Client Project - Moonbuggy (1.6.09)

So I conducted some research and looked for local artists and bands which would be possible candidates for the piece. At first I had a well-known DJ in mind, however, I don't want the project to seem typical of a student. This led me to the decision of looking solely for professional bands who gig regularly and play music that wouldn't only be interesting to the younger generation.

After a lengthy search, I came across a local reggae band by the name of Moonbuggy. Their style is a mix between roots, dub, rocksteady, and jazzy reggae styles. The music is mellow with great vocals and lyrics. Here is some information about the band that I got from their website:

Moonbuggy



Happy, conscious sounds to make you dance your socks off. Their original, solid rocking rhythms, jazz tinged horns and sweet laidback vocals make them Nottingham's hottest new reggae band. Having spent the past year writing and recording their debut album "Funky Diatribe", they are now playing out this striking new material with irresistible freshness.

The Players

* James - Vocals / Trumpet
* Neckie - Guitar
* Sophie - Drums / Percussion / Backing Vocals
* Deb - Tenor Saxophone / Backing Vocals
* Dave - Bass / Keyboards / Website Contact

Erstwhile Members

* Nat - Alto Saxophone / Backing Vocals. Currently taking a break from the band, but may come back at some point!
* Mark - Drums until April 2007.

The Press

"Moonbuggy are the latest addition to the Notts scene, and a very welcome one too; mining the rich vein of late-70s instrumental skank without falling into the trap of sounding like the theme tune to Pigeon Street, they've already run into the dilemma all decent Reggae bands have to face; an audience who are so hyped up on the music that they want to nip out for a spliff with an ear cocked against the fire exit. The only downer they put on the event is the fact that we're going to have to wait 9 months in order to see them in the open air, where they belong. Check 'em out the next time they're about in town; they're very good indeed."
- Left Lion, November 2006

Information courtesy of:

I have sent an email to the band telling them my idea and am anxiously waiting for their reply.

Final Year Projects

For my final year at Nottingham Trent University, we have been assigned two projects. One is a research project in which 6 artefacts must be produced in order to back up a certain point or to delve into a certain aspect of multimedia and show what you can do with it. These artefacts can include interviews, questionnaires, audiovisual work, etc. The other project involves creating an audiovisual piece that can be used as a promotional tool by a real client. Below are the forms I handed in which state what I want to do with my projects:





For the client project, my lecturer advised me that the workload of this big of a project would be too much for one person to handle and that I would need to work with one or two more people. I approached my friend and classmate Chris with the idea and he agreed eagerly. I will handle primarily the directing and producing of the project while he will take care of the camerawork and editing. The same project will be turned in by both of us, however, we will each only be judged on the quality of our individual roles.

Electronic Press Kit (EPK) (21.5.09)

For the electronic press kit I authored with the DVD, which contained the trailer and promotional stills, I also included a press release and bios:

Press Release

WISE PRODUCTIONS

Chase Martini
Independent Filmmaker
274 Alfreton Road
+44 (0)75 1743 1604 (mobile)

FOR IMMEADIATE RELEASE

“’Foreign Streets’ Causes Commotion in the Filmmaking Roadworks”

Nottingham, UK – 24 April 2009 –

Foreign Streets, is an urban drama that is set in present day Nottingham and focuses on bringing together two different characters and cultures. It was written and directed by up and coming independent filmmaker Chase Martini and the well-known Dennix Dx plays a leading role.

My name is Chase Martini and my mobile number is +44 (0)75 1743 1604. You can also reach me at: martinichaser@hotmail.com.

Dennix Dx has appeared in several television productions on various networks such as BBC’s Doctors, ITV’s Mr. Eleven, and Channel 4’s Shameless. He was casted through the StarNow website and provided his talent free of charge. He gives a great amount life to the main character, also named Dennix, and gives an epic performance.

Dennix was born in the jungles of Africa and moved to England as an ambitious teenager. Before moving to England, Dennix was involved in modeling and won the Mr. Red Nose teen charity competition at the famous Elephant Hills intercontinental Dennix loves gardening, going to the gym, photography, and writing books.

*****

This is the first production done by Wise Productions. The focus of Wise Productions is on films of a gritty nature and building a strong connection with the younger generation.

Bios

Dennix Dx

Dennix was born in the deep jungles of Africa and moved to England as an ambitious teenager. Before moving to England, Dennix was involved in modeling and won the Mr. Red Nose teen charity competition at the famous Elephant Hills intercontinental hotel visited by the worlds finest including Michael Jackson. Also, he entered many talent shows and even worked as a curtain raiser for “Mr. Lover Man”, Shabba Ranks on his 1998 African tour.

Dennix has been in productions such as:

Jonathan’s Creek
Doctors
Holby City
Casualty
Mr. Eleven
Channel 4 Shameless
Grown Ups

He is now the director of XXLMedia and is working on projects such as “Styles”, a stylish British sitcom, “Story Time with Aunty Madge”, a children’s program, and his latest masterpiece "Jay" the modern day Christ.

