mood of awe and majesty. This will undoubtedly be in my final short list or at least in a few mock ups:

The above clip compliments the slow and majestic and would fit well along side long dramatic shots of landscapes...this next one (Septimus) is from the same film and would better suit a faster set of clips but may not fulfill the 'epicness' of the piece:

Another ideal piece would be the many soundtracks from the film The Rock, almost all of which include fast paced rhythms with epic crescendos.
The chosen track from this film is considerably longer than my time frame and will have to be chopped but it still has a lot of potential (Rock house jail):

Pay attention to both the start and the half way point (Around 4:00 onwards).
Finally, a very fast paced and action packed score:
This ios the main theme for The Dark Knight, an almost perfectly fills the criteria of what I am looking for:

A2, Resarch into similar products

Having finally figured out a way to upload multi-media files onto the blog, here is an example of the kind or product I am hoping to produce.

Trailer for 'Life', produced by BBC and Discovery:

In addtion to this, once 'Scribd' starts behaving, I will upload another Powerpoint presentaion outlining current progress and plans.

Doc 1: Nature's great events; The great tide.

Another new installment, seeing as I am creating a documentary trailer for my A2 project, I thought it would make sense to review some documentaries in order to appreciate how they are put together.

The first documentary I will review is an episode from the recent series; Nature's great events (BBC 2). Specifically, the final episode; The great tide.

Nature's great events is a wildlife documentary centered upon some of nature's greatest spectacles such as the Salmon run in North America or the great migrations of Africa.

To me, the most inspiring and influential episode was 'The Great Tide'. This hour long production features the migration of over 1 billion sardines along the coast of Africa and their struggles as they face the largest gathering of predators on Earth.

Narrated by the great Sir David Attenborough, this is a timeless piece that I have watched over and over again with a never diminishing enthusiasm.

The program centers around the plight of a shoal of sardines as it travels along the East coast of Africa, gradually, they join up with other shoals and become a vast school of over 1 billion fish. All this food is bound to attract attention... so much attention that it becomes arguably the largest gathering of predators in any one place.

The fish face an army of innumerable Sharks, Dolphins, Gannets and Seals. These predators all come together for a beautiful yet macabre under water massacre, Sharks and Dolphins attack from below, Gannets from the air and Seals from the shore prevent any chance of escape. The final few scenes almost resemble a sci-fi movie with the Gannets plunging into the sea at break neck speeds and Sharks writhing in and out of Dolphin squadrons. Filmed from planes, boats and divers, the action can be exquisitely viewed from all angles.

This program features some of the greatest filming and editing of any production on television.



It is this program that is the main reason for me choosing my A2 project, the dramatic sound tracks combined with the amazing camera work make a visually stunning masterpiece that is a true testament to the abilities of the BBC.

I highly recommend this program and the entire series to all and will continue to review documentaries of this genre in the future.

A2, Summary of project and progress

OK, well...over half of the allotted time has elapsed and now we are on the 'home straight' as far as the project is concerned. To mark this and to give a re-cap as to what is going on I am preparing a Powerpoint presentation detailing exactly how the project is going and evaluating current progress.

It is still in the making but should be uploaded to this blog by Thursday, closely followed by this months edition of 'The Pipeline'.

The presentaion will include:

• A summary of my chosen brief;
• Current filming progress;
• Current locations;
• Research into similar products;
• What I am aiming to achieve;
• Half way point evaluation;

I am hoping I wil be able to include the trailers from which I have taken my inspiration but that all depends upon the school computers at the time.

Thats all for now...up next (Within 30 mins), another film review.

A2, Post 12, Filming update

Hello and welcome back, hope you had a good Chrimbo etc... anyway...back to the good stuff:

In my last post I explained that my camera was not holding it's power after extensive charging, this problem has now been fixed and filming has resumed!

Since fixing the camera (A simple change of battery was all that was required), I have managed to film in a variety of locations including Blenhiem Palace, Foxfield Country Park and Oxford Aquatics Pet Outlet.

In addition, I have discovered that the camera on my new phone is capable of HD footage, once I have figured out a way to re-format the files for mac I will be able to raise the standard of all previous filming.