Production

 Final Product :

Production Process :

This is the final set choice for my production. I only had desk lamp on hand. this being said, it was a very bright lighting choice with a daylight bulb perfect for the shoot. As the light spill was too wide, i decided to wrap the lamp in foil to focus the lighting path down to only affect the subject.

I also used a piece of foil as my bounce board. The bowl was underexposed as I had predicted; and position the reflective foil just out of frame helped me to fully light the subject.

The set itself was an old wooden table - The round shape helped sell the effect of the light fading into a void. and the rough staining on the table, alongside cuts and scrapes, helped to add texture and character to the shot. I was still somewhat unhappy with the look. And so draped a long piece of material that I purchased from my local fabric shop. This not only helped me  achieve a "two tone" look on the table, but also meant that i could line up my shot perfectly each time with the composition guides (rule of thirds).

The black fabric was hammered into the wall and served as a backdrop.

Sound Design :

I used the Rode LavMic+ to record most of the Foley tracks in this production. This particular clip was used as sizzling rice on the pan. I used a pack of reusable bag ties and rubbed them together. This, combined with the low cut in post gave me a snappy and punchy sizzle effect.  

 

I used a software called 'Reaper 6' -

This is a DAW that allows for audio manipulation. I was able to take my audio clip and add what's called a "low cut".

This is removing all the low frequencies and leaving the mids and highs. This will mean that all boomy room noise, handling noise, ambience will  be eliminated. instead, I will be left with just the crisp section of the audio that I need for my production.

I usually apply this for all sound effects other than - vocal tracks and music tracks. for these I will usually cut the mid frequency and boost the high/low to create a slight 'v' shape.

Editing :

For video editing, I used Adobe Premier Pro.

Adobe Pr can be used to compile video/audio clips and digitally manipulate them to create my production..

As all of my audio was compiled in Reaper, I only needed to import one track into Premier (other than a reversed cymbal sound that I recorded on my drums with the studio mic). This helped with editing speeds and render time.

All video clips were first cut and arranged into the order I had first planned.

I then added layers and keyframed their mask so that they would swipe across the frame to transition the shot. 

Each shot was digitally straightened and repositioned to ensure that I had a perfect image. I also keyframed tracking shots and speed manipulation.

Colour correction was very important to give the commercial the intimate feel that I was after. For this I created as new adjustment layer with a warm, saturated tone and applied this to all.

There was then a second adjustment layer that's mask was keyframed behind the subject to make the background darker without affecting the foreground.

Text effects were written as:

"the following commercial was filmed entirely during lockdown..." 

and

"Ben's Original"

The first was a default font from Adobes font collection. a harsh edge drop shadow was added. A small detail for this is that, as the camera tilts up, the text tracks the bowl out of frame. It is very subtle, but was achieved using keyframes.

The second was a logo obtained from the client brief. Originally, the logo was a deep blue tone. However, I believed that it did not suit the visual style. To change the colour, I opened my lumetri tab and changed the hue to yellow. Then I changed the temperature to cool the yellow to a white. Now I added sharpness and a drop shadow (of the original blue tone, obtained with the colour picker tool).

Lastly, I keyframed a fade on the last clip and the logo at separate marks. Leaving the frame in darkness.

How Did Filming Go?

The process was very fun but very challenging. As a lone filmmaker and chef, I had to ensure that not only the image was correctly set up, but also ensure that I was not burning anything. This is why all movement was simulated in post. It was a test of time management and camera fluidity. Lighting was also a challenge, as I was working with a lamp not meant for cinema. This is where the foil came in handy, I could use foil as barn doors to direct light where I needed it.

The editing process was the longest phase of production, this is where all sound and image was perfected, frame by frame. I thank Reaper for making the editing process faster and saving render time. Next time I shoot, I will invest in better lighting and maybe a slider. I think that with the 20 seconds film limit, I was able to fit a lot of imagery in and interesting effects. I am mostly positive with the outcome.