In PLP, we aim to make our work as close to professional quality as possible. We use great equipment, proper camera angles, lots of post production apps, and more to make high quality, well crafted films. However, it doesn’t matter which tools you have if you don’t know how to use them properly. This was a problem in many projects last year, so our teachers decided we should start of grade 10 by fine tuning our skills in film production. Introducing Project Comedy Recreation.
The Projects
If we want our films to look professional, then what better way to do so then copying other films. Our tasks would be to recreate two comedy sketches as closely as we could manage. The first film was called “Catch” by Joe Hartzler, and would be recreated by everyone. The second one could be a short film of choice and would different depending on the group. We were then divided into groups of 3-5 people, and were ready to start.
Recreation 1: Catch
When working on our first recreation, I was put into a group with Luca J and Luca OG. This was a great group in my opinion because Luca OG is a good actor, Luca J a good editor, and myself a good prop and costume creator. Together, we had the abilities to make something awesome. I started off the project by working on a recreation of the soundtrack, which to my surprise was easy. I realize now that a good movie soundtrack doesn’t have to be complicated, just timed well and fitting to the mood.
My Soundtrack Recreation
The next step was to gather and create props. This was a harder task because finding props that looked just like the ones in the original was a challenge. As a group we were able to gather similar props and costumes, but I think if we had gone to other groups for help, we would have been able to create a better likeness.
After this, we had to a location and begin filming, which was the most time consuming part. We had the foresight to record the video and subtitles before hand so we could copy them scene by scene, which did make things easier. Me and Luca OG were the main characters and found the acting fun because it was so over the top. Although it felt awkward at the time, going all out really helped the performance. Once that was done, Luca J put it all together to create this video:
Original Video
Our Recreation
Recreation 2: The 99 Cents Store Will Kill You
After watching everybody’s catch recreations, we took notes and moved onto our next task. This one would prove to be more of a challenge due to each group doing something completely different. We started off by looking for a video, which we all assumed would be easy. However, finding something that had minimal actors, props, a realistic location, and wasn’t too long was difficult. Eventually, we settled on a comedy sketch by youtuber Matthias called “The 99 Cents Store will Kill You”.
We found a location easily, and didn’t have to worry about a soundtrack because there wasn’t one, but ran into difficulties with the props. There wasn’t time to go out and buy any, so I had to construct them from what I had. Using things like the top of a tomato container and toilet paper roles, I was able to create a good likeness to the real products.
Our Products Vs The Real Ones
My Digital Designs
We got critique to make our angles and clips more precise on our last video, so we made that the main focus of filming. We also decided to focus on the background because it added a lot to the feel of the original. Once we were done filming, Luca J edited it once more and we created a video that I feel is a massive step up from our first:
Original Video
Our Recreation
Reflection
This project was different than anything we had done before, and as a result has left a big impact on me. I never realized how much detail goes into wardrobe and props, and gives me a new appreciation for time management. One of my goals I’m working on is being able to divide tasks well in a group, and I saw how effective this can be as we were able to get this entire project done in a couple of days. In the future, I think I will use storyboards more because I see how helpful having something to follow can be. I also think that I will be more careful with my time as tasks such as prop creation can take hours.