In his spare time, Dennix loves gardening, going to the gym, photography, and writing books.

Chase Martini

Chase Martini was born in South Carolina, USA and became a modeled for Millennium for a brief period at the age of ten. During this period he appeared in various newspaper ads. When he was fourteen he moved to Switzerland. At this time he took drama classes and was cast roles in school plays. He is currently a multimedia student at Nottingham Trent University, studying the audio visual pathway, and was recently the producer for a documentary about a graffiti artist entitled “Urban Art: Kid30”.

Chase is passionate about films, likes to mix records in his spare time, and enjoys cooking.

Final Edit (20.5.09)

Here is the final edit for Foreign Streets:

[Video Coming Soon]

Overall, there have been numerous drawbacks during the production of Foreign Streets which has left some room for improvement. Most notably, the quality of the shots and audio was affected by numerous issues. The setbacks, lack of time and difficulty casting the role for Joseph set back the project and decreased the amount of time I spent on other important aspects of the film such as rehearsing and creating the DVD menu. Also much of the dialogue, it is difficult to hear what is being said. This makes it harder to understand what is happening in the film and is the reason why much of the dialogue in the script is not present in the film. On the other hand, I am satisfied with the shots in the film, but could have taken more, specifically cut-away shots. This would have made it easier to edit and would have helped in cutting down the length. I am also pleased with the style and message sent across. I believe that I achieved the gritty style I intended and that the moral of the story I created is strongly portrayed. These two factors were my most significant objectives in making the film. Therefore, I believe the result of Foreign Streets is a success.

Promotional Stills and DVD Cover (19.5.09)

Here are some promotional stills I took for the DVD menu and other uses:





After the stills were taken I put the pictures together using photoshop to use as both the DVD's main menu and a promotional poster. Below is the result:



It is the moment that Joseph lights the match and gives Dennix advice that the main changing point happens. It represents the light in the darkness and I wanted to incorporate this into the design. Also, I wanted the most obvious thing to be that the two characters would come face to face.

Also here is an image of the cover for the DVD:



Again, I wanted to incorporate the match and didn’t want to give anything away about the film. I really enjoy the mysterious feeling when you don’t know what a movie is about before you watch it and I think it achieves this.

Music and Sound Effects (18.5.09)

For the film, I wanted to incorporate various styles of music in order to achieve a higher level of contrast between the emotions invoked by the story. I wanted to show a contrast between a gritty, urban feel and a sorrowful, personal feel. This is why I used a mix of dubstep, grime, classical, and alternative rock. Below are the songs and sound effects I have included in the soundtrack:

Foreign Streets Soundtrack

Caspa – Cockney Violin



Bright Eyes – No One Would Riot for Less (dubstep remix)



Blind Faith – Can’t Find My Way Home



Pachelbel Canon in D Major



Wiley - Gangsters



Sound Effects

- Jet landing
- Glass breaking
- Helicopter
- Car crash
- Dog barking
- Clock ticking
- Heavy breathing and heartbeat
- Bus horn

Shoot Days 4 and 5 (10.5.09 & 17.5.09)

Due to my inexperience in directing and problems with cast and crew, last term I was unable to finish filming for Foreign Streets. Fortunately there was not much left to shoot and what there was left to shoot did not involve much dialogue. The filming went much smoother than before, however took longer than expected.

Another main aspect of the recent filming I undertook has been obtaining voiceovers for the various parts of the film. Most of the voiceovers were for shots where the audio was not of good quality, and the other was for when my character wakes up in the morning and reads Dennix’s note.

Also during these shoots, I came up with a new ending. When Joseph sees Mal (previously Cherry) he runs across the street and as he is doing so he is hit by a bus and dies. I thought this surprise ending would give a much more dramatic effect and also strengthen Joseph’s innocence and thus the moral of the story.

Foreign Streets Trailer (7.5.09)

Here is the finished version of the trailer I edited for Foreign Streets:

Foreign Streets Trailer



The main thing I wanted to do with my trailer was to catch the viewers interest without giving away too much about the story. I feel as though this was achieved because during a seminar when the lecturer asked one of the other students what they thought my film was about, they had a very vague answer, which wasn’t close to what the film is actually about. This however, can be seen as a negative aspect in that too little about the film is portrayed.

I am most happy with the look and feel of the trailer. I used increasingly quick shots to maintain a fast pace and in order to build up the suspense. I used the Last Skeptik remix of Mowgli’s Road by Marina and the Diamonds for the soundtrack because the song is about a fork in the road and taking the “beaten path”, which both relate to the message I’m trying to send across. The message I want to portray is that everyone feels the same emotions and face the same life-changing obstacles.

Another note: Paul’s character is now named Dennix. Paul was an initial name I chose solely for scriptwriting purposes. Also, I wanted to put more of Dennix in the part and make it more of a personal thing.