FINISHED (week beginning 23rd April 07)

• This week I have completed my practical production, handing in my brief, production and evaluation.
• This week Mr.Bush looked at my edited production for the first time and fortunately he was very impressed, even I was shocked by his reaction. After we meet up on Thurs, Period 5 to tell me where to 'polish up' and tidied it up for the last time on Friday.
• Nothing is planned for next week as i have finished.

Weekly Progess (Week Beginning April 16th 07)

• This weekend I aimed to finish my production and finish off my evaluation.
• Throughout this week, I have stayed after school with Mr.Monro, and he helped me edit the script and carry out the voiceover. It was on Wednesday, that the voiceover was done. However when I put it in my documentary, some bits that were said were not said confidently as Mr.Monro did seem a little nervous at the beginning, however when he got into the flow, he was excellent. Also by me giving him signals (thumps up to start, and flat hand when I wanted him to stop) and from theses signals, I felt that it worked better. So, on Friday, Mr.Monro re-did the parts of the voiceover that I did not like and put it together. Whilst on Sunday, I editied my Brief and did my evaluation. Also, at the beginning I had a BBC Ident- Predator, however I decided I needed a female voiceover to introduce the programme and so I have chosen Ms.Spencer to perform this, with Ms.Stevens as a backup.
• By the end of this week, I aim to complete my 'Park Life' practical production

Weekly Progress (Monday 9th April 07)

• This week I have been continue to edit and have made far more progress than I did last week. As I have other work to commit to, usless I have chosen a day to do Media, I have stayed up until 12pm-1am and done some work.
• This week I have finally found my opening tune to my doc (Nature Trail (3)- composed by Terry-Devine King), and I personally feel that I have created a introduction that even I'm astonished I could make with what I got and also how the music has fitted so perfectly with it. Also I feel its very professional as well and I proud of it. Also I have managed to fit in some of the other tracks I have and put them into the initial documentary. Also detailed touches were being made to areas. The only problem that I have found is that I actually dont have enough footage of the Blackbird. I am just about finished in making the final touches, then I think that I may need to re-create a new script for Mr.Monro to perform on the Monday we get back.
• I aim to finish my production and Evaluation by tomorrow as I have other work I must do (Friday 12th April 07). However I did say that I may create a different version of my documentary as well, a more 'Man With a Movie Camera' style. I will make ago of that however now I feel that my orginial production is working out I may not need to create the second version, however I will make a start on it.

Weekly Progress Report (Week Beginning 2nd April 07)

• This week I was continuing to edit my project
• Good Friday was REALLY a Good Friday for me! I managed to find a website which will be helping me in terms of music and sound www.audiolicense.net. The site a section just for wildlife sounds including sounds for Activity, Drama/Dramatic, Insect, Chase, Flight, Slow motion and Documentary, with a choice of 427 songs to look through of the whole genre. I managed to find at least 3 to 4 songs I could use

1. Drifting (composed by Paul Mottram)

2. Sly Spy (composed by Igor Dvorkin and Ducan Pittock)

3. Winds (composed by Chris Blackwell)

4. Enigma (Paul Mottram)

I did not have enough varitey in my shots so I spent and whole afternoon and evening in the park filming and I was extremely lucky I did as I have captured even greater footage that I before (I would put it down to the beginning of Spring though), but I have lots more footage of the Robin and more shots of the park scenery, also more Starlings and Carrion Crow's. But it was worth it and I feel that this one afternoon and evening could have just strenghthed my work as before I personally feel it was a bit weak, especially in angles and variety of scenery.

• Next week ( week 2 of the Easter Holidays), I intended to continue editing my documentary.

Weekly Progress (Week begining 19th March 07)

• This week I have stayed up every night working from 10pm till 12-1am doing the production.
• I feel that I have made progress as I made progress but not as much as I would have liked as I was editing at nightime, I understandably felt tired at times, however today (Snuday),I am going to work all day (starting from when I finish this progress report)editing and in between I am going to have to take some time off to revise for the Media Module 1 Mock exam which cuts some of the time off.
• Today I am going to continue editing my production, as I am to have blocked everything in and start looking closer and deeper into things and where am I going to put this shot, effect on audience. Also I am going to gain some help in making my introduction as this is the only area I am struggling with.

Weekly Progress

• Over the weekend, I have finally made a start on my editing.
• While I have been editing, I have found it very hard in that how I could make something out of all my footage, I knew I could, but how was the question. At the sametime I also realised that I still needed even more footage e.g. The Robin, I needed more. However I have managed to find a solution just by planning and organising the structure of my documentary. All I did is think of all the links that I could make and I came up with this:

1. Theme tune- 'Park Life, Wildlife at your backdoors'

2. Introduction to parks (using footage of the scenery)

- what is a park?

