DMA Lite Portfolio 2023 | Jason Deng
This is my big film project titled "Lost & Found". I hoped to create a short, intense, and engaging film with multiple locations and camera angles, while building tension throughout the film. The story revolves around the protagonist who loses his backpack at the library and embarks on a journey to find it. I used the Blackmagic 4K camera with the 25mm f/1.7 lens and shot at 1080p/24fps. I filmed the entire project with f/1.7 to create depth and blurriness in the background. Due to the fact that I shot in multiple settings with different lighting conditions, I changed the ISO and shutter speed constantly, which was about ISO 100-200 and 1/48. I used the Adobe Premiere Pro to edit the footage and add impactful music and sound effects in post and Photoshop to create the ending credits.
*NOTE* This is a draft version of the film and I will update the portfolio with the final version once complete.
This is my advanced core assignment 4 suspense film project titled "Look Behind You". I worked collaboratively with my amazing film partners Tobin and Morgan. We were inspired by the short film "Lights Out" by David Sandberg, who also directed "Shazam!". We aimed to build tension and deliver scares through the story of a protagonist who encounters a ghost while in the process of writing a song. We used the Blackmagic 4K camera with a 25mm f/1.7 lens and filmed at 1080p/24fps. I filmed the entire project with f/1.7 to create depth and blurriness in the background. I adapted the ISO and shutter speed depending on the lighting, which was around 500 and 1/48. In post, we used the Adobe Premiere Pro software to edit and add sound effects, After Effects to create a mask and glitching effect for the ghost, and Photoshop to create the credits.
In April, I took a break from advanced core and big project and created a drone montage of Lynn Valley. I was inspired by the numerous cinematic drone montages of cities around the world on YouTube. I was trying to create a promotional-type video of Lynn Valley. I chose to film at night since it'll make the colours pop out and look more cinematic. I tried to incorporate a variety of camera angles and movements learned from advanced core assignment 2. This was shot on my DJI Air 2S drone at the intersection of Mountain Highway & Lynn Valley Road, at f/2.8 (fixed), unknown ISO and 1/48 shutter speed. I began editing at home using Final Cut Pro X, and switched over to Adobe Premiere after I finished my core assignments using an XML file.
This is our advanced core assignment 3 remake project. For this project, our task was to recreate a scene from a movie. We recreated the therapy scene from the 2019 film "Joker". Tobin acted as Author, Morgan acted as the therapist, and I filmed it. For this project, we focused on cinematic lighting and costumes to make it pop out. We used the Blackmagic 4K camera with a 25mm f/1.7 lens and filmed at 1080p/24fps. I filmed the entire project with f/1.7, ISO 500 and 1/48 to create depth and match the feel of the actual scene. In post, we used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit and Photoshop to create the credits.
This is my advanced core assignment 1 short film project titled "The Wait". For this project, our goal was to get familiarized with the new Blackmagic camera and replicate a short film called "The Wait" by Nolt Vutthisak. We aimed to create an eventful and engaging short film in a limited time. The story is about a character who daydreams about flying when waiting for his microwave. We used the Blackmagic 4K camera with the zoom lens and filmed at 1080p/24fps. We filmed this project at f/2.0, ISO 500, and 1/24. Then, to edit, we used Adobe Premiere Pro to edit and add sound effects. We used a video of a pilotless fighter jet cockpit and overlaid Tobin in with a green screen in the V2 layer.
This is my advanced core assignment 2 camera movement project. Like usual, I worked with my film partners Tobin and Morgan. We attempted to create the intro sequence or character introduction for a longer film. We were inspired by Tobin, Alice, and my big film project from last year, "ALIENS", which features the protagonist at school in trouble. We aimed to make the film more engaging through colourful props and costumes. We used my iPhone camera and filmed at 4K auto settings. We also mounted the phone onto the Zhiyun Smooth Gimble to provide stability for the variety of camera angles and movements. In post, we used the Adobe Premiere Pro to edit and add sound effects.