- what are parks made up of?

- About the programme series

3. Dawn time (begining of day- Dawn Chorus- Dawn footage)

4. Robins (because they are ususally the first birds to start the dawn chorus)

5. Blackbird (because I have good footage of blackbirds at dawn)

6. Carrion Crow -(link: because both have black plumage)

7. Magpie- (because it is a member of the Crow family)

8. The Tit family, Great and Blue- (because they link with the families idea, e.g. from Crow family to Tit family -link= family), then a shot quick shot of scenery to introduce next mini theme

9. Small flocks of Pigeons- (because to start the mini-theme of flocks, small flock)

10. Common Gulls- (because they are in large flocks)

11. Starlings- (largest flocks, specatacle in numbers, most abundant in whole of park)

12. Green Woodpecker- (because I am lucky to see a Green Woodpecker, good end to the birds section)

13. Grey Squirrel- (because its time to show that the park does not just play host to birds., mammals are their too)

14. Red Fox- (because its the other mammal, nighttime (began at dawn))

15. Summary of Rectory Park - (montage of birds/animals in the show+ shots of flowers, insects and sparkling water to demonstrate the idea that Winter is ending and Spring is coming)

• After create a strong plan, I have found it much easier to create my doc and I now have a strong idea of how to go around editing my documentary
• This coming week I intend to continue editing and also I MUST develop a script as one thing I have found hard to judge how long a scene is against a script. (So far, as I play my footage, I just minic what i may say to see if it may fit in). But by having a script ready, it will make like even easier.

Weekly Progress (week beginning 5th Feb 07)

• This week I have made a start with the editing process.
• On Friday, I stayed after school until 5.30pm, capturing my footage in school as I do not have a firewire port at home.
• This coming week I intended to finish capturing all 2 1/2 tapes by Wednesday/Thursday, so I can start editing at home.

Weekly Progress (week beginning 26th Feb 07)

• The work planned this week was to go out and capture the sound of the dawn chorus. I took the digital video camera and tripod as always, however this time I also took the external microphone as sound would be the main feature of this expidition.
• Friday 2nd March 07- On this day I went out in miday and just captured more footage of any wildlife I could get. Also I climbed up two small tree's and got a shoot from a tree. I also tried to climb up a tree to get a look at inside a birds nest, however it was impossible for me as for one, it was way to high, two, the branches are to thin and weak to hold me and three, I would be having to carrying a camera and tripod, meaning I would only be ble to use one hand to move around with, which is an impossible situation Sunday 4th March 07- This morning I woke up at 5.45pm and left and 6.15pm and stayed until 7pm. Apart from being freezing cold, it was a wonderful atmosphere to capture. Also a pair of Geese were flying around and adding to the dawn chorus mix. I also took the chance to re-shoot the 360 degrees shot, low angle shot of the trees and sky.
• Next week I intend to start my editing and first off all, as I do not have firewire port, I will have to capture all my footage, meaning that I will have to go through two full tapes and 20 mins of a third tape. After that I can take it home and start to construct it, develop a script and choose to do my voicover etc.

Weekly Progress (week beginning 19th Feb 07)

• The work planned this week was to go out and do some filming and hope to be really lucky in capturing something spectacular. As always i took the digital video camera and the tripod.
• This was quite a bad luck for me as most of the times that i had planned to go out it was raining. Also what disappointed me about this week was that on Sunday, I intended to wake up at 5.30pm and film the dawn chorus. I woke up at 5.30pm so i could go film the dawn chorus, (which is a wildlife spectacle, but involving sound), however it was rainning. I did eventually manage to get out of the house, later that day, but again due to some drizzle and rain, I had to forfit the trek through the extremely wet and muddy park. In the time i managed to stay out for 30 mins and managed to capture the European Magpie feeding, Common Gulls flyings, and Pigeons feeding.
• My plan (this week) is to extend my filming time to just this week in a last ditch attempt to capture some amazing wildlife, but most importantly the dawn chorus.

Weekly Progress (3)

Saturday 3rd -Tues 6th 07

• The work planned was to go out to the Park and film some more animals. However, In particualr the Green Woodpecker and the Fox
• Saturday's session: I had 6 mins remaining of my first tape, and so I went to finish it off. I managed to get more birds that I needed (Blue Tit, Robin etc.). Sunday's session: was at night as I was lucky to get some more footage of Foxes. I had to wait till 1.15am, till I got a 15-20 second shot of the Foxes (there were two of them), but unluckly a car scared them off. Monday's session I was again at night and again I got a site of the Fox, and much earlier, roughly 10.30-11.30pm. Tuesday's session: Straight after my Tuesday Media lesson, I went home to get the camera and went out to do some filming until 3.30pm. In that time I was lucky again, as I saw what I was after, the Green Woodpecker. Again, in was in an open area. However by seeing it again and also seeing where the Woodpecker had been pecking a large whole in the bark of the tree, usually for creating a nest, I feel that I might be in luck as if my guess is right, the Green Woodpecker lives in Rectory Park.
• Overall I am happy to catch the Green Woodpecker again and the Foxes as they were my prime targets. I still want more though. I am intending to go to the Park on Thursday morning, also I think its snowing on that morning. This is turn will help me illustrate that this series is based in Winter.

Weekly Progress (2)

(Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd Feb 07)

• The worked planned was to capture the animals and birds on my list. As I had media lessons off on both Thursday and Friday, I used all the time available. So from 8.3opm I started filming. To capture the footage I need to take with me both the digital video camera and the tripod.
• Both Thursday and Friday proved to be enourmously successful. On all the outings I had I have got a large amount of my list of animals ticked off. So far I have captured the Blackbird, Ferel Pigeon, Robins, Grey Squirell, Common Gull, Crow and more Grey Squirrels. (Note: I have mentioned all the animals that i want in the list, they are just what 'I am intending and hopeful of capturing for my documentary'). Today (Friday), I was both the luckiest and unluckiest person. As I was in the park, I heard a knocking sound that seemed familiar, to confirm my suspicions, I followed the sound, and when i looked up I saw a Green Woodpecker (right), which is the largest of the three Woodpeckers in Britain, drilling a whole in the bark of the Tree. However by the time i looked to see where it was, It flew away. I was lucky of finding some more, and got them on footage, but in the open spaces. I missed out on a Green Woodpecker pecking a whole in the tree. But next time I go out, I will purposely look for it. I also saw another type of Woodpecker, I could not entirely tell, it was either the Great or Small Spotted Woodpecker, but it just flew away before I even got to set up. Oh yeah, and I got a glimse of a Red Fox. One downside was that I had to keep going back to the house once the batteries ran out (twice on Thursday and once on Friday), Then I had to wait for the batteries to recharge before I could continue with my filming which took up time aswell. But overall, I got some fantastic footage.
• Overall, I have to say from the last two days I have got more than what I had planned. However I've made a decision in that although you are supposed to start editing as soon as possible, I have decided that I will use the full filming time given just in case I miss out on anything and also I still feel I need even more footage. I am getting ready to move onto my second tape. The aim of my next trek through Rectory Park, will be to find the Green Woodpecker, especially now I know where some of their nests are. I am also intending to climb up a tree and look inside one of the bird nest. Also I still need more footage of songbirds i.e Robins, Blue Tits etc. and others such as Magpies and House Sparrow. Also I will have to start staying up again as the Foxes have truely returned. But another job well done I'd say. Tonight I will stay up and look out for Foxes.

Weekly Progress

• The worked planned for this week is to go out on Sunday morning at around 8am and to capture the wildlife around. For this I will need to use the digital video camera and the tripod.
• I went out on Sunday morning and left the house at 8.30am. I feel that today was the first day that I have got some strong and solid footage to use. During my trek in the park, I filmed things such as a tree, scenery of the park, birds nest's, water, Starling, Blue Tit's, Common Gull. However the main highlight of this attempt of filming was my footage of Grey Squirrels, which was one of the animals i intended to capture. Also i was using a variety of shots from long to close-up's to tracking. I only stayed at the park for an hour, because unfortunately the battery ran out.
• From my footage which i gained, I feel that after all my efforts, I've finally got some strong footage to show and feels like a great achievement because my efforts are starting to pay off, however theirs still a long way to! One thing I found very hard was to follow and track the animals and birds, as they move so fast and swiftly. At times when i was filming the Squirrel, when i had lost them in the trees, I had to constantly look around to see where in the tree they were. This will be something i will have to have more practice with. My view is that it has gone just as I planned, in that I go to the right places I know where the animals inhabit and hopefully the animals and birds I intended to shoot will be there at the time. Also I planned that on this occasion that I would definetely get some good, solid footage, which I have.

Plan for the Week

Depending on the weather, i am hopeful that this Sunday morning, I can go out at roughly 7am and spend approximately two and a half to 3 hours wandering around the park looking around and hoping to capture some footage.